Blog is a Mix Tape

song(s) for sunday: as serious as my life is...

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:02:10 -0700

Four Tet

I've felt very serious this week. I'm trying to step my game up at work in hopes of gaining some new responsibilities and challenges. I'm taking ownership of my relationship with food (as in, I like food a lot) and in my responsibilities to those I care for and who care for me. And so, I'm serious right now. I'm so sincurr. Unplayful. That's not how I envision myself, particularly not me at my best but it feels very necessary. I've got big plans, or at least as big of a plan as things in my life get, and I am choosing to do my best to accomplish them.

But, damn. Where's the light and funny and free? I might be focused, man, but today, I'd love it if I could get myself into a wind parade.

Wind Parade

Donald Byrd

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10 after 6: The Albums

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:54:24 -0700

It's that time of year isn't it? My 10 favorite 2007 releases so far.

Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation

Various Artists

No finer collection of music this year. It's a bunch of stuff you've never heard and it all sounds amazing. If you like soul music, you simply can't go wrong with this collection.

Play with the Changes

4hero

Very strong release from the downtempo veterans. It didn't hit me strongly with the first listen but has grown on me something fierce over the year. It's a great accompaniment to the album I've listened to the most this year, although not a 2007 release, Incognito's Bees + Things + Flowers.

ArtDontSleep presents From LA With Love

I don't go to Andrew Lojero's parties around town with the same regularity that I used to but this absolutely sounds like that Los Angeles. Underground. Creative. Excited. Agitated. We're under freeways and in back alleys and abandoned churches and it's 3 in the morning. The party don't stop because Art Don't Sleep.

Introducing Joss Stone

Joss Stone

What can I say? I tried to deny this album but I'm a sucker for good Raphael Saadiq production and Stone seems further along in her finding her own voice than some other young blue eyed soul singers. Where I find Amy Winehouse's Back to Black derivative and imitative of a certain sound, I somehow find Introducing... interesting and indicative of a certain sound. Joss might not have half of Winehouse's personality but, at the very least, I'm not running through the artist's her records sound like. And that is not to say that Amy Winehouse isn't great but, without fail, I keep thinking that Back to Black is that the music industry found someone to finally make a sophomore Lauryn Hill album and it just so happens to be a drunk off her ass white girl from the UK.

Emotionalism

The Avett Brothers

It's the Avett Brothers. Blue-grassy soulful indie pop harmonizing? That's my kind of cocktail.

And the rest:

6. Feist - The Reminder
7. Jay Dee - Ruff Draft
8. Evidence - The Weatherman LP
9. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
10. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

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Bonus Beats: Think Twice

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 22:25:03 -0800

Melissa posted Carl Craig's re-imagining of Donald Byrd's "Think Twice" which is my favorite Donald Byrd track off my favorite Donald Byrd album, Stepping Into Tomorrow. Byrd is working with the Mizells at this point in his career (which is also during the same period when he was mentoring my dad as a member of The Blackbyrds).

Two of my absolute favorite artists in the world have covered it with quite different outcomes:

Think Twice (Featuring Roy Hargrove)

Erykah Badu

Think Twice

Jay Dee

Enjoy.

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