Track of the Week: Flip Flop Rock (f. Killer Mike & Jay-Z) by OutKast

This week’s track is Flip Flop Rock (f. Killer Mike & Jay-Z) by OutKast, off of Speakerboxx/The Love Below. After seeing the Watch the Throne tour last week, I went through my entire music collection listening to every Jay-Z song I had, and this little gem turned up the Speakerboxx side of this album. The product is classic OutKast, turntables screeching, thumping synth-laden organic beats, and Big Boi’s signature quick-clip flow. Jay-Z does the hook on the song, as well as the closing verse. I don’t remember the song from when the album came out (I was always partial to GhettoMusik on Speakerboxx and My Favorite Things on The Love Below), but in relistening to the album it’s a great track and Jay-Z’s hook is fantastic.

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Music Top 10 from 2011

Since 2006, I’ve been scrobbling all the music I listen to on last.fm. So this year, for the first time, I’ve gone back at the list of music I’ve scrobbed and pulled out the Top 10s — songs, and artists. This isn’t an explicit “my favorite music from 2011”, but more of an implicit one as ranked by how I’ve listened across iTunes, iPhone/iPod, Hype Machine, and Spotify.

So, without further ado, the Top 10:

Top Artists

  1. Tinie Tempah – 210 listens
  2. Kanye West – 201 listens
  3. Pretty Lights – 173 listens
  4. Film School – 163 listens
  5. Lupe Fiasco – 151 listens
  6. The Temper Trap – 146 listens
  7. Blip Blip Beep – 143 listens
  8. Adele – 141 listens
  9. Two Door Cinema Club – 141 listens
  10. The Glitch Mob – 105 listens
Top Songs
  1. Tinie Tempah – Wonderman (f. Ellie Goulding) – 38 listens
  2. The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition – 27 listens
  3. Mimosa – I Put A Spell On You – 27 listens
  4. Two Door Cinema Club – Undercover Martyn – 26 listens
  5. Skrillex – Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites – 25 listens
  6. Tinie Tempah – Miami 2 Ibiza (f Swedish House Mafia) – 25 listens
  7. Skream & Example – Shot Yourself In The Foot Again – 25 listens
  8. Deadmau5 – Raise Your Weapon (Switch Fusion remix) – 24 listens
  9. Theophilus London – I Stand Alone – 24 listens
  10. Blip Blip Beep – Freak You Out – 23 listens

Interesting observations:

  • Three acts whose music I bought after seeing a live show without ever known the band prior: Film School, Blip Blip Beep, and The Glitch Mob
  • Dubstep shows up a lot in the individual tracks, but not in my top artists
  • Lupe shows up, which I was surprised about since he hasn’t had a new album (a noteworthy album at least) in quite some time
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Track of the Week: Overture 1928 by Dream Theater

This week’s track is Overture 1928 by Dream Theater off of their 1999 concept album Scenes from a Memory. There was a period in the late 90s and early 2000s where I was a total progressive rock nerd and Dream Theater was at the center of my obsession. For a long while I bought every album of theirs, bootlegs, went to shows and the whole bit. Thankfully I’ve grown up a bit, but every once in a while one of their songs comes up on shuffle and takes me back to self-indulgent guitar riffs, 20 minute drum solos, and other prog rock goodies. Today’s track is the overture from my second favorite Dream Theater album (first being Images and Words, natch). Listening to Mike Portnoy kill on the drums while John Petrucci shred on the guitar with crazy complex melodies is technical rock bliss. The best part of the song is it’s an overture for the album, giving you a hint at all the sounds, melodies and rhythms the album will take you through.

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Track of the Week: Whatever You Like by Anya Marina

This week’s track is Whatever You Like by Anya Marina, off of the Whatever You Like digital 45 (whatever a “digital 45” means). And yes, this is a cover of TI’s Whatever Your Like. And yes, it’s a folk-y remix much like Dynamic Hack’s cover of Boyz in the Hood. Now, after listening to a few other Anya Marina tracks she seems like a talented singer/songwriter in the indie-folk vein who I’m sure has oodles of musical talent of her own, but this cover was too good to pass up.

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