Zion I

Best described as a blend of conscious hip hop with mostly futuristic production, Zumbi’s idealistic socially conscious lyrics are without a doubt my favorite in all of hip hop. With subject matters revolving around social justice, cultural history, intergalactic space odysseys, love, and spiritual adventures, Zion I’s seemingly otherworldly rhymes always leave you relaxed, pensive, and wanting more.

April 27th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in back to the basics, bay area, hip-hop  |  2 comments

Preview: The Black Keys – Brothers

I suspect Keys enthusiasts like myself will have one of two reactions to the album: 1) (akin to my reaction) “But I was expecting more classic Keys!!! All I want to hear are ripping guitar solos and drums until my ears bleed.” or 2) “They had to make this album. They had to move on. They didn’t want to fall into the classic trap that musicians all too often fall into.

April 25th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in blues, indie rock, psychedelic  |  17 comments

Justin Jones – The Little Fox EP

If you (like I) find yourself too often bogged down with an over-saturation of abstract indie-electro-synth-hop-pop, Justin Jones just might be your remedy. Especially on a rainy day. His relentless screams for satisfaction will leave you relating to him just enough to want to hear more. Keep it up Justin.

April 11th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in americana, blues, folk, indie rock, washington, dc  |  4 comments

Live in DC: Miike Snow

Needless to say, the show was a chaotic and awesome blur of good friends, good drinks, and most importantly: good music. The electro-pop Swedish/American sensation dubbed Miike Snow succeeded in both blowing our minds and getting our hips movin’. After sadly missing the opening band Delorean (who we hear great things about), we spent the majority of our pre-show experience continuing the fun in the downstairs bar while Miike’s extensive stage prep was underway. Needless to say, by the time the show started, we were ready to rock… and rock we did.

March 27th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in electro pop, indie rock, live shows, washington, dc  |  10 comments

Miike Snow – Miike Snow

Together with American newcomer (and singer in the band), Andrew Wyatt, these crazy Swedes have all but completely devoured the indie world with the fall 2009 release of the self titled album, as well as several insane remixes that breached the indie-stream as well over the past year.

March 22nd, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in electro pop, indie rock  |  4 comments

Blackalicious

Our next featured hip hoppers of the Bay Area are Blackalicious, a two man operation composed of producer Chief Xcel and the historic Gift of Gab. Over the past ten years, Blackalicious have released three of the most popular albums in the underground community, Nia, Blazing Arrow, and The Craft. What sets Blackalicious apart is almost definitely Gab’s rapping abilities, which can be most simply described as the best in the game.

March 17th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in back to the basics, bay area, hip-hop  |  2 comments

Chiddy Bang – The Swelly Express LP

I think it’s about time we expose our viewers to Chiddy Bang, an insane electronic hip hop duo out of Philadelphia. Behold: an unstoppable indie-anthem-sampling, dance-party-creating, rhyme-loving, all out feel-good duo set to explode onto the indie world. Chiddy Bang’s innovative hip hop fusion very well could be where hip hop is heading this decade.

March 16th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in electronic, hip-hop  |  17 comments

Citizen Cope – The Rainwater LP

Citizen Cope (or Clarence Greenwood and co.) isn’t exactly indie music. If anything, the band’s second album “The Clarence Greenwood Recordings” launched them into relative mainstream pop success. Songs like “Sun’s gonna rise” and “Bullet and a Target” remain anthems for many a bar, night club, or sorority girl IPOD. Nonetheless, I admit I always enjoyed the hell out of Citizen Cope and was particularly surprised when I found out that for The Rainwater LP, they passed up a major record label and decided to launch independently. He passed up the big bucks for an independent release, something we at IndieShuffle commend, right? Therefore, by definition, “Rainwater” is an indie album, and not too shabby of one either.

March 14th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in blues, folk-rock, funk  |  3 comments

Del tha Funkee Homosapien

Despite somewhere around ten album releases between 1990 and 2000, Del remained an underground superstar… a mystery to the mainstream. Then came the new millenium and the release of two of my favorite hip hop albums of all time. First, in 2000, alongside legendary Bay Area producer Dan the Automator, Del released the groundbreaking “Deltron 3030″ album.

March 12th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in back to the basics, bay area, hip-hop  |  1 comment

The Devil Makes Three – The Devil Makes Three

I know what you’re thinking and don’t worry, this sounds nothing like country. It’s more of a rustic, dusty, bluesy scenario than what you might be used to. The song writing is absolutely fantastic, especially the lyrics. On this album (their first), there exists a very abstract piratey feel reminscent of Rain Dogs by the great Tom Waits.

February 8th, 2010  |  by el gringo rico  |  published in bluegrass, folk-rock  |  4 comments