What to buy, what not to buy from the past month. WHAT TO BUY: THE TOP 5 TRADES OF JUNE 2011 These get a 100 percent solid recommendation from this city corner of the interwebs: Honorable mention:  X-Men: Second Coming.  This gets  a mention because it’s a lot of fun.  The tale of Hope coming [...]

Haven’t dropped an underground mixtape in a while, figured you’re all due. S.P.E.C. Dolla (formally known as Spectacula) disappeared for 2 years.  Dunno if he was in rehab, doing time, having a kid or just getting high. Nice to hear a guy who can carry his own album without relying on a ton of cameos [...]

Rapsody (pronounced “Rap City”) is a female rapper.  Let’s get that out of the way at the top.  But that doesn’t mean you oughtta sleep on her.  Thank H.E.R. Now, offered for free from DJBooth.net, is a showcase for “the next big girl MC,” with guest spots and production by more greats that I can [...]

From the mind of Adam Carlson.

Overman are four dudes from Illinois. Overman say that they “understand [Berkeley Place's] contributions to the collective music scene and thus the emotional state of the world.”  And I can’t tell if they’re being sarcastic or honest. Overman sound like southern rock with an acoustic, soft-ish side–like music you’d hear in a Dead show parking [...]

I rarely post press releases, but since this could help out a soldier, I’m sharing it with all of you: DUNKIN’ DONUTS AND BASKIN-ROBBINS LAUNCH NATIONAL SEARCH FOR “AMERICA’S SUPER-SOLDIERS” In the spirit of “Captain America: The First Avenger,” new contest seeks nominations for veterans or active U.S. servicepersons making a difference where they live [...]

It takes guts to start an album with a song that’s six-and-a-half minutes long.  Guts or skill.  Or both.  Luckily, Vetiver have both. This NoCal Sub Pop band are now five albums deep into their career, making kick back indie rock with atmospheric feel and hypnotic swells.  They may be from NoCal, but they feel [...]

Rollin in the Deep (Hourglass Sea Remix) And the John Legend cover…. http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12723921 Rollin In The Deep (cover) – John Legend by balladsofmidnight