Rich Daley, a.k.a. Babyface Monster, wants you to have his FreEp. He’s a Chi-town lyricist with a silky flow and lyrics that range from Cool J shmoove to street stories, all told with humor. The whole album feels very person. Really solid stuff. Get it here. https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F1458086&Babyface Monster – Cadillac Brougham Joints by bfmbangerz

  ….Daddy, what’s a “CD Player?”

Here’s how this band reached out to me: “My name is Aaron and I’m in a live Hip Hop band from London, England.” When I see “hip hop” and “England” in the same sentence, my first instinct to to head for zee hills.  But this one’s good.  Real good. Check out the vid for “Pubsteppin,” [...]

Music to be stoned to.  Not high, stoned.  Whistle Peak’s lo-fi Americana fits in well with bands like Yeasayer and Colossal Gospel–bands who take traditional elements and play them a little … Strangely.  Sometimes there’s an off-key accordi0n or a suffocated vocal.  It’s always a little bit whimsical, a little bit painful, and never, ever [...]

Extremely good freEp, which you can get here. I don’t know why so many folks are covering Pat Benetar these days, but it warms my heart. She was totally my favorite when I was ten. And surprisingly, the craft of her songs holds up real well. http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3191142209/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/ BONUS PAT! [soundowl track_id="2lsl" title="Shadows of the Battlefield [...]

Good rap single that samples Fiest. So all you indieraplovers can dig it. Here’s the remix. Here’s the video:

Sara Radle was in a few underground indie bands, including The Rentals (with the bassist from Weezer) and Walking Sleep before she broke out on her own.  Now, five albums into her solo career, she’s offering Same Sun Shines, a beautifully performed collection of well-crafted indie pop songs–and a cover.  Waylon Jennings’ classic, “Mamas Don’t [...]

I don’t know what the fuck is up with this album, but it’s terrific. “Let’s Have a Three-Way” sounds like Interpol (but not lyrically: “You said donkey punch! Let’s have a three way!”). “Mister Hipster,” who has all kinds of records, still in their shrinkwrapped sleeve, and whose “screenplay is always in the final stage,” [...]