Paqman's Top 10 Albums Of 2012

Tens of thousands of albums have been released this past year, so P&B are taking on the arduous task of breaking down our very own Top 10 Albums of 2012 List. We'll break down the albums, EPs, and mixtapes, etc, that made for quintessential listening throughout the year. If you don't see something on here that you feel should've made the lists, feel free to leave a comment or send us an email about it! 

10) Kid Koala - 12 bit Blues

I've got so much love for Kid Koala, and it goes beyond him being a proud Canadian. Eric San (aka Koala)  takes old blues to the next level with a fresh take on some old recordings. As an added bonus, San creatively found a way to turn the CD case into a working mini turntable. Brilliant.

P&B Approved Cuts: 1 bit Blues (10,000 miles), 3 bit Blues, 8 bit Blues (Chicago to LA to NY)

                   ALL OF THE P&B APPROVED CUTS CAN BE ENJOYED HERE ON RDIO.

Official Lollapalooza 2012 Line-up Video

The highly anticipated 2012 Lollapalooza lineup was announced today.

Performers include Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Jack White, a reunited Black Sabbath, Florence & The Machine, At The Drive In, Frank Ocean, and many many more.

Festival date is August 3-5 at Chicago's Grant Park.

-Turnbull

Goodnight Said The Nightman: Don Henley Threatens To Sue Frank Ocean Over Use Of "Hotel California"

(Photo via passionweiss.com)

You know this was bound to happen. According to Frank Ocean (via his tumblr account), Don Henley has threatened to sue the R&B singer if he performs "American Wedding" live.

Rep Rising: Troy NōKA

This new cut from Mr. NōKA got the Megaupload-less world buzzing. NōKA, also known as Antwoine 'T Wiz' Collins, has produced tracks for Chris Brown, Ciara and Frank Ocean. He had his fingers all over "lovecrimes", "there will be tears" and "dust" from Nostalgia, Ultra. Those Ocean tracks are some of the strongest on the mixtape, and looks like NōKA is ready to spread his wings to up the current R&B game.

"Right Now" features T. Coles and has a clever interpolation of Kings Of Leon's "Sex On Fire" during the chorus. The song is thrown over a video called "Nuit Blanche" which is basically a power-of-love slow motion sequence that would make 300 director Zach Snyder blush. Is "Right Now" an "Ahhhhh yeahhh" or a "Hellllll no"? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

-Paqman

Paqman's Top 10 Albums Of 2011 - The Year Of The Mixtape

Tens of thousands of albums have been released this past year, so P&B are taking on the arduous task of breaking down our very own Top 10 Albums of 2011 List. This is the second of a 2-part series (Turnbull's first, with Paqman's second). We'll break down the albums, EPs, and mixtapes, etc, that made for quintessential listening throughout the year. If you don't see something on here that you feel should've made the lists, feel free to leave a comment or send us an email about it!

10) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

The Foo had one hell of a year. They reestablished themselves as the premiere stadium rock band with a massive sold out tour. If you haven't checked out the "Back and Forth" documentary which chronicles the band's history and the making of "Wasting Light", it's a must for any fan of the Foo Fighters and modern rock.

P&B Approved Cuts: Bridges Burning, Rope, Arlandia

 9) Drake - Take Care

Canada's hottest export did not fail with his sophomore release. With longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib, Just Blaze and T-Minus, Drake proved that his star continues to rise as he delivers his trademark introspective lyrics over fantastically produced beats.

P&B Approved Cuts: Buried Alive Interlude, Under Ground Kings, Take Care

Turnbull's Top 10 Albums of 2011

Tens of thousands of albums have been released this past year, so P&B are taking on the arduous task of breaking down our very own Top 10 Albums of 2011 List. This is the first of a 2-part series (Turnbull's first, with Paqman's to follow). We'll break down the albums, EPs, and mixtapes, etc, that made for quintessential listening throughout the year. If you don't see something on here that you feel should've made the lists, feel free to leave a comment or send us an email about it!

10) Theophilus London - Lovers Holiday

Amongst a couple of mixtapes, and a major label debut that I found somewhat disappointing, this 5-track EP captured the true essence of this debonnair Brooklyn MC/singer-songwriter, who sights Prince, Mike J, and The Smiths as his key influences.  London is a fashion savvy street rebel who struck gold with this short yet solid set of tracks.

P&B Approved Cuts: Strangelove, Wine & Chocolates

9) Bon Iver (s/t)

Truth be known, I didn't know what to make of this album when I first heard it, but it certainly has grown on me over time.  This record serves less as an album, and more as a collection of lush 'soundscapes' that conjure up the same feelings of isolation shown on Bon Iver's critically acclaimed debut album For Emma, Forever Ago.

P&B Approved Cuts: Perth, Holocene, Towers

Frank Ocean Named One Of GQ's 2011 'Men Of The Year'

image via hypebeast.com

Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine has dropped its annual "Men Of The Year" list, which recognizes/acknowledges/verifies the "coolness" factor of select cats in the fields of music, sports, film, comedy, etc.

The honour of "Rookie Of The Year" went to the incomparable Mr. Frank Ocean, who caught everyone off-guard with the sheer genius of his debut mixtape nostalgia, ULTRA. It is, hands down, my favourite record of 2011, and I broke down the impact that Ocean has had on the music scene this year in a previous post.

P&B would like to offer our congrats to Frank for this most prestigious award (lol), as it's great when a publication, or organization (or whomever) gets it right when dishing out recognition for dope shit.

Other 2011 winners include Jay-Z, Steve Carell, Michael Fassbender, Novak Djokovic, Mila Kunis (I know she's not a guy, but her sheer hotness cannot go unrecognized!), and Derrick Rose.

For a full breakdown of this year's list, click HERE.

-Turnbull

The Surge of Frank Ocean

photo via hiphop-n-more.com

If you read the P&B blog on the regular, you've seen Paqman's recent posts about Tyler, the Creator; the undisputed leader of hip hop's most shocking and envelope-pushing youth group, Odd Future (aka OFWGKTA - Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All).

And yes, Tyler is certainly the most visible of the group's members, especially following his recent MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.

However....there's another kid in his crew that deserves some immediate attention.

His name is Frank Ocean.

GLAAD Hate On Tyler, the Creator; Claims to Enjoy Any Hateration Thrown His Way

(Photo via okmagazine.com)

2011 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for Tyler and his Odd Future posse. Crooner Frank Ocean is on the brink of super stardom. And now the outspoken Creator is a household name thanks to an MTV VMA win for Best New Artist for "Yonkers" (if you haven't seen it yet, click here). The kid seemed genuinely overwhelmed when he accepted the Moon Man trophy, as evident by his improvised speech and his awkwardness.