What's Rockin' Yer iPod?

You know, back when I actually had a job and had money (or, to be more precise, back before Napster and mp3 file trading), my favorite day of the week used to be Tuesday. Yes, Tuesday, not Friday or Saturday, but Tuesday. Why?

Tuesday is the day that new records are released (although I must give a shout out to my old school haunt The Vinyl in Port Chester, which straight didn't give a fuck and stocked new records as early as Friday-- so best). Being the music dork I am, walking into the record store on a Tuesday afternoon after school used to bring me so much joy, as it meant I was only minutes away from discovering some new grooves and rockin' out to some new tunes. Now, of course with the internet, the whole mystique of Tuesday's and release dates has kind of waned a bit (and I am just as guilty of this as the next dude).

Nevertheless, seeing as how today, July 12, you can find several interesting releases landing on the shelves of your local music provider, I figured I'd do a little run down and see what the rest of you out in the blogtopia are interested in rockin on the iPod, bumping in the car, or throwing on that next mixtape for the significant other. Without further ado...

So, as we all know, the new hot spot in hip hop is Houston, TX. The H-Town sound has already produced one platinum rapper/overnight celebrity in Mike Jones, and now the true Boss Hog of the Swishahouse set, Slim Thug, steps to the plate with Already Platinum. Now, I haven't heard this yet, but given that 1) Most hardcore Houston heads will tell you Slim Thug is infinitely more talented than Mike Jones (or fellow "Still Tippin" collaborator Paul Wall, who's The People's Champion drops next month) and 2) The Neptunes are backing this (granted, the 'Tunes have kinda fallen off in the last year or so, and are certainly nowhere near where they were 3-4 years ago, when every beat that leaked out of their VA studio was an absolute bear), I have a feeling Slim's gonna be hauling a platinum plaque or two back to Houston in the next few months.

Perhaps you're not on the Southern tip, but you've cast your allegiance with the crew that is rapidly making every internet rap nerd (and this blogger included) forget G-Unit, Harlem's own Diplomats (peep "Diplomats Week" if you don't believe me) who hit you with Diplomats & Duke Da God Present: Dipset More Than Music, Volume One. More Than Music aspires to clue any remaining non-believers in to what the Dip Set Movement has been doing, and letting new comers like Hell Rell and J.R. Writer get some shine alongside seasoned vets like Cam, Juelz, and Jim Jones. Now, if you took my advice and went out and got that Memorial Day mixtape I raved about a few weeks ago, you've already heard alot of the jams on here, but there's enough stuff on here--particularly the extremely wicked "Somebody's Gotta Die Tonight" (who knew wood winds could be so damn menacing?) by Cam'ron (and innane yelling by Freaky Zeeky on the outro). My only beef: Where the fuck is "Eye of the Beholder (Get 'Em Daddy)" (which I've also written about in the past), quite possibly my favorite Cam joint ever!?

Hey, maybe hip hop's just not your thing, period. Maybe you enjoy shaking your ass to big fat dance grooves, yeah? Well, then you must go out and grab a copy of the new disc from the Iranian-born, DC-bred house music kings Deep Dish, George Is On. If you downloaded the essential mix I posted on this site a few weeks back, you've already heard most of the songs in some form or another, but the boys do a good job of straddling the line between club shakers and more meditative home listening joints, seamlessly flowing from one to the next. Standout tracks include the Stevie Nicks assisted Fleetwood Mac remake "Dreams," "Sergio's Theme," "Say Hello," "Flashdance," and "No Stopping For Nicotine," among others.

Along the same lines, if you're looking for more groovy party tunes, look no further than Royksopp's new one, The Understanding. The debut album from these Norweigan masters of downtempo, Melody A.M., was pretty damn good, and Understanding upps the ante. It's not all "Poor Leno"-styled downtempo this time out, but even some certifiable discerning dance floor bangers to be found as well. Don't believe me? Even snooty ass Pitchfork likes it (proving that yes, it's ok all you indie kids, you can actually, ya know, dance from time to time-- seriously, it won't kill you, give it a whirl). I've only listened to this once so far, but I can tell you that "Alpha Male" is eight minutes of gorgeous grooviness.

I tried to find an interesting rock release that dropped this week to round everything out, but the only thing that really caught my attention is The Tain EP by the Decemberists. So, you're just gonna have to keep rockin' out to Sufjan Stevens, The Whipe Stripes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! or whatever else it is that's been making your morning commute a little bit easier. That is, unless you live in the new England area, which means you're probably getting your hair done up in cornrows and rocking out to Bronson Arroyo's Clearing The Bases.

So, dear reader, what interests you about this magical summer Tuesday? Or, more generally, what's been rockin' your socks recently? (And if you're suspecting that this was all a cheap ploy to generate some more comments from you people-- ding ding ding! You get a gold star on your nose! Perhaps if I get more comments on a regular basis, I wouldn't have to resort to cheap tricks like this... think about it!).

P.S. If you're looking for the grooviest mp3 I've heard in months, go here. It almost sounds like someone gave DJ Shadow a bottle of cough syrup and a DJ Screw tape, then dared him to fuck with Endtroducing, and he got through five and a half minutes before passing out into a sizzurp coma. Maybe not, maybe I'm reaching... but seriously, just go download it, you'll thank me later. (Shout to Music (For Robots))