October, 2011 | Lost In The Sound

Mixtape: Mac Miller – I Love Life, Thank You

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 15, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

As a gift to his fans for reaching 1 million followers on Twitter, Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller surprised everyone with the release of a brand new mixtape entitled I Love Life, Thank You.

The new mixtape is Mac’s sixth mixtape, following But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy, The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown, The High Life, K.I.D.S., and Best Day Ever.

DOWNLOAD: Mediafire (85.76 MB)

Mac’s debut album, Blue Slide Park, will be released on November 8, 2011 via Rostrum Records. So far, two tracks from the album have already been released: “Frick Park Market” and “Smile Back”, both songs that are very similar in style to Mac’s previous work. With his relationship to fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, Mac’s freshman debut should provide a number of fun songs that will do well on the charts.

Listen: The Fray – “Heatbeat”

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 13, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Since their surprising debut in 2005, Denver rock band The Fray have progressed quite a bit sonically, branching out from the soft piano ballads that made up much of their first album.

Now, they’re back and ready to release their third album, Scars and Stories, on February 7, 2012 via Epic Records. To start things off, the band has released a brand new single titled “Heartbeat”, premiering the new song while opening for rock legends U2. Frontman Isaac Slade’s easily recognized falsetto anchors the soaring chorus of the song, which is now available for purchase on iTunes and can be listened (but not downloaded) directly below.

Video: 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Rap Cyphers

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 12, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

The best part of the yearly BET Hip Hop Awards can now be enjoyed in its entirety online. Rapping over beats spun by DJ Premier, some of the hottest MCs in the game right now freestyle to show off their lyrical prowess. This year, we were treated to rhymes from Eminem‘s Shady Records family, Rick Ross‘s Maybach Music Group, and newcomers such as Compton’s talented Kendrick Lamar, Philadelphia up-and-comer Gilbere Forte, Southern king Big K.R.I.T., and many more.

All the cypher videos can be watched below. If you’re low on time, make sure to check out the Shady 2.0 cypher directly below. Primo, drop that beat!

The Black Keys’ New Album

By Kevin Miao ⋅ October 11, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Turns out the news about Blakroc 2 was only a rumor, and blues-rock band The Black Keys denied that any talk for that project has begun or will ever happen. However, the band has just announced that they will be releasing a new album on December 6th. The album will be titled El Camino and you can watch a trailer for the album below. The trailer features Bob Odenkirk (Saul!) and you can check out the website WannaBuyMyVan.com while you’re at it.

01. Lonely Boy
02. Dead and Gone
03. Gold on the Ceiling
04. Little Black Submarines
05. Money Maker
06. Run Right Back
07. Sister
08. Hell of a Season
09. Stop Stop
10. Nova Baby
11. Mind Eraser

Mixtape: Gilbere Forte – Some Dreams Never Sleep

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 11, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

I completely slept on Gilbere Forte. I admit: it took an appearance on a BET Cyper and The Hundreds presenting his newest mixtape/EP for me to listen to him. But now that I’ve listened to Some Dreams Never Sleep, I can’t stop; this Philadelphia MC is on point. I mean, look at the star-studded cast he managed to pull together for the 11-track project: Big K.R.I.T., Jim Jones, Pusha T, Asher Roth, Casey Veggies, and more.

Gilbere easily goes toe-to-toe with each of these rappers, spitting memorable verse after memorable verse. He’s young, he has a message, and he’s ready to shine. You can download three choice cuts below and if you like what you hear, the full EP is available for free after the break.

MP3: Gilbere Forte – “Black Soul (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)”

MP3: Gilbere Forte – “Hot (In This Bitch) (feat. Jim Jones & Pusha T)”

MP3: Gilbere Forte – “Feel Alive (feat. Brian Underwood)”

Listen: The Weeknd – “Initiation”

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 11, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

With each release from the mysterious Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, a new side of the talented R&B singer emerges. The latest leak from Abel and supposedly the first track from his third mixtape Echoes of Silence is “Initiation”, released on Abel’s Tumblr page. On the track, the singer experiments with a number of different, warped vocal styles. Even so, the track is distinctly The Weeknd-sounding, including the obligatory repeated OVOXO outro.

Dark, gloomy, and perfect for the Halloween season. Enjoy.

MP3: The Weeknd – “Initiation”

Jamie xx Teams Up With Quayola for “Progress”

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 9, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Producer Jamie xx teamed up with multimedia artist Quayola and his team, Abstract Birds, to create stunning visuals for a brand new track entitled “Progress”. Resembling a sort-of DNA strand, the video was created using two 15-meter HD screens and Partitura software as part of the ‘Structures’ project with Rizlab.

You can watch the video over at Rizlab’s webpage. More videos will be released as the week progresses, including recordings of Jamie xx and Quayola from a September 22nd live performance.

Foster The People Live on Saturday Night Live

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 9, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Just in case you’re one of the very sheltered few who haven’t yet heard Foster The People‘s infectious single, “Pumped Up Kicks”, the Los Angeles trio dropped by Saturday Night Live to perform two songs – the other of which is “Houdini”. The performance also includes a guest appearance by Kenny G in the final horn section of “Pumped Up Kicks”.

Check out the two videos below.

“Pumped Up Kicks”:

“Houdini”:

Listen: k-os – “Faith Pt. 2 (feat. Drake)”

By Frank Wu ⋅ October 6, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Toronto MC k-os linked up with his long-time buddy Drake to release a new track named “Faith Pt. 2”. The first version of the song appeared on k-os’s 2010 mixtape, The Anchorman Mixtape, which was mostly recorded while on tour with Drizzy. Now, almost a year later, we have the second version of the track with production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. New bars from both and interestingly enough, Drake seems to have returned to his pre-Thank Me Later flow.

MP3: k-os – “Faith Pt. 2 (feat. Drake)”

Interview: The Calm Blue Sea

By Kevin Miao ⋅ October 6, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

A couple of weeks ago I made a post-rock playlist for MiaoMix and included “Quiet” by The Calm Blue Sea. That was a song that really blew me away the first time I listened to it. I recently got the chance to talk with Steve (drummer) and Kyle (bassist) from the band. We talked about working on new material, the music scene in Austin, comparisons to other post-rock bands, and more. They were really nice guys and it was a pleasure to get the chance to talk with them. Steve started out the interview and then Kyle came in about halfway into the interview.

What are your names and specific roles in the band?

Steve: I’m Steve and I play drums and we all write.

So you and Kyle (bassist) were both there when the band started?

Steve: I guess I’m an original member and Kyle is not. He’s our 2nd or 3rd bass player, but he’s been with us since 2009 so I don’t think he’s going anywhere.

Why did you guys choose the name The Calm Blue Sea?

Steve: Okay, I have no explanation for that. Maybe Chris does, but they had it when I got in already. (more…)

Search

Archive for October, 2011