hopefully you remember us posting about the stuyvesants amazingly soulful production the first time around, and are as excited about this as i am. two album’s worth of instrumental beats for any mood and any time of day from the best producers not currently on your radar. both albums can be streamed and downloaded at the link below. shout out to the brooklyn circus as usual.
download:
the stuyvesants – the finer things vol. 1 & 2.
- panda
god bless grizzly for waking me up at 1am with a text about charles bradley. up top we have a video from the soul singer featuring daptones’ menahan street band (dap-kings, el michels affair, etc) live from sxsw. if watching that doesn’t win you over, then a). you have no soul, b). pick up his recently released album, no time for dreaming, and c). i hate you.
- panda
hot damn i said hot damn. stone rollin’ drops may 10th. also, i missed posting about this jam being performed on leno, so hit the cut for that video.
- panda
i swear, may 10th just can’t get here soon enough. with a guaranteed album of the year contender on his hands, raphael saadiq gives us a little background (and a lot of style) on his upcoming album. dig it.
- panda
npr continue their streak of working with pure talent, hosting fitz & the tantrums for a discussion on the formation of the group and a soulful 3-song set.
stream: fitz & the tantrums on npr world cafe.
- panda
this was actually from a few nights ago, but you know…*shrug*. fitz, his awkward stage moves, and the tantrums drop by conan for a performance from their debut album. definitely worth copping if you have yet to do so. and by the way, fantastic suit, but come on, sneakers?? it’s not like comfort is an issue here. clearly you’re okay with being slightly restricted in movement on stage since you’re wearing a slim fit suit, but sneakers? really? wait…what kind of blog is this again?
- panda
alright, i’m gonna have to take about the latest late pass ever on these dudes. we’ve been following each other on twitter for months and i was familiar with them being from the boston area. sadly, i was also under the assumption that they were some random indie band. but i finally got around to listening to their 2009 ep stick up kids a couple of weeks ago, and can i just say HOT DAMN. it’s downright depressing that i haven’t spent the past year blasting this ep like i have the past two weeks. if you wanna hear what it would sound like if cee-lo, prince, and morris day & the time had the funnest studio session ever, download this free ep asap. and don’t let the funk/soul tag fool you, the band are currently working on their full lenth debut, which included working with the teddy riley and none other than chino moreno of deftones fame. big things are ahead for the men of bad rabbits, make sure you’re on board.
download the stick up kids ep:
- panda
sweet, sweet day that is new music from raphael saadiq. looks like we’ve got our first taste from a best of contender. mr. tone is going to be following up his criminally underrated 2008 LP with a new record set to drop this march entitled stone rollin’. color this bear beyond excited.
download:
- panda
aloe blacc and the grand scheme stop by the french television show le grand journal and lay down one of the smoother cuts from good things. the performance and interview that follows start at the 9:00 minute mark. stream the video at the link below.
stream aloe blacc live on le grand journal.
- panda
after a slow musical weekend, finally, finally, FINALLY aloe blacc’s good things, which is sure to be one of the best albums of 2010 (and recent memory), is up for streaming. gotta give it up to the good people at stones throw and npr for bringing you this gem. hit the link below for the goods.
stream:
- panda
you know your group is on the right track when you get the nod from mr. timberlake himself. fitz & the tantrums join the ranks of the small but powerful army leading the modern soul revival that’s got enthusiasts like myself on board. with a short existence and an EP under their belt, the LA natives have dropped their debut album pickin’ up the pieces via dangerbird (minus the bear, hot hot heat, etc) and shared the stage with the likes of sharon jones & dap-kings and maroon 5. with their album dropping last week, i’m sure there’s plenty of steam to be gained for the group, so keep an eye out. pick up their debut here (where you can also stream their album and EP), and grab a free track below.
download:
fitz & the tantrums – money grabber.
- panda
so i’ve been a selfish bear and have been keeping the genius that is plan b to myself. the UK-based grime rapper has released easily one of the best albums of 2010 in his soul-concept album the defamation of strickland banks, which is based around the downfall of a fictional pop star. after an introduction to grizzly, the album has been getting non-stop play around these parts, and i’m sure those of you in the know can safely say the same thing. well today plan b is giving away an album b-side that is supposed to be the song that got fictional star strickland banks famous. while i can definitely see why the track is a b-side (it pales in comparison to any of the album tracks), it’s cool to have another song that adds depth to the concept. after a quick mailing list sign up, give this one a download and save for after you hear the brilliance that is the defamation of strickland banks.
download:
- panda
outasight keeps the funky going with the latest track from his upcoming project never say never once again jumping on a 6th sense joint. lovin’ the vibe going on here. nsn drops august 10th. get on board.
download:
- panda
this is just amazing and further proof that EVERYONE, i promise you, EVERYONE will be talking about aloe blacc come septmember 28th when good things hits the world over the head (similar to mayer hawthorne’s explosion). expect ‘i told you so’ posts to follow.
EDIT: brought it back up because you know you want the mp3/rip, bitches.
download:
aloe blacc – loving you is killing me [live in the studio]
- panda
don’t let the terrible artwork for outasight’s new track fool you, this one is real nice. cook classics come through on the production for the feel-good cut off outasight’s upcoming mixtape, never say never, which drops july 2nd. this dude deserves more steam than half the cats getting it.
download:
- panda
sweet newborn baby Jesus, cee-lo green ya’ll. the chorus to cee-lo’s first single off his upcoming solo album finds green in rare form, belting like only he can. the lady killer is set to drop later this year, and if this doesn’t get you excited, i sure as hell don’t know what will.
download:
- panda
alright mr. lidell, you’ve gone from modern soul king to filthy experimentalist hipster, but your new album is growing on me.
jamie lidell and the dirty hipster trio stop by the spinner.com studios and throw down a few songs from his new album, compass (which i’ve failed to post about because of initial impressions). also included is “multiply” (from his album of the same name), and a lengthy interview. if you haven’t had the chance to get into mr. lidell, don’t let my rant dissuade you. dude is amazing, i’m just not 100% sold on his new direction (thanks, beck). dude’s voice is pure gold though.
hit the cut for the rest of the videos.
- panda
i know we/i haven’t actually posted about mr. blacc before, but hey, i forget to post about a lot of amazing stuff. anyway, we’re graced the official video for the single off aloe’s upcoming full length, and the theme song to hbo’s how to make it in america. definitely love the vibe of the video and the throw in at the end. keep an eye out for more amazing-ness from blacc, as he’ll be releasing his first full length since 2006′s shine through later this year.
fun fact: this track (and his upcoming album from what i’ve read) was produced by none other than the fine people at truth & soul, the same folks who put out lee fields & the expressions album last year. the backing music on the cut was provided by members of the expressions and truth & soul’s el michels affair. #themoreyouknow
- panda
daniel merriweather’s all set to drop his debut album love & war stateside on february 23rd. the album’s already gone platinum in the UK and deserves to do the same here. above is footage of merriweather performing “impossible” for billboard magazine. hit the cut to check out “red”. be sure you’re on the look out for love & war at the end of the month. one of the best albums of last year/this year.
download:
daniel merriweather – impossible
daniel merriweather – red
- panda
for being the soul junkie i am, i have admittedly slept hard on posting about sharon jones & the dap-kings. my b, ya’ll. miss jones & co are set to release a new album, i learned the hard way, on april 6th. the title track is a strong anthem with massive horns. get excited, this will undoubtedly be a winner.
sharon jones & the dap-kings on myspace.
download:
sharon jones & the dap-kings – i learned the hard way
- panda
none of the visuals i’m posting are all that new, but i wanted to get the chance to introduce you to marques toliver. the young singer/songwriter/violinist based in nyc. marques has been making a name for himself opening up for & touring with the likes of vampire weekend, bat for lashes, the kooks, and miles benjamin anthony robinson. his music is hard to describe, and is something that must be heard. while he doesn’t have music available for sale/dl yet, i leave you with a handful of videos and a myspace link. listen, love, discuss, and get very excited, as marques is currently working on music for his debut album.
- panda
recent asylum/warner music signee outasight drops a free release (presented by LRG) for your listening pleasure. we’ve given outasight a few hype posts recently and hopefully you’ve paid attention. if not, here’s your opportunity to get in on his brand of soul infused hip hop before he drops his debut LP with asylum/warner from here to eternity, which is set to drop early next year. get with it.
and just for fun, hit the cut for a video that takes you behind the scenes of his recent signing.
download further (direct link):
- panda
sade’s getting her military on with the first single and title track from her upcoming album (her first in 10 years). soldier of love is set to be released february 8th. from what i’m hearing, we’re all in for something special. did i mention i’m REALLY excited about this?
download:
- panda
while this video isn’t new by any means, it’d be a shame not to share one of my favorite artists/albums of this year (my world was released this summer) with you lovely people. not to mention that it’s been a slow posting weekend for us.
lee fields is no stranger to the soul music scene (as he’s been a part of it since the ’70s), but his new album with the expressions showcases their ability to revive a classic sound without coming across as total revivalists. definitely pick this one up if you need a fresh dose of old soul.
download:
lee fields & the expressions – love comes and goes.
- panda
for the next two weeks, the absolutely phenomenal francis and the lights is giving away a collection of all the music he’s recorded, live versions, demos, music videos, and more for your listening and viewing pleasure. for my money, this man is one of the best artists currently making music. if you haven’t had the pleasure or you’re just missing some of of the lights’ catalog, do yourself a huge favor and get on this asap. especially for the videos. francis is something that must be seen as well as heard.
download:
francis and the lights catalog.
- panda and the lights
