#4 - Fez

[Trav Le Bleu]

Are we actually doing this or not?

Was planning to do review today but...

1) Massive headache

2) Brazilian GP

3) Going to see Fleet Foxes at Trent Uni

Hopefully head will feel better before 2 & 3

PROMISE will review tomorrow!

[Trav Le Bleu]

1. Paper Route Gangstaz - Rollin (DJ Ayres remix)

Paperboys trying to be gangsta - name of the band sums them up well. Oh no. It's "do you find me intimidating?!" music. No, now sod off hoodie and drink some cider down by the swings in the park.

2. Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Diplo remix)

More "intimidate you - in yer face" music. Perleeeeease!

3. Alter Ego & Ghost Writers - Ghost Musick (Baltimoroder remix)

Sigh.

4. Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Grae feat. Chen Lo - Threats

Not sure that gangsta rap and gospel make easy bed partners - the hip hop parts are quiet mellow though.

5. The Pharcyde - Runnin' (Philippians remix)

This is okay. Pretty much what I'd expect from The Pharcyde.

6. Buckshot Lefonque - Music Evolution

Mellow and smooth, but didn't like the rapping. In the end it's all about the meter. They left it running.

7. The Nextmen feat. Zerif - Something Got You (Yes King remix)

Was going to say this doesn't really do anything for me, but the more I listen the more I like.

8. Kutiman - Music Is Ruling My World

It's very 70s - all spangles, flares and Bootsie Collins. That'll be a no then.

9. Jackie Opel - You Too Bad

This mix is very horn heavy. Horn as in brass. I suppose you could skank to this. If I wanted to skank. Sorry.

10. Feist - Sealion (Chromeo remix)

A song about a sealion...

11. Justice - Let There Be Light (Breakbot remix)

Getting there, but not arrived. Must beep harder next time.

12. Free The Robots - Jazzhole

There's one type of music that I will usually go a long way to avoid and that's jazz. If I want my music syncapated I'd rip my ears of and sew them back on the wrong way round. This wasn't too syncapated, but it was very muzak.

13. Dani Siciliano - Extra Ordinary

This is better. Then it went all jazz

14. Arms - Shitty Little Disco

I'm getting Joy Division, I'm getting Simple Minds, I'm getting early U2. Really enjoyed this one!

15. The Mojomatics - Miss Me When I'm Gone

This is the kind of music that would get bused to advertise iPods. Not too offensive and catchy, but nothing outstanding.

16. Menomena - Wet and Rusting

Now I'm getting Mercury Rev and Flaming Lips - I liked that one quite a bit - nice! The double bass and piping organ most of the way through were neat.

17. TV on the Radio - DLZ

Not sure what to make of this - get the feeling I could go either way after a few listens. For all that it makes it interesting.

18. Glowworm - Lith

I'm getting Godspeed YBE, I'm getting Sigr Ros, I'm getting Ennio Morricone. An enjoyable end to the mix and a nice wind down.

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Thanks for your mix Fez. I may not have liked most of it, but there were some gems in there! Menomena I'll definitely be searching out.

[James.]

2. Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Diplo remix)

More "intimidate you - in yer face" music. Perleeeeease!

[Jay]

17. TV on the Radio - DLZ

Not sure what to make of this - get the feeling I could go either way after a few listens. For all that it makes it interesting.

you should get hold of this album Trav when I first listened to it I was indifferent like you, didn't know what to make of it was it dull and boring or brilliant but over the last weekend I listened to this album about 4-5 times straight through again yesterday and am currently listening to it on my lunch break!!

I now love this album it's simply brilliant and has shot up the album of the year list big style the instruments, the style you need to listen to the album all the way through to really appreciate it.

This is on of my favourites from the album...

[Trav Le Bleu]

I liked that Jay. Complex music sometimes can sound like a mess - sometimes it's cos it is and sometimes it's cos its very clever. Willing to give this a few chances.

[Samilktray]

Gonna give this a first listen, review tomorow I should think.

In other news mines up for download now.

[Jay]

I liked that Jay. Complex music sometimes can sound like a mess - sometimes it's cos it is and sometimes it's cos its very clever. Willing to give this a few chances.

If you need help finding the album let me know...

but it is very worthwhile, it's certainly one of those albums that really grows on you

[shen]

Just gave this a full first listen (had started it twice before, but had other commitments come in the way), and I can easily say I like the second half a lot more than the first one. Will do a proper review after second listen, a la Bleu Trav. Nextmen, Free The Robots, Menomena and Tv on the Radio stood out this time.

Oh and Fez, you can't just post a teasing comment and not follow it up! That's just mean

@TravLeBleu: Gonna ask you here since you don't check your inbox Any recommendations on where to start when getting into Dinosaur Jr?

[Trav Le Bleu]

Just gave this a full first listen (had started it twice before, but had other commitments come in the way), and I can easily say I like the second half a lot more than the first one. Will do a proper review after second listen, a la Bleu Trav. Nextmen, Free The Robots, Menomena and Tv on the Radio stood out this time.

Oh and Fez, you can't just post a teasing comment and not follow it up! That's just mean

@TravLeBleu: Gonna ask you here since you don't check your inbox Any recommendations on where to start when getting into Dinosaur Jr?

Well your in box is full and not accepting anymore messages

So here's the linky to my Dinosaur Jr Sampler (only 3 tracks) for you and anyone else to enjoy!

Dinosaur Jr Sampler Download

[Mark]

I really don't like and struggle to listen to rap music so obviously didn't enjoy most of this. The music on some of the tracks are good (I'd probably like the Dead Prez track if the vocals weren't there) but it's not enough when them vocals and me don't go.

Free the Robots and Arms tracks were decent.

Menomena track was quite good, nice piano

Nice ender with Glowworm, too bad only the closer track had that sound..

[shen]

Well your in box is full and not accepting anymore messages

So here's the linky to my Dinosaur Jr Sampler (only 3 tracks) for you and anyone else to enjoy!

Dinosaur Jr Sampler Download

Just realised earlier silly me. And thank you!

[Jay]

1. Paper Route Gangstaz - Rollin (DJ Ayres remix)

I like the backing track to this but really not sure if I like this or not

2. Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Diplo remix)

Hip Hop is a classic tune the bass line on the original is awesome guaranteed to destroy any speakers I prefer the original to be honest.

3. Alter Ego & Ghost Writers - Ghost Musick (Baltimoroder remix)

4. Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Grae feat. Chen Lo - Threats

don't like this at all

5. The Pharcyde - Runnin' (Philippians remix)

I love The Pharcyde just wishing you used the original with all it's jazziness

6. Buckshot Lefonque - Music Evolution

This is loads better loving this song it's brilliant!! very good song

7. The Nextmen feat. Zerif - Something Got You (Yes King remix)

nice and Dubby this is another good tune we seem to finally moving in the right direction!!

8. Kutiman - Music Is Ruling My World

a bit of funky Jazz even Howard Moon would be proud of!!

9. Jackie Opel - You Too Bad

OH YES!!!!! Loving this mix now

10. Feist - Sealion (Chromeo remix)

listenable but nothing more... actually now it's been playing a while now and I am starting to like this more.

11. Justice - Let There Be Light (Breakbot remix)

not sure if it's just this remix but it seems to be missing something BUT I can imagine myself tapping along if I was stuck in Traffic, it's a driving/traffic song if that makes sense

12. Free The Robots - Jazzhole

Yeah I like this good stuff once more

13. Dani Siciliano - Extra Ordinary

nice and chilled out yeah this works for me as well

14. Arms - Shitty Little Disco

this is really good an excellent raw unproduced sound, like one man a guitar and a drum machine in a cupboard moves along nicely will be checking out more of this

15. The Mojomatics - Miss Me When I'm Gone

this does it for me!!!

16. Menomena - Wet and Rusting

this works going to investigate this one a little further.

17. TV on the Radio - DLZ

I have talked about these already in this thread but when I first heard the TV on the radio album I wasn't sure if it was brilliant or crap I now think it's an amazing album on so many levels the harmonies, the instruments, the tunes it's one of my favourite albums of the year

18. Glowworm - Lith

Nice way to fade things out and close the mix

In conclusion I was wondering where this was all going for the first few songs but I really enjoyed track 6 onwards

I am currently downloading Arms and Mojomatics from emusic and investigating a few more a little deeper!!

[Fez of Mahrez]

Cheers Jay. Arms album is brilliant, reckon you will love that. Not sure about the Mojomatics.

[shen]

1. Paper Route Gangstaz - Rollin (DJ Ayres remix)

Gangsta shit. With emphasis on the second word.

2. Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Diplo remix)

Dear God no! This is horrible. Not only does it sound like a poor song in the first place, but that mix has made it even worse!

3. Alter Ego & Ghost Writers - Ghost Musick (Baltimoroder remix)

Not as shocking as the previous effort. The ears got used to the style with the last song, but this mix is far better. It's just not me, unfortunately...

4. Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Grae feat. Chen Lo - Threats

Yeah, I can tolerate this a whole lot more.

5. The Pharcyde - Runnin' (Philippians remix)

I like the turn this mix is taking. Oh so much better than the first three tracks *breathes sigh of relief* Could even see myself checking out more of this stuff.

6. Buckshot Lefonque - Music Evolution

This is alright, but I'm just no fan of hip hop (and don't think I'll ever be). The more it gets disguised, the better. Not as good as the previous two tracks.

7. The Nextmen feat. Zerif - Something Got You (Yes King remix)

Least offensive song so far, and there's always something likeable about reggae-ish tunes. I'm not that impressed though.

8. Kutiman - Music Is Ruling My World

I dig this, good funky tune. I miss a bit of evolution though, it's a bit too straight-forward. Vocals are not great either, but it's listenable.

9. Jackie Opel - You Too Bad

Hmmm, I've grown a bit tired of the tendency to go retro. Unless an artist can genuinely do something new and fresh (or just really good) with old stuff, then it's pretty pointless. This just doesn't do anything for me...

10. Feist - Sealion (Chromeo remix)

I'm not crazy about Chromeo. That 70s/80s disco mix sound has been tried on all sorts of genres now, and it just doesn't ignite anything. It seems that the only goal is to make a catchy song, and this attempt is quite poor.

11. Justice - Let There Be Light (Breakbot remix)

See, now this is much more like it! Faaar catchier than that Feist/Chromeo track.

12. Free The Robots - Jazzhole

And this beats them both. A funky jazz mix can just be killer when timed right, and this one is

13. Dani Siciliano - Extra Ordinary

I'm not really noticing this song. I'm struggling to build up any enthusiasm for it. It's not bad, but really 'meh' for lack of a better expression.

14. Arms - Shitty Little Disco

A little too miserable for me. Not in the mood for this right now, but I doubt I'd want to listen to it even if I were.

15. The Mojomatics - Miss Me When I'm Gone

A much needed change of pace! Energetic little song, and although I'm not much for rawness, it works well here. Woke me up a bit! It's not something I'd listen to a whole lot though, but works very well in the mix.

16. Menomena - Wet and Rusting

Most interesting song so far, by quite some distance. But even after several listens I don't know what to think of it. It frustrates me when the drummer can't keep a tempo/when the other musicians don't synchronise, whether it's deliberate or not. But I like the piecing together of all kinds of instruments and segments. It's harmoniously chaotic... or something along those lines! Will get more listens...

17. TV on the Radio - DLZ

Solid track. Again though I didn't take that much notice of it. I wouldn't know when I'd listen to it, to be frank...

18. Glowworm - Lith

I like this! A bit of a melancholic way to end the mix, but quite different from the rest. Might get some occasional listens as well!

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Ovarall: I had many listens of this mix, and changed my mind a lot of times; it really was that hard to express any opinion of this. I didn't enjoy this as much as your effort in the previous CD Swap (which was very good). I probably knew this beforehand after looking at the playlist, but I thought there could be a few surprises. I'm just no fan of hip hop and never will be, but I'm glad you stuck in a few other genres in there. I'm listening to a few of the tracks on your previous mix (Quantic, Breakestra, Fields & As Tall As Lions), but I don't think there'll be more than a couple of tracks on here that will feature regularly on my playlists. Your versatility shows and the quality in general is very good, so top marks for that. And thank you, I appreciate the exposure to music I wouldn't normally look out for!

[Joe.]

Right, I'm just going to keep it simple tell you which ones I liked and disliked.

Liked

1. Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Diplo Remix) Yes, yes, yes.

2. The Pharcyde - Runnin (Philippians RMX) - Particularly love it at 3:45!

3. Feist - Sealion (Chromeo Remix) - Sure I've heard this somewhere before. Inoffensive track right here.

4. Justice - Let There Be Light (Breakbot Remix) - Oh come on, there was going to be no way I wouldn't like this!

5. Arms - Shitty Little Disco - Something a bit different to the rest... I liked the main riff.

6. The Mojomatics - Miss Me When I'm Gone

7. TV On The Radio - DLZ

Disliked

1. Buckshot Lefonque - Music Evolution - Music Evolution - It's not even that bad really, just too long for me for what it is.

2. The Nextmen - Something Got You (Ft. Zarif) (Yes King Remix)

3. Jackie Opel - You Too Bad - It's not awful or anything, just not really my thing.

4. Menomena - Wet & Rustling

Somewhere in the middle...

1. Paper Route Gangstaz - Rollin (DJ Ayres Remix) Very wrong of me I know but this reminds me of Flobots

2. Alter Ego & Ghost Writers Feat. Lil Keke - Ghost Musick (Baltimoroder Remix)

3. Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Gr - Threats Feat. Chen Lo - Meh. Scrapes it onto here because I liked some bits of it, but I don't think it's a particularly strong song throughout.

4. Kutiman - Music Is Ruling My World

5. Free The Robots - Jazzhole

6. Dani Sicilano - Extra Ordinary

7. Glowworm - Lith - It's alright once it gets into it, pretty decent. Probably not something I'd specifically pick out to listen to though.

Overall, I really enjoyed this mix Fez, most of the tracks were right down my street.

[shen]

Review of Fez mix

*feels overlooked*

[Joe.]

*feels overlooked*

Don't worry I haven't forgotten! I was just in the mood to listen to Fez's at the time. Yours will be done, promise.