Merry (Belated) Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

Go To FileFactory.com

Download here.  

Nine

I've never seen the musical, but the film adaptation looks visually exciting... and Daniel Day-Lewis stars, so it's got to be good.  Nine:

The 3/50 Project

I spotted a flyer for the 3/50 Project at the Black, the famed Ocean Beach novelty shop.  It's a great idea... support local business, local art, local music!!

For more info, check out the 3/50 site.

Rolling Stone's "Best of the Decade"

Rolling Stone has just released their lists for best albums and songs of the decade, as ranked by a panel of musicians, critics, and industry "insiders."  There are some obvious questions (what the hell is "99 Problems" doing at #2 best song of the decade, how is "Clint Eastwood" ranked higher than "Feel Good Inc." for the Gorillaz, how is there not a Bright Eyes album in the top 15???), but more than anything, these lists are fun because they give you a chance to reminisce over some of the great music of recent years... so go ahead, check it out, debate with friends, and reconnect with some tunes you either missed or have spent some time away from.

RS' albums of the decade.

RS' songs of the decade.

Check out this sweet old school cover of Jimi!!

Tangerines

I discovered today that the tree in my backyard is, in fact, a sweet tangerine tree.  It's fruits are delicious.  Here's to a world with tangerines.

Interview Project

My pal Leigh(sa) recently put me on to the singular, coolest idea I've heard about in recent memory.  The premise: a team of roadtrippers drive around the country, conducting brief interviews with strangers they have met during pitstops along the way.  The result: a cinematic portrait of the human race - the hopes, fears, dreams, and regrets of average folks all around the country.  It's hard to stop watching and undeniably beautiful.  Enjoy:

Interview Project (by David Lynch)

The Architecture of Antonio Gaudi

"Originality consists in returning to the origin." -- Antonio Gaudi.

From my personal photographs, the works of Gaudi, which have left a most original mark on the city of Barcelona and the world of architecture:

 

For more information, go to Barcelona.  Or here.  ;) 

Bob Dylan - 1965 Time Magazine Interview

One of my favorite interviews of all time, captured on film:

Alicia Keys - Unthinkable (Written by Drake)

Alrighty, prepared for a grander than usual post??  

Neo-Soul moment of the day!!  I remember when Alicia Keys' debut record dropped and I rocked it straight for a few months with no chaser; I was definitely crushing on her!  That being said, it was an incredible record and Ms. Keys' new single, "Unthinkable," has me excited, capturing that energy of her early records.  Listen and/or download here!

Now, for those of you interested in digging a little deeper, it's important to note that this record was written by rap newcomer Drake.  In my humble opinion, I find Drake incredibly talented; the way he works (lyrically and with melody) is fresh and innovative.  However, he just comes off like a cornball most of the time; I see the skill, but I don't believe him.  Put another way, his swag just seems phony; I'd love to see him grow a little more comfortable in his own skin... having said that (shout out to Curb fans), this Keys record is off the chain and you can totally see his melodies at work in the song.  Here's what Drake, the man himself, had to say:

A final thought: I'm not the only singer songwriter who perhaps fell for Miss Keys.  Have a listen to "Thunder on the Mountain"... 

"I was thinking about Alicia Keys,

Couldn't keep from crying,

When she was born in Hell's Kitchen,

I was living down the line,

I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be,

I been looking for her, even clear through Tennessee"

Curren$y - Elevator Musik

Wouldn't say he's as lyrically intricate as some of the other rap newcomers (i.e. J Cole, Wale), but I genuinely like this dude.  Hailing from the N.O. and currently posted up in Dame Dash's studios working on records with Mos Def and Jay Electronica, Curren$y's making ill moves right about now.  "Elevator Musik":

Jim Morrison - Soul of a Clown

"I see myself as an intelligent, sensitive human, with the soul of a clown which forces me to blow it at the most important moments." -- Jim Morrison

Big Bill Broonzy - Hey, Hey

Way before Clapton made it famous... Mmmmm, Get you some blues:

Picasso - The Tragedy

Pablo gets lots of love for his later works, but I really dig his early stuff.  The Tragedy, below, is from Picasso's "Blue Period":

Summer Heights High

I believe this was canceled after its first season; most slept on show of all-time...

Mos Def - Taxi

Very excited about everything Dame Dash is doing right now.

Ski feat. Mos Def-Taxi from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Dylan - Must Be Santa

First (and probably only) video off of Dylan's first Christmas album ever.  By the same director who did this.

Albert Camus

Selected quotes from the late French philosopher, father of "the absurd":

ART:

"A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession."

"A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened."

MEANING:

"The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. "

GIVE IT ALL AWAY!!:

"Your successes and happiness are forgiven you only if you generously consent to share them."

Further reading here.  I recommend the Myth of Sisyphus.

The Carter Documentary

Just copped and watched this; simply amazing.  Cop it here.

BlakRoc Album Officially Drops

Now available on ITunes: The BlakRoc Album.  

BlakRoc Trailer from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Alex Prager - Week-End

Alex Prager's Week-End series.  Click here for the entire collection.  (via polaroidforever.com)

Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State

I was going to post one song from this mixtape, but it's too good.  You need to hear the whole thing.  Short, succinct, and showcasing Lupe at a new pinnacle of lyricism, Enemy of the State is a must listen.  You might listen to it as a sort of companion to Wayne's No Ceilings, as it establishes a swagger and flow that prove marketable lyricism is possible without traditional hip hop cliches. Download here.  I hope all who observed the holiday had a blessed Thanksgiving.

The Low Anthem - "Charlie Darwin"

Thanks to Coco Michaels.

David Rawlings Machine - Method Acting, Cortez the Killer (Conor Oberst, Neil Young Cover)

Probably my favorite "Conor cover" ever.

"I Can Talk" - Two Doors Cinema Club

Beginning with today, I will be attempting to provide one interesting subject, every day, to permeate your consciousness.  Such subjects may include a photograph, a quote, a song, or a piece of film.  Today's inaugural subject, for your attention and consideration, is:

"I Can Talk" Music Film by Two Doors Cinema Club (as seen on ye's blog):

A catchy song, indeed, but absolutely amazing how this filmmaker has capture a kind of dream-consciousness... really feels like a dream.

My (Little) Brother Does Work

Smokin' Joe Goniprow is a beast.  The former Gatorade Player of the Year in Rhode Island (and current younger brother to yours truly) now anchors arguably the best defense in I-AA football as a defensive tackle at UPenn.  In fact, Penn's defense currently allows fewer total yards per game than any team in I-A or I-AA, Florida, Texas, and USC, included.  

Joe's defied expectations throughout his career, playing at the highest level in every league he's competed it; though some claim he's undersized (really? have you seen him?) for the NFL, don't be surprised if Joe once again proves the naysayers wrong.  So, if your fantasy league has defensive players on its roster, you heard it here first... be on the lookout for drafting Joe in the near future.  The kid's got a good head on his shoulders and if the football dream doesn't pan out, he's most likely headed to law school.  Who's trying to face a defensive tackle in arbitration??

Yeats

 "We make out of the quarrel with others rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry."

BlackRoc (Black Keys x Damon Dash)

This project is gonna be redonculous!!  The Black Keys cooked up some crazy instrumentals with hip hop artists in mind, then hooked up with Damon Dash (Jay-Z's former partner in Rocafella, get it... BlackRoc??) who brought the talent to the table.  

The talent?  Mos Def, Jim Jones, Raekwon, Q-Tip, and the most underrated emcee of all-time (Pharoahe Monche), just to name a few.  From the little snippets I've heard so far, the records sound like tracks Mark Ronson made for Amy Winehouse, while tripping acid, that were stolen by Wu Tang and dragged through the mud of the Mississippi River before being mastered.

Yea.  Sooooo, you can check out behind-the-scenes footage of the recording process at BlackRoc.com... the project drops on 11/27.  Go out and get this record!!

Here's a little preview of what was going down in the studio when these records were getting cut:

I love my tags on this...

Weezy's Back

Prior to reporting to prison for an 8-month bid, Wayne furthers his case for best (commercially successful) rapper alive:

Download No Ceilings here.

Eminem x Mos Def x Black Thought

Illlllllllllllll:

Never would've guessed as a kid that I'd see Em, Mos, and Black Thought, three of my hip hop idols, in a cypher together. {Is this not one of Em's illest verses in a while?}

Kanye x Spike Jonze

We Were Once A Fairytale:

Spike can direct and Kanye can act (and trample all over his own ego, who knew?); epic:

UPDATE: Spike took the video down, but you can now purchase it on Itunes for $1.99... eerily anticipates Kanye's stuntin at the VMAs.

"Dear God" in LA

I've been hyping up the Monsters of Folk for a while now... I won a pair of tickets to see them at the Greek Theater in LA last night and they did indeed make all my dreams come true... apologies for the poor audio quality:

Cut Like A Buffalo

This song grabbed me as soon as I heard it a few months back.  The video is arguably more gripping.  Jack White's directorial debut:

(Young) Young Hov

So with the Blueprint III fully upon us, I thought it would be a gas to look back at a lil footage of the young, Young Hov.  Who is this guy?:

He looks so awkward in this video... where's the famed Jigga Swag?  I love the crouching and swinging hand gestures shots.

The flattop?  The crazy adjustable hat?  The 90 mph flow?  Yall never seen Hov like this!!

Roughly 15 years later and with more #1 albums than Elvis under his belt, modern day Jay gets nice like this... and for the record, BP3 doesn't come close to the classic, which is the original Blueprint, but it's a classic in its own way.  Nearly all the tracks (with the exception of "On to the Next One") are solid and grow on you with successive listens.  Is it Hov in his prime?  No.  But it's a great listen, which I think figures into the very bottom of his top 5 albums ever.

Obama Calls Kanye a Jackass

Man, Kanye must feel like the most worthless human being in America right now; even Obama called him a jackass!!  Click here for the audio (via NahRight).  He definitely spazzed out, as he's been known to do before, and it'll be interesting to see how his peers and fans react in the weeks to come... apparently he was swigging straight Hennessy, staggering around the red carpet at the VMAs in a black leather shirt.  He's also on record saying that Jim Morrison is one of his biggest idols... coincidence?  Or is he channeling the dead icon...

Pac Div?!?!! (What It is One Time)

Yo, I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of Pac Div!  This song is rediculous!!  When was the last time you heard a rap group going this hard on a track (no, Slaughterhouse doesn't count)??  Don't think I've been this excited about a rap group since Blackstar.  Ever since Nas declared hip hop dead, a slow bubbling rap renaissance has been rising up from the next generation: Cudi, Wale, Pac Div, Drake, Asher, J Cole, Blu, Jay Electronica, Charles Hamilton, XV, Curren$y, your boy young Lovecraft (lol) and the list goes on and on... hip hop aint dead, it just been sleepin!!

Bob Dylan - The 1st Rapper

Lol, it's kinda true though.  The talkin' blues, quick rhyming style he uses in "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and some of his other early songs definitely laid a very early foundation for what would one day become hip hop.  Enjoy this clip; it was originally a trailer for D.A. Pennebaker's Dylan documentary Don't Look Back and unwittingly became the very first music video ever.  I love how Allen Ginsberg is just chillin in the background.  

... WHAT??  lol

This One Time, At Band Camp...

Soooooo, after hearing some folks had trouble downloading my tunes, I set out to solve the problem. 

The Solution: DANIELLOVECRAFT.BANDCAMP.COM!!

This one site puts every feature you could imagine in one place, so you can fully and easily interact with my music.  You can now stream the entire mixtape, download any individual song or the entire the album, and easily share the music with others... check it out!! 

ITS FREE AND EASY!  No more waiting on some sketchy site for your download to begin... download any of my songs or my whole album at DANIELLOVECRAFT.BANDCAMP.COM!!

More 'bout the Wild Things

The New York Times published an excellent profile of Spike Jonze, one of my favorite directors, today, online.  The piece focuses on Jonze's latest and much anticipated work, the Where The Wild Things Are film.  (I posted a trailer for the film a while back that you can check out here).  

One line that hit home as I read the article spoke of a note the writer spotted "scrawled on a legal pad in Jonze’s office: 'There is no difference between childhood and adulthood.'"  One of those truisms I often lose sight of!!  Check out the article here.

HOVA

Just saw this on NahRight, soooooooo nice:

"Dolly's Shame" by Coco Michaels

My good friend from back in the day, Coco Michaels, is an uber-talented photographer/filmmaker working out of the Ocean State.  Some of her work is viewable through her facebook page and her pieces can be seen in various gallery showings around Rhode Island.  She's also getting married soon (I can't wait for this special, belligerent occassion!!), so congrats Coco!  Here's a selection from my favorite of Coco's works, several photographs from her series "Dolly's Shame":

All photographs copyrighted by Coco Michaels

Feature on BeingCharlieKaufman.com!!

So, if you've had a chance to download the mixtape, you've heard the track "Go Hard," my joint over the Jay-Z beat "Brooklyn We Go Hard," which was loosely inspired by the Kaufman film Synecdoche, New York.  Today, the Kaufman blog BeingCharlieKaufman.com featured the song!!

You can check out the feature here!

If you haven't heard the song yet, listen here!

BP3

After hearing the first few leaks off of Jay's BP3, I was a little nervous.  The beat for "D.O.A." was ridiculous, but other than the overall message of the song, the lyrics kinda fell flat.  Then Jay had a repeat of the whole "Eminem murdered you on your own shit" moment when Ye killed him on "Run This Town."  Then, the Timbo joints off the album dropped; my faith in the project is renewed:

"Venus Vs. Mars":

"Off That":

Special bonus:

It's soooo nice that Jay is putting the future of the Roc, J.Cole, on the BP3... here's a newly release Cole freestyle:

YouTube Me

Hello, hello.  I hope life is brilliant wherever you might be reading this from... just a quick update to let yall know that the entire mixtape is now available on YouTube -  http://www.youtube.com/daniellovecraft.  It's Iphone friendly as well, so now you can share the From A Bedroom In St Louis mixtape with anyone, anytime, anywhere.

If you have a moment to donate to the cause, I'd be extremely grateful.  To help keep things moving forward, email the youtube link of your favorite song to a friend, post it on someone's facebook wall or in your status, or embed it in a blog... join the facebook and myspage pages and suggest them to your friends... burn a few copies of the mixtape and give them to friends who you think might enjoy... thanks so much folks!!

P.S.  If you've had a chance to listen to the CD, lemme know what your 5 favorite songs were.  Shoot me an email (dlovecraftmusic@gmail.com) or lemme know on facebook, here. 

Barack Gets Nice

I heart Barack... he killed it at the townhall in Colorado this past week (which I had the pleasure of watching, live)... with great clarity, he took on the misinformation and dishonest rumors, which are riling up average Americans about healthcare reform... he's destined to go down as one of the greatest Presidents ever, which is exactly what we need as we prepare to face the challenges of the 21st century... what a breath of fresh air after W:

Currently drinking High Lifes and getting ready to see a Dylan & The Band cover band... god bless america...

No I.D. on Hip Hop

No I.D. is the Chicago-based producer who put on Kanye West.  Before Ye was an in-house producer for Rocafella, before he dropped a classic debut in College Dropout, before he became one of the most influential artists in popular music, he was ghost-producing beats for No I.D. in Chi-town.  

I'm not incredibly familiar with No I.D.'s earlier work, but after hearing his production on 808's and on the Jay-Z record "D.O.A.", I've become very interested.  In the following clip, he drops some knowledge on an array of hip hop subjects and simply comes across as a smart, real dude... after hearing his music and seeing this, he's right in the upper echelon of producers I'd sell an arm to work with:

No I.D. Speaks On Hip Hop from zachwolfe.com/live on Vimeo.

Via NahRight

Angry Mob with Torches and Pitchforks

Okay, so not quite, but recent townhalls across America have been filled with angry (mostly small-town, white) folks, thirsty for senatorial blood.  I don't profess to have a real love or deep understanding of the political world, but it strikes me as hypocritical that those on the right are ready to burn down the white house over "big government" now.  

Does anybody remember conservatives speaking out when big government trampled over the constitution and multi-national treaties in allowing secret wire-tapping and torture?  How about the big deficits and war-spending under the last administration?  Didn't the whole TARP program and bailouts begin with our former president?  

I don't like the concept of "big government" either, but these protesters of late don't sound to me like they're concerned with a real political science debate.  When I watch these clips, I see rooms filled with angry, rural white folks who want to outlaw abortion, toss out all the "illegals," and shout over any real debate about health care reform that might involve helping the unfortunate.  

There's a lot of anger in their faces, it just doesn't look to me like righteous anger.

I Miss Fenway

Heath Ledger's Final Film

Heath Ledger remains one of my favorite actors and seeing him in this trailer is a reminder of how sad it is that his life ended so abruptly.  He passed away during the filming of this, his final movie, and Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law took over the remainder of his role.  It looks amazing:

Spotted on Kanye's blog

Do It

Download FROM A BEDROOM IN ST LOUIS.  DO IT.

Where the Wild Things Are

I can't wait for this!!  One of my favorite books as a kid adapted by one of my favorite directors, Spike Jonze:

OH MY GOD! (No pun intended)

So, I'm aware that I recently posted the news concerning the release of several singles from the forthcoming Monsters of Folk album.  But... I just had a chance to actually listen to the music.  IT'S REDONCULOUS!!  Who would've thought these four would come up with something that would sound like a mash-up of a lost Stevie Wonder record meets a lost Mos Def record meets the chilled out trance trendy hotels play poolside??  That's what "Dear God" sounds like.  Peep the song here and then immediately download all three singles on iTunes; all three are killer!!

Mixtape is OFFICIALLY up for DOWNLOAD!!

So, for those of you who are checking the blog (yea, all 4 of you), you get first access to From A Bedroom in St Louis... it's officially up for download, here on daniellovecraft.blogspot.com.  

Just enter your name and email address and you will be directed to Zshare, where you can download the mixtape.  Zshare might make you wait 60 seconds or so until the download begins, but it will!!  Once it downloads, unzip the file and throw it in your iTUNES.  The download folder includes the entire mixtape, front and back cover art, and credits.

Thanks so much for being a part of this... BIG THINGS are coming soon!!  Don't forget to add my fanpage on facebook and suggest the page to all your friends; those of you who are Myspace heads (I'm not) add me on there!!  As always, stay tuned to the blog for all updates and more NEW MUSIC!!

Album Artwork!!

Remember to Check Back Tomorrow to Download The Mixtape For Free!!  Until then, here's the artwork:

Shout out to my buddy Nat at NatNai.com for the killer photography!!

This is Gonna Be Sick...

CONOR OBERST.  JIM JAMES.  M WARD.  MIKE MOGIS.  ENOUGH SAID.

They have a few songs up on itunes now and are preparing for a fall tour... also, check out a semi-recent clip of Conor and the MVB on Letterman; I caught them twice on their last tour, the opening show in Omaha and a later show in Columbia, and they rarely disappoint.

Daniel Lovecraft - Let the Story Begin

Another leak off of the From a Bedroom in St Louis mixtape... "Let the Story Begin."

...the hip hop heads will like this one:

Daniel Lovecraft - Let The Story Begin  by  daniellovecraft

Check back THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, to download the whole mixtape!!  

Bill Clinton is a Baller

Remember when two U.S. journalists were sentenced to 12 years in a North Korean hard labor camp on trumped up charges?  It's been an absolute nightmare for Americans everywhere, not to mention the loved ones of said journalists.  

Enter Bill Clinton.  Clinton apparently balls out with Kim Jong-il (he's an angry little man, Kenny) for a few days and returns with the release of the two journalists secured (allegedly, the deal for their release was pre-cooked before Clinton's arrival, but he's still a baller).  Here's the NYTimes take.

2, 4 the Price of 1: New Daniel Lovecraft

Two more tracks off the forthcoming mixtape... remember to check back Thursday, August 6, to download the full tape!!

Some global warming rap for yall, "Gamma Ray":

Daniel Lovecraft - Gamma Ray  by  daniellovecraft

...and "She Won't Get Clean" (music courtesy of Chester French, check em out!!):

Daniel Lovecraft - She Won't Get Clean  by  daniellovecraft

Zach Galafianakis

If you happen to have an hour in which you'd like to laugh pretty much non-stop, go ahead and youtube "Zach Galafianakis" and watch like everything he's ever done.  Here's a clip from his "Between Two Ferns" series on funnyordie.com.  Dude's a comic genius:

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

Here's 2 more of my favorite Zach clips:

"Ass and Balls Show" with Will Ferrell and the "Seth Galifianakis interview"

Daniel Lovecraft - Demon Inside

And.  Here.  We.  Go...

2nd leak off of From a Bedroom in St Louis... officially dropping Thursday, August 6!!

"Demon Inside":

Daniel Lovecraft - Demon Inside  by  daniellovecraft

Beyond Here Lies Nothin'

One of the coolest (and most recent) music videos Dylan has ever done:

 "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" is off of Dylan's latest release, his 33rd album, Together Through Life...  

Jay Electronica - Exhibit A (Transformations)

... Brief intermission... From a Bedroom in St Louis officially drops Thursday, August 6... I'll leak a few more tracks before then, though...

Just the concept behind Jay Electronica's Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) got me hyped... he sampled the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (maybe my favorite Kaufmann movie) and spit over it for 9-plus minutes... adding no drums whatsoever.  Apparently, he's been in the stu with Just Blaze and the results are promising:

... i spit that Kurt Vonnegut...

Daniel Lovecraft - Sex on Fire

And here.  We.  Go.  

First leak off of From a Bedroom in St Louis: "Sex on Fire"

Daniel Lovecraft - Sex on Fire  by  daniellovecraft

Click the arrow on the right to download... full mixtape coming soon!!

Blu (thanks Tyler)

So my old friend Tyler took issue with the hip hop credibility of prior posts (lol) and insisted that I check out Blu.  I did.  His shit is nice... a California dude with crazy wordplay and an affinity for dusty, gritty soul samples.  He perfectly captures the underground grind in this video:

If you're feeling it, here's some more.  Thanks Tyler!!

New Colin Munroe

If you haven't already downloaded Colin Munroe's mixtape, you should.  It's not earth-shattering, but it's pretty dope and definitely worth a couple listens (anyone who does something with a Dylan track gets props from me!!)  This is some new Colin, featuring two rap legends:

If you've been slow to peep the highlight off of Colin's mixtape, Piano Lessons, then do it here.  The video's great...