Swangin': These Songs Go Hard

*sorry for the hiatus, was busy with ultimate tournaments and janx.

These songs are for when you're pumping yourself up, or need to feel mean, making a highlight reel, or something like that.

96/100

This one gets me going every time.

Pop My Trunk - Wine-O

Bonus: thel0stkids perform to this track, and its dope.

100/100

Trey Songz, whattah mayne. This joint is straight dope. Forrealzies. R&B voice like no other and a lyricist in his own right. YUP!

Trey Songz - Paper Planes (remix)

95/100

Heard this on the radio on the drive back from spring break. Dunno much about him, but kind of a cool video.

GYFT - THEY JUST DON'T KNOW

99/100

Teriyaki Boyz rock. For real. Just Blaze produced the track, so obviously it goes hard. HARD.

Teriyaki Boyz - Baggie Pants

Slow Lovin'

For those of you who need a little slow jammin', slow lovin', sexy music in their lives, this is your lucky day. On a date and need something nice and smooth to work your date? Have no fear. Snuggling with your cutiepie? I've got the song for you.

98/100

Miguel Jontel, a guy so new that he doesn't even have a wiki page. He's from Cali or something. Mmmmm melts your soul.

Miguel - Sure Thing

Bonus: Shaun Evaristo Choreo to Miguel

98/100

I could go on about Usher. So, I wont. Sexy song, hot video, its pretty much softcore porn.

Usher - Trading Places

98/100

I prefer the Duece Poppi remix but the original will do. Oh yeah, and this guy is white. For real. Watch the video.

Robin Thicke - Lost Without U

97/100

Passion is an Asian dude. Pretty indie, but awesome. Here he is with Melvin (another azn) performing an acoustic version of Cater 2 U by Destiny's Child

Passion & Melvin- Cater 2 U (Acoustic)

New Era Hip Hop Lyricists

Hip hop. Is it dead?

There are a lot of ways of tackling this question...

Indeed, the prominence of catchy mainstream rap in the current day is impossible to deny. Some people point to how its all about sex, drugs, alcohol, and violence.

But wasn't this always a part of this scene? Without a doubt, there have always been more socially and politically conscious lyricists, but were they ever the mainstream? Probably not.

But, I don't mean to say that hip hop is through and through great, or even that mainstream hip hop is great stuff. I mean, I totally don't like 50 cent, but luckily for me, he's become more or less irrelevant.

Then, I ask, what of the new school kids? Cool flow, chill beats, kick-ass style, smooth lyrics, not-so-ghetto backgrounds, etc.

Lupe, B.o.B., Wale, Mike Posner, Wiz Khalifa, Travie McCoy, Asher Roth, Drake, among others.

I'm all for it.

Let's face it, these cats are ill.

Hip hop aint dead, its just been upgraded to Hip Hop 2.0 with fresh faces.

98/100

Asher Roth of "I Love College" fame. Many shoot him down without giving him a chance simply cuz of that. This kid is SICK. The way he throws down on this track is just straight nasty.

N.E.R.D. - Hot N Fun (Remix) (Ft. Asher Roth)

93/100

The kid from the Gym Class Heroes goes solo. Most of you have probably heard "Billionaire" which radio-dropped a couple of months ago and subsequently was stuck in everyone's head.

Travie McCoy - Superbad

100/100

Colin Munroe, the Unsung Hero... Still the unsung hero. I dunno why this shit isn't all over the place. Way too good of an artist not to be. Amazing song, remixed by 88-Keys. My favorite part is near the end so make sure you listen all the way through.

Colin Munroe Ft. 88Keys - Last Cause

Brit "Indie" Rock Featuring: Songs That Fit Summer

Another swing at the same-ish genre, but since its summer, I'm going to provide some songs for you to play while cruising around with the top down. Again, nothing new but great songs none-the-less.

96/100

This one is a 2006 release from English bloke Jack Penate. This one is perfect to play as you walk out your door; it immediately makes you feel confident, happy, and upbeat.

Jack Penate - Got my favourite

Bonus: I first heard Jack Penate when I was out shopping somewhere in Tokyo and wrote down the lyrics a couple of summers ago. Torn on the Platform is an amazing song.

100/100

Jack Peñate - Torn On The Platform

100/100

Just in case you haven't chance upon this song by the Kooks, here it is. It still remains as the 2nd most played song in my iTunes library (202 plays and counting). It is infectious, addictive, and will most certainly get stuck in your head. The archetypal British indie rock sound.

The Kooks - Naive

97/100

"Got to go dance, cuz that's what my heart says" probably sums up this song best. Absolutely a summer jam released in 2009, Steve's single was a radio hit in Japan last summer. Cool huh? Don't worry about the video since its mediocre.

Steve Appleton - Dirty Funk

95/100

Probably made most known to people because of the movie "500 Days of Summer", the band had actually broken up before the movie had ever aired. Interesting, huh? A feel-good track that makes you long for a new love... or summer fling? That's up to you.

Mumm-ra - She's Got You High

Brit "Indie" Rock Featuring: Just Jack

Just Jack.

Great stuff, totally recommended.

He's got the Brit indie sound and has great videos and sincere lyrics.

100/100

His probably most well known single, released in 2007 is about the fall from grace that musicians face. An honest look at the reality of musician-celebrity-ism, complete with a feel good beat with a tinge of sadness. Now why'd you want to go put stars in their eyes?

Just Jack - Starz In Their Eyes

97/100

This is the perfect song for a lazy afternoon stroll through a park. Humorous video, great song. Great for one of those glory days.

Just Jack - Glory Days

98/100

An uplifting yet depressing song. Interesting, thought-provoking, and easy on the ears.

Just Jack - The Day I Died

Mainstream Meets Electro

This one is hot. Remixologists won't be able to contain themselves, I swear.

99/100 (Dancehall-dubstep)

Hold Yuh is a "mainstream" dancehall song that's been doing it big in at least the NY/NJ region since a few months ago. When I was in the area, taxis were blasting it throughout NYC to my delight. Lemme know if its made its way down to the VA airwaves yet. Remixed by none other than Major Lazer.

Gyptian - Hold Yuh (Major Lazer Remix)

Bonus: the original, in case you've been missing out.

94/100 (Pop-electro)

Everyone knows California Gurls, unless you've been living under a rock or only listen to stuff dead people have written. This is the "passion pit" remix. A good late night banger, check it.

Katy Perry California Gurls (Passion Pit Edit)

97/100 (House/Electro)

I love dis choon! It's real upbeat, somewhat mysterious, and has a hint of summer night in it.

DO! DO! DO! - CARTE BLANCHE FT. KID SISTER

Pop-culture: The Top of the Pop

Tracks that will, or at least should, get overplayed in the next 12 months:

100/100 (Poppiest Pop Ever)

This has been stuck in my head for over two months now. It's geared to be a smash hit, and threatens to get stuck in your head after one listen. If you don't like it, you're either overcompensating or hate puppies, marshmallows, and sunshine.

He's been under the radar for a while, but now that he has an OFFICIAL VIDEO, I'm assuming the bigwigs are ready to unleash Cody Simpson onto the world.

iYiYi- Cody Simpson Featuring. Flo Rida

95/100 (Samezies)

It's got everything a chart-topping pop song needs: A catchy, can't-get-out-of-you-head tune, easy to sing chorus, eye candy for tween girls. I dunno if this song has hit the airwaves yet, but I assume it will soon and blow up, if it hasn't.

The Ready Set - Love Like Woe

96/100 (Electro-rap)

Feel-good tune from Flo-rida and Guetta. Can't really go wrong there.

Flo Rida - Club Can't Handle Me ft. David Guetta

Overplay these now at parties so that you can claim to be ahead of the curve and feel (rightfully) snobby about it later.

On another note, Mike Posner's "Cooler than Me" is hitting the charts hard a year later... Sometimes it takes a while for a good song to be recognized and overplayed I guess.

Genre: A Lesson for Newbies - Electronica part 1.

Everyone's heard the term "techno", perhaps even "trance", or "electro", "house", etc. But do you know which is which? Perhaps? Well, in case you wanted know the difference, here is a several part series of undetermined length to try to help explain this to you.

First off, techno is commonly used to describe the larger umbrella of sub-genre within the realm known as "electronic dance music" aka EDM. Electronic music was pioneered in the 70's by several groups, with Kraftwerk from Germany being one of the main groups to emerge from this early era of "electro".

Here is their classic, The Robots.

Yet, the term "techno" was not coined until a little while later in Detroit. A youth movement that centered around DJs and parties was vibrant in Detroit in the mid to late 80's. It was in this culture that classic "popping" soundtracks were born, such as Cybotron's "Clear".

Sound familar? Maybe? In any case, you should recognize the part that's been sampled in more recent mainstream songs, such as Missy Elliott's Lose Control

Something that people may not know about techno is that it was influenced by not just electro-pop groups such as Kraftwerk, but also had strong soul, disco, and funk influences. In fact, many in the predominant crowds that incubated techno were not Caucasian, which is somewhat of a reversal in at least the image of the demographic of techno today.

... To be continued.

Pop-culture: Clash of Genres

Candy-techno-house-hip-hop, this seems to be the trend for some time, much to my delight. I remember telling a friend around 2000 that the future holds a melding of big techno/house beats molded with hip-hop and r&b elements, so I was decidedly pleased the rise of artists such as LMFAO. Anyway, without further ado, some songs that are sure to get stuck in your head.

100/100 (Electro-hip-pop)
Clearly the smash hit of the summer. I mean, everyone's all over their new album, as they should be.

Double Vision - 3OH!3

Bonus tracks: My First Kiss, Touching On My, Hey ft. Lil Jon

Bonus fun fact: Sean used to play ultimate: Junior Worlds, played a year? with Mamabird before getting injured and deciding to focus on music. A loss to ultimate, but a great gain for parties.

94/100 (Electro-r&b)

David Guetta, 'nuff said. Certain to get your booty up and bumpin'.

David Guetta Ft. Jackie Boyz - Girls Everywhere

92/100 (Electro-rap)

He's a Brit. Great vibe, check him out.

KANO - ROCK N ROLLER OFFICIAL VIDEO

Bonus Party Smasher (Dancehall vibes): Kano - Get Wild

95/100 (Electro-pop)

Party Smasher. Envision dance floor, sweaty, hazy, tipsy, and having the time of your life. This song will push that feeling even higher!

The White Tie Affair - You Look Better When I'm Drunk

A little bit bit of this, a little bit of that...

Old school vibe, new school twist.

New school vibe, old school twist?

Perhaps.

Little dated stuff but golden nonetheless.

Featuring some chill tracks from the Xaphoon Jones Mixtape, and some random assortment of things.

94/100

Verses over "Ce Jeu" by Yelle

Chiddy Bang and Theodore Grams Fresh Like Us Remix (Xaphoon Jones)

96/100

"Sky's the Limit" NOTORIOUS B.I.G. x "Single Ladies" Beyonce x "Swimming in the Flood" Passion Pit

Swimming In The Sky (Xaphoon Jones Remix)

97/100

I mean its Marley and MGMT

Bob Marley and MGMT I Wanna Know Now (Xaphoon Jones)

98/100

Summer driving music

WIz Khalifa vs. Empire of the Sun - The Thrill (Burn After Rolling)

98/100

Kryptonite - Purple Ribbon All-stars vs Broken Social Scene

Dubstep and Electro

So I've decided to start a new weblog with music updates to keep you newbies (ie Bobby) on the bleeding edge of music, and or just so you can keep up with what I've been listening to as of late. Everything should be pretty easy to understand (look through the labels in the future to find what you want), though the scoring system will be pretty arbitrary.

Stuff I've been listening to lately:

Some dubstep, some electro. Pretty much on heavy rotation.

92/100 (Dubstep)

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix)

95/100 (Dubstep)

La Roux - Im Not Your Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)

95/100 (Electro/House)

Dust in Gravity (Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix) - Delerium ft. Kreesha Turner

90/100 (Electro/House)

Eric Chase - Sticky Situation ( Original Mix )