I Can't Believe I'm Blogging Usher Either

I fancy myself a pretty eclectic music lover and even I'm surprised that I'm blogging about Usher.

I've got to admit, there are times when I'm fine with Usher's schtick -- and let's be clear, the man's a pop music gimmick -- but those times happen to coincide with the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the existence of a dance-floor, preferably located in a basement or a poorly lit club. My only other caveat is that he must resign to song's background; If Usher's doing anything more than setting the stage for a guest star legitimate rapper/talent, consider me not interested.

Well, assuming you adhere to the same Usher criteria, you too will enjoy this new Usher track from his forthcoming Raymond v. Raymond LP, titled "Little Freak," in which Nicki Minaj completely kills (emphasis on kills) her guest spot. The track sounds club ready to me.

Speaking of club ready, the same logic above applies to this Gucci Mane track off The State vs. Radric Davis (What's with the WWF-style album titles guys?). "Spotlight" thankfully finds Usher taking a backseat to Gucci's infectious monotonic flow and could easily soundtrack whatever awkward gyration you hope to bust out this weekend.

Happy Friday.

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Little Freak (feat. Nicki Minaj) - Usher

Spotlight (feat. Usher) - Gucci Mane

Usher vs. Los Campesinos! : The Year This Club Broke (My Heart) - The Hood Internet

The Besnard Lakes Hunt an Albatross

Way back in 2007, Quebec's The Besnard Lakes released their second LP, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse. At the time of its release, I was completely unaware of the Canadian indie export. That is, until a friend sent it to me sometime in early '08. It was still the heart of winter in Michigan when I first played the record through my desktop speakers, but the condensation on my window and the snow outside made for the perfect background to that patient, orchestral, yet lonely album.

The band's sound strikes this balance between an overpowering and a delicacy, molding together shoegaze with string quartets. I'm happy to report that "Albatross," the first single off their upcoming album, contains all of those aforementioned qualities -- It's a sweeping shoegaze epic that manages to sound intimate. Pour a cup of tea and listen.

The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night is the forthcoming LP's title and it's due out March 9th on Jagjaguwar.

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Albatross - The Besnard Lakes

From The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse

Disaster - The Besnard Lakes

Devastation - The Besnard Lakes

Jay Reatard, Dead at 29

I was extremely saddened to hear that Jay Reatard, the prolific Memphis garage rocker, was announced dead today. According to reports, he was found in his home at 3:30 AM this morning. Cause of death has yet to be determined and most of the details are still pretty unknown. (via P4k)

It's a sad day for DIY punk rock and a sad day for the music world in general. Reatard was a constantly recording musician, so I'm sure his record label, Matador, will compile some sort of posthumous release.

Ever since I got my hands on 2006's Blood Visions a couple of summers ago, I've been a big fan of Reatard's lo-fi brand of rock. The man had an ear for melody and distortion and I consider the ending to "Waiting for Something" to be a stellar example of garage punk done right.

R.I.P.

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See Saw - Jay Reatard

Blood Visions - Jay Reatard

Hammer, I Miss You - Jay Reatard

Wounded - Jay Reatard

Waiting for Something - Jay Reatard

You Were Sleeping - Jay Reatard

The Dirty Projectors Forgot This Christmas Gift

So everyone and their mom thought Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca was one of the best records of 2009 and since we all can’t get enough of the hip Brooklyn darlings, let us rejoice at yesterday’s release of a free digital 7”!

“Ascending Melody” is the single’s name and the title track and b-side “Emblem of the World” are two previously unreleased cuts from the Bitte Orca sessions. For the price of an email address, it’s free for download over at the Dirty Projectors’ website, but if digital music ain’t your thing, Dave Longstreth and co. were cool enough to press limited vinyl editions, available exclusively at the Domino Records online store.

Go to their website, or check out the pretty damn good MP3s down below...

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Ascending Melody - Dirty Projectors

Emblem of the World - Dirty Projectors

Teh Future Is Now

I'm back from Ecuador and the trip was AMAZING. I'll probably post some pictures on Flickr/Facebook and have some photos accompany blog entries, but I have yet to upload the memories to my Macbook, so for now simply know the vacation was just what I needed.

It's 2010, which is weird. It also means there's plenty of new music to be shared. And yes, I know I owe a Best of 2009 list, which will appear here soon. Let the new year blogging begin, pistols in our hands, women on our minds.

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Two Weeks (BBC Maida Vale Session) - Grizzly Bear