Remix Of The Week: Jennifer Lopez "Ain't It Funny"

The remix gods smiled on J.Lo with this track. The so-so latin-flavored song from 01's J.Lo got flipped into a smooth R&B/hip hop mashup with assistance from Murder Inc. and a Craig Mack sample. Get into the clip below:

Artist Profile: HoneyChild

In this age of digitized dance music domination, L.A. based band HoneyChild stand out like a sore thumb. The six-piece group specialize in a versatile brand of acoustic rock. Whether it be the haunting balladry of "The Father," the exuberant folk pop displayed on "Tijuana" and "Driving Song," or the wasted, distorted guitars and monstrous stomp of "Lonesome Tiger," HoneyChild knows how to throw enough curve balls to keep listeners guessing. Download the band's album Nearer The Earth, below:

Artist Profile: The Jezabels

Australia quartet The Jezabels create a darkly beautiful sound scape, full of moody piano chords and ragged guitars that are by turns soothing and pummeling. Meanwhile vocalist Hayley Mary sings in a voice that shape shifts  from tough to seductive to almost operatic. Listen to a few of the band's songs below:

Find more artists like The Jezabels at Myspace Music

Find more artists like The Jezabels at Myspace Music

Find more artists like The Jezabels at Myspace Music

Bubbling Underground: Murdocks

Indies and The Underground managed to catch up with Murdocks frontman Franklin Morris, currently busy promoting the band's latest release Distortionist, to talk about musical influences, live shows, songwriting, religion and taking over the world.

How did you come up with the name Murdocks and how did the band get its start?

One of my biggest regrets surrounding the name of this band is that there is no good explanation for it.  When we were brainstorming names, this seemed to be the one that everyone hated the least, so it stuck.  Isn't democracy grand?!

What were your musical influences growing up?

I imagine that would be different for each of us.  The first band I ever loved was REM.  I went out and bought all of their tapes (to show my age) and played them until they warped.  When the 90's rolled around, I got hooked on Nirvana and, by way of them, punk. [Bands like] old 80's American Stuff like Minor Threat, Black Flag, Misfits, and so on.

Artist Profile: Chiddy Bang

Duo Chiddy Bang, made up of rapper Chiddy and beat maker Xaphoon Jones put their own spin on party rap, mixing irreverent rhymes with electronica-style beats that sample everything from MGMT to Weezer. Such playfulness translates into never-grow-up anthems ("Opposite of Adults"), and cocksure lyrical smackdowns (the Q-Tip assisted "Here We Go" and "Truth") that reference everything from the apocalypse to Bill Nye The Science Guy. Listen to a few tracks for the duo's album Preview below:

Find more artists like Chiddy Bang at MySpace Music

Find more artists like Chiddy Bang at MySpace Music

Find more artists like Chiddy Bang at MySpace Music

Artist Profile: Bear Hands

Bear Hands combine strange subject matter and an eclectic mix of sounds to create a unique pop/rock sound. Whether it's the digital crunch of "Crime Pays" (which enlightens us to the fact that illegal activity does indeed pay--who knew?), discussing dreams of long nails over bouncy psychedelia ("What A Drag") or the slow-mo distortion of "Camel Convention," Bear Hands definitely have a distinctive voice. The band's debut Burning Bush Supper Club, comes out on November 2nd. Listen to a few tracks below:

Find more artists like BEAR HANDS at MySpace Music

Find more artists like BEAR HANDS at MySpace Music

Find more artists like BEAR HANDS at MySpace Music

Remix Of The Week: Method Man Ft. Mary J. Blige "You're All I Need To Get By"

Perhaps hip hop's best love song ever (or least in the Top 3). Watch the clip below:

Vid Pick: David Crowder Band "SMS (Shine)"

What do you get when you use over 700,000 Lite-Brite (remember those 80's babies?) pegs to create 1200 images? The David Crowder Band's brilliant and touching new video. Oh yeah and the song's good too. Watch the clip below:

Artist Profile: Rain

Connecticut-based artist Rain is not your average R&B starlet. Whether applying her sweet,jazzy vocals on mid-tempo jams like "We Good," flowing Mary J.-style on the braggadocios "Off Da Chain," schooling other females on how to be independent women on the tough-talking "Boss," or the laid back, party vibe of "Yes Yes Ya'll," Rain  manages to sound strong and alive without wailing every line. Take a listen below:

Album Review: Big Jaw: Appetite For Construction

You'd never expect a guy dressed like Don Draper to rock, but Clint Roth, the mastermind behind Big Jaw, proves he's up to the task. Though only six tracks long, Appetite For Construction shows great versatility and personality.

"I'm Gonna Take You Home Tonight" mines gritty, blues-based rock territory in both sound--a wall of huge power chords and searing solos--and lyrics, with Clint singing "I know you're feeling/What I'm feeling/Just know that I'm gonna take you home tonight." "One Thing" continues in the same vein, combining monster riffs with an "I'll make you mine" lyrical manifesto.

"Darla" shows a flash of introspection, as Roth nervously contemplates the idea of always and forever. "It always seems like no one's ever happy/With what marriage brings/Why would we mess with a good thing," Roth sings to his lover, encouraging to her to take mind off matrimony and live in the moment. The new wave sounding "Wait," with its tender "doo doo" background vocals, bouncy, harmonic guitars and subtle electronic effects, is another standout.

Roth returns to blues-rock for the explicit kiss-off "#8," and album closer "We Can Have It All." The latter track finds the singer both reminiscing over and trying to mend a broken relationship. "Come be with me/Let's try to have it all/At least right now," Roth pleads. Perhaps Roth is more like his fashion inspiration in more than just appearance. Like Draper, he's living like there's no tomorrow, because there isn't one. Appetite For Construction transforms this urgency in a fun, versatile album.

4.5/5

Artist Profile: Big Jaw

Big Jaw, the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Clint Roth, crafts a grimy, bluesy rock sound full of dirty riffs and huge sing-a-long choruses tailor made for wild parties and bars. The straightforward raunchiness of "I'm Gonna Take You Home Tonight" and "One Thing," will provide a soundtrack for plenty of guys' nights out, while "Darla" and the melodic pop rock and gentle, harmonious guitar bends of "Wait" reveal a more vulnerable side. Take  a listen below:

First Listen: Hello Goodbye

Hello Goodbye are coming back strong on their upcoming release Would It Kill You. If the three tracks released are any indication, the group's new album will be filled to the brim with catchy, indie pop songs that will take root in your skull for months. Download the new songs below:


When We First Met

Getting Old

Finding Something To Do

Artist Profile: Unicorn Kid

Imagine being in a club when all of sudden a beat that sounds like it came straight out of Super Mario Bros. or Metroid blasts through the speakers, full of digital bits and bleeps. You might think damn, did someone do a remix of King Koopa's theme music? Nope, it's really the work of Scotland whiz Unicorn Kid, the 18-year old dance maverick responsible for superb Gorillaz and The Pet Shop Boys. He manages to create digitized tracks that still feel organic and natural. I think I'm in computer love. Listen to a few tracks below:

Find more artists like Unicorn Kid at MySpace Music

GORILLAZ SUPERFAST REMIX by UNICORN KID

WEE MONSTERS by UNICORN KID

Remix Of The Week: Destiny's Child "No, No, No"

Thank God for Wycelf Jean. Without this funked up remix to "No, No, No," an okay but by no means great ballad from the group's debut album, Destiny's Child might never have blown up into the pop/R&B powerhouse they became. Of course that would've meant no Beyonce (no "Single Ladies?" eeek!) anyways, get into the clip below:

Album Review: The Hours: It's Not How You Start It's How You Finish

"Everybody gets knocked down/How quick are you gonna get up," Hours' vocalist Antony Genn asks in "Ali In The Jungle." In actuality it's not a question so much as a command. Genn and bandmate Martin Slattery's debut release It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish, contains many more of these self-empowerment platitudes.

"When you're goin'  through hell/You gotta keep going," Genn urges in "These Days," another take-life-by-the-balls anthem. "I need something to believe in/Before I lose my mind," he sings with an undercurrent of urgency. And if there is one recurring lyrical theme on It's Not How You Start, it's that there's little time to waste. For The Hours, the world is going to hell in a hand basket, and its time for humanity to rise up and save both it and ourselves. Apathy is a dirty word. As Genn sings in "Big Black Hole," "It's time to cut the umbilical cord/And stand up on your own."

Vid Pick: La Roux "In For The Kill"

Snakes. Excessive hair spraying. Horny old folks being tended to by boy (and girl) toys. Peeping toms and 80's shimmy shaking. It all goes down at the La Roux hotel (at least in the U.S. version of the video.) Watch the clip below:

Artist Profile: Pomegranates

Ohio quartet Pomegranates craft a sunny, soulful brand of psychedelic pop (or "art-pop as the band calls it) tailored made for lazy, carefree days or clear, moonlights. Combining energetic guitars, atmospheric keyboards and an endless supply of hypnotic melodies, the band creates a sound that is simultaneously bombastic and intimate. Listen to a few songs below:

Find more artists like Pomegranates at MySpace Music

Find more artists like Pomegranates at MySpace Music

Find more artists like Pomegranates at MySpace Music

Artist Profile: SUUNS

The words "catchy experimental rock" usually sound like an oxymoron. But Montreal-based quartet SUUNS pull off this difficult feat with relative ease, cramming their songs with distortion, feedback, digitized vocals and electronic bits without sacrificing melody. Whether it be the frenetic freakout of "Marauder," the siren wails and guitar stomp of "Sweet Nothing" or the melancholy groove of "Arena," SUUNS find a way to make almost anything pop. Listen to a few tracks below:

Find more artists like SUUNS at MySpace Music

Find more artists like SUUNS at MySpace Music

Find more artists like SUUNS at MySpace Music

Remix Of The Week: Britney Spears "Overprotected (Darkchild Remix)"

Rodney Jerkins (a.k.a Darkchild) definitely worked his magic on this one, transforming an otherwise pedestrian track from 2001's Britney album into a fiyah dance tune. Get into the video below:

Album Review: B Slade: A Brilliant Catastrophe

It's certainly been an interesting journey for B Slade, the artist formerly known as Tonex. Last year he became the first gospel singer to come out of the closet, a decision that effectively ended his working relationship with the mainstream gospel music industry. However, with wardrobes consisting of multi-colored mohawks, furs, scarfs and platform boots, and music that embraced everything from R&B to electronica-inspired pop, B Slade never fit the mold of a traditional gospel star. Even Kirk Franklin never strayed that far from the format.

Vid Pick: B Slade "Get Over You"

B Slade, the gospel artist formerly known as Tonex, has new alter ego and a brand new swag, epitomized in his clip for "Get Over You," from his A Brilliant Catastrophe mixtape. All I can say is that I'm in looooove with this track. It's as if the spirit of Sylvester, the grand diva herself, invaded B Slade's body and has taken over!

B Slade, rocking a straight long perm, serves much attitude, while the video also incorporates clips from the classic 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning. B Slade will definitely be an artist to watch. Expect a full review of A Brilliant Catastrophe soon. Watch the video below:

Artist Profile: System and Station

Portland based System and Station have making music together for over a decade. The group's latest release Series of Screws, lives up to its title by showcasing plenty of tight, aggressive and catchy tunes that twist themselves into your head. Listen to a few tracks here.

Artist Profile: The Hours

Just when you though Coldplay had a monopoly on moody, melodic get-your-lighters-out Brit-pop, along comes The Hours. Packing their music with all the right elements--huge choruses, driving guitars and piano licks, big drums and sharp lyrics delivered with undeniably earnest emotion--the London-based band seems poised to become the next big thing in rock. Take a listen to a few tracks off It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish, and watch the group's video for "See The Light" below:

Find more artists like The Hours at MySpace Music

Find more artists like The Hours at MySpace Music

The Hours - "See The Light" 2010 Edit from Adeline Records on Vimeo.

Artist Profile: Exit 451

Montreal rockers Exit 451 create smooth, laid back but by no means boring brand of experimental rock. Ambient keyboards, elegant piano chords, angular guitar riffs and Jean-Philippe's haunting vocals all combine to make a cool exotic sound. Listen to song excerpts from the band's album The Sea Above The Sky here.

Remix Of The Week: SWV "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)"

SWV plus a Michael Jackson sample equals magic. Watch the clip below: