reggae

Your dad wants to fight for the right to paaaarty!

Forget the tools and ties for dear old Dad this Father's Day. What he really wants is the Beastie Boys' new tunes on vinyl--or so the message goes from a new video uploaded to YouTube by the band on June 15.

Because of an Internet leak of the Beastie Boys' "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two" album, the band was forced to stream the entire thing (the explicit version), on its Web site before the actual June release date. By the end of April, the CDs and digital downloads of the album were (and are) made available on iTunes, Amazon, and Best Buy.

The focus for this new video, however, is on the sale of the vinyl format, which Mike D. says "...will be slightly different than the other formats. But please know that our corps of engineers and experts have been on this, making sure the wait is worth it and that I can personally tell you that in my humble opinion, the test pressing of the vinyl sounded banging on my home hi fi." … Read more

More music that'll make your speakers sound better

Great-sounding recently released albums are becoming increasingly rare, so when I find noteworthy efforts, I'm happy to share the news.

The goal here is to highlight new stuff, or at least music recorded in our century, so there's no need to include Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" or Steely Dan's "Aja." I assume you already know the best-sounding music from decades past; I'm trying to spread the word about the best new music, over a range of styles, something for every taste.

For more good-sounding music, check out my &… Read more

'Anybody who legally downloads music is an idiot!' says irate record store owner

It's in the East Village around the corner from where the 1960s rock Mecca, the Fillmore East once stood. Rockit Scientist Records is a blast from the past, a 'Village record shop that's a treasure trove for collector oriented psychedelia, '60s, '70s, and '80s garage rock, underground, progressive, punk, blues, soul, reggae, and jazz.

Rockit carries mostly CDs, but there's a lot of new and used vinyl, with a smattering of music DVDs. Owner John Kioussis is there six days a week and always multitasking. "It's not rocket science," heh, heh--drop in, and you'll likely find him sorting records, chatting on the phone and serving in-store customers--all at the same time.

Asked if downloads are killing his business, John got a little worked up, "Anybody who legally downloads music is an idiot! You can get it for free, why pay for it? Download it illegally, who's going to catch you? Legal or illegal, they sound the same."… Read more

Emmanual Jal, 'Warchild': Free MP3 of the Day

Jal's stunning debut, "Warchild," describes a horrific youth spent in forced military service in Sudan--difficult subject matter, to say the least, that Jal and producer Neal Pogue have admirably converted to engaging rap. This is hip-hop at its most elemental: tough stories made visceral.

Download free MP3 now!