mixtape maestro (2.0)

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• The Weeknd “D.D.” (Michael Jackson Cover)
• Rihanna featuring Rick Ross & Jay-Z “Talk That Talk (Remix)”
• Little Racer “Split For The Coast”

The Weeknd “D.D.” (Michael Jackson Cover) Posted: 21 Dec 2011 10:06 PM PST With his previous work currently earning mucho love on numerous critics’ year-end “best of” lists (and a track-stealing turn on Drake’s Take Care cut “Crew Love” racking up endless replays), Canadian R&B mysterio The Weeknd caps off a breakout year by finally unleashing Echoes of Silence, the final piece of his 2011 mixtape trilogy and one that kicks off rather strong with a cover of the King of Pop’s other popular ode to persistent groupies, 1987′s Bad-housed rocker “Dirty Diana”. Reducing the original’s heavy metal bombast to huge, jack-hammer-like drum hits that sound like asteroids pummeling into Earth, with the rest of the track’s spaces colored with Abel Tesfaye’s usual wash of atmospheric indie-R&B psychedelia, “Diana” (re-titled “D.D.” here, in typical cryptic Weeknd fashion) emerges as a comfy fit within the now-familiar Weeknd template, while also shining an even more obvious spotlight on how much Tesfaye’s sound was inspired by MJ (from the quivery high tenor vocal theatrics to both artists’ obsession with jumbling together dark-hued narratives built on themes of rock stardom, sex and femme fatales).

Rihanna featuring Rick Ross & Jay-Z “Talk That Talk (Remix)” Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:46 PM PST Last week we had Cam’ron giddily jumping on his “Favorite Song Evah!” of the moment by throwing some rhymes on a remix to Rihanna‘s chart-topping “We Found Love”, now here’s the BAWSE adding some bars to another Talk That Talk fan fave, the (likely future No. 1) Jigga-assisted title track. And while Ross can’t quite top Jay’s awesomely bad “Had it by a bladder/ She like ‘Oh I gotta pee’” line, he manages to do that thing he usually does on all of his remix add-on verses where he sounds like he should have been on the original anyway. (via) “Talk That Talk (Remix)” (DL): Download audio file (Rihanna-Talk-That-Talk-Remix-feat.-Rick-Ross-Jay-Z.mp3) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Little Racer “Split For The Coast” Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:09 PM PST One could be forgiven for not being able to successfully place indie three-piece Little Racer as a modern-day outfit hailing from Brooklyn on an initial blind listen to their debut single “Split For The Coast”. Blame it on the song’s ever-mutating construct, an endlessly fascinating threading of various genres and musical eras that touches on ragged East Coast lo-fi garage, a breezy ’60′s West Coast swing inspired by the surf-guitar bubblegum and sweet male doo-wop of the Beach Boys and wait, is that bossa nova (?), to color the somber story of a guy having to deal with a girlfriend who’s home-sick for the glorious Cali waves and sunshine she left behind when she moved cross-country to be with him. Thankfully Little Racer is able to make all the different elements of this variety show-like tune gel into a pretty addictive near-four minute whole, its bountiful supply of impressive genre transitions and great pop moments (the blissfully layered vocal work and riotous rumble on the bridge, the BOSSA NOVA!!!) basically demanding the listener to leap for the replay button at song’s end, while also sparking tons of interest into what other anything-goes delights the band have up their sleeve for their future material. Pick up the track, and it’s dreamy B-side “The Town”, on iTunes. Split For The Coast from Little Racer on Vimeo.

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