reflex reaction posts

Reflex Reaction: Urban? What’s urban?

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 by Paul Irish
I want your reaction, here. Leave a comment and for any/all of the songs, write your reaction to the song – keep it brief! (Extra points if you use exactly 10 words) After a few days, I’m going to publish the most evocative/impressive/amusing comments here. Be sure to leave your name.

Prize Alert! The best comment(s) this week will win a brand-new Jarhead DVD with dogtags! (Hover your mouse over the image below to see!)

Nomisong is this week’s winner! He will be getting a brand spanking new copy DVD of Jarhead with promotional dogtags! (Psst, email me, man!)
The best reactions follow:

chill hip hop // california groove
One Self – Bluebird from Children of Possibility (2005)

  • Gangsta femme Frante-style neo-soulster formula throwback from 93.~Nomisong
  • Dj Vadim follows the trend and learns to make money. ~Moka
  • digable planets on a magical pimped-out carpet ride in space. ~Jilly

    • grime // montreal bounce
    Lady Fury – Too Much Drugs in Ur System (Ghislain Poirier Remix) from Ghislain Poirier – Bounce Le Remix (2006)

  • UK-Dizzee-MIA-grime sound gets diluted across the Atlantic.~Nomisong
  • Staight up bumpy ride of aural heart palpitations.~Runman
  • A mile-wide track compressed to two feet; EQ please, producer.~Pope Easier Rhino I

    • baltimore/philly club // dancehall remixed // electro-baile
    Sizzla – I’m With The Girls (DJ ABCDEFG Remix) from Hollertronix – #3 EP (2005)

  • Urban sports car commercial soundtrack mashed with cheese pop toasting.~Nomisong
  • Clever blend of a cool old toon, a metromome, and a ribbon typewriter.~Runman
  • The boy has balls. He samples a famous song about a gay man forced to leave an non-understanding home life in a small town (Small Town Boy) and used it as the base for macho self-confident swaggering. Self-denial perhaps?~Will
    • View 26 comments

    Reflex Reaction: Audio Valentines

    Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 by Paul Irish
    I want your reaction, here. Leave a comment and for any/all of the songs, write your reaction to the song – keep it brief! (5-15 words, extra points if you hit exactly 10) After a few days, I’m going to publish the most evocative/impressive/amusing comments here. Be sure to leave your name.

    UPDATE! The best reactions follow:
    italian folk // café jazz
    Quartetto Cetra – Un Bacio A Mezzanotte

  • cue Dean Martin, complete with cane and straw boater, making eyes at Sophia Loren.~db
  • Red velour, low light, and a martini with your sweetheart.~Skoodog
  • A leggy Italian brunette spinning her parasol on the boardwalk~Brett

    • nu-jazz // hip hop
    Dancing Djedi – Body Surfin’ (feat. Mos Def, Tash, & Q-Tip)

  • poor work on the Ernest Ranglin original, with the lyrics from Body Rock just pasted upon it. Too bad : the pulse of the Ranglin is mad!!!~Garrincha
  • good funk, bounce, reggae flavor, too disjoint to truly savor~Dookie
  • I see an Afro Marcel Marceau doing the jerky moonwalk in a robot suit.~db

    • female folk // americana
    Clare Burson – Love Me in the Morning

  • tender, floating, soft and caressing~kEma
  • Reminds me of a bluegrass/celtic festival. Nostalgic and homesick.~Elise
  • Passionate with a dash of armpit hair. Lilith Fair artist for 2006.~nomisong
    • View 28 comments

    Reflex Reaction: The World in Autumn

    Monday, November 14th, 2005 by Paul Irish
    I want your reaction, here. Leave a comment and for any/all of the songs, write your reaction to the song – keep it brief! (5-15 words, extra points if you hit exactly 10) After a few days, I’m going to publish the most evocative/impressive/amusing comments here. Be sure to leave your name!
    Ready?

    UPDATE! The best reactions follow:
    improvisational // minimal african
    Postal Workers Canceling Stamps At The University Of Ghana Post Office (1975)
    (Many of you were curious– though I know many who heard this in music courses, my introduction was through Audiography.)

  • This track is dripping imagery of khaki hats and sunshine on the savannah…~toshi
  • First heard this in ethnolomusicology class; still unbelievably creative and energizing.~courvidae
  • I sent this along to a friend whose husband is Ghanain. Her comments: “My husband was really pleased by this! He said he remembers seeing the postal workers doing this in another city, Oda. He said the post office gave training in the cancelling to do it that way. And the post office hired a drummer to accompany them. You can hear the drum briefly in the clip.”~Doctor Doom

    • laid-back tropical // lounge
    Quantic & Nickodemus – Mi Swing Es Tropical (2005)

  • Soundtrack to a Wes Anderson film about eccentric american expats in Central America~Keith D
  • if archie bell and the drells woulda had latin fever.~technoprayer
  • to enjoy: consume high gravity beer and don’t really listen~MT

    • electro-rock // garage-dance
    Tom Vek – C-C (You Set The Fire In Me) (2005)

  • ClassiC-eleCtroniC Carrying Creator’s Chords aCross Chasms, ColleCting Crucial CritiCism.~leonm
  • Catchier than I’d like to admit, actually.~Matthias
  • i’ll admit to turning this song off after ten seconds~jen
    • View 33 comments

    Reflex Reaction: Halloween

    Thursday, October 27th, 2005 by Paul Irish
    I want your reaction, here. Leave a comment and for any/all of the songs, write your reaction to the song – keep it brief! (5-15 words, extra points if you hit exactly 10) After a few days, I’m going to publish the most evocative/impressive/amusing comments here. Be sure to leave your name!
    Ready?

    Up close, Mr Angry is on the left and Mrs Calm is on the right — move back six feet and they switch places!
    UPDATE! The best reactions follow:

    dub // vocal jazzy reggae
    Joe Dukie & DJ Fitchie – Midnight Marauders

  • Boyz II Men for the tight striped sweater and black-rimmed glasses set.~Ratrick
  • Rising from the “Dust”, vocal soul soars inna dub stylee.~Captain Planet
  • It sounds suspiciously like the kind of music I used to play on the recorder in sixth grade.~Aarika

    • broken beat // afro-beat
    Bugz In The Attic f. Wunmi – Zombie (Part One)

  • Like when Joe samples Pharcyde’s “Passing me by” in his craptacular “Stutter”. Femi: show these children how it is done.~Ian Shaughnessy
  • Frenetic Fela update – the master would be proud. Broken grooves for broken politics.~David R
  • Fela Kuti sans testicles, chopped up Scott Herren-style.~Ratrick

    • vocal downtempo // electronica
    Coldcut – Autumn Leaves (Irresistible Force Remix)

  • Got violins? (let me throw up for a second…)~Séverine
  • this joint is what, like 10+yrs old! reminds me of spacing out in chill out rooms at raves as a teen.~Marco
  • that rare beast – an electronic rehashing of a jazz standard that actually works.~Jez

    • cuban // son
    Barbarito Torres – La Calabaza (The Pumpkin)

  • Rolled R’s and Spanish guitars, move your feet, ha cha!~Katie
  • compare it to the others – a great demonstration of the superiority and emotiveness of real instruments over electronic wizardry.~Jez
  • Roasted pumpkin stuffed with cumin-dusted free range chicken breast, wild rice, and grilled zucchini, drizzled with a garlicky-jalapeno mojo.~Ratrick
    • View 26 comments

    Reflex Reaction: Pre-release hip hop

    Friday, October 7th, 2005 by Paul Irish
    I want your reaction, here. Leave a comment and for any/all of the songs, write your reaction to the song – keep it brief! (5-15 words, extra points if you hit exactly 10) After a few days, I’m going to publish the most evocative/impressive/amusing comments here. Be sure to leave your name!
    Ready?

    UPDATE! The best reactions follow:
    Hi-Tek – How We Do It Ft. Snoop Dogg & Slim Thug

  • Snoop Dogg could not save that. Sounded generic – no groove ~anon
  • hi tek fell hard of after reflection eternal, nuff said ~anon
  • i find myself growing more bored with each second. ~anon

    • Busta Rhymes – Touch It

  • he didnt do his homework, lets hope he can make a better discovery next time. ~bob
  • busted rhymes but a dope cut to dance to ~mike
  • Just changing drum kit is not a viable compositional technique.~A

    • Rocky Marsiano – A Story To Be Told

  • finally, something i can jam to in this set. i dig.~anon
  • Smooth , Slick, Groovy. Will live on my playlist for a while.~Cliff
  • refreshing jazz sampling and no rapping, gets old quick ~MT
    • View 33 comments

    Weekly Reflex Reaction

    Thursday, September 29th, 2005 by Paul Irish
    As much as I enjoy writing my thoughts on music, I’d like to hear yours for a change. So somewhat regularly, I’m going to put up some music on here and I want your reaction. Leave a comment and for any/all of the songs, write your reaction to the song – keep it brief! (5-15 words, extra points if you hit exactly 10) After a few days, I’m going to publish the most evocative/impressive/amusing comments here. Be sure to leave your name!
    Ready?

    UPDATE! The best reactions follow:
    androgynous folk cabaret
    Antony and the Johnsons – Hope There’s Someone

  • Aaron Neville and Joanna Newsom birthed one child named Antony. ~Aarika
  • Corine Tucker of Sleater-Kinney recast as a 400lb. troubadour.~E
  • nina simone reincarnate. troubled souls can produce beauty. somehow.~Anon.

    • roots reggae ballad
    Ken Boothe – Everything I Own

  • David Gray’s wannabe brother meets a red stripe fanboi – no thx.~cJw
  • Ken’s longing vocal somewhat negated by dispassionate and bouncy instrumentation.~tom
  • Insipid in its theft of alien verse for vanilla purposes~mylime

    • 1950’s game show theme
    Norman Paris – I’ve Got A Secret (Plink Plank Plunk)

  • Cartoon characters chasing each other through the house on tip-toe.~L.N. Hammer
  • Kittens in pajamas tidying up the house~Justin
  • an energetic lullaby for the impressionable young Alex Trebek, perhaps?~Anne
    • View 25 comments