Ropeadope

The Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra closed out the Global Grooves Concert Series last night here in Philadelphia at the legendary Kimmel Center.

They absolutely killed it.

The venue was perfect and Antibalas had everyone out of their seats dancing the entire night. You can't deny the collective's rhythm and funky, afro-beat style. And Stuart on the sax just stole the show. I had a great …

Ethel isn't your grandmother's quartet. These modern virtuosos focus on music mostly written after 1994, giving modern composers a way to have their music be heard. This track, "Hard Wood" was composed by John King.

The new Dead Kenny G's record "Bewildered Herd" is out on iTunes today!!!  So I figured we had to show them a little love here on the radio.  

"A steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody." That is how guitarist and lead vocalist Kevin Parker describes his band, Tame Impala. They draw from many influences which you can hear right away, most notably John Lennon/The Beatles. A friend suggested I listen to them after I showed him Surfer Blood, cause both bands share that surf rock feel, and I …

Who am I kidding?

I'm not off the dream wave train, not even close.  How can I be when great songs like this keep popping up all summer?

This rich dance-pop hit is from the up and coming LexiconDon who will be debuting their album, Pink + Blue on August 24th.  What I enjoy about this the most are the lyrics.  A lot of bands …

Sometimes I think I have music blog soulmates.

This usually happens when I stumble upon something that completely gets me excited.  And this happened this morning (thank you i guess i'm floating).

Introducing unouomedude, pronounced "you know you owe me dude."  You all may not know me that well, but one thing I hate is the heat. Yet, there are some things that make …

There have been some wonderful collaborations between Only Child and the great Amp Fiddler, however, this is by far my favorite one.  Released in 2003, it's appropriately titled "U Bring Me Vibes" – the track just oozes with beauty!  With its warm strings, enchanted keyboard, dreamy synth, bubbly guitar, great harmonies and lead vocals, this track can provide the soundtrack for a lounge hang-out, or a full-out …

Janelle Monae has made me a believer with her monumental full-length debut, The ArchAndroid.  Those who have heard it know that this album is too good!  Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the project, “Say You’ll Go.”  It’s very Stevie Wonder-ish, and it sorta resembles the break on The Jackson’s “Heartbreak Hotel” song – all in a smooth sweeping way.  It even ends in dramatic …

An other-worldly masquerade from the great Crown Heights Affair, “Dreaming a Dream” is a wonderful track that has terrorized many dance floors and turntables worldwide.  With its pulsating bass, streaky guitar and horns riffs, wonderful breaks and ad-libs, "Dreaming a Dream" will pleasantly induce just that - a dream.

In one track, Chrissie Hynde defines what rock should, no MUST be. Unabashed sexuality, raucous and yet perfectly in time. If this song does not make you move, I guarantee you are deceased. sorry about that, and good luck with the rivers of honey and the 72 virgins.

Why am I writing about this song? First off, this track is completely FREE and it's available here.

Second, these Venezuelans stay rooted and deliver us an album rich of fusion/folk/rock.. hell, they cover a lot of different sounds (yes, you did hear bagpipes on track six).

Third, I think I'm just excited to throw this track on a mix for a nice, long …

Save me from the synths, the elctro-fused pop.  This stuff is taking over the music blogosphere.

Delta Spirit isn't new to the scene. They had success with Ode to Sunshine years back.

History From Below was released last month, "Bushwick Blues" being the second track. I love folk..but Delta Spirit gives it more of a rougher edge.  Among other great things..this album speaks in volume …

Straight from another Adult Swim compilation comes the latest track, "Papermill," from the dynamic duo of Madlib and MF Doom, infamously known as Madvillain.  Maybe we'll get that Madvillainy 2 soon while we're at it...

The day has come. Zer0 is officially here.

I picked this track because it's different from the others on the rest of the album but it shows exactly what Levan, the genius behind the music, is really capable of. This guy truly is innovative..doing his own thing all over the musical spectrum. I like this song, it's got a nice upbeat tempo going on. A …

ahh, The Clash - what can you say about a band that forced their record label to put out a 3 LP set for $ 5.00? Fucking Brilliant.

In the ongoing war between rich and poor, the voice of the intelligent pauper is the strongest. I appreciate the Pete Seegers and Billy Braggs of the world, but you can feel their intellectual background at every turn. …

There's something dark about this song.  The light strumming on the guitar is nice, with the strings in the background.  The lyrics are pensive, striking the contrast. Either way, I can see this guy not giving a fuck who he is singing to on stage.  And of course, it follows my favorite pattern of building up right at the end and bringing all the layers of …

Today marks the new album release of one of my musical heroes, The Roots.  The album is titled How I Got Over, and like Louie Vega, these cats can't do no wrong in my book...well, maybe except for The Tipping Point; but they have more than made up for that with timeless album after timeless album.  Staying on the subject of "Day," here's one of my …

Toeachizown – the full length debut of futuristic boogie ambassador, Dam-Funk – is a must have to those who may have been under a rock for the last year.  The uplifting and laidback “One Less Day” is a great track that’ll be sure to make the listener feel real good!

Amen, Brother - the track responsible for what is now know as 'drum and bass' was a B side. This was the A side, and it was, is, and will forever be a hit in my book. To all the Dads out there who hold their real stories close and do what has to be done every day - thanks from Ropeadope, you embody the term …

Michael Isley is a modern nomad of sorts; he goes to a city, creates a band, rocks out, and moves on.  His most recent move took him from Philadelphia to the "city of angels" where he put out his newest record "You Have Me."   I must admit that Philly hasn't be quite the same without him, and I am pretty sure he stole a saxophone before …