Ruffling the feathers.

An article in this month's XLR8R and tons of amazing people participating, both new and old (Flying Lotus, Daedelus, Shlomo, Toro Y Moi, Baths, Shigeto, Bibio), in this scene.
I've loved this kind of music for years and seen this thing coming down the pipeline for awhile now.
Super glad to see it's positive, vibrant and blooming.
Keep it up, you weirdo beat-heads.

http://www.anticon.com/index.php?section=artist&target=Baths&js=yes

XLR8R "Beat Happening":
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2010/07/beat-happening-seeds-planted-fly

Happy jokes/on rooftops/life in a day.

Allmusic's review of the album said this: 
"An easy to make comparison would be to say Casiokids are Hot Chip but with Jónsi of Sigur Rós on vocals -- more like early Hot Chip when they were still a bit goofy and fun, though, not the current model."
While I think that's a pretty fair take, at the same time, it might be selling it a little short. 
I'd encourage you to check it out. It's really growing on me.

Hey hey hey I've got it, she she she she's got it, world cup fever.

World Cup fever officially started today.
Here are a few of my favorite world cup songs:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/?cc=5901&ver=us

Burn bridges/make yourself an island.

Warm, fuzzy summertime jams from a band that is keeping most info about them pretty obscure (or at least funny) at the moment.
(http://pitchfork.com/news/38496-rising-dom/).
That said, they'll be playing again in NYC at Knitting Factory and Music Hall at the end of the month and I intend to be there.
Get yr happy Friday on:

http://www.myspace.com/imfur
http://www.burningmillrecords.net/

You've got such a psychic life to live.

I picked up Roky Erickson's album "Never Say Goodbye" back in 1999 from Ozone Records in Portland, Oregon.
Though I was just starting to familiarize myself with him as an artist back then, this album in it's stark, vulnerable tone caught my attention immediately and never let go.
I've always envisioned this particular track to be playing during the end credits of a film:

Many of these tracks were actually recorded during a stint in a mental hospital, and it's rawness is both heartbreaking and beautiful.
Read a little bit about the story of the album here:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0jfpxqtjldde

Also, I think it's a pretty hard album to come by these days, so if you'd like, you can download the whole thing here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=40di1zpk

http://www.emperorjones.com/roky.html