Holiday Playlist

It's about that time of year again...Exams are over/almost over, the weather is freezing, and the warm feeling of relaxation and bonding sets in.  That's right, it's almost Christmas.  Christmas, as an aging kid, has become bittersweet.  No more extravagant presents, it goes by way too fast, and shopping is miserable.  Yet it's the little things like cookies, movie marathons, and looking at lights that makes this time of year special.  With all this soppy shit said, Here's a list of songs that make me feel Holiday-y from the good times to Christmas to the weird in between week, and finally to the New Year.  In all of it's glory, Merry Christmas and HAPPY HOLIDAYS...MA'AM.  Click the Link Below if to get to the Youtube playlist, but I encourage you to put it on your iTunes or a CD:

Christmas Gift Idea: Microsoft Zune vs. iPod

The wait is over: Apple finally has a rival to their iPod monopoly.  If your looking for somehow to listen to your music on the go and you have a PC, you should look into Microsoft's Zune.  They can do everything a iPod can do: Windows 7 phone is like and iPhone and a Zune HD is just like iPod touch.  The only thing is that Microsoft has not outsourced app-making priveleges so the app selection is a little meek.  But give it time.  I got a Zune HD this past February and it has been the best purchase I have made.  It makes sense, why not match up Microsoft with Microsoft.  Zune has so many advantages for PC users.

Rip City Hump Day Links

FC Dallas win MLS's Fashion Statement of the Year. Click Here to see why.
Juan Agudelo on the move to Spain? Think again says RBNY
St. Paul kid earns D3 All-American honors for Macalester
USL-PRO's LA Blues official introduced
New PDL team in Winnipeg: WSA Winnipeg
Diver breaks depth record
D.C. United sign 4th Homegrown Player
Big moves in the Second Phase of the Re-Entry Draft
Iconic Images of 2010
Blender's Songs of the Week, with videos!
Video of the Week: MPLS Metrodome caves in during historic blizzard

MUSIC: Who Sampled?

Here's a website that I found out about recently.  It's not new or anything, but many of you may not have heard of it.  It's called whosampled.com.  Basically, it is a huge database tracking which songs are sampled in other songs, which songs are covered by other bands, and which songs have remixes.  It's a really cool website if you like groups/artists such as Chiddy Bang or Kid Cudi, who frequently sample alternative or indie songs.  You can search by song, original song artist, year, or category.  Check it out.

Turkey Day Playlist

So it's almost Thanksgiving time, which for a lot of us, means miserable travelling.  But travelling doesn't have to be all that bad.  I find that a good mix is crucial for traveling so I thought I'd try something new at Rip City Soccer and make a playlist for people to make and listen on their way home, or wherever, for Thanksgiving.  I used to make mix CDs for my ex-girlfriend and friends all the time, and I'm told I have a knack for it (although, I don't know how much skill or insight is needed for this sort of thing).  So here's 25 songs I've compiled that I think you guys should listen to on your travels.

MUSIC: Girl Talk's New Album "All Day" FREE download online

Like Seamless Mash-Ups? Like Copyright Controversy? Like Free Music??

 

The king of mash-ups is back with "All Day," the follow up to 2008's "Feed The Animals."  Gregg Gills, better know as Girl Talk, released his newest cd and is available on the website for his company Illegal Art.

Album Review: Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

So...Kid Cudi's sophomore effort "Mr. Rager" has been released officially for a week now, which has given me time to listen to it a couple times through and form a fair analysis of it. Overall, this album is not the mind-blowing perfection of The End of Day. However, I wouldn't call it a sophomore slump. The album, I think, is appreciated best when it is listened to as a whole - a concept rare in modern hip hop. It is like a hip-hop version of the rockoperas of the late 70s and 80s. This album immediately reminded me of MGMT's "Congratulations," in that is what more about the psychedelic trip of listening to the sounds both for the audience and the artists, rather than being about the singles or the formation of individual "radio-ready" songs. This album is a commentary of Cudi's year goneby with his drug problem, fan altercation, jail time, and the birth of his daughter. Many critics have said that this album is just liquid cocaine to which Cudi replied, "I want my shit to be like you're reading a novel, not a Dr. Seuss book. (Complex)" Cudi did admit however that he needed cocaine in order to get past the emotional barriers that kept him from talking about his past - a major theme of the album. Read more and CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO...