Yeaaaa, I'm still feeling it. For those of you who don't know me too well, I wear my heart on my sleeve. My heart, my anger, my joy, my grief...I wear it all. And right now, I'm just under this spell of melancholy. I recently (maybe not so recent, about a year ago) went through what I think is a pretty traumatic experience. And for some reason, flashbacks of this time in my life have been coming back to me for the past few days. It's probably the change of seasons. Isn't it strange how that happens? The smell of the flowers, the fresh grass, the spring rainfall, the morning sunshine during my commute to work...these things all take me back to last spring, a time I would much rather forget.
And to make matters worse, I don't chase these feelings away. I welcome them with open arms, and I listen to thought-provoking music. I enjoy losing myself in this world of lyrics and poetry and hypnotizing percussion and strings. Sure, I get sad. But I still appreciate the power music carries. It can evoke any emotion.
This track is actually not a sappy or depressing one, like you may think. It's a lovely song. The long melodic intro sucks you in, and midway the poetic lyrics begin. Just give it a listen...
For some reason everyone (okay, not everyone...just ignorant rock fans) thinks electro music isn't "real" music. Just because it's electro does NOT mean it's just some twerp playing around on a Casio.
To illustrate my point, I have Exhibit A and Exhibit B. The first is a video for one of my current favorite tracks, "Trash" by The Whip. I am obsessed with its catchy beat. I looked up the video and realized the drummer was a female, and I became an even bigger fan of The Whip. I don't know what it is about female drummers, but they're hot! Maybe that's why I insist on playing drums on Rock Band as much as possible. I refuse to play anything else.
Anyhow, Exhibit B is also The Whip. Here they perform "Trash" live in Manchester. I also wanted to express that these electro rockers can actually perform live, and well.
Weak blog post today, I know. But I'm busy at work people! So step off!
Sometimes my heart breaks. Sometimes I'm lonely. Sometimes I'm so overwhelmed with heartache that all I want to do is sit in the fetal position and cry my eyes out. I know, this kind of self-deprecation may not sound too healthy or appealing to some of you folks. But for me it can be therapeutic. I mean... before you go thinking I'm an emotional wreck, let me make one thing clear. This is a rare occurrence. I'm a happy, fun-loving free spirit. It takes a lot to upset me. But sometimes I just need a good cry to let it all out.
So anyway, on to this track. This one's called "Move On Now" by Hard-Fi, one of my absolute favorite Brit rock bands. The singer is deliciously adorable, and their tunes are catchy. This one, however, is one of their more mellow and sappy tracks. And I love it. If you're ever in need of a tearjerker, this one may just do the trick. The title is pretty self-explanatory. It's about a break-up, duh. If you're not feeling it right away, keep listening to at least the 3:25 mark, when the brass kicks in.
Cute commercials get me. They do. And I can't help it. I hate advertising and most mainstream media, but dammit, Kia got me. I'm seriously considering purchasing a flippin' Kia Soul in the near future. Why, you ask? Because those adorable hamsters got me dancing all day long!
If you haven't seen the Kia Soul commercials, you must be living in a vacuum. I don't even watch television, and somehow I got sucked in. They're everywhere. They're contagious. I mean...who DOESN'T love dancing hamsters cruising around listening to their iPods?
The creatives at whatever agency Kia uses are geniuses. They chose some catchy tunes to really get those young broke hipsters interested in this new ride. I mean... it starts at $13,995. OMG... Am I turning into an advertisement here? Sorry. Just listen to the jams!
(Notice I didn't post a video of the commercial... You can find it yourself on YouTube, sorry. There's just soooo many.)
Who knows where this lil' website I call Jazzy's Joynt will take me? It could crumble. It could fall. It could become a household name. It could skyrocket and become the biggest thing in music since MTV. Ok ok, now I'm going too far. But what I love about this whole project is that it's something I love to do. I research and collect music even without this blog. And I've been sharing music with my friends since CD burners came out. I absolutely love music, and I know you see that. And that makes it worthwhile for me. When my friends give me feedback about the Joynt, they all say the same thing: "Jasmina, you love doing this and it shows." And some even say that my excitement for music is infectious.
And when I discuss music and my aspirations with DJs and other industry folk, they're so willing to help and share their wisdom so openly. It's because we all share that one thing in common. We're all doing what we're doing "strictly for the love of house, for the love of beats, for the love of dance."
Now, here's a jam that expresses this passion for music...
And I apologize I couldn't post the mp3, kids. You're gonna have to buy this one!
All the tracks you are about to listen to below are some of my absolute favorites, and I've just been WAITING for a reason to post them. And today I got my reason. The official 2009 Lollapalooza lineup has been released, and it's outta control. Some highlights: Tool, TV on the Radio, MSTRKRFT, Kid Cudi, Depeche Mode, The Killers, of Montreal, Kings of Leon, Santogold (now known as Santigold), Kaiser Chiefs, Boys Noize, Thievery Corporation, The Raveonettes, A-Trak, Hey Champ, and many more.
I know it may be hard to believe, but I have never attended Lollapalooza. Lived in Chicago my whole life, been obsessed with music since birth, and I have always missed this amazing show. Let's not get into the reasons; they are not important. What is important is that I am FINALLY going to experience Lollapalooza, and I cannot wait. Join me?
The lineup has something for everybody. See for yourself...
This one's for you, tokers. Here in Chicago, it's quite gloomy...but I suppose that's perfect weather to blaze one up and meditate. So here is a jam just for you on this day of herbal celebration. For those of you partaking, you'll instantly understand the lyrics and their meaning. For those of you on the opposing side of the great weed debate, try listening to this track, and maybe you'll gain a better understanding.
For your convenience, here are the lyrics. Now, roll one up and press play.
Lets have a mid city fiesta with your west L.A. connections Hop inside the vehicle start crossing intersections We learning life's lessons While we blaze this herbal essence A man was still a child and I have so many questions A struggle on my life till we vade the misconceptions To find a place to live between the negatives and positives While trying to make money slanging synonyms and homonyms I went to pops house so I can visit moms and him Cut to the mall got them brand new pair of timberlands Then dipped down a one way trying to skew up double k And chill with my people on this bright and sunny day My nigga spliff was sippin Beck's I'm slappin hands with guests Ok the shady spot so we can circulate the stress Mary Jane invades my brain now I can't complain I'm sayin what else is there to do besides relax Let the problems in your mind become ancient artifacts Perhaps these raps can help you alleviate The things that's got you trippin' you watch me demonstrate First you ignore the nonsense and clear your conscience Let your pen touch the paper write verbs and consonants As the words become a sentence you start to feelin' different The stress is out your mind you feel like the weight was lifted Terrific I'm glad we had this time to discuss I'm outro call me if you want to blaze one up
[Chorus] When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop. I let the music take over my soul, body and mind To kick back relax one time and you goin' find When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop. Just let the music take over my soul, body and mind To kick back relax one time and you goin' find
I try to keep it stress free take everyday at a time Make sure the families in place and let the music unwind I got men to take charge like major outlet Ride around the country chillin' in my L.A. express On every street corner The importance of having fun If he bottle spill tobacco don't nobody carry guns We keep our minds on fun and let the drums do the bangin' On any given day like Mr. Cooper yo we hangin' Under the blue sky the state laced the small Belucchi quarter inched cables with all the sound that we brawl Can't get enough so brother pass another cold one Feel like a dad at a ball game mappin' with his son
Chuck D yo word up we buggin' over time From the light to the lime original star time It's the double criss one It camel brought the ammo so we can shoot Game like thugs on your sport channel Take off the du-rag replace it with a thinkin' cap If you didn't know tell the bro he should have known that We here for one thing and that's to remain What's the name...name...name...nigga
[Chorus] When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop. I let the music take over my soul, body and mind To kick back relax one time and you goin' find When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop. Just let the music take over my soul, body and mind To kick back relax one time and you goin' find
Yo L.A. hit me one time make it funky Double down on my underground sound I'm feelin' lucky For this jackpot I jacks pot to feelin my crips We lay back chillin' and feelin' the music relates We on the to the two hangin with my crew Bullshittin' while we sittin down drinkin our Sabu And to the afternoon turns to the moonlight Funky tracks and nickle sacks freestylin all night Doin it right no one with time music make it better My crew banging two blocks like shots from my berretta Snub no's to the hoes who pose I suppose Honey you gotta understand your mans got flows And I'm leavin you so by the time I get the phoenix Underground ground hits are goin to fiend this musical genius Transglobal by the books Like Barnes with noble hooks Armed with overlooked talented guests of while bless crooks Who still lose and keep this shit alive Something for your truths to sit around and bye bye For camel double invest to ease stress We bout to hip hop so have fun and god bless
[Chorus] When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop. I let the music take over my soul, body and mind To kick back relax one time and you goin' find When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop. Just let the music take over my soul, body and mind To kick back relax one time and you goin' find
Pop collars to this Wear ice to this Drink crys to this Yo is there somethin we missed Pop collars to this Wear ice to this Drink crys to this Is there somethin we missed? Yeh like my two way Throw boes and do the shoulder shake We throwin boes up in here Do the shoulder shake Oh shit my two way Oops my shoulder shake I'm throwin bows
Don't you love it when you buy an album and you're able to listen to it from start to finish? This is a rare occurrence. I'll usually love one or two tracks, and maybe another two or three tracks are likeable. Then a handful are awful. And the rest are just decent.
It's been at least a decade since the last time this happened to me. I'm trying to think of the last album I loved so much I could play it all the way through without skipping... and I can't even think of one.
So I got a hold of the new The Whitest Boy Alive album, Rules, this week. I've heard a few tracks off their debut album, Dreams, a couple of years ago, and I thought they were catchy, funky and upbeat. If you've heard of Erlend Øye, he's the singer and guitarist for The Whitest Boy Alive. Øye is also part of the group The Kings of Convenience, and he collaborates often with Röyksopp, who I'm sure you've heard of by now. Remember that GEICO commercial with the cavemen, and the song "Remind Me" is playing in the background? That's Röyksopp and Erlend Øye. Out of all his collaborations and side projects, The Whitest Boy Alive is my favorite.
I pressed play and let the album go on without touching a thing. And I didn't want to. Each and every song had me grooving. Some were very chill, some were bass heavy, some were more electro. But I truly feel like these guys took all the elements I love most about music and put them all together on this album. I can't even pinpoint one song that I want to call my favorite. As soon as I think I've narrowed it down to one, I hear another track and change my mind.
Also, Erlend Øye's lyrics are extremely meaningful; he tells a story in each track. Once his story is complete, the band goes insane and the instrumental breaks continue. I like some bands because of their lyrics, and I like other bands because of their beats. But The Whitest Boy Alive has perfected the art of integrating the two together without clashing and struggling with one another. The most intense track may be "Gravity" where Øye talks about his lover and his friend hooking up behind his back. Ouch!
I couldn't decide which tracks I wanted to share, so I threw on quite a few for you below.
The Whitest Boy Alive - Gravity "It's all fun and games until Somebody sees what they should not see The innocence is killed."
The Whitest Boy Alive - High on the Heels "You only need to be more certain what it is you're living for. Climbing the hill of pursuing the front runner's tail Lower the bar to a point you can't possibly fail."
The Whitest Boy Alive - 1517 "Hey, you, we just got started, You can't end this now. You've payed your dues, you're free, Of what are you afraid?"
...to guess what decade this jam was recorded. Guess!
During my stay in San Francisco, I walked into what looked to be a hole-in-the-wall bar in the Mission neighborhood. This bar, Elbo Room, was everything BUT a dive. It was extremely dark, with candles lit on each table. There was a microscopic television behind the bar playing old black-and-white films. The vibe was super chill and sexy. There was even a photo booth. But this was no ordinary photo booth. It took SIX high-quality images and printed them out on a large glossy sheet, with the name and address of the bar. It's a nice piece of memorabilia for out-of-towners or locals even. If I lived in San Francisco, Elbo Room would defiintely be my date spot.
And the DJ was playing all sorts of random music, all stuff I have never heard before. It was mostly instrumental and laid back. But I noticed the music and the DJ right away. I love it when DJs play obscure music you wouldn't hear anywhere else. At one point, I heard this track, and — you know me — I went straight to the DJ and demanded to know the name of the song. He obliged and showed me the vinyl. I didn't even know he was playing actual records. Elbo Room immediately got bonus points for that one.
So here it is...it is such a surfer track. This song makes me think of hippies back in the day, having a blast on the California coast. Think... the beginning of the movie Blow, when Johnny Depp first goes to California and meets his buddies on the beach.
One group I have neglected quite a bit in the recent past is OutKast, which also happens to be one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time. But ever since the release of Speakerboxx/The Love Below, OutKast left me with a pretty horrible taste in my mouth... which I recently discovered was mostly due to the tracks that received any airplay. I wasn't a fan of "The Way You Move," "Hey Ya" and "Roses." They all sounded pretty corny to me. So ever since, I haven't given OutKast much thought. Until this past weekend...
As I spent the early portion of my Friday night at my good pal James' house, he had all his favorite OutKast tracks looping on his iTunes. First, let me tell you: When I hear old OutKast, it takes me back to my high school days. Cutting class, going to parties, keg stands, beer bongs, spin the bottle, etc. OutKast was always playing in the background.
Anyhow, I was jammin' to all these OutKast songs with my pal and I instantly remembered why I loved them so much back then. And we even listened to some of the Speakerboxxx tracks, and I realized it's not as horrible an album as I once thought. First, I heard "Bust" and this track absolutely reminds me of their older stuff. It's rough, it's hard, it's aggressive. A few tracks later, we listened to "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 2)" off the Aquemini album. This jam made me remember why Aquemini is by far OutKast's greatest album. Andre 3000 and Big Boi focus on moral issues, the melodies and lyrics are soulful, and the entire album takes the listener on a spiritual journey.
So these two songs have been on repeat for the past three days, and I don't see myself getting sick of them anytime soon. Enjoy the throwback, folks!
As I explained yesterday, while visiting San Francisco, I meandered into an awesome record shop on Haight St. I gave you a little sampling of one of the albums I jammed to in the listening station. Well, here's another. I actually purchased this one, but of course I forgot it in California. I don't know what's wrong with me...I forget and/or lose everything.
This song is everything I need on a Friday. It's hard. It's aggressive. It's upbeat. If you aren't quite ready for the weekend yet, listen to this track! It'll put you in just the right mood to get silly tonight. Oh, I'm sorry, were you thinking about staying in this evening? Yea... throw THAT ridiculous idea out the window!
"I wanna be traaaaaash..."
Sure it might be repetitive, but man is it catchy. Just give it 45 seconds, you'll be pumping your fist in no time... popping bottles, popping pills, throwing objects in the air, dancing in front of the mirror, running in place, screaming at the top of your lungs, doing push-ups, etc.
So as I roam on Haight St. (the hippie district) in San Francisco last Friday, I wander into a record store, slightly tipsy, and I just start picking up random CDs only because I'm impressed and intrigued with their cover art. It's all music I have never heard before. This album catches my eye, and so I have to give it a listen.
I mosey on over to the listening station, where other hipsters are previewing albums as well. And I press play. The first couple songs are alright, but then "Music Takes Me Up" starts playing, and all of a sudden, I'm in the zone. I'm dancing, moving front to back, left to right. A few minutes later, I listen to "Hairy Bumpercress." I'm bobbing my head, tapping my feet. My hips have a mind of their own. I pretty much forget I'm in a crowded record store, and the other listeners are most likely watching me. My pals, Miki and Chuck, later inform me that I started a movement: The other hipsters began dancing in their listening stations as well. I'm glad I could inspire.
Anyhow, I needed a lil' happy jazz in my life and Mr. Scruff filled this void.
I quickly snap a photo of the album and send it to my cousin/roommate, Alexa, and urge her to look into this album because I know she will appreciate it. She responds immediately saying she put a Mr. Scruff flyer in my bedroom while I was in New York. Fate works in wondrous ways, doesn't it? Apparently, Mr. Scruff will be at Smart Bar in Chicago on Friday, May 15. We are soooo going to that show. And if you like what you see and hear below, you should go to.
P.S. I put the videos up instead of the mp3s because the videos are just as good as the songs themselves. Trust.
Have you ever heard of Adrian Champion? Yea...neither have I, but thankfully, my good friend Brian forwarded his album, Stars & Stripes: The White Stripes Reimagined, to me. It's pretty much a collection of mash-ups featuring classic White Stripes tracks with some of hip-hop's greatest. I normally hate this sort of thing; you may already know about my distaste for the Jay-Z/Linkin Park album. But this album was a pleasant lil' surprise. So I thought I'd share my favorite track with you.
And forget about blasting it on your cheap computer speakers; they will do this song no justice. This is a track you need to bob your head to in your ride while cruising the streets with the windows down low.
Another gem...just for you...let me know what you think! I think this'll continuously play on my summer soundtrack this year.
So I'm sitting at the San Francisco airport right now, killing time until my favorite person comes to pick me up. I've been traveling through California on business for the past seven days, and I haven't really had a moment to myself. I got a hold of the new MSTRKRFT album just before I left for Cali, but I'm just now listening to it for the first time. The first few songs were typical MSTRKRFT jams; I wasn't too surprised. Don't get me wrong, they're hot, but I wanted something different. Then THIS song came on the headphones, and I immediately had to log on and tell you about it.
You might recognize the beginning melody: "Apologize" by One Republic. I know that track had its 15 minutes of fame, but I hated it. This song blows that one away...in my opinion. I'm sure mainstreamers out there will hate it. But I love it. Lyrics are deep, beat is catchy. It's a great track to become obsessed with just as the weather is getting warm. I'll be driving through the Chicago streets with the windows down, wind breezing through my hair in no time. And this'll be on my crusing soundtrack. I hope it will be on yours too.
Man I miss Chicago. You're in my mind, you're in my heart.
