Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, Loch Ness...

It seems that the video clip for Kanye's epic track has leaked, and here it is:



Not sure if this is the final product but it's pretty swish. Rick Ross doesn't even attempt to mime, Kanye looks smug as usual, Jigga looks as sharp as possible and Niki Minaj gets freaky with herself... kinda disappointed that they left Bon Iver out though.

R. Hunter

Merry Christmas

The Pogues - Fairytale of New York (1987)

I may have lied before when I said that these Christmas songs weren't in order of preference because this one is easily number one in my book. A perfect mix of story telling, vocals and instrumentals. This is/was a staple song for Christmas in the Hunter household and everytime I listen to it I can picture the family singing along and swinging their arms to the music. Merry Christmas everyone... Enjoy

The Pogues - Fairytale of New York feat. Kirsty MacColl


R. Hunter

Remix: Local Natives

One of my favourite songs from one of my favourite bands from 2010 has just received a generous remix treatment. Almost at this exact time last year the Local Natives came on the scene and had one of the best albums, and one of the best live shows of the year. And now with this remix it gives the track a whole new edge. Fools Gold has turned this airy, light, acoustic track into some sort of grimey, electro-rap banger... Enjoy

Local Natives - Wide Eyes (Fools Gold Remix) Feat. Aristotle Pop-A-Bottle


R. Hunter

So this is Christmas? (day 6)

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (1946)

This one's really a no-brainer. THE classic Christmas song. Just look at all the Christmas cheer that a young Nat King Cole is about to spread... he's got his new Christmas sweater on, sitting in a comfy chair, about to wrap up that teddy bear and give it to someone less fortunate, I can just tell... Enjoy

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song


R. Hunter

So this is Christmas? (day 5)

Today I'm going against traditional posts and posting something without music, however I wish I could translate Jimmy Stewart's Christmas joy into a song... that's some intense spreading of Christmas cheer. SPOILER ALERT: this is the last 9 minutes of the movie "It's A Wonderful Life", if you want a quick injection of Christmas then watch on... or you could just watch the whole movie for the full effect... Enjoy



R. Hunter

So this is Christmas? (day 4)

Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter (2006)

Sufjan Stevens rarely does things the conventional way, which is kinda why I like his music so much. So when he decided to release a 5 disc Christmas CD pack I was very interested to see what he would serve up. This track is my favourite out of the lot, and I love the fact that you don't really know that it's a Christmas song until the final lines of the song where he triumphantly wants to 'wish you a happy Christmas!'... Enjoy

Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter


R. Hunter

So this is Christmas? (day 3)

Jackson 5 - Santa Clause Is Coming To Town (1970)

Thought I'd add a song into the mix that was a little bit more upbeat. You can almost hear just how excited a young Michael Jackson was about Santa Clause visiting his town, his voice is so passionate and enthusiastic it's hard not to get all caught up in the moment... Enjoy

Jackson 5 - Santa Clause Is Coming To Town


R. Hunter

So this is Christmas? (day 2)

John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1971)

This one could be a little cliche but it's a classic. Along with 'Auld Lang Syne' it is the perfect bookend to a year, as it raps it all up and prepares for a fresh start. The effect of this song intensifies as it nears the end due to the harmonies inreasing to a near soprano level. And did I mention that it was a classic... Enjoy

John Lennon - Merry Xmas (War Is Over)


R. Hunter

So this is Christmas?

I'll admit that I'm not the most festive person in the world, and generally dislike the regular Christmas playlists that get blasted out in department stores all throughout November and December... however I felt compelled to put together some of my favourite Christmas songs for the last 7 days before Christmas. These aren't necessarily classics, nor am I ranking them in any order, but they are some of the songs that I will remember as unique to Christmas time.

The Black Family - First Christmas (1989)

I remember dad playing many of the Black Family CDs full volume in his office regularly when I was growing up, particularly around Christmas time. The singers have such a rich Irish accent that I always found amusing. This song was always one that stuck with me throughout the years because I remember as a child thinking 'how could anyone spend Christmas away from home?' Now as an adult I realise that it is not only possible, but has happened to me already, and it will happen again in a week. I know this isn't the most uplifting Christmas song but it's one of my favourites, and I know my dad would appreciate me saying so... Enjoy

The Black Family - First Christmas


R. Hunter

Arcade Fire Covered

UK songman Benjamin Francis Leftwich recently covered an Arcade Fire track from their 2004 album 'Funeral'. This man has good taste in his selections for covering, and this track is a very different and solid acoustic rendition of a great track... Enjoy

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Rebellion (Lies)


R. Hunter

New John Farnham...?

I never thought I'd be writing about John Farnham... ever. But just yesterday an American friend of mine told me about this amazing movie soundtrack that had all of these inspirational 80s rock songs in it... I was curious. He tells me about this movie called RAD, an against-the-odds story about a young paperboy that takes on the best BMX riders in his city (think BMX Bandits crossed with The Karate Kid) starring Lori Loughlin (that hottie Becky from Full House). It turned out that all the songs my friend was talking about were by our very own Whispering Jack! Somehow in 1986, just before releasing his mega-hit 'You're The Voice' Johnny had a little bit of time on his hands to rock the shit out of this soundtrack to a little-known teen film. Needless to say the movie, and the songs, are pure genius. You can check out the trailer to the movie (sorry about the poor quality) and the rare John Farnham tunes below... Enjoy


My favourite part: the amazing ginger kid at 0:40

John Farnham - Break The Ice


John Farnham - Thunder In Your Heart


R. Hunter

Oh land

When I first heard Oh Land's 'Wolf and I', I figuratively and almost literally shat my pants. Sorry, that's disgusting but yes, this song is THAT good. Not to mention when I watched this video...

Oh Land- Wolf & I (Live) from Oh Land Music on Vimeo.

...and realised I now have the biggest girl crush of all time.

Can't wait for the album. Enjoy 'Wolf and I' below, you can thank me later. Dubby, chilled out awsomeness.

C x

Thought I could add a little something to this one. Oh Land popped up on my radar when Yuksek decided to contribute a remix to one of her tracks... Enjoy

Oh Land - Son Of A Gun (Yuksek Remix)

R. Hunter

The KDMS is funky

This track has been described as a "slowdisco bomb", and I would have to agree. It combines the perfect laid-back 70's disco tunes with the sexy lounge singer female vocals, and it has definitely been stuck in my head for the last couple of days... Enjoy

The KDMS - High Wire


R. Hunter

Daft Punk does Tron Soundtrack

Daft Punk seem to be an obvious choice to create the original score for the new Tron film (due out December 17th in the States). The two French DJs have created a dark and ominous collection of tracks that will fit perfectly in the film. After one complete listen through I can tentatively break the Soundtrack down into a simple musically mathematical equation:

Terminator + Inception + a pinch of Batman + some French electro = Tron: Legacy Soundtrack

You can sample some of the tracks below... Enjoy

Daft Punk - Recognizer


Daft Punk - The Game Has Changed


R. Hunter

New J. Cole

The first person signed to the Roc Nation label has just released a very good hip hop cd... not much more I can say about it. In the shadows of Kanye's big release it's comforting to know that there are other highly talented rappers out there that aren't slightly crazy, all over the media headlines doing stupid shit, or ranting at their concerts. Any way you look at it, J. Cole's newest outing is a solid hip hop CD, and you can check out my favourite 2 tracks below... Enjoy

J. Cole - Before I'm Gone


J. Cole - You Got It


Also, you should really check out J. Cole's verse on one of Jay-Z's tracks from the Blueprint 3. It was the first time I had heard him, and it's very rare that Jay gets upstaged on his own track.

Jay-Z feat J. Cole - A Star Is Born

"Cold as the shoulders of gold-diggin hoes when a broke n***a approaches"

R. Hunter

Alex B in Vail, Colorado

I happened to be flipping through the local Vail newspaper yesterday and to my (pleasant) surprise I saw that Alex B was playing at the Samana Lounge in Vail. You may remember back in August that I was first introduced to Alex B's music and loved it, so after a great day of snowboarding I set off with my latest toy (a Flip Ultra HD video camera) to nod my head to some of Alex's beats. Interestingly enough he played the entire gig off a program on his iPad. I'm not sure how I felt about that due to the fact that I prefer to see some turntables and drum pads but hey, the times are a changing. You can check out some of the highlights from the gig in the videos below... Enjoy





R. Hunter