Laffy Taffy Rots Your Teeth

Free Speech is an LA rapper who is dedicated to producing music that is free of additives and artificial flavoring. In his web page manifesto, he decries artists who "don't innovate, elevate, or challenge standards for fear of estranging themselves from the record-buying public" and says he "can't stomach the shame of whoring my culture and myself for money, maybachs, and mistresses."

It's not too hard to figure out the kinds of "artists" Free Speech is talking about. This year he and Ro Blvd produced a 10-track album called "Laffy Taffy Rots Your Teeth" that they are distributing on the web for free. The intro track video features Dave Chappelle sound clips and Chris Rock talking about black people vs niggers over pictures of blackface minstrels and D4L's Laffy Taffy music video. Ouch. That's a harsh indictment.

Preaching aside, the album is great to listen to. It's well produced and is a great example of what's possible to do in terms of recording, production, and distribution without a label in the new era of music with the internet.

So check out the web site- http://www.laffytaffyrotsyourteeth.com/. Download the album and give it a listen.

Wilco

ok so i was going to wait until i saw Jeff Tweedy in concert at uiuc before posting, but that's still not for another couple of weeks. (Wilco as a whole will be playing in chicago on 11/24. more info at their website.)

some may be familiar w/ this group already as they're a local band. i even saw Tweedy the lead singer/writer at Guitar Center on Halsted with his son who was banging on the drums.

i havent done any research, but i got into them when a friend referred their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album. Uncle Tupelo was their earlier incarnation. as any good rock band, they've had their share of artistic differences and member shifts. their songs are interesting to listen to though, lyrically and soundwise. tweedy's voice seems awfully flat at times but that's likely purposeful. i was annoyed by chris carraba's whiny voice at first too, but 3 dc concerts later, cant say it bothers me much anymore. not really sure how to describe the certain sounds they employ but i guess i'd call it a white noise. ppl who like instrumental music and maybe elliott smith appreciators may like him.

i'd rec almost any song on either album, but these are just two randomly from each:

Summerteeth:
nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)
pieholden suite

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot:
poor places
Jesus, Etc.

Apoptygma Berzerk

With the possible upcoming demise of one of my music download sources, I've been semi-frantically downloading stuff (with some semblance of selectiveness) in an effort to use up my remaining balance before the site up and disappears one day.

... which brought me to these guys, a synthpop band from Norway.

Now before you navigate away, don't worry. I'm not posting synthpop. This particular album is a departure from their usual sound, which im not super familiar with since I've never heard of these guys before a couple hours ago (but I listened thru some of the old stuff.. nothing particularly exciting). The tracks from 'You and Me Against the World' (not to be confused with 2pac's 'Me Against the World') are somewhat scattered all over the map in terms of genre/style but some of the songs I like reminds me of what BP defines as "glam rock" but with a slight touch of synth-y-ness.

From what I've listened thru so far, my favourite:
In This Together

Here's a more electronic-sounding one (sorry). I also like this one.
You Keep Me From Falling Apart