Metal Lungies

Metal Lungies saw The Hood Internet this past year at SXSW. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing them, The Hood Internet is a Chicago-based production duo made up of ABX and STV SLV and they are best known for providing free downloads of their mash-ups on their site: thehoodinternet.com. So, how do you stand apart in an industry filled with remixes and mash-ups? The Hood Internet take a different approach than artists like Girl Talk and Pretty Lights by composing mash-ups that bridge the gap between indie, hip hop, rap, and r&b all the while staying fluid. Essentially they make music that serves to everyone, which is awesome, right? Not only are they great to listen to in your headphones but they also put on a great live show that gets everyone in the crowd dancing.

Listen to just a slight glimpse of what the Hood Internet is doing here:

Donwill celebrated his birthday by releasing a free EP. Explains Don,

i guess i should actually say something about DPPLGNGR huh? long story short it was recorded mid to late last year after i found out about this guy named suff daddy and was put in touch with his label (mpm) thanks to the homie jon kim. i went back n forth with them via email for a while then the conversation just kinda stopped. i waffled about releasing it and finally decided that it was too good not to share. the songs are relatively old and they deal with my lows and highs and everything in between. the title comes from just becoming a whole different person over time, sorta like a doppelganger of yourself. that feeling that you get when you look in the mirror and dont really know the person looking back at you even though they look just like you. our lives change us incrementally on a daily basis so after a few jarring experiences one day we all lose who we were to become who we are. thats life right? you change it or it changes you.

Donwill, Von Pea, and Ilyas of Tanya Morgan release music whenever they feel like it, but it’s never just a stray track. All of their releases, no matter how off the cuff, are fully realized projects and none of it sucks. Maybe it’s quality control, or maybe they’re just unerringly talented. We’re a few days late, but go wish Donwill a happy birthday.

via Donwill

Another June, another Bonnaroo Metal Lungies is going to. Starting today we will be roaming the farm in Murfreesboro basking in the glory of the 10th anniversary of the completely sold out festival.

Be sure to catch me on twitter, where we will be ranting, recapping, and instagraming… and other verbs.

If you aren’t fortunate enough to be in Ten-a-key, VEVO will be live streaming a lot of the performances, and Comedy Central will have an event on Sunday from the Comedy Tent.

In case you need to some suggestions on who/what to check out, here are our picks (in chronological order):

Thursday:  5Pm- DJ Neil Armstrong (Jay-Z’s former tour DJ, who earned that spot with his well honed skills) 6:00pm-Lewis Black, Wavves 7:15pm-Best Coast 7:30pm-The Knux 8pm-Lewis Black 9pm- J.Cole 10:15pm-Sleigh Bells (Most likely to melt your face off) 10:30pm-Twin Shadow 11:30pm-Deerhunter, Childish Gambino (see what all the hype is) 12AM- Dam-Funk

Thur night ends early performance wise, so rest up!

Friday: 12:30pm-420 Comedy Blaze (420 at 12:30pm, what?)  2:30pm-Lewis Black (the man is clearly the workhorse of ‘roo this year), 3:15pm-Matt & Kim 4pm-DJ Neil Armstrong 4:30pm-Lewis Black 5pm-Atmosphere 6:45pm-Florence + The Machine 11:00pm-Arcade Fire (*The* act of the festival?) 12:45am-Big Boi 1:30am-Lil Wayne (but after Big Boi ends!) 2:30am-Ratatat (can’t miss. have wanted to see these guys for years on years.)

Saturday: 2:30pm-Donald Glover 3:30pm-Chiddy Bang 3:45pm-!!! 4:30pm-Donald Glover 5pm-Portugal.The Man 5:50pm-Wiz Khalifa 6:15pm-Mumford & Sons 7pm-!!! 8pm-The Black Keys 9:30pm-Buffalo Springfield 11pm-Eminem 12:20am-Screening of 8 mile (I’m just curious to see who watches this after seeing Em live, ‘roo Stans?) 12:45am-Scissor Sisters 2:15am-Gogol Bordello 2:30am-Girl Talk

Sunday: 1:15pm-Mavis Staples (Just learned she was Sam Cooke’s boo.. thanks CBS Sunday Morning.)  3pm-Tig Notaro 4:10pm-Children’s Hospital [Adult Swim] (Cool down and watch this hilarious TV show) 4:30pm-Robyn 5pm-Cold War Kids 5:45pm-30 for 30: Reggie Miller (essential watching for basketball fans, if you are all music-ed out) 6pm-Robert Plant 6:15pm-Beirut 6:45pm-The Strokes

If you are like myself, and pack last minute, I’ve listed some non-camping, basic survival essentials after the jump that you want to make sure to have.

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Pretty Lights has done it again. This track is a seamless integration of three bands that we wouldn’t normally lump together. Our favorite element is the use of Radiohead’s Everything in its Right Place but then you have to give some credit to Nirvana’s vocals from All Apologies and just as we’re making our minds we begin to get spine tingles from Nine Inch Nails’ Closer. This mash up is definitely not a dance number (although that makes sense considering the bands used to make this song) but it kind of hits you on another level.

Mathieu Santos is best known as being the energetic bassist of Ra Ra Riot but who knew that his vocals could rival those of Wes Miles? I Can hear the Trains Coming is Mathieu’s solo debut and it bodes well for his future as a solo artist. It catches you right off the bat with the bouncing bass line paired with the extremely catchy lyrics that are anything but grating. The song hits at right about 44 seconds and we found ourselves rewinding multiple times just so we could bop along with it again and again. It’s safe to say we can look forward to a great first full length album from Mathieu which drops later this year on Barsuk Records.

Listen here:

Mathieu Santos- I Can Hear the Trains Coming

Detroit bred Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. slowly crept into the music scene last June with a four song EP, Horse Power, that proved to be a hidden gem. Now, exactly a year later, their first full length album has arrived. Although It’s a Corporate World includes 8 brand new tracks, the songs previously made for Horse Power are still the best on the album (in particular Nothing But Our Love). The only regret we have with DEJJ is their inability to adequately name things, really, it’s all about first impressions. The only advice ML can give to you is not to judge this band based on their name or album title, they really are worth a listen.

In anticipation of the release of his debut album, Co$$ released Sleepwalking, a mixtape of completely original material. So he basically dropped an extra album’s worth of material. What a guy. Watch the video for his single “Spaceman” below and check back for our interview with Co$$. Before I Awoke drops June 21.

Download: Co$$ – Sleepwalking

via Nah Right

Let’s see if Wale ever makes music like this again. If he tried to make this song today, it would need a J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League beat and at least one verse from Meek Mill.

Raekwon has adapted to the present hip-hop market by releasing a lot more music and doing more features. Some of these guest spots make sense, some don’t. “Thor’s Hammer” is one of the former. It’s aggressive, left-leaning, underground hip-hop. Rae is in an interesting place where his legacy allows him to make songs with Kanye and Cannibal Ox.

Download: Vast Aire – Thor’s Hammer (ft. Raekwon, Vordul Mega)

via 2dopeboyz

French producer Astronote sounds like he could be from Detroit. His beats have that hard-to-define knock and he works with the best of the Motor City’s lesser knowns like Finale and Magestik Legend, both of whom spit acid on his new album Weapon of the Future. Listen to the choice cuts below and the whole thing here. Previously: “Big Trouble Little China.”