New Address

We have switched to Wordpress because it looks better and it has some things that Blogger can't offer.

New Address

Switch your bookmarks!

Sonic Youth /// Webster Hall /// 2/16/07

This post originally appears on Angry Citizen. The writer has given us permission to repost the material on Headless Ponch.

Watching Sonic Youth perform live is like listening to a new Sonic Youth album. You know their performance or album will be good, really good, or amazing and never coming close to a disappointment. As a matter of fact, they lull you to sleep with a consistently steady performance level and uncanny ability to nail song after song without giving off the appearance of stagnation or going through the motions. If you ask me, which you didn't, it's an amazing feat many bands will never pull off, let alone for the duration Sonic Youth has been chuggging along. They are so consistently good, as a fan you can often slip into a hazy state similar to a person suffering from a psychological trauma. Somehow they appear mundane, even though that's the furthest thing from reality. Maybe I'm the only one that has suffered through "Sonic Youth Syndrome?" But alas, more times than not, by the end of their live set or album they manage to impress me in overt and subtle ways that inevitably shake me out of my "Sonic Youth Syndrome."

On Friday night, as expected, Sonic Youth marched through most of their underrated album Rather Ripped. Of the albums released in '06 Rather Ripped consistently proves to be one of the better releases based on its ability to provide continued revelations, while other more heralded album have worn out their welcome. "Pink Steam" and "Or" have grown on me to the point where they have become two of my favorite Sonic Youth songs, which is no small feat. Last time Sonic Youth played New York, fans of Daydream Nation were treated to "Teenage Riot" and "Eric's Trip." This time around the lucky fans in attendance were blessed with "Candle" and "Silver Rocket." Of course, the highlight of the evening was the blistering rendition of "Silver Rocket." It's always fun to speculate which song Sonic Youth will reach back for and play live. They'll always play one old favorite or obscure song you did not, or could not fathom before hand. With a catalog as diverse and deep it's often futile to speculate but more rewarding to sit back and wait paitently for that one song. Next to "Silver Rocket", that one song I was not expecting but was delighted to hear was, "Skip Tracer." If Lee hit the stage, sans Sonic Youth, performed "Skip Tracer" and exited stage I would have walked home a happy man. Yeah, a little over the top, but it's Lee. I have a strange and complex attraction to Lee Ranaldo's songs and his disturbingly hypnotic voice. Rats, one of the better cuts off Rather Ripped stands up strong against his previous output, however shamefully limited that output has been. I was hoping to hear "Mote" or "Wish Fulfillment," but no dice. There wasn't much on stage banter aside for Moore calling Mark Ibold, Mark Arm, before quickly correcting his error. A hearty laugh was had all around and everyone's attention quickly shifted back to the music. I've come to the inevitable conclusion that it's impossible to walk away from a Sonic Youth concert disappointed. Sonic Youth never disappointed an audience is the most scientifically accurate and proven theory next to Einstein's Theory of Relativity and "Sonic Youth Syndrome."

Read the original post on Angry Citizen, as well as looking at more pictures.

Buck The World Tracklisting

G-Unit's Young Buck is set to release his sophomore album Buck The World on March 20th. A tracklisting has been announced.

1. Intro
2. Bad Influence (w/ 50 Cent) [Prod. By Dr. Dre]
3. Get Buck [Prod. by Polow Da Don]
4. Middle Finger To The Law [Prod. by Dr. Dre]
5. I Know You Want Me (w/ Jazze Pha) [Prod. by Jazze Pha]
6. Don't Fuck Wit Me (w/ Linkin Park & D-Tay) [Prod. by Mike Shinoda]
7. Do It Myself [Prod. by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League]
8. 4 Kings (w/ T.I., Young Jeezy & Pimp C) [Prod. by Jazze Pha]
9. Haters (w/ Kokane) [Prod. by Vitamin D]
10. Celebrity (w/ 50 Cent) [Prod. by Danja]
11. Paid The Cost [Prod. by Jonathan "JR" Rotem]
12. Say It To My Face [Prod. by Diaz Brothers]
13. I Ain't Fuckin' Wit Ya (w/ Snoop Dogg & Trick Daddy) [Prod. by Hi-Tek]
14. Never Snitch [Prod. by Key Kat]
15. Take It There [Prod. by Lil Jon]
16. Pain In My Eyes (w/ 8Ball & MJG & Lyfe Jennings) [Prod. by Jake One]
17. Listen When I Talk [Prod. by Eminem]
18. Tears (w/ Trey Songz & Bun B) [Prod. by Needlz]
19. Wounded Soldiers (w/ 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks & Tony Yayo) [Prod. by Dr. Dre]

Dre, Hi-Tek, Justus League, and Needlz? Buck loses all my respect if this album bricks critically or commercially.

In other related Buck news, he and Game apparently got into a fight this weekend.

Arcade Fire Sneak Fans Into Show!!!

Win Butler is a hero. A fan of Arcade Fire wrote a long winding post about how he recently got into an two Arcade Fire shows in London.

The first night he was able to get in because some employees for Merge felt bad that he and his friend from Canada (London from Canada, wow) didn't get in. So they got them in for free.

The next night is just truly magical though. It outlines why Arcade Fire is the best band now. Long story short: fan tries to get in again, but can't land any tickets; Win sneaks out of the venue and motions him to come in; fan feels bad for others ticketless, so he brings the whole troop along; as Win and the 10 fans sneak into the venue, a tout tells them it is not allowed; then Win and fan fend off the tout as everyone sneaks in -- it even ends with a punchline.

Read the post here. (Arcade Fire write back on their Myspace wall!!!)

Visit here to see when you can buy Arcade Fire tickets for their upcoming North American tour. Chicago Theater -- here I come.

Video: Mike Jones "Mr. Jones"

The new single from Mike Jones off his upcoming album The American Dream. The irony with me posting this after just posting the J-Zone article.

J-Zone Points Out The Problems With Hip Hop

J-Zone made a long and excellent post on his myspace dissecting the current state of hip hop. "It seems there's not many funny artists no more. Like on some Biz Mark, Humpty Hump, The Afros shit. Not afraid to go to the extreme and have fun. God forbid you use your imagination or rap about something not involving hiphop, the hood, you bein the shit, the end of the world or what color your car interior is."

Read the full post here.

Video: Prodigy "Stuck On You"

Prodigy's new single off his upcoming album Return of the Mac.

Live Earth Update

Rolling Stone has reported that Kanye West, Police, and Genesis have been added to the so far terrible lineup.

Watch Or Listen To Bloc Party Live

Sorry for the Bloc Party overload of late, but you can watch or listen to a full show they recently did on NME. The gig takes place at the Carling Academy in Bristol and was shot on February 7th.

Watch/Listen to the show.

Audio: Feist "My Man My Moon"

Leak week continues. Well one song isn't really too bad of a leak. That one song is "My Man My Moon", the first song off Feist's upcoming release The Reminder. Neko Case has been ousted. Feist's voice is just that much more seductive. Neko is like Virginia Madsen in Sideways -- more casual and more of a 'friend' -- whereas Feist is like Sandra Oh -- more 'you and me, lets do it right now.' I mean that in a good way, Leslie.

The Reminder is set to hit US and Canadian record stores on May 1st.

Stream/Download here (Prefix).

Ja Rule's New Hairstyle

Yikes. Anybody else think he looks like Nas in this one?

Arcade Fire Hitting The SNL Stage

Once again you will have to gather all your patience and use it while watching Saturday Night Live. Why? I don't know, watching the best band in the world seems like a good reason. Arcade Fire are set to to rock SNL on February 24th -- that's next week.

The band are currently in the middle of a 5-night stay in New York. I have only heard great things including Win handing out chocolate and other sweets shaped as hearts to the fans.

So far celebrity sightings have been Fab from the Strokes, Drew Barrymore, Andy Samberg (SNL), Spike Jonze, David Cross, and Kirstin Dunst.

Beyonce Re-releasing B'Day

While on the shoot of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Beyonce *deep breath* is reissuing her sophomore album B'Day. It *wipe sweat off forehead* will feature three new tracks, including "Beautiful Liar" and "World Wide Woman."

B'Day is way underrated.

Watch her photo shoot below.

Video: Cam'ron "Cuurtis"

Wilco Give Tracklisting For Sky Blue Sky

The Chicago based band have given the full tracklisting for their upcoming album Sky Blue Sky. Sky Blue Sky is the band's 6th studio album and will be released May 15 via Nonesuch.

1. "Either Way"
2. "You Are My Face"
3. "Impossible Germany"
4. "Sky Blue Sky"
5. "Side With the Seeds"
6. "Shake It Off"
7. "Please Be Patient With Me"
8. "Hate It Here"
9. "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)"
10. "Walken"
11. "What Light"
12. "On and On and On"

You can also catch Wilco playing at Bonaroo this June. Read more here.

Live Earth Benefit Concerts Announced

Former vice president Al Gore and others have joined forces to create Live Earth (the Concert for a Climate in Crisis), a set of 7 concerts to raise awareness about global warming. It will take place on July 7th and you will be able to catch Bloc Party and Bon Jovi to name a couple.

Sounds a lot like Live 8, eh? I really wonder if these work. People going probably tell their friends and family 'it is for the climate and I'm glad I could be part of it. I can't wait to hear Californiacation though!'

I'm positive the majority of the artists do want to raise awareness and do a good deed, but there are still the Will Smiths out there. "This is Switch and it's off my new album Lost & Found in stores now!" Read more here.

Side note: Bon Jovi rocked Live 8.

I don't know why the format is screwed up. Sorry.

Queens Of The Stone Age Album Coming In June

Queens of the Stone Age have left a post on their web site discussing details on a new album. Once you put away all the 'trying to be funny, look at us we are loose dudes' thing, you find out a title and release date month. The tentative title is Era Vulgaris and June is the hopeful launch date.

I know these guys have gone through some roster changes, so I'm sorry if the above picture has some old members in it. But who really cares?

Bloc Party Make A 102 Jump On Billboards

...From where Silent Alarm peaked. The band's second album A Weekend In The City grabbed the 12th spot on the Billboards, selling 48,000 copies. How do you think Neon Bible will do?

Fall Out Boy were #1, selling 260,000. Beyonce posed for the cover of the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Just thought I'd sneak that in there.

New Biggie Hits Collection Being Released

Bad Boy is issuing a Notorious B.I.G. greatest hits on March 6th. It marks 10 years after the still shocking death of the renowned MC. But how many songs are going to be on this? Turns out 17. He only released two albums while he was with us. Diddy do you really want to keep 'connecting' us to Biggie or does that new yacht need some revamping?

I really do hate greatest hits. It ruins the idea of an album and neglects the work put into making the album not just a collection of songs, but a story. Especially with someone like Biggie who put together albums. Read more here.

1. Juicy
2. Big Poppa
3. Hypnotize
4. One More Chance (Remix)
5. Get Money
6. Warning
7. Dead Wrong
8. Who Shot Ya
9. Ten Crack Commandments
10. Notorious Thugs
11. Notorius B.I.G
12. Nasty Girl
13. Unbelieveable
14. Niggaz Bleed
15. Running Your Mouth (New track)
16. Want That Old Thing Back (New track)
17. Fuckin' You Tonite

Village Voice Cover Rascist?

TV On The Radio member Martín Perna wrote a letter to the Village Voice commenting on their recent cover illustrating Bob Dylan running over Kyp Malone (member of TV On The Radio) -- meaning Modern Times was better than Return To Cookie Mountain. Yeah, kind of ridiculous. The more I look at it, the more wtf comes to mind. Read the letter here. Don't be afraid of hip hop America; you got to watch out for those indie folk, I'm telling you.

Fabolous Sets Release Date

From Nothin' To Somethin' has been prolonged, but will see the light of day on March 27th. It is Fab's first Def Jam release and will feature production by Timbaland and Jazze Pha. Read more here.

Stream/Download to "Return Of The Hustle (Feat. Swizz Beats) (Produced by Just Blaze)"

Same old, same old.

Power Outage Yesterday

Dear Readers,

The blog was only updated with one post yesterday because of a power outage. I don't think 50 got popped or Alex Turner got Lily Allen pregnant, so I don't think we missed too much.

I won't give these pieces of news the full post treatment because...they are old. So here are just some quick links.

Andrew Bird announced tour dates
Bonaroo lineup announced
Rhymefest's new album is a musical; that really deserved a full post
Michael Jackson on American Idol?
Prefix interviewed Papoose


We will be back on form today.

PS - Check out the Powercast if you already haven't.

New Little Brother Mixtape For Free

You can download the new Little Brother mixtape Justus For All for free at Certified Hip Hop, along with the running order.

Another download source is Justus League themselves. Look at the bottom right for the link.

Video: The Go Team! "Junior Kickstart"

The Flaming Lips Go The Retirement Home Route

If you are feeling depressed you didn't get tickets to Arcade Fire you can always have a backup plan. What is a better one than the The Flaming Lips? They have announced a slew of Southeast shows for the spring. Read more here.

04-11 Athens, GA - Classic Center
04-12 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
04-13 Pompano Beach, FL - PB Amphitheater
04-14 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
04-17 Myrtle Beach, FL - House of Blues
04-18 Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
04-19 Norfolk, VA - The Norva

White Stripes Sign To Warner Bros.

Even though V2 records had that big fiasco, label employee The White Stripes contract was up. Jack and Meg have signed to Warner Bros. though. The albums will not be distributed through Jack's own label Third Man.

It's a one album deal. Will we see a new Stripes record this year? We really really hope so.

Arcade Fire Announce North American Tour!!!

We have been waiting so long for this.

02-13 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-14 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-15 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-16 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-17 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
04-26 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre
04-28 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
05-01 Atlanta, GA - Civic Center
05-02 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
05-04 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall
05-05 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
05-07 New York, NY - TBA
05-08 New York, NY - TBA
05-09 New York, NY - TBA
05-10 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
05-12 Montreal, Quebec - Arena Maurice Richard
05-13 Montreal, Quebec - Arena Maurice Richard
05-15 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
05-16 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
05-18 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
05-19 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
05-20 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
05-27 Portland, OR - Schnitzer Concert Hall

Video: Jay-Z "Minority Report"

Bhm208
Uploaded by skaybn

Audio: Nas, Kanye West, Rakim, KRS-One "Classic (Nike Remix)"

Who did the beat? DJ Premier did it. 50 wishes he had something like this. This was the song the MC's performed at the 25th anniversary for the Air Force ones. By the way, Rakim still leaves the mic flaming.

Stream/Download here (Link courtesy of Nah Right).

In other KRS-One related news, read this story about him leaving his producers on the street.

David Cross and Stephen Malkmus - The Plug Awards

This write-up originally appears on Angry Citizen. It is used with permission granted by the Angry Citizen himself.

The 2007 Plug Awards was a disaster in terms of execution but redeeming due to the musical acts and the work of host, David Cross. There's a lot to discuss about the Plug Awards like J Dilla winning artist of the year, but for now I'm going to focus on one aspect of the show. That being the interview between David Cross as James "JJ" Lipton and Steve "Jebediah" Malkmus. David Cross is a certifiable hero in the "indie rock" set as evidenced by his duet with Johny Marr a few months ago, which I was lucky enough to record (watch it here). Cross continued to build on his folk hero status by portraying "JJ" Lipton and conducting a hilarious interview with a shy (or coy) but game Malkmus. Below are three videos spanning most of the interview in which we learn so many golden nuggets such as Jebediah's favorite curse word, dickweed, and favorite curse phrase "we're in a shit storm of trouble."









View more pictures from the Plug Awards.
Visit the original post on Angry Citizen.
View the whole list of winners at Brooklyn Vegan.

Ponch Powercast

OMG! It's the first ever Ponch Powercast, the official podcast of Headless Ponch! Joe Williams from Musicsucks.net and I each give a new artist to look out for. We review the new albums by Bloc Party and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Then Joe recaps seeing Camera Obscura live.

Thank Joe for being able to edit the songs in so they are crystal clear.

Expect the Powercast to happen definitely once a month, possibly twice.

Download the Powercast (32:38).

New Artists This Week
--> So Many Dynamos
--> Ntelligence

Soundtrack to Powercast #1
--> "Mighty Wings" Cheap Trick
--> "Search Party" So Many Dynamos
--> "How Does It Feel" Ntelligence
--> "Hunting For Witches" Bloc Party
--> "Satan Said Dance" Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
--> "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" Camera Obscura

Read Joe's post on the Camera Obscura show including pics and a video.

What do you think of the newcomers? And give us an overall feeling from the podcast.

Arctic Monkeys Play Secret Show

The Arctic Monkeys returned to the music world last night by performing at their old stomping grounds. The band stormed through a 15 song set at the Leadmill venue in Sheffield, which included six new songs. View more pictures and watch some bad quality youtube videos here.

The lads are set to release their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare on April 23rd. Read about Favourite Worst Nightmare here.

50 and Cam'ron Update

Cam'ron called Connecticut radio station 93.7 and said that after he and 50 had their altercation on Hot 97 that 50 called Flex stating he didn't want beef with Cam. What? Stream/Download here.

Rolling Stones' New Guitar Gods

Rolling Stone granted a new set of wailers the title Guitar God. In no order:

Tom Morello
Jack White
John Mayer
Derek Trucks
John Frusciante
Luther Dickinson
Nels Cline
Warren Haynes
Jim James & Carl Broemel
Adam Jones
Kaki King
Mike McCready & Stone Gossard
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Ed O'Brien & Johnny Greenwood
Chuck Garvey & Al Schnier
Matt Pike
Jack White

Didn't they list Jack White in their original list? I thought he was around #29. Who do you guys think they missed?

Metro Distortion has a video for each nominee. Read an excerpt from the new RS cover story.

Video: Justin Timberlake "What Goes Around..."

Justin Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson in the same video? Move over Brangelina, this is the hottest thing in Hollywood. This is the director's cut of Justin Timberlake's new video "What Goes Around..."

The Weekend Isn't Over

A Weekend In The City was overall disappointing but people are still holding on to Bloc Party hoping for more Silent Alarm type quality tunes.

During the recording process of A Weekend, the band managed to piece together 22 songs! 22-11= 11! That is right, you can serve yourself to another albumful of Bloc Party. By putting together all the B-sides, the internet has made Another Weekend In The City or as other call it The Weekend Isn't Over.

Some have already said it's better than the actual wholecost product. Decide for yourself, by downloading the whole album here (Thanks Mike). And pick up the artwork along with a couple of tracks at I Guess I'm Floating.

Video: The Bird and The Bee "Again and Again"

The Bird and The Bee made up of beautiful vocalist Inara George and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin released their debut self titled album on Blue Note in January of this year. I just got hold of it, and full review will most likely come from it.

Poll Winner: Best Outkast Album

ATLiens was voted as the best Outkast album by racking up 28% of the votes. ATLiens would be my second pick behind Stankonia. It is the cool and truest hip hop album in the 'Kast echelon.

I like Stankonia the best because it was the perfect mix of all the sounds Big Boi and Dre were trying to pull together. Aquemini was them really getting funky and different, but still hadn't quite mastered it yet. Stankonia they mastered that super funky crossover sound that had all races, species, and sexes going bonkers.

Speakerboxxx/Love Below placed with 23% of the votes. Spbx/TLB was Outkast still going really out there, but I thought they just lost the touch and both Dre and Big Boi made highly inconsistent albums. If they collaged them for one album, maybe their best. Maybe.

The poll clearly illustrates the consistency of Outkast's discography, since pretty much every album was in the race.

Full results:
1. ATLiens 28%
2. Speakerboxxx/Love Below 23%
3. Aquemini 18%
4. Stankonia 15%
5. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik 13%
6. Idlewild 3%

Video: The Killers "Read My Mind"

The Killers shot the video for "Read My Mind" in Tokyo. Brandon Flowers and co. try to ease up and be silly, since their more serious efforts haven't been taken in too fondly. It is better than that "When You Were Young" garbage video. Look at more pictures of the video here.

Audio: Cam'ron Returning The Favor To 50

Just earlier today, 50 dropped a diss to the Dipset camp -"Funeral Music" - in full video form. Cam'ron was not going to let it sit out, and has immediately fired back with an untitled track. Yes, he samples the 'Cuurrrrtiiissss' thing over and over. Download/Stream here. (Link courtesty of Nah Right).

Both of these tracks are wack. Where are Nas and Hov when we need them?

Edit: The above link was only the first half. Download the full track here (Thanks to HipHopGame forums).

Fader Is Giving Out New Mixtape For Free

Fader magazine is currently giving out a new free mixtape hosted by Freeway. What We Do: The Movie features new tracks from Freeway along with Beanie Sigel, Young Gunz, and more. Read more here along with a download link.

Video: 50 Cent "Funeral Music (Cam'ron Diss)"

No beef? Right. This is 50's answer to...Cam'ron calling him by his first name on public radio.

Lets Have A Professional Handle It

"1974 all over again," stated Roots drummer ?uestlove. He is speaking about his collaboration with R&B legend Al Green. The two have been working on Green's next studio album for up to two years now.

"If it were up to me and it was absolutely totalitarianism, I would live all my derivative fantasies out on this record. It would be 1974 all over again," the creative ?uestlove said.

?uestlove went on to say that he feels like veterans in the game feel like they have to evolve with the ever changing music world, but in actuality they should stick to what they do best. Read more here.

Audio (On Youtube): Timbaland Responding To Stealing Allegations

Timbaland sort of sets the the record straight about him stealing a song written by Finnish artist Janne Suni (Thanks Prefix), in which he used for the Nelly Furtado song "Do It."

Decide for yourself if you already haven't by watching the video below.

Audio: Timbaland feat. The Hives "Throw It On Me"

Timbaland and The Hives have collaborated for "Throw It On Me" which appears on the producers upcoming solo album Shock Value.

The track sounds like something either I'd hear a) if a local band tried to get on an iPod commercial or b) a song I'd hear at 2 in the morning with blood shot eyes as I manuever my roser on Madden. Neither of them being good things. Listen to the track here.

Dre, The Wash Was Not Good

Dr. Dre has inked a deal with New Line which allows him to produce movies through his brand new sub-group Crucial Films.

I don't know if this is Dre's niche if his films will show the same low level talent as The Wash did. But he has said that he wants to get in on scoring the films. That is the side of the Doc we like. Read more here.

Feist Releases New Album Details

Canadian songwriter Feist has told NME that she will be releasing her follow up to the wonderful Let It Die, The Reminder, on April 23rd for the UK and May 1st for the US.

Indie gals are the best to look at. Read more here.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Tracklisting

1. Still Strifin(Intro)/Prod. Raekwon & Mark Batson/
2. No Peace/Prod. RZA & Cilvaringz/
3. Rock Stars And Smoking Barrells feat. Inspectah Deck & GZA/Prod. RZA
4. Black Book feat. GZA, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck & L-Baggs/Prod. Dr. Dre
5. Loose Change/Prod. Scram Jones
6. State Of Grace/Prod. RZA
7. No Matter How Hard You Try feat. Inspectah Deck & Lucy Clarke/Prod. RZA
8. Networkz Are Global(Skit)
9. The Brass feat. Ghostface Killah & John Frusciante/Prod. RZA
10. Time Is Money/Prod. Dr. Dre
11. House Of Flying Daggers/Prod. DILLA
12. Little Afrika feat. RZA, Method Man, U-God & Masta Killa/Prod. RZA
13. Kareem Khan feat. GZA/Prod. RZA
14. RZA & Chef in studio(Skit)
15. Thug World/Prod. RZA
16. That's That feat. RZA & Busta Rhymes/Prod. Dr. Dre & Mark Batson
17. Secret Indictment/Prod. RZA
18. Playin' To Win(Year Of The Dragon) feat. GZA, Inspectah Deck & Ghostface Killah/Prod. RZA, Co-produced by Dr. Dre
19. Terms & Conditions(Outro)

Looks solid. Kudos to Sumish.

The Roots Already Working On New Album

?uestlove of the Roots has told Billboard that the hip hop group are already working on a new album, only months after they released their previous album Game Theory. What does the new stuff sound like?

"We are using a lot of synthesizers, but I don't know if I could call this the electronic album or not," ?uestlove stated. He went on to add that they already have five or six songs done, with the majority being synth heavy. Read more here.

Diddy & Sienna Miller?

Diddy's reaction to the paparazzi spotting him going into a buidling with Sienna Miller is priceless.

Buck The World Artwork

That is the official cover for Young Buck's upcoming album Buck The World. Right when I saw it, I thought it looked like a D'Angelo cover.

In a recent interview, Buck stated he wanted the album to be called F*ck The World and the cover to illustrate him giving the finger. But he said because of the changes it will be "On Wal-Mart shelves now."

Buck wasn't afraid to express what he thinks this album is going to do on the charts saying it will "Break big numbers." Most people will agree with me when I say that Buck is the best MC in G-Unit -- excluding 50.

Buck the World is set to hit your local Wal-Mart and Target on March 20th.

(Click picture for more clarity)

Bol Reveals Himself

One of our favorite bloggers, Byron Crawford, showed his face for the first time ever in an interview with Erik Parker.

Bol, Crawford's common name, doesn't really answer to many of the questions fired at him. He seems apprehensive. He is usually so opinionated on his site, but maybe he doesn't have the face for TV.

His site is still bookmarked though. Watch the interview.

Midlake Hates Us

Midlake frontman Tim Smith was recently interviewed by Canadian music site Chart Attack. He reveals how he feels about the internet (alright, maybe reveals isn't the best word).

"I hate reading that stuff [blogs, etc.]. Just tell me how the album is selling. I don't like the negativity. You get a little bigger and then you get more enemies. You're no longer these guys who are just trying to push and do it and be a band. And everyone respects you when you're just starting out, even if you suck."

The writer mentioned that Smith is an extremely polite and kind person. But that really hurts my feelings Tim. What did we do to you? You made plenty of end of the year lists. We tried to build a buzz for you.

I think he has been hanging out with Jack White too much. Read the interview here.

New: Tha Dogg Pound - "Anybody Killa"

Westsiiiiiideee. A new Dogg Pound song off their next album Dogg Chit. This is what The Game needs to be rapping over.

Tha Dogg Pound featuring The Game "Anybody Killa" (Link courtesy of Different Kitchen)

Arctic Monkeys Announce Album Release Date

The Arctic Monkeys have announced a release date, title, and tracklisting for their sophomore album. A post on the British lad's official site reads:

Arctic Monkeys are pleased to announce that their new album entitled
'Favourite Worst Nightmare,' will be released 23rd April. The track listing will
be;

01. Brianstorm
02. Teddy Picker
03. D Is for Dangerous
04. Balaclava
05. Fluorescent Adolescent
06. Only Ones Who Know
07. Do Me a Favour
08. This House Is a Circus
09. If You Were There, Beware
10. The Bad Thing
11. Old Yellow Bricks
12. 505

The first single off the album is going to be "Brainstorm" which will be released April 16. These dates are going to be UK dates, so we assume the US dates will be the usual one day after.

Chicago Gamer 006

In the spirit of the Super Bowl and the mighty Bears losing it, I decided to talk about football and the games that continue to sell. For some reason people either view sports games as either blasts of fun or trivial trite that should never be spoken in the same breath as say a Resident Evil.

I can see both point of views. What you cannot argue is how fun football games are. Most sport games just do not translate well to the controller. But ever since Tecmo Bowl for the NES, football and videogames go together like salsa and chips.

Over the generation cycles one game franchise has reigned supreme, the almighty destroyer of sales charts Madden. Madden like it or loathe it, is a well designed game. Action is fast and sublime. Mastering the playbooks takes practise, but never is it insurmotable. Sim modes are deep and boasts some of the best multiplayer in gaming right now.

So why do so many people just not like it. Well I credit this to three factors. First people see it as a casual game that is not in the same league as hardcore games. This point of view is completely false. The game takes great skill to be good at and is just as in depth as any game in their respective genres. Casual/hardcore is a oldie term that needs to go away.

Two the game comes out every year. I hate annual sequels. I feel the rolling of the eyes that gamers have when EA releases the next version. This handicaps the game the new feel to make it exciting. Word of advice. Buy a Madden game every three years. By that time enough new features and touches will make the game feel better.

And the last point is that the game symbolizes the hatred many people have for conserative EA. EA wants money. Just like every other company. Madden bleeds Benjamins. Get over it.

For the record while Madden is a good product, the lack of competition has lowered its usual quality. Madden was at its best battling the NFL 2K series. Come to think of it NFL 2K1 is the best damn football game ever.

Prince Makes Everything Better

I'm surprised this is Headless Ponch's first Prince topic. Anyways, Prince played rocked the hell out of the Super Bowl halftime show.

At first, I thought "Let's Go Crazy" had some sound issues, but it obviously got resolved. He tore through a ten minute set which included "Baby I'm A Star", "Purple Rain", and covers of Jimi Hendrix and Foo Fighters. Yeah, definitely a wtf... at first.

Prince defiantly showed why everything needs more Prince when he did "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters. Originally, this song is all Vh1-ed up, leaning towards a rebellious secretary crowd. But when Prince does it, it sounded like a classic out of his back catalog. Everything really needs more Prince. Imagine FutureSex/LoveSounds with more Prince? Now we are talking about a great album.

"Purple Rain" had a ridiculous solo that was impossible not to air guitar to. Plus, it was raining adding a ironic effect.

As for the game, we got the bad Rex. And what's up with abandoning a successful running game with Thomas Jones? It seemed like everytime he got a carry he moved the chains. The last half was just an overall snoozefest, with the Bears offense doing the same repetitive scheme.

1st - 1st down with Thomas Jones
2nd - 5 to 10 yard Completion, building a drive
3rd - Hold on a second, isn't Rex Grossman your quarterback? Interception!

And what an anticlimatic way for Peyton to get his first ring?

New Poll: Best Outkast Album

Since hearing 3000 on the remixes, I have revisited my Outkast collection. I've always pulled for Stankonia. But what is your favorite 'Kast album?

Vote on the sidebar to the right.

Interview: Skyzoo

Brooklyn start waving your flags. Skyzoo is the reason. Skyzoo has worked with 9th Wonder, and is currently working with DJ Premier, illmind, and more on his upcoming debut LP.

Skyzoo took some time out and let the mic sizzle, while he chatted to me. We talk about how he met 9th Wonder, how the idea for Cloud 9: The Three Day High (currently in our Sounds of the Moment!) came about, and his opinion on the recent news covering Little Brother.

Listen to the interview (20:02)
Read guest contributor John's live review of Skyzoo.

What do you think of Skyzoo? Leave comments below.

Big Boi & 3000: Go Take Care of Business Now

Andre 3000 is giving Outkast fans hope again. After Idlewild was an overall bad experience -- bad sales, bad album -- many were ready to grab the shovel from the garage.

But, wait a second. Dre has been appearing on a couple of remixes...rapping! When he rapped on Idlewild, say "Mighy O", he did not sound like he was having fun. The energy was lacking.

The remixes he has appeared on are Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's," Lloyd's "You," and UNK's "Walk It Out".

My favorite is "Throw Some D's," where 3000 does perfect stutters and flowing perfectly with the beat. This is a bad rip too (Thanks Ian). Imagine a high quality one? Yeah, that this is what we are talking about.

XXL hit it right on the button. Idlewild flopping must of finally knocked some sense into Dre. Now he needs to get together with Big Boi and prove that Outkast is still the band that were powerful enough to make us adopt a sub-language.


- "Walk It Out (Remix)" featuring Andre 3000, Jim Jones
- "You (Remix)" featuring Andre 3000, Nas

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Fiasco

This is one of best PR moves ever.

Response from the accused:



That is even better.

Paris Hilton Hits Two Birds With One Stone

Paris Hilton was doing her thing to Biggie's "Hynotize" in a club alongside sister Nicky. Some dude was filming the two and managed to get Paris to call some random guy a "fat fag". Then Nicky is worried about some guy hitting on her and tells everyone, "Don't worry, he's a fag." I thought Nicky was supposed to be more polite.

Then out of nowhere Paris drops "We're like two n******!"

Then after that Paris is talking about a lady she ran into, whom she recalls to be a "fuckin' hoodlum, broke, poor bitch, from like Compton." Then she puts the icing on the cake with "Public school bitch."

Wow. These two could of topped Kramer and Isaiah Washington.

Kele Okereke Airs Out Again

Bloc Party head honcho Kele Okereke is continuing his 'assault' on the music world. First it was Jack, now he has broadened his horizons by attacking the whole indie/rock genre.

In an interview with MTV, Okereke stated "I'm finding it hard to believe that singers in other bands have a mind."

He did applaud Arctic Monkey frontman Alex Turner for making "talking about every day life very in vogue and fashionable."

All this PR is occurring near the release of Bloc Party's second and disappointing album, A Weekend in the City. The lightbulb must of dinged for Kele when he took sometime to listen to his band's new album. Read more here.

Video: Arcade Fire @ Porchester Hall

First and foremost, Neon Bible rocks.

Glad I got that out of my system. Arcade Fire played Porchester Hall last night, being spectated most notably by Coldplay's Chris Martin and The Rakes' Alan Donohoe. It was the band's 4th London gig in a five gig lineup.

After assuring the crowd that they are indeed the best band in the world, Arcade Fire set up in the foyer of the venue for an acoustic sing-a-long of "Wake Up."

At first, frontman Win Butler was setting up his megaphone in the foyer. When three security guards noticed what the band were trying to do, they tried to shoot down the idea and tell everyone to pack their bags and go home. Win refused to let the guards deny him of his duty.

"One of the guards was literally manhandling Win, who was pretty pissed off and shouted 'Don't fucking touch me' before shrugging off the attention and defiantly placing his mic stand at the bottom of the foyer stairs," reported an NME journalist.

Then after the band finished up their foyer performance, they led the crowd back into the hall for a cover of the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton." Read more here.



Look for Chris Martin on the left hand side of your screen at six seconds in.

Video: RZA On The Late Late Show