The Napster Blog

The Clipse, “Kinda Like a Big Deal” featuring Kanye West

The Clipse return with the summer's first bona fide street anthem, "Kinda Like a Big Deal," and it's defintely just that: Over a wicked prog-rock sample expertly flipped by DJ Khalil, brothers Pusha T and Malice spit that baller talk to perfection. Meanwhile, Kanye West returns to pre-Autotune form and adds one of the best verses he's recorded in a while.

If this is what we can expect from The Clipse's upcoming fourth album, then Till the Casket Drops (scheduled for late summer release) will most certainly be a "big deal."

The Prodigy Live at the Hollywood Palladium

Sometimes there's little words can do to express the joy and satisfaction one gets from fulfilling a quest. Wednesday night’s trip to the Hollywood Palladium hit the mark. As my anticipation peaked, I could see the same excitement in nearly all the faces around me. The legacy built by Liam Howlett in the early ‘90s has led The Prodigy to be a source of emotional response for several different generations. Stretching from the days of the early rave scene to the Big Beat explosion and into today’s radio rotation, they continue with a career that’s lasted nearly 20 years. Needless to say Wednesday night’s Palladium show was on fire with 3,526 partygoers, all there to witness one of the most important bands in electronic music history.

As we arrived at the venue, the crowd had already built a perimeter around opener Glitch Mob. They rocked the stage with a live performance that has been progressively building recognition for their west coast brand of glitch-hop. As they closed out and the stage was reset during the intermission, the crowd started to grow, both in numbers and in anticipation. The lights flickered and the crowd erupted to welcome The Prodigy, who opened with "Worlds on Fire,” followed by the memory-awakening “Their Law.” Frontmen Maxim and Keith did laps on the stage and stirred the crowd into a frenzy, but the height of the celebration didn’t hit until near the end, when they dropped “Smack My Bitch Up.” A sea of bodies expressed their excitement by jumping as some fans crowd-surfed atop raised hands. The energy was amazing and unforgettable.

Napster Playlist Challenge: Round Six Reminder

Just a reminder: There's a little over one week left to submit a playlist for round six of the Napster Playlist Challenge, so if you'd like to possibly receive 20 free MP3s and have your playlist featured on Napster, this is your chance. This round's theme is Summer Vacation, and all entries must be submitted by 3 a.m. EST on June 7, 2009. Happy playlist-making, and good luck!

For more information on how to submit a playlist for consideration, please see Round Six Instructions.

Buck Owens, 21 #1 Hits: The Ultimate Collection

Buck Owens is one of the greatest performers in the history of country music. He and Merle Haggard (with a few other notable artists) pioneered the Bakersfield sound, a staggeringly influential country sub-genre. Over the course of his career, Owens scored 21 #1 hits, most of which were recorded with his band, The Buckaroos. All of those hits are contained on the Rhino Records compilation, 21 #1 Hits: The Ultimate Collection.

From his first chart-topper, 1963's "Act Naturally" (covered in 1965 by The Beatles), to his last, 1988's "Streets of Bakersfield" (recorded with Dwight Yoakam, who released his own Buck Owens tribute album in 2007, Dwight Sings Buck), The Ultimate Collection is an amazing compilation. Especially good is "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass," a gem from 1969 that juxtaposes a fuzzed-out baritone guitar playing lead against a rhythm section featuring a harpsichord. Awesome.

Zap Mama, ReCreation

Marie Daulne, a.k.a. Zap Mama, has served as an ambassador of African music to the West for almost 20 years. Her tight Afro-pop harmonies have evolved over time, from the mostly a cappella efforts Adventures in Afropea and Sabsylma to her current release, ReCreation, an eclectic album featuring a mix of instruments with vocals still very much at the forefront. The Congo Kinshasa-born, Belgian-raised artist collaborates with vocalist Me'Shell Ndegeocello, legendary drummer Tony Allen, and alternative blues-rocker G. Love on songs ranging from R&B to French chanson to Afro-pop. Warm and vibrant, ReCreation is yet another successful marriage of African tradition and European expression by the wonderfully talented Zap Mama.

Hillsong United, a_CROSS // the_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls

At the front of this week’s Christian new releases is Hillsong United’s newest live album, a_CROSS // the_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls. Looking at the cover art for the album, it’s pretty apparent that Hillsong had a definite concept in putting together the image. Their blog describes the artwork as “a wall adorned with bill posters representing the EARTH... four triangles (representing four worship nights) revealing a CROSS... as if to say the message of Christ is written across all things…”

Pretty visionary.

Guy, Keith Sweat, Nikki D and New Edition: New Jack Swing

When was the last time you did the "Running Man" and the "Roger Rabbit"? No, not the movies from the late '80s, but the dance moves. Don't hurt yourself, please. Do you remember what songs you listened to back then? It's all here on Napster's "New Jack Swing" playlist. Teddy Riley's fusion of big hip-hop beats with sweet melodies was the NJS sound, and it fueled the latter part of the '80s into the early '90s. Who could forget Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison" or Heavy D's "We Got Our Own Thang"? What about Ralph Tresvant's "Sensitivity" or Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up"? Well, maybe we could forget the latter, but really—why would you want to? Just don't bust out the polka-dot shirts and the Cross-Colour jeans.

Wayman Tisdale and Toby Keith

Okay, this is admittedly behind the curve, but the recent untimely passing of basketball star and smooth-jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale prompted me to check out some of his grooves. Really good stuff—the man could definitely play, whether a soulful melody or a driving R&B backbone. And then here comes "Never Gonna Give You Up," from his last album, 2008's Rebound. What, could it be that Tisdale, known for his good humor even as he suffered terribly from bone cancer, had Rickrolled his audience? No—as it turns out, he did them one better: "Never Gonna Give You Up" is indeed a cover, but not of Rick Astley. It's the Barry White soul classic (listed as "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" on the original). Right on! Who'd he get to sing it? This sounds good! Would you believe...Toby Keith? Yes, that Toby Keith, he of "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," Shock 'N Y'all, and many a honky-tonk number about women and whiskey. Turns out that he and Tisdale, both Oklahoma boys, had bonded over basketball and music back in the day and had become pretty good friends. Good enough, apparently, for Tisdale to talk Keith out of his country hat long enough for him to do a very convincing take on Barry White. Wow. Who knew?

On a more serious note, Keith recently paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend at Tisdale's memorial service, singing Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" and accompanying himself on guitar. Follow the link above to see video of Keith's performance.

Electronica Staff Picks

Once again this week, we’re back at it with a quartet of staff picks for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Zoo Brazil’s No Place Like Home originally surfaced mid 2008. The summertime album was the third for the Stockholm duo and packed the kind of pace that they’ve mastered flawlessly. The album’s production is crisp and seems to flow just as Johan Emmoth and John Andersson intended. It's still an instant party starter. Give it a listen.    

Emerging from the ashes of electronic duo Riot in Belgium, former member Bennie Single crowned himself Beni and released the single "My Love Sees You." The Internet has been buzzing about this release since it dropped, and it’s caught the attention of major names such as Digitalism, A-Trak and Chris Lake, just to touch the surface. Keep your ears open during mixsets; we’re almost positive this one will be heard for the rest of the year.     

Intimacy is British rock band Bloc Party’s third album, released in 2008. Earlier this year, they released a remixed version, just as they did with their debut album, Silent Alarm, back in 2005. Intimacy Remixed includes some excellent work from the likes of Herve, Mogwai, Armand Van Helden, and more. As the variety of remixers suggests, the album moves from all-out dance bangers to mellow and seductive soundscapes.

Jon Gooch is better known to drum and bass fans as Spor. Lately, though, he's been tinkering with dirty electro sounds under the identity Feed Me. His latest release features “The Spell” and “Raw Chicken” and shows that venturing outside of one’s native realm can lead to some pretty spectacular results. Keep your eye out for upcoming releases and remixes from Feed Me, as there will likely be more in the near future.

The Kronos Quartet, Floodplain

When it comes to small classical ensembles retaining mainstream success in pop culture, The Kronos Quartet have been at the top of the list for nearly four decades. In 1986, cello quartet Apocalyptica drew buzz with their Metallica covers album, and more recently their Billboard-charting single "I Don't Care" featuring Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace, and since then countless string-quartet tribute albums have been released. But no other popular ensemble of its kind—if it even has a kind—has displayed the intensity and diversity The Kronos Quartet has since forming in 1973. Among their impressive achievements are the group's 600-some pieces, 400 of them commissioned from luminaries including minimalist Terry Riley; a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance in '04; revered soundtrack work (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain), and a genre-quilting collection of cover pieces that would even make Mike Patton's head spin (Jimi Hendrix, Television, Sigur Rós). And yet The Kronos Quartet continue to explore.

Their latest, Floodplain (also commissioned), examines ongoing difficulties surrounding Middle Eastern countries situated near rivers; places that once nurtured the beginnings of civilization but now face extreme poverty amid hazardous flooding. Kronos fluidly find a way to represent this turmoil with striking depth and earnest emotionality, all with their usual stunning musicianship. Aside from the genre leap the album represents, it also features some unexpected elements, including guest artists Terry Riley, Wu Man, and The Azerbaijani Alim Qasimov Ensemble, as well as accompanying instrumentation that includes electric sitar, tambura, riq, shruti box, begena, tape, nagara, and additional Serbian folk instruments. Kronos also experimented with instruments specifically built for them; Walter Kitundu, apparently the quartet's "instrument builder in residence," invented a musical device called the Beguèna Maridhia, which was inspired by a begena, and a modified voila.