Josh Ritter

What I said about Josh Ritter a year and a half ago pretty much stands true today, except that now there's another great release to add to his repertoire, including the fantastic, Dylan-esque "To the Dogs or Whoever" offered here. They don't make as many songwriters these days who can encapsulate the sweeping American experience and still sound as personal as your oldest and dearest friend, so set yourself to downloading (especially "Dogs," "Kathleen," and "Harrisburg") and have a great weekend.

To the Dogs or Whoever [MP3, 4.2MB, 160kbps]

ORIGINAL POST (5/5/06):
Today's post feels only slightly like cheating since Josh Ritter, far from being undiscovered, is on the same label as a long line of next big things. But 3hive is about what we're listening to lately, and Ritter has been ringing in my ears for a good stretch now. Listening to his bare—albeit fuller and acutely polished on his V2 debut—acoustic harmonies and smooth hangdog vocals is wonderfully calming. Yet Ritter is hardly a lyrical lightweight: listen closely and you'll discover a songwriter who isn't all the way to Dylan, Cohen, or Springsteen quite yet (although the nine-minute "Thin Blue Flame" is an epic The Boss would likely be proud to call his own), but whose subtle wordplays and intensely intimate arrangement echo such greats of his own generation as Elliott Smith, Gillian Welch, and Ryan Adams (in his enlightened moments). But don't let all these names fool you into thinking you're getting derivative hippie-father-in-law music: Ritter is good enough to draw comparisons to great traditions, but he has the potential to start a tradition or two of his own.

Girl in the War [MP3, 6.1MB, 192kbps]
The Thin Blue Flame [MP3, 8.9MB, 128kbps]
Kathleen [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]
Snow Is Gone (Live) [MP3, 6MB, 192kbps]
Me and Jiggs [MP3, 2.9MB, 128kbps]
Harrisburg [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]
Leaves and Kings [MP3, 3.2MB, 128kbps]
Beautiful Night [MP3, 2.5MB, 128kbps]

www.joshritter.com
us.v2music.com

Run DMC

Almost three years ago, Run DMC lost their "one-man band" Jam Master Jay to a fatal shooting in Queens. In his memory, I'm posting one of the remixes available on the recently reissued Run DMC catalog and sharing my first memory of Run DMC... It all began in Mr. Beasley's music class, sixth grade. Realizing that we weren't about to get our song books out and sing "Kookaburra" anymore, Mr. Beasley started taping "MV-60," an early MTV-like music video show, and playing it in class. Among the other videos that left an impression — Yaz's "Don't Go," Herbie Hancock's "Rockit," Art of Noise's "Close to the Edit" — was Run DMC's "Rock Box." Mr. B also let students bring in their own records once a week, which is how I heard that first DMC record. It was so raw and real from end to end. By contrast, Sugarhill Gang was disco and Run DMC was rap. Thanks to Run DMC, my ears we ready for Big Daddy Kane, Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, among others. Come to think of it, thanks to Mr. Beasley as well: you were a good music teacher.

King of Rock (Charlie Chan Megamix) [MP3, 10.9MB, 96kbps]

www.rundmcmusic.com

Cypress Hill

Cypress...Cypress Hill! So massively appealing, like the gangstas you'd take home to meet mom, yet there ain't no love songs up in here (unless you count "I Love You Mary Jane"). What's their secret? Those hypnotic DJ Muggs loops don't hurt, but I think it's all in B Real's delivery. His nasal, sing-song flow allows for the possibility that maybe he's just funnin'...about “comin’ to gat ya,” at least. All I know is, back in college, whenever I dropped "Hand on the Pump" for a party full of mostly white, mostly middle-class, mostly Mormon undergrads, the room went bananas. So yeah, I've included just a handful of the 100+ MP3s of remixes, side projects, collabos, and rarities B Real has made available for free on his personal site (now here is something Sony can't understand...). Bless him. Bless us, every one. (Especially you, Tofu Hut!)

How I Could Just Kill a Man (Radio Mix) [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]
Dr. Greenthumb (Remix) [MP3, 3.7MB, 128kbps]
Scooby Doo [MP3, 5.2MB, 192kbps]
Phuncky Feel One (Extended Version) [MP3, 6.6MB, VBR]
Rap Superstar (Alchemist Remix) [MP3, 4.2MB, VBR]
I Love You Mary Jane (featuring Sonic Youth) [MP3, 3.4MB, 128kbps]

www.brealonline.com
www.djmuggs.com
www.cypresshill.com