Archive for October, 2009

So I admit I watch So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) on Fox.  And yes… I love it.   Arcadia by Apparat was the accompaniment to a  great dance on the show this week.  I can’t tell you who danced to it, but that super cool mohawk chick with the nose ring choreographed it.  She is too cool for that show… Anyways…  The other, The Real Pro by Freddy Fresh is the background beat to Fox’s Fall Lineup commercial they play during the show.  I hate that I even watch TV, especially Fox, but it was worth it to find these 2 cuts.

Apparat totally slays it with this Radiohead’esque track .  The falcetto, space synths and super tribal bass beat all the way to the subtle acoustic guitar strum at the end works OHHHHHH so well.

The Freddy Fresh jam is just that, an all out Jammy-Jam Jam.  If you don’t bounce to this, check yo self.  You may be dead.

Listen: Apparat – Arcadia

Listen: Freddy Fresh – The Real Pro

Author: Coach

Readers of cutbucket have come to find that there is no real direction, no real target for the type of music you will find here.  The reason? Try and bring wonderful music to the masses with no “walls”.  There is so much great music out there and so many people pushing the bad stuff in our faces, we need stand up for the good stuff.

Well… let me push some good stuff on ya (again)!  One of my favorite bands of the year is Deer Tick.  Maybe I like them because I can’t quite explain them.  You can read my previous post [http://cutbucket.com/?p=177] to get my impressions.  I had the opportunity to ask 5 questions of front man, John J McCauley III.  He gave honest and insightful if not hilarious answers.  I hope getting to know John a little better helps open some insight into Deer Tick’s music for you.  It did for me.

cutbucket – I was going to ask you how a kid out of Rhode Island ended up making super textured country folk rock (actually I am not sure what Deer Tick music is, which is great), but I hear you started to develop your sound by listening to the likes of Hank Williams.  What are some of Deer Tick’s other major influences and who are you listening to these days?  (Sorry for the boring standard “influences” question.  I promise it gets better)

John – I think Deer Tick started out by being heavily influenced by Hank, and Townes Van Zandt and stuff like that. But I don’t listen to that stuff all the time. I’ve been listening to a lot of Tom Petty and The Replacements lately. And Dylan, who I used to not really like.

cutbucket – I understand that the band’s name “Deer Tick” came about from a personal experience with a deer tick.  If you had to re-name your band based on experiences since then, what would it be?

John – I don’t know. Foot Fetish? Let’s All Trip On Shrooms And Throw Stuff Off The Bus? Those are pretty good band names, huh?

cutbucket – If “Born on Flag Day” was a soundtrack to a movie, what would that movie be about?

John – An old, miserable Irish American with cancer, living in Providence.

cutbucket – When Deer Tick was going through the writing process for Born on Flag Day, did you give more consideration to where your music would fit into your fans lives or was all about telling your story?

John – I didn’t really write the album as an album. They’re songs I picked from a bunch that I’d written that I thought would fit nicely together. I guess its more about telling the story.

cutbucket – The first line of the song “Hell on Earth” states, “Life is beautiful and beauty is a dying art”.  Do you feel Deer Tick’s art is “beauty” or are you aiming for something different?

John – I wouldn’t call it beauty, hell no. It’s some kind of art. Sometimes it feels like we’re all locked in a room together and there’s a gun in the middle of the room and somebody is going to snap at any moment and we’ll all be dead in a big, rock n roll murder-suicide. Other times it feels about as perfect as a margarita on a hot summer day. We’re not really aiming for anything, which is maybe a problem.

Listen: Deer Tick – Hell On Earth

Listen: Deer Tick – Easy

Listen: Deer Tick – Friday Xiii

Author:  Coach

Here are 2 sick cuts by two big playas in the hip-hop game.  N.E.R.D. and Big Boi.

The N.E.R.D. song features Santigold, and we know everything she touches turns to “gold”.  This track has a little reggae, hip-hop and break beat that all work perfectly together.

The Big Boi cut should be off his “should be released by now” album, but it’s not.  Has everything you would expect from 1/2 of the duo AKA Outkast.  They need to hook us up with some new shi!.  Until then this will do just fine.

Listen: N.E.R.D. – Soldier (Feat. Santigold)

Listen: Big Boi – Shine Blockas Ft. Gucci Mane

Author: Coach

I have been neglecting the 70’s for too long on cutbucket.  So what better way to chillax than pump up the Loggins & Messina.  When I think of Kenny Loggins, I think Footloose and Danger Zone from Top Gun.  Although those songs are classics, his best work is arguably while recording with Jim Messina as Loggins & Messina.    They laid down some sick jams in their day.  I have included a couple here for your pleasure.

Note:  I “high”ly suggest you listen to these in the right state of mind…. you with me?

Listen: Loggins & Messina – Angry Eyes

Listen: Loggins & Messina – Danny’s Song

Listen: Loggins & Messina – Same Old Wine

Author: Coach

If a song makes my 3 year old son burst into kung-foo inspired rave dancing (minus glow sticks) I know its good shit!

What I love about The Golder Filter is that you can actually hear a “live band” performing the music in your mind.  It has just enough texture to convince you that they dropped each track in a studio rather than contriving it on an MacBook Pro.

OK… are you with me????  I am going to get deep on your ass with this one.  See if you can follow along and if your head explodes, it’s not my fault.

In my opinion, the 2:40 mark of Thunderbird concludes what just was a synthesizer homage to Pink Floyd.  What ensued previous to the 2:40 minute mark was an almost note by note inspiration of the synthesizer solo on Pink Floyd’s song Have a Cigar from the Wish You Were Here album.

The best part is, the a fore mentioned Pink Floyd synthesizer solo from Have a Cigar ends at exactly the 4:20 minute mark.  I am not a consipiracy theorist… but come on… 4:20?????  Sick!!!

If you don’t follow… Sorry.  I still think you will like Thunderbird from The Golden Filter.  Please register on their site for the free download, http://thegoldenfilter.com/

Listen: The Golden Filter – Thunderbird

Listen: Pink Floyd – Have a Cigar

Author: Coach

Ladyhawke’s self titled album came out in late 2008 to great response in the UK and she was one of the first of the new “UK Pop Girls” as I like to call them. The genre includes CSS, Little Boots, La Roux and Mpho.  If you haven’t plugged into this phenomena, I suggest highly that you do.

What I love most about these ladies of the “new” “new wave” is that they write and perform most of their music.  All, including Ladyhawke, are accomplished musicians who play keyboard, guitar and drums.  As opposed to Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.  The worst part is I totally agreed with Kanye.  Although I HATE both Kanye and Taylor.

I digress…. I hope you enjoy my ladies… Ladyhawke and CSS.

Listen: Ladyhawke – My Delirium

Listen: Ladyhawke – Back of the Van

Listen: CSS – Move

Author: Coach

So if I had started this blog about 2 years ago the pages would likely be filled with posts of Kings of Leon (as I am a huge fan of 5 years).  Considering their explosion into mainstream music, it would no longer be appropriate.  As the saying goes…. Discover and Rediscover New, Classic and Underappreciated Music.  So therefore, I am going to share with you a cut that reminds me of the “new” KOL (mixed with a little bit of Scissor Sisters).

I feel great about pimping The Temper Trap and THE ONLY song of theirs I can find (in downloadable form).  Mind you, it was on the soundtrack of the movie 500 Days of Summer so it is arguable weather they have been “Discovered”.  That being said, their single Sweet Disposition has all of the elements of a classic summertime college road trip anthem.  Great build up, perfect amount of head banging bass drum beat and excellent singalong vocals.  I won’t lie, I know absoloutely nothing about The Temper Trap except they have my ears trapped with this cut.  I have listened to it about 10 times over the last week and still love every bit of it.

PS – I just found their entire album, so I also included a bonus cut, Fools.  I think I like it even better than Sweet Disposition (after the 3:00 mark).  I’m an addict, I have problems…. Oh and you can’t get it on iTunes…. Sweet!

Listen: The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

Listen: The Temper Trap – Fools

Author: Coach