Mini Mansions: 60's Psychedelia Mixed With A Wry Indie Indifference

This LA trio are gearing up for a tour with Autolux from August 29th through September 27th and judging from the sounds contained in their eponymous debut LP, they seem to be an act worth checking out.

It seems clear that the principal songwriting of the group is heavily influenced by the traditional pop structures of early pioneers such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Yet despite this inclination toward the classic and the standard, Mini Mansions do not come off as cloying nor unoriginal. Instead, the band retains a quiet uniqueness that is supported by arrangements of ethereal instrumentation and delicately charming vocals.

Recommended: "Katching Kites"

Carolyn Sills: An Early Christmas Present

Due to my lack of an attention span spawned by years of living in lands of hyperreality, I've decided to dot a Christmas song I particularly like today even though it is August 20th and Christmas is a good four months away. My reasoning for this behavior is that I'll probably forget to post about this track I like so much by Christmas because I'll have found some new shiny objects of distraction (be they audio or otherwise) by then.

That's not an implicit affront to the excellence of this song I'm dotting today, however. Alternatively, Carolyn Sills' exuberant "George Bailey" is a successful and tasteful ode to two American archetypes of both film and music. The former being, of course, the iconic main character (played by the great Jimmy Stewart) in the uber-Americana cinema classic, "It's A Wonderful Life", and the latter being the psychopathic murderer/record producer we've come to know and love as Phil Spector.

Sills' track is an obvious homage to the classic Spector Christmas recordings that (for better or for worse) presented to us the template of what a good Christmas themed pop record should be. Additionally, the song uses the same method and ethos of production ("The Wall of Sound") that gave Spector his signature sound and stack of hits back in the day.

It's been around 50 years since the Ronettes and Crystals sang to us about Christmas lore so a track dedicated to recreating that special feeling shall not be deemed irrelevant nor derivative in my book (or blog). With that said, please enjoy.

Recommended: "George Bailey"

Ras Kass: Dubbed by 12th Planet

After spending nearly two years "in the clink" for his third (!!!) D.U.I., Ras Kass (released from prison in May) decided to spend his free time wisely by producing a new record with esteemed dub producer 12th Planet.

The new track proves that Kass has not lost his deft flow or unique wordplay (example: "I duck haters like George Bush duck gators, actually he duck loafers from Iraqi reporters") that brought him into the hip-hop mainstream and further affirms that 12th Planet is one of the few legitimate dub producers worth listening to today.

Recommended: "West Coast Dub"