Savath & Savalas

The ever prolific musical shape-shifter that is Scott Herren (Prefuse 73, Piano Overlord, Delarosa and Asora) returns under his Savath & Savalas moniker. Herren sheds the digital complexity of Prefuse 73 for a more organic simplicity. That's not all he's shed. Unlike recent S & S releases, Herren has likewise proceeded without his collaborator Eva Puyuelo and is releasing this album on a new label: Anti. While Golden Pollen (out June 19th) appears to be focused on his own song-crafting he joins with José González and Mia Doi Todd for a couple tracks. "Ya Verdad" features Herren himself on vocals. He plays a variety of guitars from Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Cuba on the album as well as various Latin percussion instruments. This one should stop you in your tracks, slow down your day and cause a sorely needed moment of introspection and reflection. A keen dose of homeopathic Ritalin. It certainly mellowed my ADHD for the afternoon...

Ya Verdad [MP3, 5.1MB, 160kbps]

www.anti.com
www.prefuse73.com

Muggs

I know this one's a few years old but this is such the un-Muggs album and perfect for this moody time of year. Muggs is best known for the venomous hooks behind all your favorite Cypress Hill and House of Pain joints, as well as collabos with various hip-hop all-stars under the Soul Assassins umbrella. On 2003's Dust though he pays homage to his less obvious influences such as Pink Floyd and brought in some lesser known vocalists in Amy Trujillo and Josh Todd. Dusted, natch, but broadly accessible.

Rain [MP3, 4.7MB, 128kbps]
Morta [MP3, 3MB, 128kbps]

www.anti.com
www.djmuggs.com

Tim Fite

He's a little bit country; he's a little bit rock 'n' roll; he's a little bit hip-hop. He's straight outta Brooklyn. He's Tim Fite. Basically, Mr. Fite builds songs around hip-hop loops and beats, infusing the tracks with folk's lyrical sensibilities. "Away From the Snakes," for example, follows country's song template: "I lost my dog, I lost my wife, I lost my money." Then, on "No Good Here," he'll fracture an upbeat, diddy-of-a-riff, with rock's explosive power. Consider him Beck's East Coast brother-in-arms, ten years later, but mining the same, largely untapped source of urban-folk gems. If cursing offends, beware. If cursing delights, dig in.

No Good Here [MP3, 3.3MB, 128kbps]
Forty-Five Remedies [MP3, 3.2MB, 128kbps]
Away From the Snakes [MP3, 5.3MB, 192kbps]

Buy from iTunes
www.anti.com
www.timfite.com

Spearhead

Michael Franti is the one of those rare singers whose boomin' growl can start a party as quickly as it can a protest (probably about time for him to update his 1992 cover of "California Uber Alles"). His latest Spearhead joint comes on the heels of his self-booked trip to Iraq, which is documented on the DVD I Know I'm Not Alone. His experience, which included performances for U.S. soldiers and Iraqi families alike, clearly shaped the album's compassionate ("I Know I'm Not Alone") and passionate ("Yell Fire") flavors of rebellion.

Yell Fire [MP3, 4.4MB, 128kbps]

www.anti.com
www.spearheadvibrations.com

The Coup

Matt, aka Gigahaw, reminded us of The Coup, the Oaktown rap duo who are best known, unfortunately, for "that album cover." Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funktress do wear their politics on their sleeves (even their toned-down cover for Party Music depicts a young player at a bar enjoying a Molotov cocktail). But what they don't seem to get enough credit for is their ability to move your butt as well as your conscience. So, with their latest, Pick a Bigger Weapon, they have turned up the funk to match the intensity of their message. The intro is even called "Bullets and Love," which brings me to another first for The Coup... A handful of apocalyptic slow jams that include the best (and possibly longest) song title of this administration: "babylet’shaveababybeforebushdosomethin’crazy" — awwwww yeeeeaaaahh...

My Favorite Mutiny (featuring Black Thought and Talib Kweli) [MP3, 4.3MB, 128kbps]
We Are the Ones [MP3, 5.9MB, 192kbps]

www.epitaph.com
www.thecoupmusic.net

Neko Case

It’s already been established (see below) that I can’t even attempt neutrality when talking about Neko Case. I’m in love with her, plain and simple. I’m married, but I think even my wife understands, or at least as much as I can understand her love for Zach Braff. But don’t let my bald adoration turn you away, because it’s Neko’s mind you should love, man. Her mastery of lyrical storytelling is nearly in a league with Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynne, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson, and “nearly” only because she hasn’t been around as long. The angelic tenor of her voice, rendered with a ballroom echo, is sublime, and the stories themselves possess the exquisite detail and suspense, the juxtaposition of familiarity and esoteric conceit, of the finest Flannery O’ Connor tales. And don’t forget that, lest you complain (and, really, it’s the only complaint I’ll accept about my beloved) that the sonic similarities between tracks is a hair too close, Neko is pushing the boundaries of American roots music by night while she and the New Pornographers keep inching toward the perfect pop song by day. I’m well aware that this is the kind of adoring write-up that could come back to haunt me. Oh well. Love makes us do crazy things.

Hold On, Hold On [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
Star Witness [MP3, 7.3MB, 192kbps]

www.nekocase.com/
www.anti.com

PREVIOUS ENTRY:
I fell in love with Neko Case one night when, at a New Pornographers show, she settled a couple of song-requesting hecklers with the admonishment, "Why don't you shut up, you hipster indie snobs!" My heart's still a-flutter at the memory. Besides her, ahem, no-nonsense outlook, she has one of the most distinctive voices in music today — one that handles the pogo-for-grownups extremities of the aforementioned Pornographers with the same hypnotics as the roadhouse anthems she constructs fronting her own band. Better yet, she does it live on this pair from her latest offering to hopeless romantics like myself.

If You Knew [MP3, 5.8MB, 320kbps]
Train From Kansas City [MP3, 7.9MB, 320kbps]

Blackalicious

More like Sickalicious! The world would be a sorry place without Xcel at the board building timeless beats, and Gab, schooling us with his warm rhymes on how things are and how they ought to be: namely, one world, one people, grooving together to their finely-honed craft. Sure it's been a long three years since their last album, but cut 'em some slack, they've been punching the clock after hours working on Maroons, Gab's solo record, and introducing the world to the likes of Apsci, Curumin, and General Elektriks.

Powers [MP3, 5.2MB, 192kbps]

www.anti.com
www.quannum.com
www.blackalicious.com

The Promise Ring

I've been saving The Promise Ring for a special occasion and I finally have one. This post goes out to two Southern girls who recently joined the 3hive fam. First, Kiera Siobhan, Clay's third daughter, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee on June 1. Second, Miss Sydney Meeks who married our Shan Fowler in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina on June 4. You see, The Promise Ring have a well-documented obsession with lyrical wordplay, ridiculous hooks, and Southern girls (e.g., "The Deep South," included, and "Perfect Lines," which you'll have to buy). Obsession may seem like an overstatement but keep in mind they're from Milwaukee, so "Southern" can refer to Chicago as far as they're concerned. In any case, mad congrats to both Clay and Shan!

The Deep South [MP3, 3.5MB, 128kbps]
Best Looking Boys [MP3, 3.6MB, 128kbps]
Why Did We Ever Meet? [MP3, 3.5MB, 128kbps]
Say Goodbye Good [MP3, 3.5MB, 128kbps]
Red Paint [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]

www.jadetree.com
www.anti.com