Hydrant Sippin’

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE APRIL 2009 MIX HERE

Whoa.  The hydrant was on full blast this month.  I don’t even want to tell you how much new music hit my iPod this month.  Nearly 2/3 ended up in the trash bin, but it took a while to get through it all and make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.  But that’s what happens when you’ve got a ton of good stuff dropping in one month.

• MF Doom – Born Like This: Yeah, I’m still pissed I paid to see one of the Doomposters lip-sync in San Francisco a couple summers ago.  But dammit if the Super Villain doesn’t make some good music.  
• Handsome Furs – Face Control: Made me realize that the things that bothered me from the last Wolf Parade album were largely Spencer Krug-related.
• Obits – I Blame You: A great album for driving or for drinking domestic beer in a can (but not at the same time).
• Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: Poppier than the stuff I normally listen to, but definite crowd pleaser.
• The Soft Pack – The Muslims EP: Two months in a row that they’ve featured on a monthly mix.  I think I like these guys.
• The Thermals – Now We Can See: A semi-poppy, semi-punk, semi-concept album.  I swear, it’s way better than it sounds on paper.
• White Rabbits – It’s Frightening: It’s no Fort Nightly, but still damn good.
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!: I need to listen to this one more, but I think I’m liking it.
• Bobby Creekwater – The B.C. Era: Looking at the name and the crappy album cover, I figured Bobby Creekwater was a budget version of Bubba Sparxxx.  I was wrong.  

As always, let me know if there was something I missed.

1) Blame One (ft. Sean Price) – Disturbed
Blame One is servicable-enough, but you know I put this up for Sean Price: “Listen, flow’s phenomenal, off the chain / but really (b!tch n!&&a) take off your chain / I ain’t jokin’ around, totin’ the pound”

2) MF Doom – Gazzillion Ear 
“In any event it’s fake like wrestlin’ / Get em like Jake The Snake on mescalines / Ahem, elixir for the dry throat / Tried to hit the high note, Villain since a itsy bitsy zygote”

3) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll
Part of me says that this song is way over-the-top and cheesy.  But another part of me says it’s pretty awesome.

4) Phoenix – 1901
Part of me says that this song is way over-the-top and cheesy.  But another part of me says it’s pretty awesome.

5) Slim Thug (ft. Paul Wall) – Top Drop
A perfect song for those first hot days in April when you realize that winter is gone for good, and summer is just around the corner.

6) Young Dro – Dro Rock Diamonds
The Biggie sample…the Al Green organs.  Yeah, this works for me.

7) Big Tuck (ft. Gucci Mane) – Not a Stain On Me
My April theme song.  Big Tuck almost ruins this monster of a beat by sounding like a broken record.  Luckily Gucci comes in to save the day.

8) Bobby Creekwater – Clouds
Yet another talented rapper stuck in the Aftermath no-release purgatory (see also: Bishop Lamont)

9) Slim Thug (ft. UGK) – Leaning
My favorite UGK song wasn’t even on the (mildly disappointing) UGK album.  

10) Young Dro – Clean With It
If Dro keeps up this high standards for the beats he rhymes over, his next one could be a classic.  Say what you want about some of these Southern rappers, Dro can rap his ass off when he chooses.

11) Drake (ft. Bun B & Lil’ Wayne) – Uptown
I mostly hated So Far Gone.  But this one works for me.

12) James Brown – Goodbye My Love
I’m working on beefing up my JB.  Overlooked fact: his ballads kill harder than his faster funkier stuff.

13) UGK – 7th Street (Interlude)
Thankfully, UGK avoided the obvious “dead homie” tracks on UGK 4 Life.  Listening to Sweet Jones talk his sh!t over this mournful track was as close as they got.

14) White Rabbits – Percussion Gun
These guys are two-for-two when it comes to having kick-ass opening songs on their albums.

15) Obits – Light Sweet Crude
I guess I’m becoming a sucker for songs about oil (see also, “Black Gold” from February 2009)

16) The Soft Pack – Call It a Day (Acoustic)
I dig the acoustic over the electric version on their album.  There’s something nice about a guy challenging “all you liars” and “all you killers” to call it a day when that guy is backed by some sunny-sounding acoustic guitars.

17) The Morning Benders – Nothin’ In This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ Bout That Girl
I’ll admit it.  About 90% of why I love this Kinks song is because Rushmore is one of my all-time favorite movies.

18) The Forms – Red Gun
This song’s pretty understated, but for some reason really stuck with me this month.

19) The Decemberists – The Rake’s Song
This song is played incessantly on XMU.  I don’t know if I like this song because it’s good, or because it was beaten into my head.

20) Handsome Furs – Radio Kaliningrad
I feel like Kaliningrad is probably too cold for them to be wearing what they’re wearing here.

21) The Thermals – How We Fade
Best-ever song about being a ghost?