Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and A Sound (2008)

I figured it was time to switch things up a bit in here once again, and focus on another indie band. Blind Pilot hails from Portland, Oregon (a place I lived for 5 very rainy years). This band would be included in the folk-pop genre, but even I think that is too confining. If you're not up to date, Portland has a rich variety of great indie musicans from the town, leading a west-coast resurgence...although this time it's not hip-hop.

Take it from me, their frontman and vocalist Israel Nebeker has one of the best voices I've heard in awhile. If this ain't your thing...well I feel sorry for you. The title track has cemented itself as the number one contender for my future wedding song (a girl can dream, can't she?). If you're open minded, see what's in store after the jump.

Read more »

QQQ1 - Quido's Quintessential Quarterly

Hey, it's your man Quido again. I've decided to kick off a new series here. [By the way, I think we're just playing around with weeklies and stuff like that, we'll see what stays.] I realize it has a gimmicky name, but I'm Quido, I consider the music Quintessential, and I'll try to make it a weekly business, meaning it's a quarter of a month - Quarterly.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I think it'll work something like this: I pick five tracks I'm currently  really into and write little descriptions to give you an idea of what you're getting into. Of course, I add the tracks in a handy downloadable bundle.
Read more »

U-N-I - A Love Supreme (2009)

U-N-I is an MC duo hailing out of Los Angeles, leading the hip-hop revival out of the resurgent west. Composed of rappers Y-O and Thurzday, they bring energy, positivity, and just plain fun to rap. In the same vein as XV, they have their own style, composed of electo-bounce, groovy strings, and boom-bap.

They are fairly hipster, but their music is undeniably fresh. Don't be mistaken, their no Rakim or Nas with lyricism, but their energy is amazing. They can sing too, bringing a refreshing vibe to the seemingly once one-dimensional west coast scene (being gangsta rap). Below I present to you their mixtape A Love Supreme, one of the best releases of the calendar year -- mixtape or album. As an added bonus, I will also present to you a remix and favorite song of theirs from an earlier mixtape, "Beautiful Day". The song features one of my favorite all-time beats.

Read more »