Hydrant Sippin’

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE OCTOBER 2009 MIX HERE

Saw lots of amazing music this month (Treasure Island Festival, Mos Def performing Black on Both Sides), but don’t know that I listened to all that much great new stuff.  Basically, I was too blown away by the new Flaming Lips album to listen to much of anything else.

• Flaming Lips – Embryonic: A surprising, stark, but very welcome change for Oklahoma’s finest.  I never expected the bad who had been singing about “go tell Brittany, go tell Gwen,” on their last album would produce something so dark and weird.
• Girls – Album: Back in September, my mom told me that her friend’s son was in a band that she thought I might like called Girls.  One week later, they’re getting a 9.1 on Pitchfork.  Who knew my mom was such a tastemaker?
• Oh No – Dr. No’s Ethiopium: Another fantastic instrumental album from Oh No.  But it’s another reminder that he’s yet to drop a proper follow-up to 2004’s The Disrupt.  C’mon man.

As always, let me know if there’s anything I missed this month:

1) Direct Drive – Time’s Running Out
Disco’s not dead! (courtesy of Mixtape Riot)

2) Chromeo – I Can’t Tell You Why
Let’s turn the cheese up to 11 with this Eagles cover.

3) Girls – Hellhole Ratrace
7 minutes long. It could be 17 minutes long and I’d still be happy with it.

4) NOMO – Banners on High (live on Daytrotter)
I’m still pissed they decided to come to Chapel Hill the same night De La Soul was playing.

5) Girls – Darling
Seriously, Mom, can these dudes play my wedding?

6) Koushik – Beep 13
There’s a lot going on these 22 seconds.

7) Oh No – Melody Mix
C’mon, Oh No. You’re a good rapper! Kick something over this.

8) De La Soul – La La La
I hope these dudes do it for another 20 years. Because 20 years in, they’re doing the opposite of falling off.

9) Junior Murvin – Guitar
The Curtis Mayfield of Jamaica? I love the falsetto.

10) Adrian Younge – Shot Me in the Heart
From the original soundtrack to Black Dynamite. The movie might be a comedy, but this song is no joke (ha!). (from Steady Bloggin’)

11) Otis Redding – My Lover’s Prayer
I’m currently going through the process of trying to find a first dance song. I’m quickly realizing that all the best soul songs (like this one) are about heartbreak. (per Soul Summer)

12) Oh No – The Funk
I’d love to hear the original Ethiopian record he flipped for this.

13) Little Denice – Check Me Out
I love the switch-up at the 0:18 mark. (another Soul Sides sure-shot)

14) Jay-Z – PSA (Alex Goose Remix)
Imagine if Jay had beats like this on BP3!

15) M.O.P. (ft. Styles P) – Bang Time
Doing what they do best…making songs that make you want to break shit. (Unkut, of course)

16) Screwball (ft. Cormega) – What the Deal?
Some grimy NY street-rap to bring us into these cold, dark months. (Unkut wins again)

17) Koushik – Beep 20

18) Lil’ Boosie (ft. Mouse & Lil’ Phat) – Top Notch
The best song off the (sadly) disappointing SuperBad.

19) Frank Ski – Whores In This House (Doo Doo Brown Version)
Old school B’more club music via Cocaine Blunts. Extra points for going with “whores” instead of the infinitely more common “hoes.”

20) Poirier (ft. Face T) – Enemies
This song is either incredibly annoying, or incredibly awesome. I can’t decide.

21) Elucid – Yum Yum
Seriously has me fiendin’ for Sub-Bass Diet.

22) The Flaming Lips – Worm Mountain
I would have loved if they would have played this one at Treasure Island. I’m sure it sounds incredible live…

23) The Flaming Lips – Silver Trembling Hands
…although I’m thankful that I can verify that this one definitely sounds incredible live!

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE SEPTEMBER 2009 MIX HERE

September kicked summer 09 out the door in fine style. One last celebration of summer in Trinidad trumped anything I did from June through August. Upon returning home, summer was gone. But I was ready. The weather (apart from the occassional rain) has been incredible. It was an all-around fantastic month. And here’s what I was listening to:

• Reigning Sound – Love and Curses: It’s 9 am, you just got to the tailgate. You’re fighting a hangover. You want to get things rolling, but it’s not yet rock-out with your cock-out time yet. Toss this one on.
• Various Artists – Eccentric Soul: Smart’s Palace: Is there no end to obscure regional and mostly-forgotten soul records? Numero Group dig up nothing but gems, once again.
• Jahdan Blakkamoore – Bazooka Shot Mixtape: If you’re looking for more dancehall in the Major Lazer-type vein (you might remember Jahdan from the fantastic “Cash Flow“), you should add this DJ/rupture & Matt Shadetek produced mixtape.
• Various Artists – Giraffostyle 09 – Huntsville Happening: Some dude from Norway(?) put together this fantastic compilation of stuff from the PRGz/Slow Motion Soundz camp.
• Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2: My thoughts on this album before it finally dropped: “Surely, this thing is never going to be released. I mean, Rae’s been talking about this album for a good three years now. Toss it in the pile with Detox….I’ll believe it when I see it. And even if it does come out, there’s no way it’s going to be any good. I mean, I heard Immobilarity, dammit.” Ooops.
• Freddie Gibbs – midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik: Unpretentious street-rap from a dude who can rap his ass off.
• Spider Bags – Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World: September is the month when you stop drinking tequila and start drinking whiskey. This is the album you listen to when you drink that whiskey.

As always, let me know if you think I missed anything:

1) Reigning Sound – If I Can’t Come Back
Reigning Sound at their most rocking-est.

2) No Age – You’re a Target
These dudes are one of the most overrated bands on Pitchfork. But if they plan on heading in this direction — less distortion, more accessible — then I can see myself getting down.

3) The Almighty Defenders – Cone of Light
Pitchfork shit all over their album (I haven’t heard it yet), but I like this little doo-wop number with BBQ on the vocals.

4) Chocolate Snow – Inflation
While it was probably written four decades ago, this could easily serve as the theme song for 2009.

5) The Paragons – Blackbirds Singing
Paragons singing > blackbirds singing (via Mixtape Riot)

6) Jahdan Blakkamoore (ft. 77 Klash) – Collie Fields
I shed a tear every time a collie field gets burned.

7) Bobby Creekwater – Business Man
Love myself throwback electro-sounding beats that knock. And Bobby’s a good enough rapper to make cold, sparse beats like this still sound dope.

8) 6 Tre Gangsta, S.T. & AC Burna – Feel the (Chris Brown)
The theme song to my fantasy football team, the (Chris) Browns. “I beat a bitch down / call me Chris Brown!” You gotta love that beat, too (heard on an interlude from the classic Starshipz & Rocketz). It sounds like someone accidentally set the renaissance fair in the hood.

9) Raekwon (ft. Ghostface) – Cold Outside
I’ve said before that gritty New York street rap is the new blues music. But I don’t think any traditional blues songs ever sounded this damn epic.

10) Young Buck – Bury Me Alive
As long as Buck stays angry and hungry like this, it’ll be 50’s career that’s buried long before Buck’s (via Cocaine Blunts).

11) Freddie Gibbs – Bussdown
Even when he’s hitting on broads, dude sounds like a menace.

12) Snoop Dogg – That’s the Homie
This almost makes up for that ridiculous reality show. (via Steady Bloggin)

13) Dam Funk – 10 West
Dude is on a roll. Damn near everything he drops makes it onto a Nordy mix.

14) Ninjasonik (ft. The Death Set, Hollywood Holt, Theophilus London & Cadence Weapon) – Negative ThinkingThis song has two big things going against it: it’s over 6 minutes long, and it features Cadence Weapon. Fuck it, it still bangs.

15) Donwill (ft. Elucid) – Barakaran
Elucid absolutely slays everything he touches. The Sub Bass Diet can’t get here soon enough.

16) Raekwon – Pyrex Vision
Ever wondered why the call him the Chef?

17) Red – I Should Tell Ya Momma On You (Dam Funk Remix)
Best song from a homeless beatboxer this year. Check out the video.

18) Reigning Sound – Something to Hold Onto
Dude’s like Craig Finn without the annoying voice.

19) Spider Bags – Trouble
The sound of self destruction.

20) The Love Language – Stars (Live on Daytrotter Session)
“Little girls tell the biggest lies” is one of those lyrics that you’ll always remember.

Bonus Track
Busy Signal – Up In Her Belly: It has been on my iPod for a while, so it’s not part of the September Mix…but this song was still everywhere in Trinidad (which was awesome).

DOWNLOAD THE AUGUST 2009 MIX HERE

No write-ups this month.  I moved last weekend, and I’m heading out to Trinidad in 5 hours.  Just downlowd and enjoy.

1) Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
2) Thee Oh Sees – Enemy Destruct
3) Foreign Born – Vacationing People
4) Mayer Hawthorne – Green Eyed Love
5) Paper Route Gangstaz – Keyshia Cole
6) Lil’ Boosie & Hurricane Chris – Chest Wide Open
7) Go Go Power Rangers – Tippin’ on My Dick
8) Donwill – Tribute to DJ Quick & Kurupt
9) Willie Isz – U Want Some
10) Clipse (ft. Keri Hilson) – All Eyes on Me
11) Dam Funk – On & On
12) Pac Div – Mayor
13) Pill – Trap Goin’ Ham
14) Che Grand (ft. Elucid & Spec Boogie) – Walking Under Ladders
15) Elzhi – Colors Pt. 2
16) Lee Fields – Bad Trip
17) Max Romeo – No Peace
18) Yo La Tengo – Here to Fall
19) Foreign Born – Early Warnings
20) Japandroids – I Quit Girls

DOWNLOAD THE INTRO TO UGK HERE

This is not, by any means, a “best of.”  This isn’t me trying to post up the most influential or obscure UGK tracks we can find (I’m not going to pretend I roll that deep). This is just an intro to one of the greatest groups in hip-hop history.  80 minutes of the most accessable UGK — those songs that hold up best and still sound fresh today.  If you’ve yet to embrace UGK in your life, let this be your jumping off point. If you like what you hear, dig deeper…you won’t be disappointed.

1) UGK – It’s Supposed to Bubble
2) UGK – Ain’t That A Bitch (Dirty!)
3) Pimp C – Comin’ Up (Feat. Lil Flip & Z-Ro)
4) Bun B – Get Throwed (Chops Remix) (ft. Pimp C, Young Jeezy & Jay-Z)
5) Pimp C – Pourin Up (ft. Bun B & Mike Jones)
6) Beanie Sigel – Purple Rain (w/ Bun B)*
7) UGK – Swishas And Dosha
8) UGK – Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You) Featuring Outkast
9) UGK – Quit Hatin’ The South Featuring Charlie Wilson And Willie D
10) UGK – Trill N****** Don T Die Featuring Z-Ro
11) UGK – Like That
12) UGK – Hit The Block Featuring T.I.
13) Bun B – Damn I’m Cold (featuring Lil’ Wayne)
14) Bun B – Pop It 4 Pimp (featuring Juvenile & Webbie)
15) UGK – Everybody Wanna Ball
16) UGK – 7th Street (Interlude)
17) UGK – Swishas And Erb Ft. Sleepy Brown
18) UGK – Texas Ave. (Interlude)
19) UGK – Da Game Been Good To Me

* I know, it’s not officially a UGK, Pimp C or Bun B track, but the song is incredible and it sounds much more like a UGK track than a Beanie track.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE JULY 2009 MIX HERE

Sorry for the delay. Summers are my busy time at work and my woman got back from 3 months in another country. For some reason, she’d rather talk to me rather than watch me listen to music. To top it off, my dumb ass decided to set a record for the number of songs I put on my iPod this month. You don’t really want to know how many songs that was. I’ll just say this: My name is Nordy, and I have a problem.

Good albums this month:

• Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do:  I still prefer South Rakkas Crew’s The Mix Up, but this is a fun summer album.
• Truck North – Truck Jewels:  Rappers.  There is no excuse for having crappy beats on a mixtape.  You can rhyme over whateverthefuck you want to rhyme over.  Props to Truck North for being one of the only dudes out there who seems to get the concept.  Banger after banger after banger.
• Wale – Back to the Feature: Despite feeling the need to rap over a couple of boring-ass 9th Wonder beats, Wale pretty much gets the concept, too.
• The Budos Band – The Budos Band EP:  They’ve yet to make a bad song.
• Harlem – Free Drugs ;-):  As a general rule, I hate bands who title their album “Free Drugs.”  And a band who adds a fcuking emoticon in their title?  Terrible.  But these guys make some of that good, classic garage-rock that I like so much (and need more of now that Oxford Collapse broke up and Black Lips have started doing too many drugs).

As always, let me know if you think I missed anything:

1. Major Lazer (feat. Mr. Vegas & Jovi Rockwell) - Can’t Stop Now
This kind of beach music >>>>> that dreck that middle-aged white North Carolinians call beach music

2. The Very Best (ft. Ezra Koenig) – Warm Heart of Africa
Ezra Koenig + Esau Mwamwaya = two of the best voices in pop music

3. Love Language – Lalita
Even though they’re from here in the Triangle, I’ve avoided them because of their name. Maybe I need to start putting less weight on band names and album titles. I’ll have to check them out in a couple of weeks.

4. Spoon – Got Nuffin
New Spoon. Sounds like the rest of their stuff. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

5. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
Their album bores the hell out of me. Luckily I was at least able to make it to this — the second track on the album — before falling asleep and deleting the rest of the album.

6. Harlem – Beautiful & Very Smart
There’s something a bit charming about lyrics this literal. Enough with love songs about rainbows and metaphors and shit.

7. Animal Collective – Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix)
I always said, I’d like Animal Collective if they actually had some drums. Phaseone added some drums. (courtesy of Mad Decent)

8. Clipse (ft. Pharrell) – I’m Good
I wasn’t feeling the softness at first, but man this one has grown on me.

9. Young Jeezy (feat. Lil’ Boosie & Webbie) – Betta Believe It
All for that Boosie Boo verse. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite rappers. Dude sounds HUNGRY.

10. G-Side – Paradise
Remember what I said above about Budos Band having never made a bad song? Well I’ve yet to hear a bad one from G-Side either. I can’t think of (m)any other hip-hop groups that I can say that about. (courtesy of Blvd St)

11. Ghostface Killah – Forever
“I’m lost in love with nowhere to go / she says I’m a pain in the ass, boy get to the sto / She can say that / cause we best friends, we play together / she carry my left rib therefore we pray together / bury me on top of her in our grave together / cause when she feel pain, I know how to make it better / talks and long walks, communication and parks / understand what she going through I listen with smarts / especially when she’s on her friend / I be open to leave / I have to bite my tongue just to keep from arguin / 6 days of that it’s like, who let the monster in? / after it’s finished, then, I can get on top again / shorty girl’s my oxygen / never catch her gossipin / lookit y’all this my flower, she gonna keep on blossomin’ / long as she is mine and I am hers we gonna ride the wind / this lady here is all for me, I never have to lock her in” (got this one over at Unkut)

12. Bettye LaVette – Let Me Down Easy
Got the pleasure of catching this one live earlier this month (see picture above).

13. The Castaways – Liar, Liar
In record reviews, I kept seeing people write about bands (mostly bands I like) being influenced by the Nuggets series. Finally got around to dipping my toe in that water.

14. Truck North – Gimme A $ign feat. Get Low (R.I.P. J Dilla)
When putting a mixtape together, rapping over Dilla beats is always a good idea.

15. Beyonce - Single Ladies (Ted Smooth Remix)
Who would have thought that the drums from “The Show” would make this song about 800 times more awesome?

16. DJ Class – I’m The Shit
“Is that your girlfriend? I really like her” — listen to this song more than once, and you’ll find yourself singing that randomly.

17. Central Line – Walking Into Sunshine (Original Larry Levan 12” Mix)
Jinglin’ baby. Props to Madvillain_626 for this undeservedly short-lived thread over at The Lesson.

18. Peter Abdul – Don’t You Know?
This is what Freddy Adu was doing in 1984, 13 years before he decided to move to the US and claim to be 8 years old (seriously, check the picture here)

19. Marcus – Gorilla Pimpin’
David Banner on the beat. Steady Bloggin’ on the hook-up.

20. Dam-Funk – Killdat a.k.a. Killdatmuthafucka
The perfect music to ride out to.

DOWNLOAD THE JULY 2009 VOL 2 MIX HERE

Some bonus beats to get you through July:

1) In-Crowd – Mango Walk

2) Three Six Mafia – Stay Fly (Mango Mix)

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE JUNE 2009 MIX HERE

Like DMX said, “it’s June and hell it’s hot.”  OK, I might be paraphrasing.  Anyways, June is always a good month to be someplace air conditioned (or for my friends in the northeast, someplace not raining) and listen to good music.  Here’s what was good:

• Lee Fields & the Expressions – My World: We’re half-way through 2009, and I think we’ve found my vote for album of the year.  The first album that’s had 3 songs on a monthly mix.
• VA – Darker Than Blue: Soul From Jamdown 1973-1980: The good folks at Steady Bloggin’ posted this incredible compilation.  Reggae covers of (mostly) classic soul.  Not one weak song on this one.  The second album that’s had 3 songs on a monthly mix.  Basically, I spent most of June listening to this and Lee Fields, pretty much exclusively.
• Mos Def – The Ecstatic: It still seems kind of thrown together, especially since we’ve heard some of these beats before.  But it works in a Madvillainy-type way.
• El Michels Affair – A Tribute to Isaac Hayes: I wish El Michels Affair were more famous for their original songs than their covers, but I can’t complain as long as they keep picking such choice source material.

I hope you like soul and reggae:

1) Mos Def – Supermagic
Mostly for the Oh No heat.

2) J Dilla (ft. Lil’ Fame) – Blood Sport
Mostly for the J Dilla heat.

3) Truck North – Never Ending Flip
Mostly for the whoever-the-hell-produced-this heat.

4) J Dilla – King
Sadly, I was expecting more from Jay Stay Paid.

5) Mos Def – Pistola
Mos should’ve just let Oh No do his whole album.

6) Steve Parks – Still Thinking of You
Tremendous slow jam, courtesy of O-Dub.

7) Lee Fields & The Expressions – Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do)
When Mr. Fields is singing “what can a man do?” and that snare drum is firing away, and then some dude lays down on an organ…yeah, that gives me goose bumps.

8) El Michels Affair – Hung Up On My Baby
For whenever Halloween falls on a weekend.

9) Lee Fields & The Expressions – The Only One Loving You
The best soul songs are the ones where the guy is begging to get his lady back. Has there ever been a hip-hop song built off this theme?

10) John Holt – For the Love of You
Reggae take on the Isley’s classic.

11) Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse (ft. Jason Lytle) – Everytime I’m With You
Jason Lytle describes every relationship I had from ages 21-24.

12) Wilco – Bull Black Nova
I realize I’m in the minority, but my favorite Wilco album is A Ghost Is Born. This is the only song from Wilco (The Album) that sounds like it could have come from A Ghost Is Born. You won’t be hearing this one in any Volkswagen commercials. (the rest of Wilco (The Album) sounds like Sky Blue Sky, for what it’s worth).

13) Born wit IT – That Loud
Everyone loves a good weed-song now and then. If anyone’s got a no-DJ version of this song, please hit me up!

14) The Cool Kids (ft. Tennille) – Jump Rope
The drums are cold and icy, but this is still undoubtedly a summer jam.

15) Freddie Gibbs (ft. Black Flint) – Goodies
One star from Gary, IN dies, another is born?

16) Nipsey Hu$$le – Burner on My Lap
Best rapper name in forever. Dre needs to get back on his G-Funk shit and put Nipsey on.

17) UGK (ft. Devin the Dude) – Ain’t That a Bitch
Noz unearths the (apparently rare) dirty version of the Dirty Money standout.

18) Carl Bradney – Slipping Into Darkness
Somebody sampled this, but I can’t figure out who. It’s driving me nuts.

19) The Now Generation – People Make the World Go Round
My favorite of the four versions of this song that I have (which I actually heard first on “Swan Lake“)

20) The Tamlins – Baltimore
I know this is blasphemy, but this right here would have made a better theme song for the Wire than “Way Down in the Hole.”

21) JC Davis – A New Day (Is Here at Last)
Can anyone tell me what previous Monthly Mix song sampled this instrumental funk beauty? I’ll give you a hint, it was a looooonnngg time ago (ie, before the blog-era).

22) Lee Fields & The Expressions – Ladies
Mr. Fields hits on one of the best things about summer (and gets kind of worked up about it). (courtesy of Steady Bloggin…who I just realized supplied about half the songs on this month’s mix)

23) Young Billie Cole – Sitting in the Park
Seriously, if anyone can point me to more good reggae cover songs, please do! (another one from Mr. Wang)

1) Big Daddy Kane – Big Daddy Thing

2) Lil’ Wayne & Birdman – Stuntin’ Like My Daddy (Konrad Remix)

3) Yesterday’s New Quintet – Papa

4) Ultramagnetic MC’s – Poppa Large

5) Richard “Groove” Homes – Song for my Father

Happy Mother’s Day

Audio Two – Get Your Mother Off the Crack

Bonus joint: Wuf Ticket – Ya Mama