'cept I'm the sexasaurus

I've never really given a R. Kelly album the time of day but I've found myself listening to mainstream pop R&B in the past year or so. I know Double Up won't be spoken of in the same breath of some other Kells albums but this one is a bunch of fun. When the tracklist for Double Up came out it peaked my interest and when this appeared on the internets the other day I grabbed it. The album isn't groundbreaking or anything but Kells is so off the wall at points, Real Talk is an exercise in the talking/singing thing he does so well, and is one of the highlights of the record. I hope people don't stay hung up on his behind the scenes sexual interests (no matter how scary they are) and can put this on over the summer, because it is begging to be played at any party you're at.

I am the streets

Pretty sure this is the pic I used to review College Dropout in my high school paper, made me think popped collars were so cool. I think a teacher called me Mike Seaver one day when I was rockin' it junior year. Then I go away to college and frat dudes in pastel polos had to go and ruin the pop.

I've listened to the new Kanye track numerous times since it hit the internets a few days ago and as much as I was expecting to be let down, I'm now legitametly pumped for the new record. I still love College Dropout and could put it on any time and still be totally in love with the whole thing. Not only is that record special to me for nostalgiac reasons but it's just a great hip hop record. Full of Kanye's bravado and ego that I now find hard to swallow, at the time of the record's realease it was fresh and exciting to hear this cat with so much promise. I know the new record won't be anything like Dropout but I'm still looking forward to hearing where he takes things.


by the way, Kells kills it on the We Takin Ova remix, puts Jeezy to shame.

Her life was magazines and faithful TV screens

I was going to do a whole post on this album but Status Ain't Hood put up a very good one the other day. It's been out for a minute on torrent sites and such and really kicks your A. She's got the perfect blend of sassiness and sexiness to make the first country radio record I've cared about in a good while.

Let's push things forward

So far, '07 has been somewhat of a slow year for hip hop releases. It's safe to say I'm pretty pumped for some upcoming projects that should see release this summer and before the end of the year.

B.G.- Back to the Future (Summer '07 on Atlantic)
B.G.'s been showing up on tracks here and there and just ripping every beat he graces wide open. It'll be nice to get a full album again of his nasally flow.

David Banner- Greatest Story Ever Told
Banner's been missing for a minute and his name has started to pop up recently after a couple of high powered leaks of new tracks. 9mm feat. Akon, Snoop and Lil' Wayne being the first and Suicide Doors feat. UGK (who's double album is coming out this month hopefully). These two tracks are hinting at one intense album, full of Banner's usual dirtiness.

T.I.- T.I. vs. TIP (July 3rd, 2007)
After the release of King last year T.I.'s next release is being crazy anticipated. Cliff Harris has been quotes as saying that the record is a battle between his two personalities. T.I. being the party/chill ladies man and TIP bringing that talk about slangin. Big Shit Poppin' is this first single. It's not What You Know, but it still beats and promises of great things to come.

Lil' Wayne- The Carter Vol. 3 (end of '07)
This is the one I'm anticipating the most. That should be no surprise to anyone who's ever read this blog. Wayne's been killing it for awhile now and Vol. 3 should be no different. The record has been pushed back a few times because Wayne's working on other projects like protege Curren$y's debut and mixtapes (and we all know Wayne's mixtapes are better than half the albums put out by rap cats these days). He's also said he's got Kanye doing some beats for the album and I'm excited to see what the pairing of the two will produce.

We like our coffee bloody!

I can count the number of Nic Cage movies I like on one hand. Bringing out the Dead is probably my favorite after Leaving Las Vegas. This is such an underrated Scorsese flick. It's dark, depressing and has Tom Sizemore at his craziest. The scene where Rhames pretends to save the kid, screaming for Jesus the whole time, is priceless.

Started recreational, ended kind of medical

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7bK4Vee36M

Hovi's home

Song of the summer, 'nuff said.

Girl can we chill?

Love is in the air peoples.


(pic jacked from TSS)

Remember when Entourage was funny?

I didn't have big hopes for this second part of season 3 after the weak beginning of it last summer/fall. However, I was excited to have it coming back. Sadly, I'm thinking the show peaked during season 2. These past few episodes have lacked seriously in Johnny Drama content and he's the best part of the show. There needs to be a scaling back of Ari, because he's hillarious in small doses. Hopefully the show will strike a balance between Ari and Drama screentime. The producers and writers should know that my enjoyment rests fully on the usage of these two characters.

p.s. The Sopranos is off to a great start.

rock n roll,

Luke

You've got your life, he's got his

Remember that Kevin Spacey movie where he was having relations with one of his students? Life of David Gale or something, yeah, that movie sucked. This one's really great though. Dame Dench brings it.

The Exploding Hearts were your favorite rock band's favorite rock band

It's been awhile since I gave these guys a listen and their tunes have aged wonderfully. This must be because they're timeless songs. They play straight up, snotty rock 'n' roll. The songs aren't complex, ranging from drugs to chicks to... chicks. If you haven't heard these guys before get at me and I'll give you a proper introduction. Sadly, the band was no longer in July of 2003 after a car accident claimed the lives of three of the four members. I'm seeing Lucero tomorrow night and I'm starting to freak out. I'll post about the show this weekend.

rock 'n' roll,

Luke

She spoke softly and said, "I've been drinkin' again."

New mix time, I'll post about The Sopranos/Entourage premieres later?

The National- Apartment Story
Harry Nilsson- Many Rivers to Cross
Timbaland feat. MIA- Come Around
Andrew Osenga- Photograph
Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons- Pale Blue Dress
Bright Eyes- I Must Belong Somewhere
Hot Chip- My Piano
Clipse feat. Bilal- Nightmares
The Band- The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Cam'ron- Tomorrow
Coyote Bones- Let the Burden Be Mine
Young Buck- Black Gloves
Willie, Merle, and Ray- Still Water Runs the Deepest
Nick Lowe- She's Got Soul
Miranda Lambert- Famous in a Small Town
The Beatles- Good Day Sunshine
Cash Money Millionares- Family Affair
UGK feat. Outkast- International Players Anthem

I Need a Project B

The Shield started up again last night and daggummit if it didn't start up right where it left off. Watching last night reminded me of last year when Mike and I would dominate some Rollins pizza late and watch each Tuesday. Good times, good times. Forrest Whitaker is back as the IED lieutenant trying to bring Mackey down. His character is so taken over with a personal vendetta against Vick that he can't be around much longer. This is one of the most consistent shows on tv and is really worth grabbing on DVD and starting from the beginning if you have the oppurtunity.


Rome ended a week ago and this is a show I'm sad to see go. I totally got wrapped up in the story and characters this season and it's a shame that it no longer has a home at HBO. I don't know that they could go on without Marc Antony however, he was one of the best likeable villians on TV.

rock n roll,

Luke

old souls know

So a lot of people aren't digging the new Ted Leo LP, Living With the Living. Personally I've been really getting into it. A good portion of the naysayers have been writing that the album falls short because Leo's not doing anything new or it's the same album as the last two, blah blah blah. It's a great rock album and has been getting better with each listen for yours truly.


rock n roll,


Luke

My Sweet Brotha Numpsay

Here's the mix I made for my 5-close delivering shift tonight.


Dienel

Lucero- 1979
Casey Dienel- Frankie & Annette
T.I.- Bezzle feat. 8Ball, MJG and Bun B
Bloc Party- Atonement
Common- Come Close (J Dilla Remix) feat. Q-Tip, Erykah Badu and Pharrell
Kanye West- Gone feat. Cam'ron & Consequence
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists- La Costa Brava
Maximo Park- Nosebleed
Andrew Bird- Heretics
Kings of Leon- McFearless
Warren Zevon- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Bruce Springsteen- Prove it All Night
Field Music- A House is Not a Home
Devin The Dude- Lil' Girl Gone feat. Lil' Wayne & Bun B
Hi-Tek- Where It Started feat. Jadakiss, Papoose, Raekwon & Talib Kweli
Spoon- Sister Jack
The Ponys- 1209 Seminary
Rich Boy- Hustla Balla Gansta Mack

What if I run out of shirts to fold? What if I run out of lawn to mow?

Last Friday night Tyrone and I took in Zodiac and I'm pretty sure we both came out of the theater pretty impressed. I for one loved this movie. It's Fincher's best work to date and that's the truth. This film just looks and feels like it was made thirty years ago. The San Francisco that exists in this film must be like what it was in the late sixties early seventies. Me being born in '87 doesn't really give me much insight into this but I've got a feeling it's spot-on. It's basically a police procedural movie that follows the case of the infamous Zodiac killer that terrorized California for years in the seventies. The story in this film follows Gyllenhaal's character, a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, who becomes obsessed with the case, Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Roger Avery, the Crime reporter who covered the case and Mark Ruffalo's character who was the detective signed to the case out of San Fran PD. Downey's performance was my favorite in the film. The case overtakes him and basically ruins his career as alcohol and presumably cocaine leave him a riddled shell of his former pompous self. Ruffalo is terribly good, as he usually is as the detective and Gyllenhaal, well I never really like him and I think his role was miscast. One of the few missteps in the making of this film. Even when his character is crazy obsessed with the Zodiac his hair is still perfect and he doesn't really look disheveled at all. I don't know who I would rather have seen in this role but it could have been done better. I really recommend you take in this flick soon, it's truly great.

Be your husband if you'll be my wife

I'm for real this time about getting back up on my blog game. It's been way too long everybody.



(I'm so pumped)


Yesterday I got an Archers of Loaf "best of" and I've listened to all 24 songs three times each since yesterday. I never really got into this band but had heard Crooked Fingers (frontman Bachman's newer group) and AOL must have been a force to be reckoned with in the mid '90s. Think Pavement at their most non-experimental. I mean that as a good thing as these AOL tunes are meat 'n' potatoes indie rock that I will be re-visiting sooner rather than later.

I'll be trying to keep people up to speed on new tunes I'm getting and other music that's peaked my interest, so check back often.

rock n roll,

Luke

I don't wanna work for no minimum wage

I've gotten a million new albums in the past couple of weeks. A lot of good ones and some not soo good. I will post tomorrow on the worthwhile of the bunch. Arcade Fire leaked, and it's grand.

Somebody from the Chi that was iiill got a deeal on the hottest rap label around

I'm back on the first day of classes ya heard.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Some Loud Thunder
I've listened to this all the way through about two times and I'm liking it, I think. I'm still not totally sold. It doesn't sound like Dave Friddman produced it, it still has the very "we recorded this in our apartment" sound and it's not grabbing me like the debut. Future listens will probably reveal more, check it out.

The new Kanye track, I Still Love H.E.R. has got me way excited for his next record, Graduation Day (?). On some more College Dropout type ish here.

I saw Children of Men the other week and it was simply amazing. When I have more time I'll write a longer post on it. If you haven't gone to see this movie yet, get on it.

Good luck with classes starting today and the upcoming semester friends.

rock n roll,

Luke

good grief man this world is quite heavy on my achin' back

http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/reviews/24987/

awesome

All the other girls here are stars, you are the northern lights

After my nearly month long hiatus I'm back. I've been home for Christmas break and had some life-changing ish goin on. I'm not going back to Mizzou next semester, but instead just knockin' some classes out at Heartland. Livin' at home and enjoying our fast internet there and hopefully getting a job I enjoy (I despise you food industry). I have however gotten a good deal of tunes over the past couple of weeks and I think it's about time I tell all five people who read this about them.

I tried catching up on all the big stuff I missed over the past year when I got home and caught some winners. A couple records that really caught my ear were:

Comets on Fire- Avatar, This record just rocks, plain and simple. It's big and messy and sounds like it's some lost gem from the seventies. Drug addled guitar music that you need

Annuals- Be He Me, A great, atmospheric pop record. Don't get me wrong, it's not Spiritualized or Mercury Rev or something, but it's expansive and just real pretty.

While I really have enjoyed the indie rock I've caught up on in the past few weeks the record that has really grabbed me is the new Dierks Bentley album, Long Ride Alone. Now I know you're all like "Can he say that?" But it's such a solid country record and it's miles ahead of the other popular country polluting listener's ears these days.

Also, when I decide to peace out to Hollywood or New York and begin an acting career and get all famous and ish Ima just holler at this lady, and be all like "sup, let's listen to the new Bloc Party record and ditch paparazzi."



rock n roll,

Luke