U2 x Jay-Z - Sunday Bloody Sunday

U2 - New Music - More Music Videos

Jay-Z jams out with something called a "U2" in a the Pepole's Confederation of German States for the European Music Awards.

Mad political, yo.

The End of Bloc Party? Kele Going Solo?

Rumors have been bubbling for months that the boys of Bloc Party have been (at the very least) considering a split.  For good?  Temporary?  Who knows.

Kele was quoted in the summer on Aussie radio, saying:

“It’s weird, we’re out of contract now so... we might take a year off, we might take three years off.... you know we might never make a record again or we might head straight back in and do a record," he said.  "We’ll see how we feel come the end of this touring cycle."

Then came this from drummer, Matt Tong:

"We definitely need to have a break and gain a bit of perspective on life outside of the band. Hopefully if we do reconvene at some point in the future we'll be refreshed and have so many ideas to bring to what it is we do.

"I definitely don't think this will be the last you'll hear of the people who make up Bloc Party. Kele is an insatiable workaholic and creating is something he is so connected to so you'll definitely hear from him again along with Russell and Gordon also.

"As for me I don't know, I wouldn't mind trying something else for a while."

(via Strangeglue)

Now, it seems we have confirmation that Kele will, in fact, be the first member to branch out.  Info coming from producer Hudson Mohawk (via BBC1) that:

Im kinda… it hasn’t been finalized yet, but I’m also kinda doing a little bit of stuff for Kele from Bloc Party’s solo album as well. He’s doing a record with one of the guy’s from Spank Rock, so possibly gonna be doing some stuff for that.

If you aren't familiar with Spank Rock, head this way.   YEAH...not a very likely combination, is it?  However, this DOES answer the "Who was it in Bloc Party that was turning it into an electro band" questions.  Although, this song with Tiesto may have already answered that definitively.

Fingers crossed, I guess.

UPDATE:  Since we're already here, lets head below the jump and jam some of what I think are some of the Bloc's most underrated jams.  Off-album jams, pre-Silent Alarm jams, that kinda thing . . .

Curren$y - Life Under The Scope

Blogger Blashpemy:  This is the first Curren$y song that's ever caught my ear.  And even this is 85% because of the beat.  There's another rapper out there with a HUGE internet following who I just don't understand the hoopla for (one recently associated with Curren$y) but I'll save that diatribe for if/when said rapper ever releases an album.

Elizabeth Lambert Will F**K You Up

Sign her up, Metro!
Sign her up!
::clap  clap::

HAWT!

Side Note:  Because you're my peoples, and I already know what you're thinking...here you go: The BYU women's soccer roster.

Diz Gibran ft. BJ The Chicago Kid - Truly Yours

I SWEAR, I'm not crazy when I say this . . .
But dammit, I know this song!!

I'm 100% convinced that I already knew this jam and had it on some mixtape/compilation type shit like a year ago already.  I KNOW I DID!  There's no way I completely imagined this song . . .but after a thorough search of my jam collection ("The Omega Files") its nowhere to be found.  WTF?  Am I losing it?  Is this actually new? Did someone else use this beat and hook (the 2 reasons for me liking this song anyway)?

GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!  This is going to bother me for days.

Pitchfork Burn Through Owl City Like Sherman Did Atlanta

My Goodness!!
This is some funny, funny, funny stuff.

I was starting to wonder if anyone else noticed that the Owl City kid was the biggest and most blatant thief in pop music.  Ben Gibbard is an indie hero, ain't he?  I assumed kids would have their torches and...pitchforks (SO sorry)...ready to kill this kid after hearing his jam.  Has there EVER been a more blatant steez theft?

Wait . . .while were's here . . .
How the hell are all the Ed Banger kids letting this Kesha broad TOTALLY run with Uffie's steez?!
Where's the OUTRAGE?!  Burn some shit down!!

Carl Sagan ft. Stephen Hawking - A Glorious Dawn

Rahway, NJ represent!!!
I'm like 2 months late on this, but dammit, this is the best nerd shit I've seen in 2009.
Who knew that ol' Carl had hot fiyah on the m.i.c.?
And Hawking comes in with the fresh 8 bars!
This is the jam.

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe."

 Word.

Air - Sing, Sang, Sung (Black Moth Super Rainbow Remix)

Oh snap, Air just went and got all Chillwave on dat ass, yo!
Until the chorus kicks in with some randomly noisy shit.
I dig this right now...I will hate it in a month.
Have some.

Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today

Remember this?
Of course you do.

Subtract comedy elements, add solo Strokification and viola!
A Christmas jam for all the kids too cool to care about Christmas anyway.

Spoon - Mystery Zone

Do I listen to Spoon?  I honestly don't remember.
::checks iPhone::
No.  Apparently, I do not.

I like this song anyway.

FLASHBACK: We Are Scientists - Worth The Wait

Ahhh, We Are Scientists.  I miss these dudes.  Unbeknownst  to them, they wrote and recorded the album that will forever serve as the musical score of my mid-20's.  Word-for-word, and song-for-song, With Love And Squalor could have been written by someone who followed me around like Jane Goodall from 2005-07.

W-A-S was (see what I did there?) always especially interesting because their personas and on-stage banter has always been HEAVILY based on bizarre comedy (which some found bothersome)...but they haven't recorded a single overtly "happy" song.  That...and the fact that JUST as Brooklyn was going from "BROOKLYN" to "Brooklyn", and every indie band alive was claiming residence... these two pissed of to England and became radio stars.  Amazing, really.

Buff1 - When The Winter Comes

Joell Ortiz - Election Day "Freestyle"

Not much left to say at this point.
Have some.

N.E.R.D. Premieres Studio Version of New Jam . . .on 90210 (and a spur of the moment commentary that no one will read)

::hyperventilating::
The song is called "WTF" or "Radio" depending on who you ask.

I'm right back to being terrified.
Black Eyed Peas, here we come!

N.E.R.D. in 2001-02 = LEGITIMATELY ahead of their time, cutting-edge, genre-smashing, "hey, 2 Black dudes and an Asian can jam this shit too" band making music no one had the balls to attempt to sell, or the flexible fanbase and career stability to pull off.  A perfect storm.  Remember, they were doing this...8 YEARS AGO!

N.E.R.D. in 2010 = Time has caught up, they are now lost in a post-genre soup where what was once unthinkable is now platinum-selling pop.  N.E.R.D. is no longer "different".

The irony:  It was N.E.R.D. that set the table for so much of what us "urban alternative", "blipsters" and "hip-hopsters" are feeling right now.  The worst thing to ever happen to N.E.R.D. was the success of N.E.R.D..  They achieved EXACTLY what they set out to do:  Re-form pop culture without solid color or genre lines...but they did is so effectively, that maybe they're no longer needed.

Regardless . . .No one Ever Really Dies will have a permanent place VERY high on the list of most influential artists for me personally.  They had a tremendous impact on what I listen to, why, how and when.  Even if the next album is a complete shit salad, it won't damage what they've already done.  Not for me anyway.

Hot 97 Morning Show: We Gon' Win (The Yankees Joint)

Funny World Series jam by the Hot 97 morning show crew.
And really, who likes Philly anyway?
They're one shitty accent away from being as unbearable as people from Boston.
YEAH!!!  Take that shit!