The only theme is that there is no theme

Prospect Park, December 25, 9am


ALL FOR YOU feat. Darien Brockington
Little Brother
The Minstrel Show [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

DIDN'T I
Darondo
[Listen]

BACK FOR MORE (Dilla Remix)
Glenn Lewis
[Listen]

A PLACE IN THE SUN
Stevie Wonder
Down to Earth [1966]
[Listen]

SAME OL' ME
Wood, Brass and Steel
Wood, Brass and Steel [1976]
[Listen]


A week off (almost) has definitely been good. I've been feeling progressively better, and the collective coma of heavy drugs and mashed potatoes is subsiding. And so, I present a looseleaf quintet of underdog tunes running through my mind. Odds and ends, forgotten table scraps, still solid-heavy-good music. Lead-pipe locks when backed into a corner. There is soul, there is hip-hop, there is a young man who is feeling content with himself.

We've got a whole slate of stuff to come from here well into the New Year, and G-d knows we have a lot of resolutions, the biggest of which might be a much better links section to showcase our talented, insightful, downright solid friends in the music blog world. We got some 'splaining to do, but rest assured some shoutouts and atonements will begin in earnest on Monday, as we've been neglecting some people for way too long! Before all that, perhaps a double-post from each of us tomorrow with songs to ring in the New Year?

JT --- The Top 10

As always, a tough act to follow heading into the Christmas weekend. Unlike Silent K, I love to declare one thing better than another, not to mention idling through several empty hours ranking and listing "culture" that deserves accolade. Having slapped up the first half of my 2005 Top 20, what follows is the exciting and Friday-filled conclusion of the chart. These are all JT-tested, mother-approved, and they will slap you harder than Hacksaw Jim Duggan ever could.


10.

Hard-Fi
Stars of CCTV [WEA/Atlantic]
mp3 - MIDDLE EASTERN HOLIDAY
[Buy Album]

Angry limeys crank out slogans for a sorry Slough. Hard-Fi captured a tone and a mood with their debut album, and at the end of the day, that's all you could possibly ask for.


9.

The Juan Maclean
Less Than Human [Astralwerks]
mp3 - TITO'S WAY
[Buy Album]

Someone pass me my finest hipster outfit and let me dance flamboyantly through the streets. This album is a tonic to tackle turgidity.


8.

The Budos Band
The Budos Band [Daptone]
mp3 - GHOST WALK
[Buy Album]

Who doesn't love the afro-funk?


7.

Maximo Park
A Certain Trigger [Warp]
mp3 - POSTCARD OF A PAINTING
[Buy Album]

Another heavily-rotated limey love-fest. Jangly guitars and high-octane harmonies make my knees buckle.


6.

Quasimoto
The Further Adventures of Lord Quas [Stones Throw]
mp3 - PLANNED ATTACK
[Buy Album]

This man is a genius. 'Nuff said.


5.

Breakestra
Hit the Floor [Ubiquity]
mp3 - DON'T NEED A DANCE
[Buy Album]

Take a time machine back to 1976, and find these savvy cats riding the groove all night long. Fat, fat, funky album.


4.

J-Live
The Hear After [Penalty]
mp3 - HERE feat. Soulive
[Buy Album]

Genius hip-hop and soul cross-pollinations from a man to watch in 2006.


3.

The Bad Plus
Suspicious Activity? [Sony]
mp3 - (THEME FROM) CHARIOTS OF FIRE
[Buy Album]

Hands down, best concert I saw in 2005. They took the roof off the Village Vanguard, and rattled my brain past the point of no return. I might never be the same again.


2.

One Be Lo
S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. [Fatbeats]
mp3 - ENECS EHT NO KCAB
[Buy Album]

Binary Star's brightest star. This man has all the weaponry required to take over the world. I seriously think I've listened to this album at least once a day since it found my hands back in the spring. It's that good.


1.

Tom Vek
We Have Sound [Star Time]
mp3 - NOTHING BUT GREEN LIGHTS
[Buy Album]

Timewarping to Talking Heads and Gary Numan. Vek has enough indie swagger and such a goddamn addictive sound that it will rearrange your DNA and make you wear black. If I had just an ounce of his musicianship, I'd be on the Billboard charts.

Silent K's Decent 21 of 2005

2005 was a good year. As music connoisseurs, we're lucky - because unlike fine wine - music doesn't need to be bottled up and sealed away in order to be enjoyed a decade down the line.

We're at a time where every music source is rushing to publish their definitive lists. I don't intend this list to be a compilation of 'albums of the year' or even 'the best tracks of the year.' I do intend it however to be a list of highly decent tracks from 2005 that I've thoroughly enjoyed while behind the decks, on my snowboard, while riding the subway or relaxing in my beat up black leather chair that was a gift from my buddy's parents when they bought new furniture.

I've listed these tracks in alphabetical order and not in an order of preference - because they are all good tunes - and at the end of the day - that's what we feed you.

Enjoy [& Happy Holidays].

21.


Send a Message to Her
Beck
Guero [Special Edition w/ DVD] [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Beck's work will undoubtedly appear on many lists - and rightly so. Guero was more than an album, it was an event. His return to the classic Beck-ransom-note style was a must. I understood that Sea Change was something that he needed to get out of his system [Damn you Winona! You shop-lifted my heart!] - but this effort was far more to my liking. Add the special edition DVD into the mix and you can 'watch' the album too. I'm absolutely in love with the section of 1:33 to 1:17 [remain].

20.


Human After All
Daft Punk
Human After All [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

The long awaited return of the french duo. Human After All is neither a follow up to Homework or Discovery, but a new beast altogether. It was produced well, but a little repetitive and stagnant. And though, this isn't my favorite Daft album, I do hope that Thomas & Guy continue to evolve and change their style with each forthcoming effort.

19.


The Number Song [Cut Chemist Party Mix]
DJ Shadow
Endtroducing DX [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Josh needs no intro, he's amazingly skilled and we'll leave it at that. The Cut Chemist's remix breathes a parallel life into this already sweet track. It's been used on a lot of compilation CDs this year - and it's good enough to appear on mixes for years to come.

18.


Twister
Drumattic Twins
Wipeout Pure Soundtrack [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Here's a breakbeat gem that appeared on the soundtrack to the Sony PSP game, Wipeout Pure. The Wipeout games have always been the love child of great gaming and rave culture -It's debatable, but this one could arguably have the best soundtrack in the series.

17.


Furball Shindig
Fila Brazillia
Dicks [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

To me, Fila Brazillia is to Electronic music as Medeski, Martin & Wood are to Jazz. They are innovative and always impressive.

16.


Utopia
Jackson and His Computer Band
Smash [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Jackson's blind sighted arrival is quite solid. I really don't know how Warp records continues to secure such solid talent of varied nature while staying true to a very unique aesthetic - but keep it up!!

15.


(Don't) Give Hate a Chance
Jamiroquai
Dynamite [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Ah, the return of Jay Kay. No longer is he at the peak of his popularity, but the guy still has plenty of that canned heat that he was talking about 2 albums ago. I had the pleasure of seeing him (and the group) live at the House of Blues in Atlantic City as they kicked off their US tour a few months ago. The show was phenomenal, and not only is Jay Kay still an accomplished musician (and dancer) - but he does something that so many artists forget about - he respects his fans.

14.


Transatlantic
Jose Zamora & Damian DP
Paul van Dyk - The Politics of Dancing 2 [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

This one is an excerpt from Paul van Dyk's most recent compilation set. It's very rare that I blast Trance anymore unless it's deep and dark. If I were to DJ a new years party, this would have been my count-down-to-the-last-10-seconds-of-the-year track, with "Happy New Year" taking place at 1:25 [remain].

13.


I Changed My Mind [Stereo MC's Rattlesnake Remix]
Lyrics Born
Same Shit Different Day [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

I discovered this guy through my love for DJ Shadow via the Quannum project. Solid hip-hop beats all around.

12.


My Heart is Beating Fast
Mint Royale
See You in the Morning [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

See You in the Morning sure isn't On The Ropes - but it's still got some great beats, this is my favorite track on the album

11.


Pagino Cinco
Prefuse 73
Prefuse 73 Reads the Books [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Prefuse 73's unique cut-and-paste sound is just fucking awesome. I know that if you're trying to take a journalistic approach to music review you probably shouldn't say "fucking awesome" - but it is. Honestly, his stuff got me back into Hip-hop again.

10.


Ghostwriter [RJD2's remix]
RJD2
Prime Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

"The archaeologist, diggin' 'em up!" Ghostwriter is a track that all RJ fans know, but this version has a very 'live' sounding horn section that strays just a bit from the original. Maybe it wasn't produced this year, but it was on a soundtrack released this year, so it counts!

9.


Mechanical Ape
The Aquabats
Charge!! [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Quite possibly the best band in the entire world. I've seen them three times - the most recent of which, I saw them at B.B. Kings here in NYC. At that show, a guy proposed to his girlfriend from the stage and the Bat Commander [placed center in the image above] did back flips to celebrate. Their horns have dwindled a bit, but their music is still a lot of fun. My favorite track remains to be The Cat with Two Heads from the second album. Remind me to sign up for the Aquacadet club, that's been on my to-do-list for about a decade now.

8.


Anthem for the Earnest
The Bad Plus
Suspicious Activity? [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

I first stumbled onto these guys with their cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' from These Are the Vistas. 'Anthem for the Earnest' is my favorite TBP track by leaps and bounds. It starts off sounding like Ben Folds, but maintains an unbalanced mathematical perfection that's usually found in electronic beats.

7.


Single Serving Jack [Silent K remix]
The Dust Brothers
FMGT [2005]
[Listen]

Hmm, can I order a side of self promotion? I'm proud of what I've done with only a snippet of the original track - it might be a little on the long side, but I find it dark and soothing.

6.


Warning Shots
Thievery Corporation
Cosmic Game [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

The quintessential downtempo / lounge producers continue to pump out quality tunes that always find their way to my playlist. Cosmic Game was great and quite an improvement from The Richest Man in Babylon. I still haven't checked out that club that they apparently own.

5.


Big Chevy
Timo Maas
Pictures [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Dark & Sexy.

4.


Damentag
Tosca
JAC [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

With almost as many Tosca embroidered uniforms as good tracks - I wonder if their closets rival their record racks? These G-stone kings have picked up right where K&D left off. I want one of those bathrobes!

3.


Poney Part 1
Vitalic
OK Cowboy [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

This is what I wanted from the new Daft Punk album - Not that I dislike the Daft album at all, but I needed my fix. Best served shaken and mainlined.

2.


(Track 20 on CD2) [Honestly, I can't read the song title]
Yasuharu Takanashi
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai Original Soundtrack [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Genji: The Dawn of the Samurai is a videogame for the Playstation 2 that's loosely based on two Japanese folklore heroes. Game soundtracks are truly eclipsing film scores as of late. Yasuharu's exquisite work contains so many traditional Japanese elements and he's turned what would have been a simple 'beat-em-up' game into something incredibly Epic. The power of tunes folks.

1.


Breakfast Club
Z-Trip
Shifting Gears [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

If you grew up while watching Saturday morning cartoons in the US, then you'll laugh your ass all the way to the kitchen with this one. Pass the Fruity Pebbles necro.

-----

Until 2006 - I'm Silent K - Thank you for your patronage.

JT --- The Year's Top 20 (20-11)

20.

Ninja High School
Young Adults Against Suicide [Tomlab]
mp3 - INVASION PARTY
[Buy Album]


19.

Platinum Pied Pipers
Triple P [Ubiquity]
mp3 - STAY WITH ME feat. Tiombe Lockhart
[Buy Album]


18.

Acoustic Ladyland
Last Chance Disco [Babel]
mp3 - OF YOU
[Buy Album]


17.

Jneiro Jarel
Three Piece Puzzle [Ropeadope]
mp3 - SOUL STARR
[Buy Album]


16.

Steve Reid Ensemble
Spirit Walk [Soul Jazz]
mp3 - LUGANO
[Buy Album]


15.

Doves
Some Cities [Capitol]
mp3 - BLACK AND WHITE TOWN
[Buy Album]


14.

Jackson and his Computer Band
Smash [Warp]
mp3 - HARD TITS
[Buy Album]


13.

Beck
Guero [Geffen]
mp3 - EARTHQUAKE WEATHER
[Buy Album]


12.

Polar Bear
Held on the Tips of Fingers [Babel]
mp3 - TO TOUCH THE RED BRICK
[Buy Album]


11.

Prefuse 73
Surrounded by Silence [Warp]
mp3 - HIDEYAFACE feat. Ghostface and El-P
[Buy Album]

Dang

Hey all,

I ain't feeling too hot after Day 1 (see below), so I'm postponing Zappa week until just after Christmas. However, you can bank on seeing some hot, steaming top 20 lists from Silent K and me before the weekend hits high gear.

Cheers, hopefully back with 20-11 tomorrow.

Oh, and as Zappa week will be a week away, don't forget his birthday would have been this wednesday. Do something crazy in his honor. I just wish Project Object was playing somewhere, as they're the living legend-bearers of FZ himself. Regardless, give Z a nod on his special day (and SK too!)

The Bench in the Dugout of Heaven

LEAP YOUR BAR
John Frusciante
Curtains [2005]
[DL] [Spend]

SPHERE
John Frusciante/Josh Klinghoffer
A Sphere in the Heart of Silence [2004]
[DL] [Spend]

FOR AIR
John Frusciante
Smile from the Streets You Hold [1997]
[DL] [Spend]

UNTITLED TRACK #13
John Frusciante
Niandra LaDes/Usually Just a T-Shirt [1994]
[DL] [Spend]

---

1. Yeah, so another week has disappeared beneath us. That happened a lot when I was a kid; sugar rushes and playground crushes laid waste to days, made haste of youth and irresponsibility. Going to bars when I was 13, an ignorant lad full of piss and vinegar, taking on the world at pool and with pool cue in those cold Liverpool backalleys. What did I know? There was never anything more important to decide than lunch - indian or chinese? - and so it went.

Nothing much changed through late teens. I'd get drunk in suburban basements with friends and guitars, dicking around on 4-tracks and 8-tracks, struggling to get that riff right. Pompous concept albums, scrappy, scratchy licks on a beat-up Jazzmaster, "hit that tin can like that one more time", pass the booze, laugh and strum until dawn.

John Frusciante was the early idol, you know, except without the heroin habit and 3 years marooned in an Amsterdam apartment. Everything he touched back in the '90s away from those cock-rockers had that homemade, kitchen-sink attitude, except without the idle swagger and nihilism of that whole grunge thing. His riffs were the tightest, extracting something from nothing (much like me if I had a proofreader look over this stuff) at every turn. Who cares if there's ambient noise? Who cares if the sound quality is akin to a dry fart through corduroy pants? Who gives a shit if the feedback drowns out the vocals? In a world where styrofoam studios agonize over every effect, every mHz on the soundboard, every scratch, tickle and pop, JF didn't give a fuck. Yeah, his voice sometimes made you wish you could punch out yr eardrums with a chicken bone, but you were willing to look past it for just long enough to appreciate the sound.

Nowadays he's a lot more polished - with pianos too! - but needless to say, his early-doors, DIY approach to the recording process inspired several college dorm room tapes and mp3s, perhaps too many in retrospect. Me, my acoustic guitar, a cheap pickup, a $11 microphone from the bookstore, and that was it. Shove a bootleg copy of SoundForge on my busted-up PC, and there were no limits.

To anyone who lived near my room, freshman year: I apologize.


2. It's also the weekend, and 5 days slipped past us once more. We are trying to get better with this, and there have been bright spots amongst the absenteeism. Regardless, eventually we'll learn to juggle it all (I believe all us bloggers have reached this fork-in-the-road, some of us quite recently), and there'll be one-a-day delights on FMGT. Maybe even weekends!


3. The health issue: yeah, so you all pretty much know where we're at to this point. Having left you here in the story, things have evolved since then and it's only fair to keep everyone up to speed.

Based on various CT scans and tests from different facilities in NYC, it appears that there is reason to believe that my cancer has spread. It's gone up into the abdomen now, as it predictably does, and that seems to be the end of the line at this point. Having spent a month with little to no new news from my doctors, the family decided that we should switch hospitals, and now we're at seriously the 5-star fucking place in the world. It's incredible, and the doctors over there have their heads screwed on straighter than anywhere else. After meeting with them about a week ago, the diagnosis was made and the plan was hashed out, and so I begin a 3-to-4 month chemotherapy treatment.

Sure, it's gonna knock me on my ass a little bit, but I'm tough and stubborn, so it should go smoothly. Some changes will occur in my day-to-day life (you know, like having no immune system for a while and the hair loss thing), but my attitude has been the same throughout: stay strong, stay positive. The support system around me is top-notch, and we're all ready and excited for the next phase.

As far as FMGT is concerned, I should still definitely be knocking around here regularly. The drugs they have now are tailored more to the business and mania of modern life, meaning that they intrude less on yr daily affairs unlike, say, 20 years ago. Fingers crossed, everybody, but this is definitely a good thing.


4. Ending on a lighter note, Zappa Week begins tomorrow. Enjoy my top 25 Zappa tunes over the next 5 or 6 days, in celebration and remembrance of a great man during his birthday week (Dec. 21, oddly enough, the same bday as Silent K.... eerie, man). There's lot to look forward to, so strap in tight and learn about the musical legend that was FZ. Back tomorrow. Enjoy yr sundays.


5. Also, like everyone else in mp3 blogdom, there will be a top-20 album countdown coming soon too. Haven't figured out how I will present mine yet (I'm almost positive SK is gearing up to do the same), but hopefully, there'll be a good ol' bunch of new stuff amongst the year's classics. OK, now I'm really going. See you tomorrow.

Mixed Treats / a grab bag for Monday

Bullet
Jamiroquai
Virtual Insanity [EP] [1996]
[Listen] [Google it?]

Eye for an Eye [Force Mass Motion vs Dylan Rhymes remix]
Unkle
Eye for an Eye [EP #1] [2003]
[Listen] [Buy it]

Down Beat Stomp
Tokyo Paradise Ska Orchestra
Stompin' Down on Beat Alley [2002]
[Listen] [Buy]

Heaven Hammer (Missing)
Beck
Guerolito [2006]
[Listen] [Buy]

Circlesong Six
Bobby McFerrin
Circlesongs [1997]
[Listen] [Buy]

Enjoy!

Red Hots for Robots

GLORIOUS
Sa-Ra Creative Partners
Glorious/Rosebuds 12" [2005]
[DL]

TERRAPIN
The Quantic Soul Orchestra
Stampede [2003]
[DL] [Buy]

JUJU FRUIT
Billy Martin and G. Calvin Weston
Percussion Duets [1995]
[DL] [Buy]

ROAD WITHOUT AN END
Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Band
Express Yourself [1967]
[DL] [Buy]


Again, I'm a little pressed for time this morning but there's just enough seconds in the hour to drain a bucket of warm, toasty tracks to keep you fenced in amongst the snow.

Sa-Ra Creative Partners are one of the best outfits you've never heard of. A career in the backroom just behind the spotlight, producing and spitting out beats hotter than the seventh center of the sun, you could throw a dart at a board covered in hip-hop acts and I'd guarantee that SRCP had collaborated with them. Bilal, Common, Pharaohe Monche, Common, Goapele, N.E.R.D, Jurassic 5: the list is out of control. Their repertoire reads like a rapper's rolodex. They're silky smooth and deadly with rhythm. Do not pass go, do not collect $200; stay a while with the SRCP and their sexy sound.

I think I've slapped some QSO up here before, but if not, definitely their mastermind, Quantic. The QSO reminds me of Madlib and his new side-gig Sound Directions - a live band committed to producing the soul/funk sounds of the 70s without the aid of turntables and effects, as Madlib and Quantic often do. It's some of the most danceable music out there, urging you to step in time and pop around the living room.

Up next, a little MMW solo action. Billy Martin has been pumping out avant-garde tunes for years under his independent Amulet Records imprint, collaborating at length with mentor Bob Moses, DJ Logic and others. Here, a percussion duet off Amulet's first release, an album with rhythm legend G. Calvin Weston. Weston, like Martin, is a king of the drumset -- at age 17, he was holding down the fort for Ornette Coleman's Prime Time Band. How many adolescents can say that? Here, the duo lock down a forceful beat, interlocking patterns and generally fucking with the mind.

---

Last but not least, a small tribute to Eric over at CYSTSFTS?, who is taking a hiatus from churning out his stellar blog. I know the feeling man; time is seriously at a premium these days. We will miss you, but we hope that you make it back into the realm before too long.

That's it for today; I have health news that I'll bore you all with sometime next week. Until then, keep warm and keep up the good work. It's weekend!

Another Thirsty Thursday

Tequila [Mint Royale remix]
Terrorvision
Tequila [Mint Royale Mixes EP]
[Listen!] [Try to buy!]

Get Yourself High
The Chemical Brothers
Singles 93 - 03 [2003]
[Listen!] [Buy!]

Another Drinkin' Song
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Let's Face It [1997]
[Skank to it!] [Buy!]

Smoke Weed
Crotch Rocket
Crotch Rocket [19??]
[What?]

Drinking, smoking and having a few laughs - it's one of those points where in the mess of the moment, nothing else matters. Here's a few tracks to match...

Mint Royale is a great DJ duo who have released a few albums of their own material, but the boom in their popularity came with this slapstick remix of Terrorvision's 'Tequila' - If Sesame Street decided to have a kegger, this song would be the perfect theme. Following that we've got the Chemical Brothers, another duo who require zero introduction. Their singles collection would have been a less-than-stellar relase if not for the two new songs thrown onto the end - one of which is 'Get Yourself High' and it shows that the brothers still have an affinity for deep, dark house. On a completely different side of the spectrum, however, is The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - who really put ska on the map of pop culture in the mid '90s - 'Another Drinkin' Song' is just that, finding itself opening with a sound that says 'I'm drinkin' alone' but then by the end, you realize that all your friends came over and you'll go out and get breakfast after you've nursed that hangover. To put a nightcap on these songs, I've picked out Crotch Rocket. Now, there might be more than one band that goes by that name - but this particular Crotch Rocket was composed of a few guys that lived in my house with me during my years at Syracuse University - this one becomes funnier each time I hear it.

And that's it for another FMGT Thirsty Thursday. Enjoy!

No time for love, Dr. Jones

MR. T's COMMANDMENT
Mr. T
[DL]

THE TOUGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD
Mr. T
[DL]

DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS
Mr. T
[DL]

All songs taken from Mr. T's Commandments [1984]




Neither of us have an awful lot of time today, but I know a man who has all the time in the world to take good care of you, our faithful FMGT audience. Listen, and listen good. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Showing my Soft Underbelly

MANE JOAO
Erasmo Carlos
[DL]

LIMEHOUSE BLUES
Charlie Byrd
Latin Byrd 1996
[DL] [Purchase]

QUA-QUARA-QUA-QUA
Baden Powell
Canto on Guitar 1970
[DL] [Purchase]

DEVE SER AMOR
Baden Powell, Charlie Byrd & Joao Gilberto
Bossa Nova Guitarre Jubileu 1992
[DL] [Purchase for 50 bucks - ouch]

TEMPO DE AMOR
Baden Powell & Vinicius De Moraes
Os Afro Sambas 1966
[DL] [Purchase]


Eric, I finally did it. The meme. I am exhausted. Enjoy these samba and nylon guitar delights, the majority coming from Baden Powell (NOT the founder of the Boy Scouts, but nice try).

Baden Powell is the absolute, hands-down king of the "acoustic" guitar. His finger-pickin', riff-lickin' approach to the nylon strings was superb, and he earned his place at the forefront of expressive composers in 20th Century Brazilian music.

Powell enjoyed a long and rich career, collaborating with some heavy folk in the music world: Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and the cats represented here, Charlie Byrd, singer Joao Gilberto and lyricist/longtime muse Vinicius de Moraes.

His music touched samba and bossa nova, and his composition skills are supreme.

Now skip this meme and wait for tomorrow's tunes. Time to go play in the slush. Oh, and we have email addresses now at FMGT HQ. Send us requests, songs, links and general mirth. Adieu!

---

7 Things I plan to do before I die:
1. Spend time in Japan.
2. Work properly for myself without serious struggle or financial strain.
3. Have a book published.
4. Play high-level rugby again.
5. Have children.
6. Win an eating competition.
7. Witness a Cubs World Series (yeah Eric, I know we're on the same page with that one)

7 Things I can do:
1. Play several instruments.
2. Make killer indian food.
3. Teach you about Whiskey and all its many malts.
4. Read and translate Latin.
5. Argue for argument's sake.
6. Train animals. Trust me on this one.
7. "Perform" while absolutely hammered drunk.

7 Things I cannot do:
1. Dance effectively.
2. Lie.
3. Laugh without sounding injured.
4. Get really angry when the situation calls for a bit of aggro.
5. Play poker without coming off like a jerk.
6. Explain concepts, ideas or situations to people without confusing them more than they were before I opened my mouth.
7. Shoot a free throw.

7 Things that Attract me to another person:
1. Sense of humour.
2. Smile.
3. Eyes.
4. Positivity.
5. Um, boobs? Not necessarily huge, but you know, good examples of the genre.
6. Ability to hold conversation.
7. A sense of perspective.

7 Things I say most often:
1. Seriously.
2. What is this, amateur hour?
3. Fuck.
4. If you like this, you'll love this.
5. What's the score?
6. Yeah, I'll have another beer.
7. Good deal.

7 People I want to do This:
1. Silent K (sorry man, but I'm getting you on this one)
2. Um,
3. I can't think of others?
4. Please let me off the hook
5. on this one.
6. I've fulfilled my duties,
7. albeit poorly?

Sampling the Asian Underground

Betelnutters
Ananda Shankar & State of Bengal
Walking On [2000]
[DL] [Buy]

Rebel Warrior
Asian Dub Foundation
Community Music [2000]
[DL] [Buy]

I Spy
Death in Vegas
Dead Elvis [1997]
[DL] [Buy]

Third World Lover
Kid Koala & Dynamite D
Bombay the Hard Way, Vol. 2: Electric Vindaloo [2001]
[DL] [Buy]

Traveller [Kid Loco's Once Upon a Time in the Mid East mix]
Talvin Singh
RemixSingh OK [2000]
[DL] [Buy]

Here's a nice sampling of Asian Underground beats. Some of which are pure from the motherland while others are simply riding the Indian influence.

Ananda Shakar & State of Bengal's 'Betelnutters' is a great up-beat track set to a sweet sitar, it's hard to ignore the groove that these guys set. Not enough can be said about Asian Dub Foundation, my buddy Rob introduced me to these guys and I've been loving them ever since. At times their political undertone can undermine the actual music [I do not intend to discount their message however]. 'Rebel Warrior' is one of their finer tracks - it gives you something to move to as well as a theme for airborne fist thrusting. Death in Vegas, are not true members of the Asian Underground by any ethnic means, but their track 'I Spy' fits our mood today quite well, with the welcome addition of an organ to the sitar and an almost saddening beat. Kid Koala & Dynamite D's 'Third World Lover' is a turntablists' gem, in fact the entire album [containing fused beats and well sewn samples from various Bollywood films] is a must-listen [so listen now!]. Topping it off with Talvin Singh's 'Traveller' wouldn't have been enough [because the album that it's on is quite easy to find] - so instead I opted for 'Kid Loco's Once Upon a Time in the Mid East mix' [taken from the elusive 'RemixSingh' album] which takes an already fantastic track and takes it to a different level [I'm not sure if I like this version better though]. This solid 5 track set is sure to please, even with the absence of Nitin Sawney [we'll save him for another day].

Enjoy.

D'oh

DIGGIN' IN BROWNSWOOD
DJ Rels
Theme for a Broken Soul [2004]
[Download] [Purchase]

COME MORENA (Cosmos Remix)
Ennio Morricone
[Download]

DO YO' THANG
Jneiro Jarel
Three Piece Puzzle [2005]
[Download] [Purchase]

CAROLINA CAROL BELA
Toquinho
Toquinho & Suas 30 Cancoes Preferidas [1996]
[Download]

THE GENTLE RAIN (RJD2 Remix)
Astrud Gilberto
Verve Remixed III [2005]
[Download] [Purchase]



Yeah, so where did this week go? Apologies for letting the FMGT 'stead go 4 days without fresh tunes. I promise never to do that again -- man alive. My bathroom ceiling collapsed on Wednesday. It wasn't good.

Moving on. In other news, my friend Eric over at CYSTSFTS? tagged me for a meme, and I'm absolutely stumped right now. I will do it this coming week however, I promise. Won't let it hang too long.

Here's some Saturday songs. Listen to them before you go out and get rip-roaring drunk, dancing yr ass off in some musty, dank, dark club. Let them be the buffer zone as you pre-game for the last time, slugging back that last of that whiskey & coke you've been nursing on the couch over the course of the afternoon. Back on Monday, fellows, back on monday.