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.

K-Dot Takes T-Dot: Good Kid, m.A.A.d Talent

(Photo via flickr.com)

I'm not a huge fan of weekday concerts. Can't really bust loose and get into it (if you know what I mean). This is especially true for a hip hop show. The wait...it always drives me crazy, waiting for all of the fluff to run its course before the main event (while staying disciplined). Mix in the young fans, a few too many unannounced opening acts, a few too many announced acts not showing up. It usually becomes an adventure and test of patience, which I don't have on a weekday. We arrived an hour later than the posted show start time for the previously stated reasons and didn't miss a thing.

2012 Bonnaroo Live Webcast Schedule

image via ibtimes.com

The 11th edition of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will be broadcast online this weekend for all your viewing pleasure.

Click HERE to go to their Youtube channel to catch some great bands.

You can also take the jump below to check out the schedule of performances, so you can plan when to tune in, right from the comfort of your own crib.

My Top 5 Anticipated New Releases of 2012

(Photo via muse.mu)

5 - Muse - Title TBA - Fall 2012

Muse has been riding high since the Twilight effect and are looking to keep this momentum going. According to lead singer Matt Bellamy, this album might sound a little different:

All joking aside, I expect Muse to keep pushing the envelope as they continue their musical evolution.

Down & Dirty in the Desert: Musings on the 2012 Coachella Lineup

image via thehiphopupdate.com

Its time to see which musical acts will entertain throngs of sweaty hippies in the California desert this spring.

That's right folks....an annual rite of passage took place this week via the Goldenvoice concert promotions group: The announcement of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Lineup.

A good thing about this festival is that it gives you a pretty strong idea of the bands that'll be playing on the circuit throughout the year, so even it you can't make it to Cali, you'll probably catch some of these acts at a closer, more accessible fest near you.

Looks like they're mixing things up this year by spreading Coachella over two consecutive weekends: April 13th to 15th, and 20th to 22nd.

Goldenvoice's head honcho, Paul Tollett, shares the reason for the back-to-back weekend approach:

(from Boston Globe):
"The thought of this selling out super quick, and the only people who get to go are the people who bought the first minute or bought tickets for more than they sold for, that didn’t seem great to us.  We didn’t want to go with more people and ruin the experience. We can’t add a midnight show, and we didn’t want to add another city or raise the ticket price. So we decided to add another weekend."

Here's the lineup:

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

From Compton to Consciousness: Kendrick Lamar Enters the Game

(Photo via zatoonblog.com)

When you think of West Coast hip hop, NWA and Snoop come to mind. How can we forget "Straight Outta Compton"? This song was the West's coming out party: times are tough out here and we are sick of it. Gangsta rap made it's presence felt with it's aggressive social "tell all" and the Game changed (Note: I'm not talking about the Game the rapper, but the hip hop Game to make this clear. Game the rapper thinks he's a player in the Game but he's not. He's more like a name dropping, whining water/towel boy). Dre, Snoop and Ice Cube (Sans the "Are We Wherever Yet Againing?") are synonymous with the West Coast sound, with Jay Rock coming up the ranks. But a cat from the aforementioned Compton is breaking the mold by delivering West Coast consciousness instead of aggressiveness: a potential rookie of the year in the Game, Kendrick Lamar.

Friday Flashback - Straight Out Of The 80s Edition

N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"

Ahhhh yeah!! This is one of my favorite cuts from the 80s! Such a raw track from such a synthesized decade.

This is the premier video from the N.W.A. that we all know and love; a heavily jheri curled Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren and Eazy-E. FUN PAQMAN FACT: I listened to N.W.A. as a young lad while delivering the local newspaper.

And on a much more selfish tip, the intent of this week's FF is to create a bit of foreshadowing for my Kendrick Lamar post coming at you very soon.

Enjoy the power of street knowledge!

-Paqman