Party Ben’s Music Picks: March Madness Edition

Whether you buy CDs or download, these are some upcoming releases you ought to check out.

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Hey, my last roundup of albums-to-watch-out-for turned out pretty well, didn’t it? Everybody’s got Arcade Fire Fever! Although now that I’ve heard the Ken Andrews CD in its entirety I may have to rescind that recommendation (sorry Ken–too syrupy). But let’s not look back in anger. Let’s look forward… in anticipation, at some more CDs coming out soon-ish, along with a brief description, similar artists, and pertinent links. Let that raga drop:

Tuesday, March 6:

mojo-cover-%21%21%21.jpghere

mojo-cover-rj.jpgRJD2 – The Third Hand (Definitive Jux)
• Ohio hip-hop producer morphs into multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter
• For fans of: Moby, Brian Wilson, chilling on rooftops
• Again, stream three tracks at his MySpace page

Tuesday, March 20:

mojo-cover-dilla.gifJ Dilla – Ruff Draft (Stones Throw)
• Re-release of hard-to-find first solo effort from late hip-hop innovator
• For fans of: DJ Shadow, Marvin Gaye, having your life changed
• Everybody’s got a MySpace page!

Tuesday, March 27:

mojo-photo-timba.jpgTimbaland – Shock Value (Interscope)
• Studio genius takes center stage with high-profile guests
• For fans of: Missy Elliott, Nelly Furtado, bringing sexy back
• Stream the first single, “Give It To Me,” here

Tuesday 4/10/07:

mojo-photo-blonde.jpgBlonde Redhead – 23 (4AD)
• NY art-rock trio gets shoegazey (again)
• For fans of: My Bloody Valentine, Serge Gainsbourg, the pot
• Grab an mp3 of the first single, “23,” here

Tuesday 4/24/07:

mojo-photo-arctic.jpgArctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino)
• Hyped (and hyper) Brit foursome gets serious on sophomore album
• For fans of: Franz Ferdinand, The Jam, dancing to electropop like a robot from 1984
•
Here’s a blog where somebody posted an mp3 (recorded from the radio) of a new song, “Brianstorm” (sic)

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We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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