(i)Tunes in the Zune (the first recurring segment that we’ve ever done).

We started this blog to promote the show by making some hip hop postings related to content on the air, but in the end we wanted to post some original stuff, making an actual contribution to the blogosphere (also, our show is over).

My first attempt at writing and also labeling our post showed how much of an influence those damn blogs have on me, and as my words closely modeled how other people talk about music and “Freeness from…” was accidently copied from Word is Bond, which I noticed about a week later.

To ensure that I’m not infringing upon anybody’s catch phrases or ideas, I journeyed deep into the realms of obscurity, resurrecting a piece of technology that, despite its insistence on being one of the cool kids that you hang out with all the time, is simply somebody that you know and like but you never really see very much (yes, check the punctuation, that entire thing was one sentence).

What I’m talking about is a Zune, which for me has been a marvelous piece of technology (I have owned two Zunes (30 and 120), and one Ipod (30)) which is arguably equivalent in desirability to an Ipod (for PC users) only because none of them actually exist (Microsoft spent tons of money generating “community” features including wireless song transfers between Zunes, sharing playlists online, etc).  Zunes are so obscure that I even stopped calling my own music playing device a Zune because of puzzled looks that I received.

Because I don’t think that Zunes actually exist, simply mentioning them anywhere in the title should be sufficient, right?  No.  I don’t want to alienate our readers, so I’m including a reference to something that they understand: iTunes.  This further complicates things, because besides the fact that I don’t even use iTunes (see Zune Usage above), putting Zune and iTunes in the same sentence makes less sense than peanut butter on a burger with mayonnaise.  If you clicked on the link then you realize I’m referencing the Jiffy Burger from the Blue Door which is unbelievably delicious.  Alas, the Blue Door is a near sacred eatery, and I refuse to acknowledge any delusion that this effort will be half as amazing.

 

Despite the efforts to be original, this segment is inspired by the legendary but now discontinued What's New in Dart's Ipod segment (from Poisonous Paragraphs then Bloggerhouse).

Now that I’ve put all of my efforts into the preamble, this first review will be astonishingly half-assed.

 

Soulcrate Music – The Heartland Panic (2010)

First heard of these guys at Soundset, only saw a few songs but they seemed pretty decent.  Somehow they were performing in Bemidji the next weekend, which is exactly where I was gonna be.  Show was good, sharp and funny lyrics with a lot of energy.  The cd is nice and jazzy.  Oh, and they’re two brothers from South Dakota.

Blueprint – Adventures in Counter Culture (2011)

Meant to write a review on this a WHILE back but never did (cuz I didn’t like it on 1^st listen).  Obviously, this isn’t your typical rap cd.  Print sings on two songs, which both feature ‘80s type beats that are pretty bananas.  Overall I thought this was an enjoyable listen, although he seems to push it a little too far away from his comfort zone in some places.  Read a full review from these fellas for a more positive vibe.

Blue Scholars – Cinemetropolis (2011)

Started off dope and then ventured toward average for a little bit.  Was really hoping for a lot from this, and I need a second listen to give it some real judgment. * On second listen this seems like an above average release in the realm of hip hop.  More experimental, electronic than I would have expected, but definitely check it out (especially cuz its Sabzi and Geo).

Blitz the Ambassador – Native Sun (2011)

Blitz shows a progression from his last cd in rhyme skills, and his live band sounds amazing.  If you heard Stereotype, the production sounds very similar.  The album plays like one long jam session, which makes it difficult to single out particular tracks because they seem to run into each other.  I enjoy this style of music, and this is definitely work checking out, although the emphasis of African pride on this cd sometimes gets derailed by “rhyming about rhyming” – K’naan.

Face Candy – Waste Age Teen Land

Mixture of funny and ridiculous freestyling from Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, J.T. Bates, Casey O’Brian with live band goodness capturing the improvisational vibe brilliantly.  This is my first experience with the group, and while I may not purchase this album it may serve as some great background music sometime.  Or a lot of the time.

I promise this will be better next time.