Roadside Graves - Everything (Ari Why Remix)

If the guy from Scrubs were to make another semi-artsy movie film about the strangeness of being from New Jersey, this could serve as the music one hears during the credits.

BOATLOAD of N.E.R.D. Remixes!!!

Oh man.  I'm set for the rest of the month.  Just saw the notification that a remix EP of "Hot-n-Fun" came out today . . .then I nearly had a stroke when I saw the names on it.  Sadly, as I am in a bit of a new music frenzy at the moment, I don't have time to check it out.  But there's the Boys Noize remix you just jammed above, plus others from Yeasayer, Hot Chip, Crookers* and more.  This has to be good.



* Get summa this while you're at it.

Karl X Johan - Flames

This is titties (B-cup), but it would be full on BREASTS without the vocals.
Ah well.

...and I can see the look on your face right at the 36sec mark.  I did the same thing.

The Get By - Chain Gang

Turns out Hip-Hop is NOT illegal in Canada.
Who knew?

Bilal - Free

Completely forgot Bilal had new stuff out.
See, kids?  This is why you get a music blog.  People send good stuff right to your inbox.  It's a daily Christmas if you're a big enough geek.  And I am that geek.

Sunday Girl - Self-Control (Fenech-Soler Remix)

I can envision a few scenarios in which I would jam this vigorously.
And that Diplo jammie under there is pretty dope too...but you know that already, because I gave it to you back in April.  Think I'm gonna have to keep an eye on this Sunday girl person/people.

MGMT - It's Working (Air Remix)

I have lost all interest in MGMT.  So much so that I have bestowed upon them the ultimate modern insult: Un-liking them on Facebook.  I know...harsh.  But it had to be done.

Anyway...I love me some Air, so I had to check this remix (of a terrible song) out.  Ain't half bad.  Not really too sure what to do with it, but OK, I'll add it to the collection.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Closer

::blink::

Rhymefest - City Is Falling

Looks like Rhymefest is gonna make 468 videos for his new album.
Can't be mad at that.

Soccer: America's Path to Socialism

This is my new favorite thing ever, and if my sources are correct, this dude has, in fact, won the internet.  At the risk of looking like a complete moron, I saw this for the first time yesterday afternoon, watched it at least 5 times since . . .and had no idea that this guy was a comedian until this morning.  He got me.  But dammit, it's funny.

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost! Remix)

Its not often that you get a video for a remix.
It's less often that you get a video featuring post-apocalyptic bike jousting.

Sean Price - Shut The F**k Up

"Aggressive content" (c) - 50 Cent

Fake Blood - I Think I Like It

Yes, I do think I like it.
This is super.

Jam Of The Week: June 21-27, 2010

Tough choice between this and the new Chromeo jam, but this beat is just...just...belligerent.
This beat walked into your VIP section, tongued down your main piece and stole that $200 bottle of Goose you were nursing.  It's that nasty.  I really didn't think Timbo was capable of shit like this anymore.  Thought the old dog had lost it.  Throw T.I.'s special brand of middle-finger rap on top and it's too much to resist.  I jammed the merciless efph out of this all weekend in various public places.

UPDATE:  Dirty version!!

Miguel ft. J. Cole - All I Want Is You

This has been around for a few weeks, but its taken forever to grow on me.
It's gaining steam around here.  Wondering if the rest of the country is jammin' it.

The Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues

Still in love with this album.
Still have no idea what the hell Jack White is talking about.

Chromeo - Don't Turn The Lights On

Awwwww, shit!

Took 'em long enough, but Chromeo is finally back with a proper single for their upcoming album, Business Casual.  I'm feelin' it.  It's exactly what a Chromeo jam should sound like.  Although it sounds like they might have had some fancier equipment this time around.

Do you think Chromeo fans are aware that there's an entire decade of R&B available for their downloadification that sounds just like this?  Probably not, right?

2010 Afro-Punk Festival

Highlights from 2009.

Believe it or not, I've never been to Afro-Punk.  I know.  Doesn't make sense to me either.  You'd think it was an inevitability.  I'm slippin'.

Anyway...the 2010 edition kicks off today and goes through Sunday @ Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn.  For more info, tix and whatnot, head here.

T.I. - Here We Go Again

Timbaland on them beats.Damn...this is dope.  Superhero Theme Music!
I swear, there isn't much better that some good arrogant shit on a Friday to rock for the weekend.

Have some.

Hey . . .
Remember that stuff^^^?
Well its back this weekend.
Just sayin'.

On The Off Chance That I Have An English Reader . . .

I'm watching the BBC feed of the Portugal v Brazil game right now with Mick McCarthy and some other dude on the commentary, and I must say...it's is the most entertaining and funny thing I've enjoyed in a while.

The man is an unintentional comedy GENIUS!  His voice is like David Bowie if he started sippin' Lil Wayne's purple drank.  It's brilliant.  I want Mick McCarthy to have a TV show on every network.  "Mick McCarthy reads the news".  "Mick McCarthy's Hip-Hop Top 10 Countdown".  "Mick McCarthy Visits the Jersey Shore".  All of it.

I think I'm gonna adapt Mick's voice as my new drunken accent and do my own commentary for USA v Ghana tomorrow.

John Legend x The Roots: Wake Up!

Wait...what?!
Am I late on this??

You already know The Roots' new album came out on Tuesday, complete with a pair of John Legend appearances.  BUT...On September 21, The Roots and John Legend will be releasing a collaborative album, titled Wake Up!.  Today was the first I've heard such things.  The video above is a live performance of "Hard Times" (a cover jam of some sort), which will appear on the album.

Oh snap.

World Cup Failure: It's Fratalian

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

One half of my personal Unholy Four (Mexico and Spain being the other two), despised national teams are on their way home before the Round of 16, while the USA is riding the most ridiculously exciting wave of sports magic since that damn hockey game against the Communists that no one will shut up about.

Love me some World Cup!!!

And as I said on the Face Books:

"Avoid the malls today. They're gonna be full of fraud fans swapping their 'Italia' track jackets for USA gear."

"I think the Red Bulls could pick up a few disgraced Italians on the cheap to go with The Frenchist. There's gotta be a combo pack or Costco-style bulk rate on these dudes at this point. Buy 2 French, get a free Italian."

Hipster Runoff: The Emergence of the USA Bro

HRO's Crls examines the rabid US Soccer fan through the "alternative" pop culture lens.
Right on that line of "funny because it's true" and "sad because its true".
Good stuff.

Strong Arm Steady ft. Sick Jacken - Pressure

Madlib on them beats.
At the halfway point, I think this is still my leader for Album of the Year.
Don't sleep...



Bonus:  "Best of Times" ft. Phonte

The Ed Banger Seven: Episode 1 (The Storm)

You're not new here...so you know the deal.
I can't properly express my affinity for Ed Banger Records.
Short of anything Daft Punk has ever recorded, electronic music just doesn't get any better that what this ridiculously loaded stable of talent pumps out on a regular basis.  It isn't remotely debateable.

Anyway...Starting today, and continuing with one episode daily, Ed Banger is releasing a 7-part documentary series that follows Justice, Busy P, Uffie, DJ Mehdi, Sebastian, etc on their journey to NYC as their crew finds growing success in the US.

I will not be missing a single minute of this.

J. Cole - Who Dat

J. Cole - Who Dat (Directed by BBGUN) from bbgun on Vimeo.

I still think Cole is alot better than this song...but its a'ight.
First singles tend to "meh" outloud.

JAM OF THE WEEK: June 14-20, 2010

 

Not a whole lotta options for fresh jams last week,  but this Monarchy probably would have made it anyway.  I suggest you download this and get it on some proper speakers.

OK Go - End Love

OK Go are at it again.
I almost feel bad for them.  Coming up with these videos has got to be a pain in the ass.  But I wonder if the creative videos are actually working against them.  Are they seen as just a viral gimmick machine, or a band?  Sad part is, as far as pop bands go, they're not bad.  Oh well.

The Roots ft. Jim Jim James - Dear God 2.0

For real, tomorrow is gonna be Roots Day.
Can't wait.

VERY curious to see where they fit into America's musical landscape post-Fallon.  Is exposure from the show going to give them the sales they've always deserved ("sales" in a 2010 context, anyway)?  Are people who only know The Roots from Late Night going to be turned off by how socio-political their music is?  Am I the only one breathing a huge sigh of relief and feeling "proud" that a national TV gig hasn't changed their music in the slightest?  So many questions.

N.E.R.D. Rant

Disclaimer:  I'm allowed to do this because I've been blasting N.E.R.D. through various speakers non-stop since about '01.  Say something bad about No One Ever Really Dies, and I might fight you.

N*E*R*D - Hot-n-Fun (ft. Nelly Furtado) from Jae on Vimeo.

So...you want me to say it?!  Fine, I'll say it!!
This song is kinda whack.  There.  Happy?!
DAMMIT!!!

Is it just me, or does the N.E.R.D. catalog seem to have been released backwards.  Nothing seems like something a MUCH younger group would have released 10 years ago, and it would have lead up to a more complete and less silly album like In Search Of..., now, as the 4th album.  It's like they're in a time warp.  Gah.

The Roots ft. Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash - The Day

OK...I lied.
I said I wasn't gonna share anything else before the album release, but this is entirely too great to keep to myself.  How I Got Over in stores tomorrow!!!!!!!

"Recovery" Bonus Jams

Two iTunes-only bonus jams from Recovery.



"Session One" ft. Slaughterhouse (no Budden).
Just Blaze on them beats.


"Ridaz".  Dre on them beats.

If you're hesitant to be optimistic about another Eminem album, let me assure you that Marshall has never been this sharp bar-for-bar.  Never.  This is finally the album that Hip-Hop heads have been waiting a good decade for.

Monarchy - Love Get Out of My Way (Holy Ghost! Remix)

Oh, my damn, that's funky!
Cowbell @ 2:48!
This will be on repeat now, through approx. 2PM.
Have some.

This is like some ol' Col. Abrams shit.
(If you have any idea who Col. Abrams is, then you and I can be friends for life)

Dr. Dre ft. Jay-Z - Under Pressure

BEFORE PLAYING:  Call me a pessimist, but this can't be good right?  This is 2 "greats" (I've never been a Dre fan) who have both lost their fastballs, per se.  I'm expecting a droning Dre beat and verses from each with alot of "respect your elders" talk that we've been hearing from both of them for the last decade.  Let's see.

AFTER LISTENING:  Oh, there's no way this is a finished song...but I'm in no hurry to hear the finished song.  Meh.

M.I.A. - Steppin' Up

Yeesh.  This is just a mess.
I get the feeling that indie scene backlash pendulum will be swung pretty aggressively on this album.

Dice Raw ft. Truck North & Tuphace - Fools

"What a fool belieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeves to beeeeeeeeeeeee
Da wah-tan gah da wah-wah" - Michael MacDonald

First of all...hell yes to this sample.  Anything after that is gravy.
I think gravy should be spelled with two V's . . .gravvy.

Yeah...but I enjoyed the hell out of this song.

Memory Tapes - Bicycle

Memory Tapes - "Bicycle" from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

I have no idea what I'm supposed to take from this video.
I have no idea what I'm supposed to take before watching this video.
I do not eat the drugs.  But I enjoy the noises that result from other doing so.

Rhymefest - Prosperity

If Martin Luther was around, this would be his jam.
I assume he would drive a VW of some sort.

Philadelphia Union Opens Front Door and BEGS to be Slaughtered In Their Own Living Room

Philadelphia...Y'all done done it now.
Here we are, 4 months away from the NY trip down to Philly, and your front office is already poking the angry, drunken, "classless" beast that is NY's hardcore fanbase.
  

"[PPL Park] will be a much more unified experience for the fan than Red Bull Arena," Union president Tom Veit said. "I think here, the fan will really feel part of things."

Tom Veit: The same jackass who had this to say in April after Philly's first trip to Red Bull Arena:

"When you really looked at it, it looked like our supporters' club was a lot larger than their supporters' club," Veit said. "So much so, that there was a joke going where we asked the Sons of Ben not to be so loud, because they were drowning out their fan club."

Now lets take a look back at my first impressions of the PU fanabase after that game.
Awe-inspiring, weren't they?

There's a terrible irony to your boasts, Mr. Veit.  Your shit-talk about the superiority of your fans and stadium don't quite match up with the fact that you only allocated 150 tickets to traveling New York supporters for the October match in your house.  One hundred and fifty.  What are you afraid of?  I'm almost certain Red Bull offered the SoBs 500+.  Do you secretly feel threatened?  Well you should.  We sold those in 20min.  Literally.  And got our hands on a few hundred more.  You're in trouble.

Mr. Veit...
I don't think you understand how little fuel it takes to ignite us as a group. 
I don't think you appreciate how much joy and personal pleasure we're going to take from ripping the SoB's collective heart out in their own house. 
I don't think you understand just how much better we are man-for-man than your amateur supporters (ask DC how a handful of us shouted them down at RFK in May). 
I don't think you understand the levels we'll go to to thoroughly embarass your fans, club and franchise on live television.

New York fans are vindictive with amazingly long memories (ask Wynalda).
Maybe Tom Veit should be more like the fans of his franchise and just stay quiet.

JAM OF THE WEEK: 6/7 - 6/13/10

A few pretty good songs and videos came around last week, but I'm so heavy on the Black Keys right now, that I had to give this live studio session the nod.

Nominees:
Ne-Yo - Champagne Life
Rhymefest ft. Phonte - Say Wassup
Breakbot - Baby I'm Yours
Von Pea & Donwill ft. Che Grand - Headphone Rock

Von Pea & Donwill (of Tanya Morgan) ft. Che Grand - Headphone Rock

Video action from the Sandwich Shop EP.
Jam it.

M.I.A. ft. Jay-Z - XXXO (Remix)

I still don't like this song too much.
And MIA is really doing herself no favers on the prono run fro this album.
Sheesh.

Jay's verse is...ehh.

The Roots ft. John Legend - The Fire

OK(P)...I don't wanna spoil this album for myself, so this is the last leak I'll pay attention to (unless something get the "single" treatment).

June 22!

Reality ft. Skyzoo - Temptress

Breakbot - Baby, I'm Yours

Shut up.  This is dope.
(as are these remixes)

The Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues

Speaking on live video from albums I can't stop listening to right now.
Get summa this in your earholes.  Love me some Dead Weather!

I have no idea WTF they're talking about at any point, and I don't give a damn, whatsoever.
This whole album is like one, ridiculously long punch to the soul (a good thing) that sounds like a jukebox, and smells like cheap beer and leather.  YEAH!

THE DEAD WEATHER!!!

The Black Keys - Too Afraid to Love You (In-Studio)

As I've said before, I was never into The Black Keys until this year.
That said, I can promise you that when I do my annual Album of the Year pondering in mid-December, Brothers is ABSOLUTELY gonna be short-listed.  It's phenomenal.

Redman - Lookin' Fly

Ha.
What did you expect from a Redman video with a heavy MJ sample?
For educational purposes:
Reference 1
Reference 2

Joell Ortiz - Drunk

In celebration of NYPD's least favorite event, the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Have some.

Red Bull Fans Know Things About Things.

(Endres with the assist)

Clearly, my attention today is all wrapped up in World Cuppetries, general footballishness and such.

This past Saturday before the RBNY v Chivas USA (a win for us, natch), Michelle Ackermann of new blog, Amor por el Juego de Futbol, ventured into the Jersey-side home base of the Empire Suporters Club (El Pastor on Market St. in Newark) to gets a few quick thoughts on the team, the Angelic (clever, right?) miracle against Houston from a few days earlier, and the upcoming World Cup.

Be sure not to miss the glorious appearance by me and my flask full of E&J @ 1:40.
Good times.

USA: We Have An Anthem!

Are you an American? 
F**kin' right you are.
Do you want to stomp on the English until they sound French? 
Got-damn right, you do.

Then, dammit, its your obligation as a US Soccer supporter to have this song memorized before Saturday's game against them English.  It brings a tear to my eye, it's so beautiful.

Gonna kick some ass for the U-S-A!!!
WHOOOOOO!!!

Plan B - Prayin'

Very Mark Ronson. 
That's a good thing, yes?  Yes.

The UK seems to have the Blue-Eyed Soul market cornered.
How did that happen?

Knuckles (aka Sovnger) - What I Like

KNUCKLES | BLAKE - WHAT I LIKE from Paul Bryan on Vimeo.

::shrugs::

Dirty Tackle: Ten Things That Will Happen if USA Beats England

"Sir Deuce of Nacogdoches"...dammit, this is funny.

Yahoo! "Flashing Lights" Ad

Well, then.

JAMS MY GIRLFRIND LIKES: Lykke Li - Little Bit (AutoErotique Bootleg Remix)

New segment time!

The remix is about a year old, and comes courtesy of my girl, whose taste in music is usually a source of unintentional comedy for me (I will be punched for that).  She hates my "hipster bullshit".  I hate her "fist-pumping Shore music".  I'll let her chime in on theose RARE occasions when she actually has something GOOD to share.  So when there's a jam that we both agree is the jam.  I gotta jam it.  We'll see how this works out.

...and the last 34sec of this thing is an absolute masterpiece.

Mr. Porter x Royce Da 5'9" x Eminem

This cypher is gonna give you bitter beer face.
That, my friends, is rappin'.
Live in the UK with (that massive tool), Westwood, on a nasty Alchemist beat.

Rhymefest ft. Phonte - Say Wassup

Yyyup, it's actually in 3D.
Was there some sort of cultural shift where people just randomly have 3D glasses laying around that I'm not aware of?  No?  Cool, then its not just me.

This is dope, with or without the extra D on that bitch (sorry...kinda).  Feelin' the jam pretty heavy too.  Rhymefest's El Che will FINALLY be available tomorrow, after about 2yrs of "coming soon" status.

Brian Ching: Starting FWD on All-Pansy XI

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Apparently, Mr. Ching is under the terribly naive assumption that his service to the National team somehow makes him untouchable while on club duty.  Are you f**kin' serious?

The topic of debate surrounding this (and NY fans doing it last Wednesday, to which Mr. Ching responded with the ol' cup-the-ear, "I can't hear you" move after he scored...but before his team LOST) is going to be the propriety of American soccer fans verbally abusing a regular on the USMNT roster.  Nonsense.  The same way we fans keep our club loyalties to the side while supporting the Nats, is the same way all that kumbaya shit goes out the window when we're off neutral turf.

You're a professional athlete, Ching.  Act like it.  Better yet, how about you avoid sounding like a U16 girl in the national media?  How about you DON'T tell opposing fans exactly what gets under your skin?  Bad move, Ching.

But beyond that main discussion is this underlying one:  The USA/MLS needle has always pointed sharply on the country side of the "Club v. Country" debate.  This is more proof of things shifting a bit.  Suddenly we all have elite American players we don't like (ahem, Stuart Holden).  Suddenly many of us are glad, or at least not upset when our clubs' stars don't miss time for national duty.  Suddenly, "heroes" like Brian Ching can get absolutely roasted by opposing fans twice in the same week for not being good enough to make the World Cup roster.  Times are changing, folks.  A few caps for the US is no longer a lifetime free pass.  Slowly, but surely, club loyalties are taking over with American soccer fans.  Someone just forgot to tell Brian Ching.

Ne-Yo - Champagne Life

Now that's more like it!  Cognac & Blazer music, my friends.

2nd single from the upcoming, Libra Scale.  MUCH better than the first one (the name of which I can't even remember).  I don't know what that was all bout.  This is smoove.  This is the kind of jam you listen to while you're getting dressed to go out on a Saturday night.  Love them jams.  And I'm a sucker for artificial string sounds.

Dirty Money - I Want Your Love

Okay!  Diddy an'nem went all the way to the disco with this one.
I am VERY curious to see just where this album is going.
We find out on the 28th.

Mickey Factz - Paradise

Ehhhhhhh...Decent, but Factz can do better.
However, this time, its an actual single from an actual upcoming album.
We shall see.

Theophilus London - I Want You

New video from TL's mixtape of the same name, which I somehow haven't listened to yet.  I really am terrible with that shit.  Too.  Much.  Music.

I hate to doubt or question your obvious coolness (you're here, aren't you?), but just in case you're not quite there yet...have a bit of this.

Jam of the Week: 5/31-6/6/10

That's two weeks in a row that the Jam of the Week showed up on a Friday.
That's two weeks in a row that the Jam of the Week came from polarizing emcee.
That's two weeks in a row that the Jam of the Week had a central theme of defiance.

Nominees & VotW after the jump...

OLD SCHOOL: Eric B. & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge)

When the aliens arrive in 2036 and demand to know what NYC sounded like in 1992 (and they will), this is the only thing necessary for anyone to play.  Fun fact:  I was 9-10 when this came out, and it was my jam.  My dad took me to Elizabeth and got me one of those airbrush/graffiti style t-shirts we used to rock, with 2 dudes standing on the corner of "Eric B St." and "Rakim St", next to a brick wall that had "Juice" tagged on it.  The characters looked like Black Bart Simpsons if he had a box fade.  Good times.

Eminem ft. Pink - Won't Back Down

Damn.
He's back, ladies and gentlemen!  King of the wordplay.  That ol' "rewind that shit" flow.  My excitement for this album is at a solid  8.5 right now.

Seriously...listen to it again.  I promise you didn't catch all the punchlines and metaphors in the first go-through.  Em's fallen off alot of people's All-Time lists in the past few years, I'm hoping this album restores the order of things.

Rah Digga - This Ain't No Lil' Kid Rap

Yup.  Love me some Digga.
Forgot when the album was coming out though...whoops.

Janelle Monae ft. B.o.B & Lupe Fiasco - Tightrope (Wondamix)

I still don't like B.o.B.
So there.

Jay-Z - Ultra

This really feels half-baked.
Supposedly this is a reference track for Diddy's upcoming Last Train to Paris fiasco...so don't get too worked up one way or the other

JPA Lowers Tri-State Suicide Rates

To quote the American poet, M. Bretos:
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!"

You know what, Angel...
I'll even forgive you for once again taking your damn shirt off, giving my girl eye-lust the likes of which I haven't seen since we walked past a Zales at Christmas time.

Gold Panda - You

Gold panda - you from quatuorlindsay on Vimeo.

"Who?"
I don't know.
Jam is right, though.

Huoratron - Corporate Occult

"CORPORATE OCCULT" Huoratron Music Video from Cédric BLAISBOIS on Vimeo.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Super NSFW...but entertaining as all hell.
Make sure you watch until the very end.

Miike Snow - The Rabbit

This video is obviosly trying to tell me something,
but I'll be damned if I know what it is.

Foals - Miami

Finally, someone has accurately documented the never-ending struggle that is Miami:
Meatheads vs. Tranny Hookers.

Miami...gah.

Jamie Lidell - Telephone

I strongly recommend your acquisition of the following:
 

Yak Ballz - The Compass (Cassettes Won't Listen Remix)

A contest winner, I believe.

The Roots ft. John Legend - Doin It Again

June 22...

Royce Da 5'9": The Bar Exam 3 (The Most Interesting Man)

This has been "coming soon" for the longest.  Wait is over.
New mixtape from Slaughterhouse's Detroit General.
29 tracks?!  Jeez, Royce.

The Cool Kids: Tacklebox

Uhhhh...yeah.
Had no idea that this mixtape was coming, so I don't know what to tell ya.
Get it here.

JAM OF THE MONTH: May 2010

Good morning, internet!

You probably know this, but I've been meaning to add a Jam of the Week/Month feature for longer than I care to admit.  I'm 3 levels past scatterbrained with the memory of a fruit fly, so some shit gets lost in the brain cave.  Anyway...here we are.  I know this site can be hard to follow with my rapid-fire approach to things...SO, I figure I'll start some nice wrap-up bits to tie things up kinda neatly at the end of the week/month.  And when my favorite solo artist drops a new jam for the first time since I don' know when, it's as good a time as any to start.

So let's kick this off with the choice you already knew was going to happen
Jam of the Month for May 2010:  Kanye West - Power

The "21st Century Schizoid Man" sample is so perfect in this song, because 'Ye is all over the place:  Sad that the public sees him as a world-class asshole.  Frustrated by the canyon-sized gap between his self-image and the way everyone else sees him.  Laughing at the idea that he's somehow in the wrong for being who he is, and most of all angry that the world-at-large seems to be demanding some sort of mass apology, instead of offering him the one he feels he deserves.

The song is a complete mess...in a great way.  It's loud, its chaotic, Kanye's verses and flow ramble and rarely hold any single form for more than a few bars at a time.  With a lesser artist, I would just assume that "Power" was a hack job by someone who couldn't handle such a heavy beat, but everything Kanye has ever done, said or recorded has been so deliberate and carefully crafted, I have to assume that the tempest was exactly what he was after.  And he got it.  Amazingly, the version of "Power" that we've been listening for the past few days is unfinished, unmixed and not yet mastered (very common with Kanye leaks).  I, for one, am hoping that the album version remains as close to this as possible.  I think any added polish would only ruin the perfect mess that's been made.

Below, check out the other nominees for Jam of the Month. . .