The Witzard

Almost effortlessly cruisin' down the same nautical, boatshoed lane as Yacht Rock pioneers like Christopher Cross , Steely Dan, Beach Boys , and Hall & Oates, The Alchemist quietly released one long 12-minute track [EP] appropriately dubbed "YACHT ROCK (Side A-B)" late Wednesday afternoon. It's pretty much the perfect soundtrack for throwing back a few boat-side brews, which might've been partially inspired by The Alchemist 's fruitful shades/readers partnership with 9FIVE Eyewear ; Hypebeast eloquently describes the glasses as " 9FIVE Watson frames [with] a custom black and grey pattern added to the outer portions with red leather wrapped around the temple tips. The sunglasses variant receives polarized black lenses, while the reader model features clear CR-39 lenses." Now, while that all sounds pretty TIGHT, $150's a little steep for 2 pairs of glasses, a fancy striped box, and a RARE 7-inch record... So, The Alchemist has libera...

Rock "N" Roll is an expressive art form: Whether it makes you want to passionately sing, dance, play, or even write. Blak & Blu is such a BIG, comprehensive album that'll undoubtedly get a lot of coverage. Sometimes I tend to stray away from potential "big ticket" pieces of that level. But fuck it - Blak & Blu is such a great collection that it honesty deserves every damn ounce of coverage it's getting! While a handful of critics have already started raggin' on Gary Clark Jr. for supposedly "selling out," abandoning his Austin Blues Rock roots, and making an eclectic [slightly "commercial"] album ... I feel like it's a pretty smart move right outta the gates; This way Clark won't get labelled a one-trick, guitar-playing pony. Plus, if he played grandiose guitar solos on nearly every track, people would call him a dick anyways. "Bright Lights" is a guitar feedback-soaked middle finger aimed @ Clark...

While they've already managed to make a pretty seamless transition from Hardcore Punk to throwback "Jersey Shore Sound," The Gaslight Anthem are slightly lesser well-know for their spot on, jaw-dropping cover re-arrangements. Spanning between 2006-12, they've successfully executed spirited takes on everyone from The Rolling Stones to Kelly Clarkson , either in the studio or a live setting. Frontman Brian Fallon was recently "across the pond" promoting Gaslight Anthem 's fourth and undoubtedly sing-a-long-able Mercury record, Handwritten ; Looks like he made a quick pit-stop @ BBC Radio 1 in his travels... playing a gut-wrenching, stripped down acoustic take on The Colour & The Shape hit-single, "Everlong" (1997). It doesn't really even matter that Foo Fighters released "Everlong" roughly 15 years ago now, Fallon still manages to breathe new life into Dave Grohl 's Modern Rock staple. Brian Fallon unleashe...

Truth Be Told by Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown are quite arguably the most downright Funky , brutally honest Detroit natives since Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ! Fresh on the heels of a few solid 2010-11 joint albums , Apollo Brown successfully flipped a smooth crooning [ghostly] sample of "Awe, baby, it's been so-ooo looong" that's perfectly suited for a few introspective Guilty Simpson verses. Generally mis-labelled as an "Underground MC," Simpson has been actively rapping ever since 1991... released his Stones Throw debut, Ode to The Ghetto in 2008, and has worked with everyone from J Dilla to Geoff Barrow (Portishead). "Truth Be Told" is the first taste/lead single to whet our appetites for Dice Game , which is currently slated for a Nov. 13th release. Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown managed to rope in a set of top-notch feature guest verses from Torae and Planet Asia , too. "S...

I wonder if German film director, one-time Killers collaborator, and accidental Hipster cult hero Werner Herzog is even remotely familiar with American Hip-Hop !? Los Angeles -based Indie rappers Busdriver, Open Mike Eagle & Nocando have assembled a loose posse to record a track called "Werner Herzog," which appears on Busdriver 's recent ARGUMENTS WITH DREAMS EP . It's basically Flash Bang Grenada plus Open Mike Eagle , a pairing that director Diana Dalsasso went on to simply describe as, "3 of LA 's best underground rappers that also just so happen to be the best of friends." "Werner Herzog" pretty much features some of the most clever, witty, quick punchlines I've heard in a long time! Prime example: "I got a bunch of girls pregnant cause I sell diapers ... I eat Fair Trade cheese and fart fairness." Diana Dalsasso and Nonstop Record creative partner, Karina Soriano [producer] somehow manage to meld Busdr...

(1) What made you decide to remix Danny Brown's "Grown Up" and why'd you choose it over all his recent output(s)? I remixed Danny Brown's "Grown Up" because for one, it's one of the cleanest a capellas of his that I could find on the net. There's also a remix competition that Fool's Gold is hosting. (2) Were you able to work hands-on with Fool's Gold/Danny Brown and Mishka to create your mix? No, not hands on. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to. Trackademicks, who's currently signed to Fool's Gold Records, and I have discussed collaborating on a track. That may be on a future project of mine in the future. (3) When remixing the track, where'd you actually start and what was the general concept in mind? Well, whenever I make a beat, I first decide whether or not I want to make it entirely from scratch or incorporate some type of sampling. With this, I figured that sampling would be the best way t...

Right before rippin' it up with [the bulk of] his Wu-Tang clansmen, RZA & Ghostface Killah played a quick game of "Bubble Soccer" in Studio 8B 's elevator hallway alongside Gerard Butler and host, Jimmy Fallon . They were really there to promote RZA 's Man with The Iron Fists film soundtarck. but it was pretty great to see the typically "hard as nails" Wu-Gambinos let their guards down and have some good-spirited fun on live TV. Wu-Tang Clan then performed a BRUTAL version of "6 Directions of Boxing" with Fallon's house band, The Roots ; Ghostface, RZA, Cappadonna, GZA , Masta Killa, U-God , and Inspectah Deck were all present for the group's first televised performance together in roughly 10 years' time. The star-studded Iron Fists soundtrack is out today (October 23rd) and it's companion Kung-Fu flick hits theatres on November 2nd. Album stand-out "The Baddest Man Alive" now has an action-packed m...