Christmas Time is Here

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Skating (div share)

Update: A psychological evaluation of the Peanuts gang. Schroeder was always my fave, but I did always wonder what was up with Five and his weird hippie family.

Wind chill is definitely a factor.

This morning while I was standing on the el platform, an acquaintance silently patted my arm in solidarity as he walked by. That's because we both looked like we were on the verge of tears from the indescribable cold. I got windburn just walking from the train to my office! I said I would find this charming until early December and I did, but now I just try not to think about the next three months. Now I fully understand why Chicagoans drink so damn much. We need it to live.

Bjork - Hunter (div share)

Daedalus - Soulful of Child (div share)

Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow Teenagers Rmx (div share)

You're in for a rare treat, sensory-input-wise, being around me.

Classic Dancehall Gems, part 3

Cutty Ranks - Who Say Me Dun (div share)

Beenie Man and Ms. Thing - Dude (div share)

Papa San - Coca Cola Shape (div share)

James Murphy: brilliant lyricist, amateur puppeteer, all-around genius.

I'm a Pisces but I'd rather be a killa whale

Andre Nickatina - Fillmoe (divshare)

Andre Nickatina - Killa Whale (divshare)

Andre Nickatina - Cobra Status (divshare)

From 2000's "The Daiquiri Factory":
Andre Nickatina - The Daiquiri Factory (divshare)

Andre Nickatina - Rumppa Bum Bum (divshare)

From 2003's "Conversation With a Devil":
Andre Nickatina - A Yo (divshare)

The first time I'd ever heard of San Francisco's Andre Nickatina/Dre Dog was when I moved to the Bay Area in 2000. We were staying at a house in San Rafael and on one of my first days there I rifled through a stack of CDs to find that I didn't recognize at least half the artists, who were all Cali-based: I knew Del and DJ Quik but E-40, Keak da Sneak, and JT the Bigga Figga sounded like totally made-up names for a movie about fictional rappers. "Who's Dre Dog?" I asked. "Is that like, poor man's Dr. Dre?" The owner of said CDs just looked at me with a mixture of pity, confusion, and reproach like I didn't know anything about anything.

And that's what genuinely excites me about the East Bay hip hop scene: As corny as I find so much of it to be, it's this completely successful subculture. The kids there go crazy bananas for rappers that most of the country has never heard of, and some of them even break out eventually. I don't find most of the talent to be half as compelling as the energy that surrounds them though, the main exception being Nickatina. I feel like he has an unabashed lyrical creativity that a lot of those who have had their heyday after his lack (and by 'unabashed' I mean even when it's weird and all over the map it's still great that he went there) and his production is generally interesting too. West syeeeed.

Ya Damn Right I'm Thankful.

Michael Jackson - I Can't Help It (Tangoterje Re-Edit) (divshare)

Todd Terje's Oslo disco odyssey

"The names of Brailey, Bricoux, Clarke, Hartley, Hume, Krins, Taylor and Woodward were permanently inscribed into the history books on the night of April 14th, 1912, and their totally unselfish deeds during that night serve as a constant reminder of the devotion to duty many people displayed during the sinking. Shortly after midnight, as the lifeboats had begun to be loaded, Hartley assembled his band in the First Class Lounge, where many of the First Class passengers were now assembling, and began to play. Many people later commented on how strange it seemed to be wearing a lifejacket, awaiting orders to get into the lifeboats, whilst the band continued to play away as though nothing had happened. Later, as more and more people began to realise the seriousness of the situation, and began to file onto the Boat Deck, so too did Hartley, reassembling his band on the Boat Deck close to the entrance of the Grand Staircase.

What went through their minds as they played together on that night can only be guessed. As the slant of the decks increased more and more, did they even consider that this was their last hour alive, or did one or two of them hold out a slight hope that eventually, one of the officers would amble over, and instruct them into a lifeboat? Whatever their thoughts were, we will never know. All eight bandsmen were lost."

X - I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts (div share)

Earth, Wind, and Fire - That's the Way of the World (div share)

winter's bright promise

It's 26° out, and I'm sartorially under-prepared for this, but for all the fear and anticipation of My First Chicago Winter I'm loving the cold this week. It adds a sharper definition to everything in the way that fall air does times two. I will find this charming until at least early December!

Animal Collective - Winters Love (div share)

Sung Tongs is one of my favorite albums of all time and my neighbors across Milwaukee Ave play it really loudly sometimes when they're not having band practice in their living room. It makes me want to befriend them, and send coded messages with flashlights, and string up a tin-can phone.

Scenario Rock - Perfect Love Antidote (Bobmo rmx) (div share)

Bobmospace

I'm reposting this because Hypemachine is ignoring me for some reason:
Pocketknife & Cousin Cole - My My, Hey Hey (Cousin Cole Into the Blue Remix) (div share)

I'm Hypamatized

From today's mailbag. Ice cream and cake and cake, peanut butter jelly time...chicken moose rhino monkey.

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Pocketknife & Cousin Cole - My My, Hey Hey (Cousin Cole Into the Blue Remix) (div share)
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