Toe Taps & Spastic Claps Does Tupac

To get this investigation underfoot, we have taken the liberty to each contribute to the cause. The following character sketches were done by us in hopes that if anyone has seen men who look suspiciously like these drawings, they will be able to give us Tupac’s whereabouts.

Let us explain:

Artist: Sanita Saengvilay, 20

Explanation: What if Tupac simply became fed up with the Thug Life? Sanita chooses to believe Tupac is a Buddhist living in Asia. He ain’t about the violence anymore. He grew a pointy Samurai beard as a disguise, wears a Kimono, and apparently straightens his hair wears a wig now, but notice the little piece of the West Coast he still chooses to rock–his blue bandana. His wide eyes signifies the “oh shit! you just caught me…ALIVE!”

Artist: Alison Arida, 19

Explanation: Tupac has re-located to a tropical island, most likely somewhere in the Dominican Republic or Jamaica. He simply lives with his concubines on his private estate. In order to live his life incognito he has grown very long dreadlocks and has developed his beard. Notice he still is imagined as sporting the diamond nose-stud which says, “I’m young and carefree!”, but the wrinkles under his eyes suggest otherwise. It’s tough for a playa’ in exile.

Bike Cruisin’

Irum Javed, 21, Student at Saint Louis University, Barista at Kaldi’s…soon to be a freelancer of life!

Irum doesn’t dress like the usual college student–meaning sweats, Uggs and a university sweatshirt aren’t a part of her every-day wardrobe.

She makes sure to look funky fresh every single day.

She was found in Saint Louis University’s radio station, KSLU.  She is pictured above on a bicycle sporting a fabulous vintage scarf and sassy jeans tucked into her boots.

What’s the story behind your outfit?

It is comfortable and weather friendly. I got my shirt from Value Village for $3! Jeans and Boots are from Urban Outfitters (not on sale, so you can imagine). My scarf was a gift from my cousin, who lives in the land of Pakis (Pakistan). The bike…well, that is just how I get around everyday.

How would you describe your fashion?

Comfortable and classy. I like to get some pieces that resemble the ‘40-’50s fashion scene and mix it up with some other stuff I find in my closet.

I am also heavily inspired by Dora the Explorer. That girl is going places!

What are your favorite stores?

I really like looking at builtbywendy.com. Even though her clothes are outrageously expensive, they are good to get some inspiration from in case you want to make your own. Urban Outfitters of course, H&M (European stores), and thrift stores.

If you were a piece of clothing, what would you be?

This is a tough call. I love blazers, boots, and jeans, BUT if I had to be ONE piece of clothing it would be a scarf so I could wrap myself around your neck and keep you warm

Album Review | Cassius – 15 Again

Two men create an electronic album in 3 weeks from their abode in Paris, France. Sound familiar? Yet these men will probably have no other comparison to Daft Punk or Justice being compared to Daft Punk. Cassius have approached a much different and darker perspective of electronic music and sound more like Nine Inch Nails, or The Chemical Brothers with a dash of Gorillaz. It’s a lot darker and makes you want to think twice about getting up to dance, although the beats are completely danceable adapting the highly catchy hip hop beat for most songs.

“Toop, Toop” is the first track and indeed the danciest of them all, establishing itself as a club-banging hit.  “Rock Number One” is the one song that pulled me in: it’s catchy chorus changes the dynamic of the song with its faster beat and Prince-like guitar hook on top.  You can see for yourself down below.

“Eye Water” features Pharrell Williams from N.E.R.D. and is probably the best track off the album.  In the spirit of Motha Nature, it covers environmental issues which wouldn’t be expected from an electronic album, but Pharrell’s voice is just simply too glorious to ignore.

We need to start recycling in the name of Pharrell and Cassius!

It’s a pretty cohesive album considering it was made in 3 weeks, but it would definitely be hard to find the right mood to play it in–maybe contempt? Definitely give it a listen through.

Rock Number One – Cassius [MP3] [Myspace]

The Billiken Club is Calling All Artists!

Do you dabble in doodling? Are you fluent in Photoshop? Crazy about collages? If your answer is hell yeah to any of these, The Billiken Club wants you to design a poster for their up-coming Billiken Club Benefest.

The club is kicking off their annual festival in order to raise money for the not-for-profit organization Urban Studios, which allows local youth in St. Louis to express and develop their sense of self and community through the arts.

Here’s the lowdown:

You may pick any of the three Benefest shows or design a general poster for the festival itself.

Thursday, March 27: Aloha with Anathallo and Ohtis

Friday, March 28: School Of Language with Bodies Of Water and Riddle Of Steel

Saturday, March 29: British Sea Power with The 1900’s and Target Market

Further specifications: All submissions should be sent in JPEG form by March 10 to info.billikenclub@gmail.com; the dimensions should be 11X17 in.

Include:

- Show (what show the poster designed for, i.e. the Benefest, Aloha, British Sea Power, or School of Language)

- Name

- Location

- Occupation

- Contact Information (email and phone)

The deadline for submissions is March 10, so get to work and show The Billiken Club what you got!

Neon Neon to Release New Album, Stainless Style

Neon Neon, the electro side-project consisting of Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and electronic producer Boom Bip is set to release their debut album, Stainless Style, next month on Lex Records.

With the instant success of last summer’s Raquel EP (yes, inspired by Raquel Welch) featuring Spank Rock, Har Mar Superstar and even Hot Chip, their crazy-crunk single “Trick For Treat” immediately blew us away with it’s falsetto chorus and smooth flow. Spank’s rhymes exude swagger and confidence when placed over the duo’s blips and beeps, and Har Mar Superstar brings the ’stache and sass as well.

It is almost certain that Stainless Style will go above and beyond what Raquel had to offer. The duo will yet again utilize Spank Rock, but they’re also bringing Yo Majesty and Fat Lip for the ride (in their DeLorean, we’re sure).

The release date is set for the 18th, so y’all gonna have to wait to get a taste. For now, you may listen to tracks from their forth-coming album and even “Trick For Treat” on their MySpace.

MGMT: The Bosses Of Cool

So far, 2008 has been a great year for Brooklyn, NY electro-psych rockers MGMT. Their album, Oracular Spectacular, dropped last month on Columbia Records, they toured the country with of Montreal, were named one of Rolling Stone’s top 10 “Artists to Watch”, and even got to wear capes on David Letterman!

Led by Wesleyan grads Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden, the band expanded into a 5-piece which enabled them to hone their sound and reach a larger fan-base. Those who may be concerned about the dudes “selling out” should check themselves; MGMT has been known for their crazy antics and dance parties since they were performing in scuzzy college dorms back in the day with just an iPod and some loin-cloths.

The band enlisted Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann for their debut, which is on iTunes for the purchasing.

We here at TT&SC are majorly obsessed with their tune “Electric Feel”, (Alison blew out a speaker in her car ‘cuz she was jammin’ so hard to it the other day) but other standouts such as “Time To Pretend”, “Weekend Wars”, and “Kids” are solid gold as well.

Check out the interactive video for our jam, “Electric Feel”, right here:

Keeping The Internet Real is The Hood Internet

I don’t think its been clearly made known that TT&SC have an outstanding obsession with The Hood Internet. The duo are based out of Chicago and have been known for their amazing indie mashups, including the most famous R.Kelly’s “I’m a Flirt” vs. Broken Social Scene’s “Shoreline”. If The Hood Internet had a cult, we’d definitely be the first to join it and this makes them a top contender for The Billiken Club’s fall lineup.

As well as making great music, they also are quite the connoisseurs of Photoshopping. I might as well mentioned that Alison recieved a lightning bolt saber from them when they performed at CMJ.

Get it, girl!

The Hood Internet is wayyyyy too legit to quit. But recently it just has to be known that there is a seed of love that’s been planted for the likes of R. Kelly. We have grown to believe that any mash up done with his name in it will be great and it has yet to be proven otherwise to us. You can d/l a track of R. Kelly’s “Hook It Up” vs. Rogue Wave’s “Endless Shovel” as well as Crystal Castles vs. Nice & Smooth. But definitely go to the website to d/l more endless, beauteous mash ups FOR FREE!

Endless Hookup – DJ STV SLV (The Hood Internet)

I Rhymed Slow in 1991 – ABX (The Hood Internet)

Totally Flossed Out

Yeaaaaah boyee. Chicago, Illionaires The Cool Kids have released a fresh new track entitled “Action Figures”, straight offa their MySpace. Compared to their other jams, this gem boasts a tight synthesizer-laden hook and it is quite apparent that Chuck and Mikey’s flows are improving.

What it lacks, however, is the “chopped and screwed” style vocals and bass-heavy beats on their previous songs like “Black Mags” and “Gold and a Pager”.

Either way, the duo dropped their The Bake Sale Totally Flossed Out  EP last month on Chocolate Industries and is generating mass amounts of buzz from B-Boys and Indie kids alike. The boys are currently spittin’ their rhymes in Australia and parts of Europe, but will be back state-side for SXSW and Coachella.

You can get the track off of MySpace but we here at TT&SC are feeling generous. So, go throw on your gold rope and get buck wild!

The Cool Kids–Action Figures MP3

(Edit: The Cool Kids are set to release The Bake Sale EP and have already released Totally Flossed Out.  Sorry.  We ain’t even gonna front about our mistake.)

Baltimore’s Got It On Lock

St. Louis should be jealous. Forget Brooklyn, Austin, and Nashville (ok, don’t, we love them all). Baltimore, MD is the home-base of many talented, experimental acts right now that we think you should know about. Of course, B-More boasts some bigger names like Animal Collective, Dan Deacon and Spank Rock, but there are literally tons of smaller bands reppin’ their hood (or, hood away-from-hood) in neon fanny-packs and flat-billed caps. Here are our picks:

The Death Set–Oh my word, these dudes are so tight. 2 Baltimorites by way of Australia produce spasmodic punk beats mixed with distorted guitars. Spread some Casio-lovin’ all over it, and the final result is dance-punk madness. Oh, and they make ill remixes.

Ecstatic Sunshine–Experimental, but by no means inaccessible, guitar driven noise held down by three seriously talented dudes. Although encountering a few rough patches (including the loss of founding member Dustin Wong to Ponytail), the boys are set to release a full-length LP in April entitled Way.

Videohippos–With elements of electro, noise, and psych-pop, this duo combines their jamz with insane video collages that are just as complex as their sound. They have a penchant for hyper-colors and toy-instruments, which is way cool. Their latest album, Unleash The Beast, has a very lo-fi element to it and showcases a punk aesthetic on top of Nintendo beeps and blips.

Go ahead, treat yaself:

Ecstatic Sunshine–Anagram MP3

Videohippos–Kool Shades MP3

Interview: Do Make Say Think – Justin Small

I did this interview a very long time ago when Do Make Say Think performed at The Billiken Club last semester.

Do Make Say Think is a mostly instrumental quintet from Toronto, Canada and although they’ve been together for more than 12 years, have yet to play St. Louis. How they found themselves playing the newly deemed “Best Rock Venue” is appropriately fitting. But to their surprise and confusion, they came to see that the venue was more a Mexican restaurant with a makeshift stage.

I found myself sitting next to Justin Small as he attacked his party of a quesadilla. He was dressed as a “usual rock star” fronting a t-shirt and jeans with self diagnosis of Bronchitis.

They were promoting their newest album, You, You’re A History of Rust, released back in February. This was their 5^th album and you can tell that these guys have been working really hard.

“It’s been rough. We had the van breakdown twice in one day, back in Boston. The van wouldn’t start. The alternator was broken and black smoke was coming out. It was not safe. Now we got a new van. Amit (the tour manager) had to drive 15 hours to get the new van to the band. Other than that, it’s a great time and the band never sounded better.”

Do Make Say Think have grown so much from the past from a humble beginning of 3 people, to a core of 5 and at times, 8 people. Do you find it harder to write music with more people because it seems you guys are much more meticulous with your sound?

“Well, we have a core of 5 members and we come up with parts and arrangements (for other members outside of the 5 core).”

In the past, you guys used to improvise much more during your live shows, but now you seem to stick to the usual arrangement, why is that?

“We have road maps, we try to get back on the high road and try not to much (to get off it). Improvising is taxing on the creativity.”

You guys have very unique song titles. What’s the meaning behind them and is that symbolical of your thinking for when you wrote the song?

“We are mostly wordless music, but we try to leave it up to the listener and let the wisdom reveal itself. Sometimes it’s just names of places where the song was written like “Federica” which is a town.”

So what’s your favorite song to perform?

“Inner Outer & Secret because its challenging, epic and fun.”

So what album would you say you are currently obsessed with?

“Back in Toronto, I work at a record store. Over the summer, I got into some oldie, Ethiopian, psychedelic jazz. Their called the Etheopique’s and they are a group Ethiopians from the 60s-70s who released 5 cds. It’s cool because they released their music under suspicion of the muslim government.”

So if you could be any instrument, what would you be?

“Saxophone. I take that back. An Ampeg SVT 810E cabinet.”

Pictures courtesy of Chris Sanley off The Billiken Club website.