Filed under: Best of 2009 Albums | Tags: Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, MGMT, Ratatat
Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon: The End of Day is #8 on our Best of 2009 list
PREVIEW: VISIT Kid Cudi’s MySpace
TOP TRACK: “Soundtrack 2 My Life”
Through fearless experimentation and superior producing, Kid Cudi went from mixtape phenom to premier hip-hop artist in 2009. His debut, Man on the Moon: The End of Day cannot be overstated for what it is– innovative and introspective rap at its finest. Yes, it’s a lot of praise to heap on an artist’s inaugural effort, but it’s not every year that hip-hop sees such an enterprising new face.
Avoiding the struggle for originality faced by most up-and-comers in rap today, Cudi’s first full-length embraces a style all its own. There’s very little preening and posturing a la friends Jay-Z and Kanye West. Instead, Cudi’s approach is more subdued– directly addressing his own insecurities, while embracing the circumstances which they’ve wrought. On every track, he addresses both the positives and negatives of each situation, playing heavily into the Jekkyl/Hyde, day/night juxtaposition that makes up the bulk of the album (save the made-for-radio “Make Her Say”).
On top of his atypical lyrical approach, Cudi can also boast some of the most enterprising experimentation of the year. Forgoing the pounding club beats and classic rock samples running rampant in today’s hip-hop, Cudi’s brand is a cohesive sonic collaboration of pop and electronic elements. Working extensively with the likes of MGMT and Ratatat, his results show not just a surface knowledge of electronic music, but a comprehensive and extensive tutorial on the successful merger of these elements with hip-hop.
Yes, the aforementioned Jay-Z and Kanye have recorded “pop” albums in the past two years, but not quite like this. Cudi uses rap as a vehicle for the proliferation of electronic pop experimentation on Man on the Moon: The End of Day, and the result is a breath of fresh air for both rap and music as a whole.
– John Cassillo
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Chip Tha Ripper, Common, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, MGMT, Ratatat, The Blueprint 3
Kid Cudi's debut album lays claim to hip-hop record of the year status
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Nite” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 17/20 Watts
For those searching for some of the most original and self-sustaining music of 2009, perhaps Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of Day is your perfect match.
As much as Jay-Z has purported to further blur the lines between hip-hop and rock over the years, perhaps no one has hit the point so eloquently as Cudi has with this record. Astoundingly, he’s already passed up one of his mentors (Jay-Z) in terms of successfully merging different genres. The other (Kanye West), when he’s not making himself look like an ass at award shows, is putting out “experimental” hip-hop already dwarfed by this release.
So how has Cudi succeeded where his predecessors failed, and vaulted himself from mixtape hype-product to industry innovator? The key is in his supporting cast, and fearless experimentation. (more…)
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Lou Reed, Deerhunter, MGMT, Kanye West, Animal Collective, Taylor Swift, Panda Bear, Kid Cudi, Sigur Ros, Beyonce, Pearl Jam, Bradford Cox, The Flaming Lips, MTV, Ratatat, Jim Carroll, Jim Carroll Band, John Cale, Stephen Colbert, Tiesto, Wolfmother, you belong to me, VMAs, All Tomorrow's Parties, ATP, Cosmic Egg, hiatus
Kanye's drama queen antics rained on Taylor's parade
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Taylor Swift’s “You Belong to Me” MP3
When Taylor Swift won Female Video of the Year at last night’s VMAs for “You Belong to Me,” egomaniac Kanye West just had to have the last word. Interrupting her special moment, the rapper hopped on stage, grabbed the mic, and announced that Beyonce better deserved the award for “Single Ladies.” Cameras cut to Beyonce, who could be seen mouthing “Kaannyee” in as much surprise and disgust as the audience. Taylor was left speechless and was escorted off the stage. When Beyonce won Video of the Year later in the night, she invited Taylor back onstage. Kanye later insincerely apologized via his blog. His outburst has already led to parodies like this one. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: To Celebrate Kanye West's New Book, A Compilation of Genius Kanye-isms]
SPIN gives readers the best and worst of New York’s All Tomorrow’s Parties this past weekend. Participants included The Flaming Lips, Panda Bear, Animal Collective and Deerhunter, amongst many others. One of the most notable moments however, was not of the musical variety. Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox announced mid-set that the band will be going on hiatus, effective immediately, to work on other projects. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews The Flaming Lips' "Silver Trembling Hands"]
Wolfmother paid a visit to SPIN’s NYC office to chat with the magazine, and play a few songs, which were captured on video here. Among them were two older tracks, one off of the upcoming Cosmic Egg and a Neil Young cover. Some may recognize the band from the (500) Days of Summer and Spider-man 3 soundtracks, respectively. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews (500) Days of Summer OST]
Pitchfork and The New York Times reports that Jim Carroll died of a heart attack in his apartment on Friday. Carroll is most renowned for penning 1978 Basketball Diaries, but he was also a poet and musician as the frontman of the influential punk rock band, the Jim Carroll Band. He has worked with artists such as Lou Reed, Pearl Jam, and John Cale. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Beck Covers The Velvet Underground]
The Flaming Lips will appear on “The Colbert Report” this Wednesday, September 16, Pitchfork reports. The band will likely perform a song from their latest album, Embryonic, as well as chat with Stephen. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews The Flaming Lips' "Silver Trembling Hands"]
In a new interview with Eyeweekly.com, Andy Rourke, former bassist of The Smiths, stated that he was fired from the band by a note left on his car by Morrissey. Denying the claims, Morrissey said this wasn’t the first time Rourke has perpetuated this story. “It is a recurring comment whereby Andy confirms that his dismissal from The Smiths was made via a handwritten postcard from me telling Andy, ‘You have left The Smiths’,” Morrissey said. “If such a postcard ever existed, it is likely that an unfunny stunt was played on Andy by someone attempting Morrissey-scrawl — easily done.” Morrissey will kick off a fall European tour in October. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews (500) Days of Summer OST]
Pitchfork premieres the latest Tiesto track, which features Sigur Ros’ Jonsi Birgisson. The seven-and-a-half minute “Kaleidoscope” is off his forthcoming full-length album due to hit stores October 20. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Jonsi and Alex's Riceboy Sleeps (Sigur Ros Side Project)]
According to Stereogum, Kid Cudi performed “Pursuit of Happiness” on the Late Show with David Letterman this past Friday night. Backed by snappily dressed backup singers, a string section and Ratatat, who appear on the album version of the song along with MGMT, the performance was a great success. Letterman praised it as having “a lot going on there” and endorsed the album. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: News of Note: Pitchfork Posts New Kid Cudi Song]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: accuradio, American Gangster, Converge, David Letterman, EMI, Fuck Yeah Fest, FYF, iTunes, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Kurt Vile, Massive Attack, MGMT, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Neon Indian, Nine Inch Nails, NME, No Age, Paul McCartney, Pitchfork, Radiohead, Ratatat, The Beatles, The Beatles: Rock Band, The Blueprint, The Blueprint 3, Thom Yorke, Torche, Trent Reznor
Kid Cudi releases new track "Pursuit of Happiness" featuring MGMT and Ratatat
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” MP3
Pitchfork posts new Kid Cudi song “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring indie gods MGMT and Ratatat. The single will be the third off his upcoming album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, to be released September 15, 2009. The single alludes to his search for weed (Cudi’s drug of choice) as the pursuit of happiness — a theme highlighted nicely by MGMT and Ratatat’s synthpop beat. Catch a live performance of “Pursuit of Happiness on tonight’s “The Late Night Show With David Letterman.” [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor's Pick #71: Cudi Gets Psychedelic]
Rolling Stone reported the change of release dates for Jay-Z’s new album The Blueprint 3 from its planned Friday drop date to today, a more conventional Tuesday release. While the move means the album no longer drops on the eighth anniversary of the first Blueprint, it should assure Jay the top spot on Billboard’s albums chart. The album is his first release since 2007’s American Gangster. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Jay-Z's Blueprint 3, Editor's Pick #168: Jay-Z Endorses Indie Rock]
RS also reported that Nine Inch Nails has changed the date of its final show to September 10. The band was due to end its performing career on Sunday, September 6, at Los Angeles’ Echoplex, but after frontman Trent Reznor’s short illness, the final concert will now be Thursday at L.A.’s Wiltern. Over the last few weeks, the band has also performed shows in New York and Chicago on its “Wave Goodbye” tour. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor's Pick #147: Alice in Chains' "A Looking in View", Trent Reznor Announces Final Nine Inch Nails Tour Dates]
Paul McCartney told NME.com that he would like The Beatles’ catalogue available for download. According to McCartney, record label EMI is to blame for the band’s inaccessibility on the Internet. “We were having problems with iTunes — well not iTunes, EMI was the problem — with downloading which we’d like to do because that’s how a lot of people get their music,” McCartney said. The Beatles: Rock Band drops tomorrow, so this problem will be partially solved for players who can download songs from the Rock Band website. Rock Band developers Harmonix have plans to offer more Beatles albums and tracks for download in the future. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: McCartney and MGMT, Beatles and iTunes Fail to Reach Agreement]
In other Beatles news, web radio heavyweight AccuRadio announced today that it will begin broadcasting a series of Beatles-themed channels tomorrow to celebrate the release of the Beatles’ remastered collection. The channels will include “Beatles Plus” — more or less all Beatles’, all the time — as well as the obviously named “Just Covers” and the intriguing “Beatles and Friends,” which claims to contexualize the remastered catalog with other bands and songs from the time. AccuRadio’s apparently endless roster of free niche radio stations also includes such appetizing options as “Sea and Sand,” “Canadian Pop” and “Hiptronica” — whatever that means, we’re into it. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Beatles Rooftop Performance, Beatles Rock Band Trailer]
Neon Indian, whose debut LP drops October 13, has announced the dates for his upcoming world tour. Unfortunately, he will not be stopping in Syracuse, but you can catch him in NYC at the Music Hall of Williamsburgon October 24. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Interviews Neon Indian]
Kurt Vile, after losing his job as a forklift operator, didn’t have much recourse but to pursue music full-time. Former lead guitarist of The War on Drugs, Vile released the albums Constant Hitmaker and God Is Saying This to You in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Now he’s hard at work on his Matador Records debut and has just released the album’s lead track “Hunchback.” Supposedly more of a rocker than the rest of the album, “Hunchback” follows a Youngian thread. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs (Matador Records)]
British trip-hoppers, Massive Attack sat down with the magazine for a little Q&A about their career, the upcoming Splitting the Atom EP and their next full-length effort, set for February. Also included with the interview was the scenic, Thom Yorke-esque number “Bullet Proof Love,” which will be featured on Splitting the Atom, out next month. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Radiohead's "These Are My Twisted Words"]
No Age, Converge and Torche tore up Saturday’s FYF Fest in Los Angeles. Mixing genres from metal to hardcore to punk, the festival, formerly known as Fuck Yeah Fest, aims to raise awareness for the California state parks system. SPIN has pictures of the mayhem as it unfolded this weekend. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Free NYC Dirty Projectors Show on July 19th]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Drake, Empire of the Sun, Grizzly Bear, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Mr. Hudson, Rihanna, The Blueprint 3
Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 surprisingly delivers a creative pop sound
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Jay-Z’s “Already Home” (Feat. Kid Cudi) MP3
WE GIVE IT: 15/20 Watts
You’ve been hearing about The Blueprint 3 all summer long. From “D.O.A. (Death to Auto-Tune)” to “Run This Town,” and everything in between, it feels as if we’ve had Jay-Z on the mind for months now. Well, the wait is officially over.
In a last-minute turn of events, Jay scrapped his plans to release the highly-anticipated album on Friday, September 11th. It turns out people usually expect releases to happen on Tuesdays, plus the switch has only created more of an Internet frenzy. (more…)
Filed under: Features, Mix Fix | Tags: 3Oh!3, Dan Black, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, La Roux, Lady GaGa, Passion Pit, Santigold, St. Vincent, Steve Aoki
Jay-Z and Steve Aoki? We think it would work!
I grew up hating remixes.
That’s because I heard a lot of bad ones in the day, and loved the original songs so much, newer versions just couldn’t compare. My ears were young and unkempt. These days I’m always on the prowl for a great remix. The beauty of music blogs these days is that remixes can be cut and taped together and posted online so fast, remixes of the same song explode in waves within the same week. The parameters of music-making have totally revolutionized. There’s still tons of crap out there, like everything else, but after studying the better remix DJs and bands for a few months, I’ve compiled a few fantasy remixes I’d like to hear some day.
1) “D.O.A.” by Jay-Z (remix by Steve Aoki, featuring Lady Gaga + Santigold)
Once I heard Aoki’s remix of N.A.S.A.’s “Gifted,” I was sold. The man has a knack for giving songs an extra gear. He’s more a house-techno remix DJ, but he’s careful and meticulous. I love Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.,” and it’s only a matter of time till someone remixes the new jam. I think it’d be awesome to speed up the song with backup raps and harmonies by Lady Gaga and Santigold. Gaga is too talented to be a consistent back-up vocalist, but Santigold isn’t quite big enough, and adds so much to each song she sings along to anyway. She’s fantastic in Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn Go Hard.” She’s adds soul and jazzy rhythm. It’s usually a lock the remix will be at least decent if she’s apart of it. As for Gaga, she’s a hit-maker and can turn any song into something hot. She made Wale’s “Chillin’” so much better.
2) “I’m not your Toy” by La Roux (remix by Dan Black, featuring Kid CuDi)
I love La Roux, and I love Dan Black. Just since La Roux has electronic rhythm and catchy pop harmonies, Dan Black makes sense here. They’re both really synth-pop heavy. Also, to contrast La Roux and her feminine voice, Kid Cudi could add some much needed hip-hop flavor. He did really well in the remix of 3OH!3’s “Don’t Trust Me.”
3) “The Strangers” by St. Vincent (remix by Passion Pit)
I always thought St. Vincent had some serious remix potential, and yet I have yet to see one. She’s got an awkward folksy voice, but also plays around with interesting sound-mixing. I could see her voice in some awesome synth-smashing. Thus, Passion Pit could mix an awesome song with St. Vincent lyrics. Although Passion Pit has the reputation of going over board with their remixes—-if they did it right, they could turn “The Strangers” or “Actor Out of Work” into club scene hit.
–Jett Wells
Filed under: Emerging Artists, Playlists | Tags: Fleet Foxes, Kid Cudi, Mos Def, Passion Pit
Filed under: Features, Scene Around Town, XCLUS!VES | Tags: crookers, dj, electro, house, Kid Cudi, live, live video, MSTRKRFT, nyc, trashy, webster hall
If you haven’t heard the Day n’ Night remix by Crookers you probably have been living under a rock for the past few months. I found out about these Italian DJs in early 2008 from some European friends and their popularity has grown exponentially since then. Although they’re famous for the Kid Cudi Day n’ Night remix, all of their remixes and original songs are sick. I’ve missed every live show over the past year since NYC is a long mid-week trip for a techno show, but finally caught them Friday night at Webster Hall. I can definitely say this: it was 100% worth it.
I got to Webster Hall about ten minutes before Crookers went on and caught the end of the opening djs, who aren’t worth mentioning. I was never really able to tell the difference between live dj sets, but after seeing Crookers, this has changed. There was really no comparison between anyone’s live set, including famous DJs MSTRKRFT’s, and Crooker’s. The energy from the crowd was unparalleled and the two djs played a stellar set. It was clear that Day n’ Night was the crowd favorite, even though the rest of the set was incredible. Every person in the room danced the entire time. As the set ended, all 1400 fans were sad to see them go.
Congorock, another DJ gaining steam in the electro world, went on after Crookers. Most people left before he even walked on stage (maybe because they only cared about Crookers, but maybe because it was already 3:30am). Webster Hall is sometimes full of trashy club-goers and sketchy electro-lovers, but it was well worth it to see this incredible duo.
-Kyra Zeller
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Common, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Lady GaGa
Kid CuDi, Kanye West, and Common’s interesting take on Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face” called “I Poke Her Face.” So good.
-Carly Wolkoff
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: 50 Cent, Chamillionaire, Kid Cudi, Ray Cash, Scarface, Talib Kweli, The Kickdrums, Yung Joc
While I was home in Cleveland over break, I remembered how much I loved the music coming out of Cleveland right now! Clevelander Kid Cudi recently hit it big with “Day ‘N’ Nite.” But two other artists, Alex Fitts and Matt Penttila, who make up the group The Kickdrums have been making leaps behind the scenes and are now finally coming into the spotlight. The duo produced and remixed countless songs for rappers 50 Cent, Chamillionaire, Yung Joc, and Talib Kweli as well as fellow Clevelanders Kid Cudi and Ray Cash. Their new album, Just A Game EP, comes out soon. Their first single (already available online), “Just A Game,” has a completely unexpected sound that breaks away from their typical hip-hop work. This album is truly their own; Just A Game EP is the first album where the duo really perform by themselves rather than just produce tracks for other artists.
A track off an old album, Smash the System: “Do Ya Job” featuring Ray Cash and Scarface:
