i'll be back.

Have no fear.

chicken noodle soup: where's the soda on the side?

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP is delicious, but it has nothing to do with what this post is really about.

I'm not talkin' bout no chicken broth. I'm talking about the dance craze originally from Harlem that I have been appropriating like nobody's business. I didn't write a post about it because I figured it was old news by now, but it shocked me when I came back to school and encountered people who had never heard of it. I would name-drop it, making jokes about perfecting my chicken noodle soup dance and people would stare at me blankly wondering what the fuck I was talking about. Then I would return their stare wondering why they haven't gotten with the fucking program.

"Chicken Noodle Soup" is the Chicken Dance of the new millenium, but way cooler, more underground, and surprisingly controversial. Are dance crazes such as this and "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" ruining the hip-hop community? Is the dance full of racial complications? These are the questions raised by a song that was essentially recorded in someone's bedroom.

However, the only real question for me is...how the hell do you do the damn dance? I originally thought I had it all figured out when I watched the official Cipha sounds video of DJ Webstar and Young B. Next, I am watching 106 & Park and I see a bunch of kids doing it in an entirely different way. THEN, I see the official video and I'm even MORE confused. I got the raining and clearing out, but how do I actually follow the directions to, if you will, "get it"? How do I partake in the consumption of my metaphorical chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side?

After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that the dance is what you make of it. There's no right way to do it, but that doesn't mean that you still won't look like a fool if you got no rhythm. In other words, it's like the Macarena but not so easy that your grandmother can do it. With that said, I urge you all to download this song and shake violently. And if the haters laugh at how much of a fool you are, don't let the negativity get to you. Just clear it out.

DOWNLOAD: DJ WEBSTAR & YOUNG B- Chicken Noodle Soup

BLOGWATCH: Popbytes has a mash-up of Fergie "London Bridge (Oh Shit!)" with Cake's "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" which may appeal to the evil individuals who are perpetuating Fergie's music career. Beauty has got some new songs off the anticipated and heavily overhyped Beyonce and Justin Timberlake albums. Check up on 'em. The Sean Show brings us another track by Venus Hum that you might. like. Fluo kids has some tracks off of the new Kelis, which you should BUY immediately or download from the iTunes music store.

the changes: reppin' chi-town to the fullest

THE CHANGES have held a place in my heart ever since early last year when they released a demo of their song "Modern Love" with a spoken word track of a Hilary Duff article from Blender magazine read over it. Within a few weeks, the song had risen to the number one most played in my iTunes library. Sure, band member Dave Rothblatt's vocal delivery is pure Jesus magic, but what blew my mind about the track was that the song in the background was actually really good. This may have just been a joke, but these guys made some seriously good music.

They were SO good that I just had to interview them for the now re-invigorated pop culture blog Totesumbrellas. Months later, I received an e-mail from the bass player Rob Kallick saying that because of our support, he'd be sending a copy of their upcoming album Today is Tonight. I have to admit that I hadn't really thought of the band for awhile. It was refreshing to hear from them, and even more refreshing to tear the paper off a package which included a luscious copy of their new album.

I expected it to be good, but not THIS good. The album was recorded in their hometown Chicago with the aid of engineer Chris Brickley, who worked on R. Kelly's album R. and Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I'm very picky when it comes to rock music these days, but Today is Tonight is one of the best albums I've heard in 2006. I don't say this often on this blog...but it is pretty much the MONEYSHOT. It's almost as genius as R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet". Almost. I don't want to do it any injustice by continuing to ramble about a genre I know little of, but this is quality pop music at it's best.

For those who this matters to, The Changes performed at Lollapalooza 2005. They've done shows with Stephen Malkmus, Kaiser Chiefs, Ted Leo, The Futureheads, and The Walkmen. They have been compared to The Smiths and Steely Dan. Oftentimes, critics like to use the word "jangly" when describing their sound. Drum player Jonny Basofin is terrified of birds. Also, if you check the space, polls say he is the hottest member of the band. You can also read creepy comments about guitar player and singer Darren Spitzer which read verbatim, "darren, you have an amazing voice. simply amazing. it has the same effect on me that xanax does."

More importantly, a new song can be heard every week on the space until September 26th. On this date, Today is Tonight will be released. Your ears will thank me when you purchase it. Because you will.

DOWNLOAD: THE CHANGES- Sisters
DOWNLOAD: THE CHANGES- Modern Love (Alternate Version) <--not on album! BONUS TRACK: THE CHANGES- Modern Love (Hilary Duff Version)

BUY Today is Tonight SEPTEMBER 26th!!

BLOGWATCH: Berkeleyplace has some live mp3s of Gnarls Barkley's Boston show. Palms Out Sounds' Remix Sunday brings us a great remix of E40 & T-Pain's "U and Dat".

eden's crush: nicole scherzinger is stalking me.

EDEN'S CRUSH was a girl group formed on the 2001 WB series Popstars, an American remake of the same UK series that turned out the multi-platinum girl act Girls Aloud. Unfortunately, their album sucked and they disbanded in 2002.

More importantly, Nicole Scherzinger was in this group. You may know Nicole as the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls. I know her as a stalker.

You see, I didn't realize until last night when I was cleaning out my iTunes library that Eden Crush's album Popstars was on my computer. I don't recall ever downloading, and I certainly never bought it. Moments after this, I read a news item that Paris Hilton** was originally offered the hit Pussycat Dolls song "Don't Cha", but declined. This afternoon, I hopped in my car and the first song on the radio was "Come to Me" by Diddy featuring Nicole Scherzinger. Sure. She's not using binoculars to peer through my window, but it seems that Nicole (or her people) are flooding my life with not-so-subtle messages in a desperate attempt to gain my approval. Maybe they just really wanted me to write a blog post about her? Could I be falling into their trap?

Probably...but to throw them off a little, I decided to make this post about Eden's Crush instead of Nicole. I can't give them all they want, you know? I figured with all the hype over Diddy's new "Making the Band" project, Danity Kane, people needed a reality check. Modern girl groups never last...especially those assembled by a reality series. Either the record label is going to drop them or go under, they're going to want to pursue solo careers or acting before their fifteen minutes of fame is up, or they're just going to wind up hating one another.

The demise of most reality TV girl groups is inevitable. I don't care what producers or writers work on their albums. It is a little known fact that Prince (yes, THAT Prince) produced a track on Eden Crush's album entitled "Glamorous Life". They also had a track written by the same woman who co-wrote Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces of Me" and Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away". Their album only managed to go Gold and only turned out one single, "Get Over Yourself".

The. Best. Song. Ever. Ok, so that's an extreme exaggeration, but you don't know how many times I want to tell people "Get over yourself goodbye!" In fact, I say this in my head all the time when in the presence of haters.

Better yet, just forget I said that. This song actually makes no sense...but it is undeniably a scrumptious slice of pop culture history. I will be sure to talk about it when VH1 calls me to be on I Love the '00s.

WATCH: Nicole Scherzinger's Popstars audition
WATCH: "Get Over Yourself" music video
WATCH: Diddy f/ Nicole Scherzinger, "Come to Me"

DOWNLOAD: EDEN'S CRUSH- Glamorous Life
DOWNLOAD: EDEN'S CRUSH- Get Over Yourself

BUY Popstars

**BLOGGER NOTE: Paris Hilton's pop music career is actually more promising than you think. "Stars are Blind" is a number one single in Hungary and Belgium, a top ten hit in seven other countries, and has charted in at least seven others (including the US). Also, Paris is a surprisingly good pop album. I'd certainly recommend buying it over Danity Kane...well, provided you forgive her for the Rod Stewart cover.

BLOGWATCH: I Guess I'm Floating brings us some "b-sides" by the 29-member super-group I'm From Barcelona. Arjan Writes has a download of the new Cazwell single "All Over My Face".

food for thought.

Hilary Duff's Metamorphosis sold more albums in the US alone than Janet Jackson's Damita Jo sold worldwide. Just thought you should know.

khia: true queen of the south.

KHIA deserves more respect from the haters. I talked about her a little earlier on this blog, but I'm actually blown away after hearing her sophomore effort Gangstress in it's entirety. She is the true queen of the south.

Sure, Trina has slayed Khia when it comes to chart status, but what I didn't realize in my last post is that Khia's first album Thug Misses outsold Trina's bestselling album Da Baddest Bitch by 40,000 units. This is all with very little outside help. On her page on the space, she states, "I stand on my own two feet. I feel like a lot of the female artists in the game have been introduced to the Hip-Hop world through men. I came out by myself. You cant really depend on people to do stuff for you, you really have to get out there and do it for yourself." She is an independent woman and she will throw her damn hands up at you.

And that's not the only thing that she'll be throwing at you. No, I'm not talking about her pussy. Or her crack. I'm talking about her FISTS...if you happen to be Trina. Well, metaphorical lyrical fists, you know? Khia has recently placed a freestyle on her space page with the somewhat-familiar title "Hit Her Up". It may be for mostly promotional reasons, but it doesn't even matter. Trina's response "What's Beef" doesn't really either...It's overall boring, plus she mispronounces Khia's name. In all honesty, I'm not even sure whose came first. Whatever...

What matters is that you would never think that Khia could rightfully make the claim for the crown of Queen of the South...but let me tell you why she is. Trina has been utilizing star power from the beginning. She would be nothing without Trick Daddy. Her albums consistently have high profile guests including (but not limited to) Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Ludacris, Eve, and Rick Ross. Her upcoming album Da Baddest Bitch II boasts production from Kanye West, Scott Storch, Jazze Pha, Cool & Dre, Swizz Beatz, and Just Blaze. With support like this, she should have a few hit singles under her belt. But if you read a list of Trina's singles to the average person, they'd likely lift their eyebrow and say "huh?" You say "My Neck, My Back" to someone and they're probably going to finish the sentence for you and maybe even throw an "ew" in there.

Trina's best single "Here We Go" with Kelly Rowland reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. But will you care about it in 4 years? No. Will people be bumping it at their dance parties? No. Not to hate, but the only reason it placed that high on the charts was because it had Kelly on it immediately after the Destiny's Child break-up buzz. If you look at the information for the track, it has EIGHT writers including Teedra Moses, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. Chicks who are looking for street cred should not be having other people write their shit.

Khia is the polar opposite of Trina in that respect. She essentially refuses to work with anyone else but her engineers J.A. and John Miller. She wrote and produced the entire Gangstress album and released it independently off of her Thug Misses Entertainment record label. Even if the songs don't always have the hottest beats, it's an album you can listen to all the way through...which is much more than I can say of ANY of Trina's. And I've heard all three.

On top of that Trina is HOT. She has the natural advantage. It's no secret that Khia is not the prettiest girl you've ever seen. I mean, the guys in the "My Neck, My Back" video would barely even touch her. The fact that she's made it this far by herself shows that she demands a lot more respect than Trina.

In addition, I have mentioned before that Khia will appear on the second single off of Janet Jackson's upcoming album. It is impossible that it can be any worst than "Call on Me" so in Janet's book it should be a success. The video will be directed by Joseph Kahn, the man who directed the videos for Brandy and Monica's "The Boy is Mine" and Britney Spears' "Toxic". That's right. Khia will be under the lens with the same man who was there when Britney Spears was naked and covered in diamonds. With that said...

Case closed. Khia is truly the queen of the south. No diggity, no doubt.

DOWNLOAD: KHIA- Bitch Muthafucka Got Damn
DOWNLOAD: KHIA- Fucking Me Tonight

BUY Gangstress

BONUS TRACK: KHIA- Hit Her Up (Trina diss)
BONUS TRACK: TRINA- What's Beef? (Khia, B.G., Gillie diss)

BLOGGER NOTE: Best Week Ever and VIBE.com might have been feeling my post on Gangsta Boo, but she's nowhere near being queen of the south. She is the Queen of Memphis and nothing more. There ain't nothin' wrong with that. I also want to thank Travis of Bigstereo once more for sending me the link to her on the space. That's not the only link he sent me though, so stay tuned! Especially you lovely people at Best Week Ever and VIBE.

BLOGWATCH: Pound for Pound brings us a review and a few tracks off of the new Rick Ross album. Music (for robots) bumps a new cover by The Go! Team. Beauty has a review of the new Kelis album along with a few tracks that you can listen to. For your information, we probably can't be friends if you don't buy Kelis Was Here. FiftyOne:FiftyOne has a mash-up of Spankrock's "Backyard Betty" and Ratatat's "Wildcat".

i'm busy! ok?

chamillionaire: southern comfort for the haters

CHAMILLIONAIRE be on the grind yall. Every single day, he is hustling. Not just every other day (which I suspect Rick Ross probably takes off on Sundays so he can take it to the church)...and a hustle like him is hard to find. Very hard to find.

Seriously though...Explain to me why Mr. Hakeem Seriki dominates over every other up-and-coming rapper in the game today. With the rate that Chamillionaire appears on random pop songs, all signs say that he should soon become the new Nelly. That's not a compliment. Come on though, this guy is appearing on songs as often as Ne-Yo or Akon. It should be annoying by now.

The difference separating King Koopa from the rest of them crackheads is that he doesn't do shit half way. When collaborating with TRL friendly artists such as Ciara or Frankie J, people tend to throw out trite lines like, "she's a model, ooh, she look like a coke bottle". I'm not going to hate because the fact that they pull that off is a clear indication of major swagger. With all this talk about the south murdering the game, it's nice to see a Houston native who actually thinks before he opens up his mouth and lays down the rhymes. This is his aim. He's not only doing it, he's trying to. He wants to prove to you and the entire world that the south can turn out quality lyricists with their own style of rhyme. That deserves some serious respect, because I totally am getting to a point where I can't tell the difference between D4L or Dem Franchize Boys, Yung Joc or Young Dro. It's fun, but that's not skills. And Paul Wall isn't doing it for me either...

And he didn't "come up overnight b". Chamillionaire and Paul Wall, who were childhood friends, got their big break nearly ten years ago freestyling on a mixtape for Michael 5000 Watts of Houston's 97.9 The Box. This led to a string of mixtapes, creating an extreme buzz. This success allowed them to record their first group album, Get Ya Mind Correct, which sold 100,000 copies independently and was nominated as The Source's Indie Album of the Year. Eventually the two parted their ways, and Paul Wall allegedly jumped Chamillionaire's brother at a club.

With the beginning aside, let's get to where he is now. After all the drama he had getting paid nearly nothing for the mixtapes he appeared on, he stated, "I had already been through money problems with Swishahouse and Paid in Full and I swore that I wasn’t gonna work for anybody else but me. The best way I could make sure that I received the money I was owed was if I was the person that was in control." So he got in control. He teamed up with a DJ and dropped mixtape after mixtape, refusing to work with anyone who screwed him over in the the past. Now that he established himself, he was ready for the big leagues, and he didn't play around at all. His debut solo album boasts production from top dollar producers Scott Storch, Mannie Fresh, The Beat Bullies, and Cool and Dre. It includes appearances by Killer Mike, Lil Wayne, Bun B, and Scarface. Moreso, it's been out for nearly a year and it's still selling copies!

This is undeniably due to the success of the single "Ridin" which rich white kids are totally obsessed with. The song was number one for two weeks on the US Billboard charts, and it's not about shaking your ass or doing your thing. It's about racial profiling. Even if your ears bleed from the months of radio DJs playing it out, how can you not respect that? The song was so well-received that 9 or more additional versions were recorded-- Three US (south, west coast, east coast/NYC), Croatia, UK, Brazil, Germany, France, and Australia. That's BUSINESS right there. On top of his rap game, Chamillionaire also sells cars and will soon be dropping his brother's album. I'm not even kidding.

DOWNLOAD: CHAMILLIONAIRE f/ OLLI BANJO- Ridin' (German remix)
DOWNLOAD: CHAMILLIONAIRE f/ BABY DOOKS & BIZZO (Croatian remix)

BUY The Sound of Revenge, BUY Step Up soundtrack

BLOGGER NOTE: Did I totally just get linked off of the VIBE.com blog??? Yes.

BLOGWATCH: Beauty wrote a review of Beyonce's new video "Ring the Alarm". All I have to say is that I love the choreography in this one. Bigstereo has Diplo's mix of the Teddybears' "Cobrastyle". Fluo kids posted a new remix of the Scissor Sisters single...and a collaboration between the Basement Jaxx and Robyn. For the uneducated on the glory of Robyn's latest album, YES...that is the same chick from "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)"

roads till redemption: ripping off the best.

ROADS TILL REDEMPTION kind of just seems like just a guy from Georgia who recorded some tunes in his bedroom. Because he is.

In his case, however, it's awfully charming. His music is quite good, but if he had been the product of a large music studio...I'd probably be bored. This isn't to say that I love him because he's so "exclusive and indie!" No. He's just one humble ass motherfucker. He downright admits that his sound isn't completely original, heavily influenced by artists such as Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, The Postal Service, Bright Eyes, and The Doors. Together, influences like this form one of my favorite emerging sub-genres...electro-folk. Maybe even electro-alternative country, but who can keep track with all these genres these days? Not I.

But maybe Jeremy McCann-Deas could, because he is one multi-talented fellow. He plays guitar, bass, and harmonica. He programs! He produces! He edits! He sings! He dances...!? Okay, well I've yet to see him dance, but when would he even have time to dance with all that music on his brain?

Long story short, "93 Million Part One" is the laid-back jam of the summer. It makes me want to retreat to my porch, to rock alone and drink from a handle of Jack Daniels with my golden retriever at my feet. And I don't even have a porch! Or a dog. Or a rocking chair.

DOWNLOAD: ROADS TILL REDEMPTION- 93 Million Part One
DOWNLOAD: ROADS TILL REDEMPTION- Killing The Urge

FRIEND Roads Till Redemption

BLOGWATCH (french edition): Can you see the sunset from the southside? has a great song for those who enjoy modern new-wave, as well as a remix by Alan Braxe & Fred Falke. CallmeMICKEY has one of my fave French dance jams, "I Am Somebody" by DJ Mehdi f/ Chromeo, as well as an additional track from Mehdi's upcoming album Lucky Boy.

the black peter group: having their cake and eating it

THE BLACK PETER GROUP may have a somewhat offensive name and myspace link, but I'd be more offended if you told me they didn't make you want to shake it.

First and foremost, I must thank my good e-friend Leif for sending me their link. If you haven't checked out his tunage yet, you're missing out. His M.I.A. remixes will help you find yourself, or lose yourself. Whichever one you're looking for.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program..."Cake" by The Black Peter Group is now the official jam of my upcoming birthday party. I plan to blast this song, dance around, and stuff cake in my mouth. Perhaps, they can come perform it in my dorm room. Perhaps, I will just settle with a little solitary "krump and munch"...which would be like crying while eating with less tears and more shaking. My favorite line of the song has to be, "Summer comes but once a year, that's when my white friends disappear"...however, the line about the Pope is a close second.

If the pics on the space are any indication, it looks like The Black Peter Group puts on quite a live performance. If you're in the NYC area, you should totally make an appearance at their September 6th or 14th show.

DOWNLOAD: THE BLACK PETER GROUP- Cake
DOWNLOAD: THE BLACK PETER GROUP- Peter vs. Robot

BLOGGER NOTE: I was totally on cryingwhileeating once. Look for Joe/Chris. With that said, Maria and her Zucaritas is my favorite video ever.

BLOGWATCH: Analog Giant brings us a mash-up of Nelly Furtado with The Raconteurs. Beauty n the Beat has got a high quality leak of Beyonce's new song "Ring the Alarm", which is making waves on the radio but apparently may not be the second single off her upcoming album B'Day. I hated it at first, but the repetitive chorus has it stuck in my head. I choose to remain ambivalent on this one. She also has the new Kelis song, "Blindfold Me", which is likely the second single off of Kelis Was Here. I was originally not into this one, but it's a grower. Arjan Writes advises fans of Imogen Heap and Frou Frou to check out Kate Havnevik. Palms Out Sounds interviewed the one and only Lady Sovereign.

gangsta boo: makin mistakes, learnin from them.

GANGSTA BOO (aka Lola Mitchell) used to roll with Academy Award winning musicians Three Six Mafia. You may remember her from her 1998 solo single "Where Dem Dollars At?" or her appearance on Foxy Brown's 1999 album Chyna Doll.

Ms. Mitchell was the only female and original member of Three Six Mafia. She had a falling out with several of the members around 2001 and converted to Christianity. Her plight can be compared to fellow dirty south female rapper, Mia X, who continues to rap after Master P's No Limit Records. Gangsta Boo continued to rap after leaving the group, but achieved no mainstream attention.

Hell, she still isn't receiving any mainstream attention. But she's still making music! She has appeared on Outkast's Stankonia and is currently working with her production company Drumsquad to produce beats for everyone from Young Jeezy to Rick Ross. Her new album Forever Gangsta will be released this year.

Oh, and like Khia, Trina, Jacki-O, and countless others...she claims to be the Queen of the South. Someone needs to get these girls up in a boxing ring to resolve that shit.

You can check out some recent tracks by Boo below...my favorite is "Splash", which features former Three Six-affiliate La Chat, who was that chick you remember from Project Pat's "Chickenheads". One question though...Do pussies ever actually splash? That's gross.

DOWNLOAD: GANGSTA BOO f/ LA CHAT- Splash
DOWNLOAD: GANGSTA BOO f/ YO GOTTI- Back to the Basics

BUY Gangsta Boo's music

BLOGWATCH: Bigstereo posted an amazing video by Panther, which is cardboarderific. You should also go to their parties if you're in San Francisco...and thank them for making this post happen by tipping me off to what Gangsta Boo is up to these days. You Ain't No Picasso has the new Bishop Allen "Click Click Click Click" from their July EP. Discobelle brings us some new remixes by Cassie (whose album was released yesterday!), including one by my production company! I guess I'm floating has a track by one of my favorite bands, Oh No! Oh My!

the cagle family: never get enough love.

THE CAGLE FAMILY brings you the best family music you've heard since The Jackson 5, with less abusive father and more cuteness.

In fact, the Cagle Family excel beyond cute. Their goal is to spread love through the world-- "love to be concerned and aware of what is going on the world today, to want to make a difference in our communities, cities, countries and continents." This family of 12 travels the world doing volunteer work and hope to make the world a better place.

Recently, I was lucky enough to catch the family performing in Penn Station while I was waiting for a train on the LIRR. Normally I ignore performers at the station, but I was drawn in by their sound and the crowd of people watching. The father, Monte Cagle, spouted out announcements in at least 4 of the 6 languages he knows. Of course, little Pocahontas Cagle was certainly a highlight, as she bounced around on stage and sang her tiny heart out with an energy that rivals Animal from the Muppets. Because of their charismatic nature, I stayed until the end of their show, nearly missing my train as I bought a CD from the fam.

Their CD is just as cute as the live performance. Sure, their sound may get a little Sesame Street at times, but when you got an 8 year old on vocals that can happen. Overall, their fusion of the pop, latin, R&B, reggae, gospel and hip-hop genres is irresistable. Don't act like you're too cool for love. Because you're not.

DOWNLOAD: THE CAGLE FAMILY- I Got a Feeling
DOWNLOAD: THE CAGLE FAMILY- I Believe in Love

BUY their music, support their cause

BLOGWATCH: Popbytes leaked a track with Beyonce not letting the haters stop her from doin' her thang on the Dreamgirls soundtrack, as well as a remix. It's totally going to be a gay anthem...I mean, it already has a club mix! Discobelle has a nice remix of Cassie's "Me & U" as well as an unmastered version of her next single "Long Way 2 Go". Palms Out Sounds has some hot remixes including Lily Allen, The Knife, Ratatat, Rick Ross, The Streets, Young Jeezy, M.I.A., and more.

t.f.b. (totally fucking brilliant): pink nasty attacks.

PINK NASTY once told me that her upcoming album Mold the Gold, "...is the shit. I remember the liner notes of Tevin Campbell's I'm Ready LP where he says his album is the shit and that stayed with me and I feel like Tevin right now. I believe if it isn't the Thriller of the indie pop singer songwriter set, then it will certainly be the I'm Ready. I like all the songs but there are only 12...cheaper by the dozen mentality--you wouldn't ask Steve Martin which kid he liked best!"

Honestly, she is the shit, so no matter what this album sounds like...it will be the shit. Ms. Nasty is an indie chick-rocker with an incredible sense of humor. She's like the girl next door, except she's the girl next door who performed in the same space as Annie and Jose Gonzalez. Oh yeah, she also has a brother who raps about AIDS and degrading women.

Recently, she has given us a sneak peek-a-boo of her new songs on the space. "Take It Back" is certainly my fave of what I've heard so far. Also, it was one of the only new songs that I could download. Enjoy it, along with a few old faves!

DOWNLOAD: PINK NASTY- Take It Back (demo)
DOWNLOAD: PINK NASTY- What the Fuck
DOWNLOAD: PINK NASTY- Burn (Usher cover)

I will hopefully make another post to let you know when Mold the Gold drops. If you can find a copy of her last album Mule School, your ears are in for a treat!

BLOGWATCH: Honorable Media is streaming an AMAZING song by Cee-Lo from the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack. I'm not even kidding. It's incredible. There's also some new Outkast over there. Pound for Pound has a few other Kelis remixes of "Bossy" that you couldn't get here.

viva la france: kelis gets a facelift from braxe.

ALAN BRAXE is well known in the French electronica scene.

But you may not be up on that. It may sound pretentious for me to say that, but I know I'm certainly not familiar with it. However, you may know him from his 1998 hit single "Music Sounds Better With You". No? Me either. I suppose I was too busy listening to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill around that time...and then there was also "The Boy is Mine".

In any case, what is really relevant is what Alan Braxe is doing today. He released a hit single called "Rubicon" in 2004. With the success of this single, he has moved on to remix songs for blogger faves such as Annie, Goldfrapp, Royskopp, Test Icles, Death From Above 1979, and Bjork.

What really matters right now is not any of these remixes. Along with usual collaborator Fred Falke, he has remixed "Bossy" by Kelis f/ Too $hort. Not only has he remixed it, he has made it significantly better. Honestly, even if she was back with an 808...the beat was just not gellin', ya know? Along with the new beat, he has replaced Too $hort's whack ass rhyme and put it in the middle of the song, rather than towards the end. For some reason, this works Jesus magic.

Beyond the incredible nature of this single song, I just want to express my hopes that Braxe's interest in Kelis will trigger some respect for her within the blogosphere. People call her a one (or two) hit wonder, but what they fail to realize is that songs like "Milkshake" are among her worst work. Kelis is one of the most intriguing R&B artists of our generation, constantly taking risks musically and maintaining a unique presence. She may just be a pop artist, but it's important to recognize that she is in fact an artist.

DOWNLOAD: KELIS- Bossy (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke remix)

PRE-ORDER Kelis Was Here, BUY The Upper Cuts

BLOGGER NOTE: Big ups to my boy at Bigstereo for sharing the link from fluo kids with me. Big ups to fluo kids for posting this in the first place. This song may be old news to some, but whatevs. Every ear should hear this shit.

BLOGWATCH: Stop Loving Everything has some new songs by The Changes, who I kind of love. 20 Jazz Funk Greats has a live track by The Knife. The Daily Growl has a song by Lily Allen that almost makes me believe the hype.

moneyshot exclusive: the swansong of gazpacho sanchez.

Today I received this message in my inbox at still-a-g(thang)mail...

"Dear all,
It is with a heavy heart and phat beatz that I deliver to you in mp3 form the first, last and only song of Gazpacho Sanchez. Gazpacho was a singer, time-traveller, friend of lemurs both real and puppet alike, ModelSpace resident, one of five SARS victims, and, first and foremost, he was a model. Gazpacho travelled into the future (which is now) to join ModelSpace and make a hit record with production team PdL and JJ Shonshay at Dregs Productions. He successfully became a ModelSpace member in June of 2006. ModelSpace featured him on ModelsYouShouldKnow. His hit record faced more difficulty. Time travel left him with only enough money for one hit song at Dregs and transformed his lemur friend Olivia Newton J. into a puppet. Tragically, Gazpacho was only able to record one verse before the Department for Homeland Security deported him from now. He died in 1999 of SARS-related complications while relaunching his career in Shanghai. His lemur (puppet) friend advised the rest of the project, seeing it to completion and blessing it with her mournfully beautiful eerily kazoo-like voice. She also helped us to locate Gazpacho's people the Plantains because Gazpacho had always thought that the world would be a happier place having heard the sounds of their tribal flute choir as they gather their daily mushrooms from the forests they call their home. Olivia has requested that all proceeds go to help keep developers out of those forests so that, even though Gazpacho is gone, the Plantains will live on. Enjoy... Gazpacho would have wanted it that way.

Gazpacho Sanchez hopes that you reach your final destination,
PdL"

This all happened last night. It was quite strange so I have little memory of it but this one song. The lemur pictured above is not Olivia Newton J, but could possibly be her cousin. Rumor has it that Olivia will be pursuing a musical career in honor of Gazpacho. She will collaborate on an album of duets with several up and comers in the music industry. In the long run, she has expressed interest in working with Bjork, Outkast, and Phil Collins. Proposed songs include "I Will Always Love You (Even If I Am a Puppet)" and a cover of "Time After Time". But this is all just rumors.

"The Swansong of Gazpacho Sanchez" is full of lyrical complexity that will change your life.

DOWNLOAD: The Swansong of Gazpacho Sanchez

BLOGWATCH: Beauty N the Beat has a whole lot of hotness including new ones from Kelis, Tatyana Ali (seriously), and a rare remix with Brandy of Sunshine Anderson's "Heard It All Before". Bigstereo has a new song by Fannypack, which is apparently in Old Navy commercials?