LONG LIVE THE STRATEGIC EQUILIBRIUM

AMIDOINITRITE?

Mon, 11 May 2009 22:02:00 -0400

Not really entering into the spirit of the tumblr thing, so I’m moving on .

Come check me out at my new place: COLONIAL VIGOR. Same steez, no tumblarity.

Links will remain active, feel free to browse the archives.

LED ZEPPELIN "FOOL IN THE RAIN" (1979)

Sun, 10 May 2009 10:30:00 -0400

The way to ID a non-Zep fan is when they tell you that their favorite Zeppelin song is “Fool in the Rain”.

My favorite Led Zeppelin song is “Fool in the Rain”.

Led Zeppelin Fool in the Rain

NOVOS BAIANOS "PRETA PRETINHA" (1972)

Sun, 10 May 2009 10:00:00 -0400

I’ve shared a bunch of post-Novos jams but so far nothing from the greatest Brazilian band ever (pace Mutantes) at the height of its powers.

This song pretty much kills me every time I listen to it.

Novos Baianos Preta Pretinha

FELA KUTI "TROUBLE SLEEP YANGA WAKE AM" (1972)

Sat, 09 May 2009 09:28:00 -0400

I could probably do a week just of my favorite Fela jams; I was a bit surprised that I had only posted up one before.

Nevertheless, this is my favorite Fela jam without doubt. In many of his songs, Fela is filled with righteous anger and indignation. But “Trouble Sleep” is different. Here he’s suffused with sadness, it’s a fucking Jobian lament…

After I listen to this, everything else sounds plastic and brittle.

Fela Kuti Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am

TWISTA f/GUCCI MANE & OJ DA JUICEMAN "WALKIN' ON ICE" (2009)

Thu, 07 May 2009 21:59:29 -0400

Ha ha, what did I tell you?

The Hip Hop Internet Leak Machine is broken I think. A 128kbps rip of this leaked this morning. Wouldn’t it make more sense to wait a couple of days and let interest build before letting the CDQ go? Otherwise, what’s the point? Good jams get lost in the flood…

Of course, the same Superbrains who run the machine have also made OJ Da Juiceman a star, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

Twista f/Gucci Mane & OJ Da Juiceman Walkin’ on Ice

SANDY DENNY "IT'LL TAKE A LONG TIME" (1972)

Wed, 06 May 2009 19:35:00 -0400

One of the most beautiful songs ever? The way Denny’s voice flutters over Richard Thompson’s guitar and Sneaky Pete Kleinow’s swirling pedal steel is pretty much perfect.

In a programming note, LONG LIVE THE STRATEGIC EQUILIBRIUM turns 1 year old on May 15. To mark this epochal landmark in time-wasting I’m going to be posting up my favorite songs of all time for the next week, starting with Sandy here.

A possible exception may be made for this killer Twista and Gucci Mane jam the CDQ leak of which should be hitting the Interstreets any hour now.

Sandy Denny It’ll Take a Long Time

EURYTHMICS "SING-SING" (1981)

Tue, 05 May 2009 19:32:00 -0400

Just been turned on to In the Garden, by the usual suspects, who described it as “Eurythmics make a Stereolab record with Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit”. Obviously I need no further encouragement.

And hey, no fucking kidding: half of Stereolab’s catalog has DNA from “Sing-Sing” alright…

Eurythmics Sing-Sing

SAFI ABDULLAH "AFRIKA IS BURNING" (1988)

Sun, 03 May 2009 22:08:47 -0400

If you listen to only one ’80s Pan-Africanist soca jam this week, let it be this one. Another One Gone is totally OOP, which is massively unjust, as the record is tremendous. There’s another track on here where Safi does this bananas analysis of all the Masonic symbols on the dollar bill, it’s great.

Old friends may remember this jam from the July 4th ‘06 mix.

Safi Abdullah Afrika is Burning

BECK "GREEN LIGHT" (2009)

Sun, 03 May 2009 21:44:55 -0400

Beck turns in a really fine, spare cover of Sonic Youth’s “Green Light”. This is from some wicked limited 7” Matador did for Record Store Day last month.

Speaking of, I noticed that One Foot in the Grave has received the Deluxe Reissue Treatment. At this late date I’m no longer bummed out by albums I loved in high school getting reissued like they’re Cream records but let me tell you the K Records typeface on the cover and “Atmospheric Conditions” are sending my nostalgia into hyperdrive…

Beck Green Light

cositasbonitas: new mix for the steamy days Alex is going to...

Sun, 03 May 2009 19:32:28 -0400

cositasbonitas:

new mix for the steamy days

Alex is going to slay at my wedding, believe that.

CAM'RON "SILKY (NO HOMO)" (2009)

Sun, 03 May 2009 10:30:00 -0400

Redford, I go rob/ creamed corn, no cob/ boo hoo boo hoo, go sob/ that’s your Saab? Oh God…

I’m so glad Cam is rapping again.

Cam’ron Silky (No Homo)

BOB DYLAN "WHEN HE RETURNS (LIVE)" (1980)

Sat, 02 May 2009 20:00:11 -0400

Dylan absolutely killing it here, at the height of his born again period. “When He Returns” was never a stand out for me from Slow Train Coming but 29 years ago last month it was God FTW in Toronto.

Bob Dylan When He Returns (Live)

DAVID SHIRE "THEME FROM THE CONVERSATION" (1974)

Sat, 02 May 2009 19:42:35 -0400

Watched The Conversation the other night, one of my favorites, because it turns out that the Future Wife hadn’t seen it. Such a great fucking movie, but what a masterpiece of a score, just about perfect.

David Shire Theme from The Conversation

GUCCI MANE f/PLIES "WASTED" (2009)

Sat, 02 May 2009 10:11:00 -0400

75% of the rap-related posts in my Google Reader over the last few months are about Gucci.

Gucci Man is to 2009 what Cam was to 2004 and Clipse were to 2006. I’m not totally sold but I like this one alright. Fatboi’s production reminds me of golden age Mannie Fresh.

Gucci Mane f/Plies Wasted

CHARLIE & ESDOR "DAGEN AR OVER" (1970)

Sat, 02 May 2009 10:01:03 -0400

Swedish sitar…

Charlie & Esdor Dagen Är Över

THE ALPHA BAND "RICH MAN" (1978)

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:59:00 -0400

The Alpha Band’s an exciting new discovery. Formed by T-Bone Burnett and a couple of other dudes from Dylan’s Rolling Thunder band, they cut three increasingly Christian and almost wholly disregarded records in the late ’70s.

“Rich Man” is from their last one, Statue Makers of Hollywood, and it’s 7 minutes of horn swells, mandolin breakdowns, and a chorus heavy with reverb straight out of a mid-’70s John Cale record. WHOA.

The Alpha Band Rich Man

HERBIE MANN "BEND DOWN LOW" (1981)

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0400

Let’s get this out of the way first: yes, this is a Bob Marley cover, and yes, it’s from a contractual obligation record of stems and seeds called Mellow, and YES, Herbie’s fucking singing and not really concentrating on the flute, but whatever.

It was like 90 here yesterday and I went cruising around Georgetown on foot schvitzing up a storm and I listened to this a bunch of times, totally perfect.

Herbie Mann Bend Down Low

PLAYBOY TRE f/HOMEBWOI "OH MY LORD FREESTYLE" (2009)

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:23:33 -0400

There was a time a few years ago, when I was doing a radio show in College Park, that I was super responsible about keeping up with new mixtapes and new rappers coming up but now I have no idea about anything and I am a least a year late on Playboy Tre.

Dude’s in with B.O.B. and Bohagon, he used to be a weedcarrier for Youngbloodz and Jim Crow, so I’m comfortable with his pedigree. No clue on Homebwoi, but he’s pretty good too.

Playboy Tre f/Homebwoi Oh My Lord Freestyle

Harry Nilsson with Ray Walston during the Popeye sessions. Via...

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:47:42 -0400

Harry Nilsson with Ray Walston during the Popeye sessions.

Via For the Love of Harry.

TWO HOT LEADS

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:47:00 -0400

From the bottomless well that is Dream Chimney:

The Incredible Broadside Brass Bed Band “Cocaine”

William DeVaughn “Be Thankful For What You Got (1980 version)”