mix: Rooftop Party Mix

"The Summer, With Me And My Friends"

A few weeks ago I was asked to curate a mix for a friend's rooftop party on the Lower East Side. Set ideally next to the Williamsburg Bridge on a beautiful July evening with good friends and lots of exemplary party favors [can you say (un)frozen Lemonade and Vodka?], this rager truly had everything, including an appearance by the legendary, and somewhat mythical, Schluss-burger. Cheers!

Jar-Ed's Rooftop Party Pre-Jam Jam Vol.1 (Mixed by McGregor)
The Lemon Fog- Summer
Velvet Underground- One of These Days
Girls- Lust for Life
The Shag- Stop and Listen
El Guincho- Kalise
Flying Lotus- Robo Tussin (Lil Wayne "A Milli" Remix)
Air France- Collapsing At Your Doorstep
M83- Graveyard Girl
Glass Candy- Rolling Down The Hills
Hercules & Love Affair- Hercules Theme
Lykke Li vs. Field- Dance Dance Dance In My Face (The Hood Internet Remix)
Bullion- I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
Pulp- Common Pulp
Music Go Music- Light of Love
Fleetwood Mac vs. Gwen Stefani- Everywhere (Paul Devro mix)
Santogold- L.E.S Artistes (XXXchange Remix)
Of Montreal- Gronlandic Edit
MGMT- Electric Feel
YACHT- I Believe In You
The Ruby Suns- Tane Mahuta
Gilberto Gil- Bat Macumba
Jeanette- Porque Te Vas
The Clash- Rudy Can't Fail
Stevie Wonder- Sir Duke
Arif Sag- Osman Pehlivan
Lord Rhaburn- Disco Connection
DJ Shadow- Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)
Broken Social Scene- Pacific Theme
Caribou- Crayon
Caribou- Every Time She Turns Around It's Her Birthday
Black Moth Super Rainbow- Drippy Eye
James Pants- Crystal Lite (featuring Deon Davis)
Friend- Secret (Remix of Air France's "Collapsing At Your Doorstep")
Passion Pit- Sleepyhead

Jar-Ed's Rooftop Party Pre-Jam Jam Vol.1 (Mixed by McGregor) (Right Click & Save; or opt + click to save)

we saw: Amazing Baby

"I Can't Seem To Understand"

Hit up Music Hall of Williamsburg last night for the free post-Breeders Pool Party After Show featuring Amazing Baby and the Mobius Band. While the Mobius Band is a long time Bobka like, Amazing Baby only recently appeared on our radar after Bill at Sound Bites sung their praise a few months ago. Still in their infancy (played their first show 5/10/08), Amazing Baby have a sound that is way epic in a Bowie meets Pantera way. The bands psychedelic prog is fueled by schizophrenic sound manipulations, over indulgent/sex'd up lyrics and absolutely monstrous guitar riffs. Seriously, you gotta see these guys just to watch their lead guitar player, who is the quintessential Metal axe slayer, coax a violently angelic wall of rhythmic noise from his Gibson. We only caught the last few songs from Amazing Baby but the head bursting "Pump Your Brakes" was ill and set closer "The Narw hal" was definitely a climactic, hedonistic way to end (from what I saw) a damn good rock show. Cathartic in all the right ways. "Supreme Being" and "Head Dress" are also pretty unstoppable, and available for free download on their MySpace. You can also snag "Pump Your Brakes" courtesy of the Fader.

Amazing Baby- The Narw Hal
Amazing Baby- Pump Your Breaks

collaboration: Of Montreal & MGMT are Blikk Fang

"I Ain't No Goddamn Son of a Bitch"

Sometimes trolling the Internets really pays off. Like yesterday, when Mort stumbled upon this fascinating press release, which subsequently led to me finding this redonkulous PureVolume page for Blikk Fang (formerely Ocelot Fang), the musical collaboration of Of Montreal ringleader Kevin Barnes and MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden.

Aveh Tiger Roma is the first EP from Blikk Fang, the top-secret side project of Kevin Barnes (from Of Montreal) and Andrew VanWyngarden (from MGMT). Scheduled to be released in August 2008, it will be followed by the full album early next year.

"Displaying all the electro-pop mastery of their most recent albums, Aveh Tiger Roma takes it in a more cutting, harder edged direction.

The opening '(Just A Little) Judas Tonic', is a fuck all anthem to rival MGMT's 'Time To Pretend', beginning with some drum machine bleaker than anything
the parent bands have done, and growing into a keyboard symphony that earlier material has only pointed to.

'Nupital Eagles Sharpened', a nearly electroclash cover of the Misfits 'Eagles Dare', is a perfect example of their sensibility - keyboards with a punk ethos, stripped down and hard drivingly danceable."

"They've been half-jokingly writing songs for each other for awhile.
Kevin will think of an absurd title and tell Andrew to write a song... and then he does! and vice versa. But now, it will be more collaborative... "
-the late b.p. helium

And we all know the Late B.P. Helium is legit. From the two tracks on PureVolume, we're guessing Barnes and VanWyngarden were drinking Ecstacy milkshakes and eating bowls of raw DMT on their way to '80s night at the local club. Not gonna lie "Nupital Eagle Sharpened", a cover of the Misfits "Where Eagles Dare", is going to be in your head for the rest of the week.

Listen to Blikk Fang HERE

** UPDATE: According to Barnes (via his publicist), he and VanWyngarden are indeed collaborating in a project called Blikk Fang. However, the title Aveh Tiger Roma is "completely bogus" and the songs on the PureVolume page "will definitely not be on it." The pair does have a few songs recorded, with such working titles as "Hypnotic Agents", "Dead Dogs", and "Pleasure Cunt" already cut to tape. But we shouldn't hold our breath, as Barnes says "it's unlikely that anything will get released before the winter of [20]08." (via P4K)

Bobkast #10: Bells & Whistles

"Your Magic's Real So Why Aren't You Using It"

A mess of crayons always makes for the best art. This mix is meant to transport you to a simpler time when you cared for nothing but chocolate chip cookies, Kool-Aid and magic markers. Think of it as an adult version of drawing on the wall, only you won't get yelled at by your parents. If that doesn't do it for ya, how about one of the songs being culled from a compilation called Waking Up Scheherazade: Arabian Psych Nuggets. Figured that'd get ya listening. Shazam.

Bobkast #10: Bells & Whistles
1. Badly Drawn Boy- Bewilderbeast
2. Dennis Wilson- Rainbows
3. Albert Hammond Jr.- Bright Young Thing
4. The Boy Least Likely To- Rock Upon A Porch With You
5. Shout Out Louds- A Track And A Train
6. Manitoba featuring Koushika- Crayon
7. Los Campesinos- Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)
8. The Sheffields- Plenty of Love
9. Les Savy Fav- Comes & Goes
10. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks- Vanessa From Queens
11. Mark Mothersbaugh- Hardest Geometry Problem in the World
12. New Pornographers- Myriad Harbour
13. El Guincho- Antillas
14. Caetano Veloso- Lost in Paradise
15. Sea-Ders- Thanks A Lot
16. MGMT- The Youth
17. The Beach Boys- All I Wanna Do
18. Yacht- I Believe In You

The Bobkast #10: Bells & Whistles {direct download: right click to save}

we saw: MGMT

"Baby Girl, Shock Me Like An Electric Eel"

Although we won't be attending February's sold-out Yeasayer/MGMT double bill, we were lucky enough to catch a secret MGMT show last week at The Mercury Lounge thanks to Other Music and a heads-up from McG.

Despite pre-show problems with one of their keyboards (they ended up having a brand new one brought in; the perks of being on a major label) the set began at 10:45 and lasted only an hour, just long enough for our minds to be blown.

Their set covered most of their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, with the exception of 'Youth' and 'Kids.' Highlights included '4th Dimensional Transitional,' 'Of Moons, Birds & Monsters,' and a killer 'Electric Feel.' They also played a few tracks unknown to us, either from their debut EP or possibly b-sides. Overall MGMT was able to harness the strengths from their infectious debut and build on them until the whole place was gripping their proverbial seats, begging for more.

Next time MGMT comes to your town...be there.

Below: MGMT's funkiest number, 'Electric Feel' [off 2008's Oracular Spectacular]: