There's More to Me Than You'll Ever Know

You know what? Tomorrow we'll talk about their punk rock roots, their early frat boy-style misogyny and their own odd flavor of political activism. We'll explore the ripple effect that License to Ill had on hip-hop in general, and its lingering appeal particularly to the white suburban audience. We'll dissect that shit. We'll really get our fuckin' hands dirty, you know?

Right now let's just mourn MCA. He will be forever missed.

Mutual Assured Destruction

Last week my brother Sulfur dropped a new video single from his exquisitely bleak entropy. "1945," like the album itself, is darkly preoccupied with thoughts of the end of the world, most specifically in the form of a Cold War-style nuclear apocalypse. Not exactly uplifting material, but a fuckin' monstrous track nonetheless.

Peep game.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 132: One Foot in the Queso

I got them new hits, son! And, okay, maybe one slightly old hit, but still.

Judging by the recent output, spring is apparently a great artistic motivator for most folks. (My lazy ass being the obvious exception.) We've hit another one of those plateaus wherein everyone either has recently released a new project or is preparing too, so this should serve to point you toward a handful of my favorites.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 132: One Foot in the Queso [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 57.0 MB Running Time: 43:07 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah - "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
I still marvel at the fact that I have my own theme song.

Track 1: Tribe One - "I'm Kind of a Big Deal"
As I understand it, Tribe has never ordered a kid's meal.

Z's 1st interlude: "My favorite song right now."
That's my (current) jam!

Track 2: MisCast - "Thunderbrat Blues"
The "Thundercats ho" bit is played out, and yet totally relevant in this case.

Track 3: Marc with a C - "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
This is sort of the ultimate cover song.

Track 4: Wordburglar - "Rhyme O'Clock (feat. More or Les)"
Allow me to pimp the video for this one once again.

Track 5: Pokemon vs. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - "Gotta Make 'em all Evil"
This one came compliments of noted brony AlienBobZ. That fact likely doesn't surprise you.

Track 6: John Anealio - "The Empire State"
This is actually part of a broader world-building project.

Track 7: Pogo - "BooBass"
Kinda makes you wanna watch Monsters, Inc. again, right?

Z's 2nd interlude: "Which might be the best song title ever."
Thanks, Brooks!

Track 8: Ultraklystron - "3 Dollar Jeans (feat. Rai Kamishiro)"
Lyrically this among the album's weaker selections, but I love the bright and snappy production.

Track 9: Adventure Time dialog / The Efts - "Andrew Treat Does Everything Right"
The Efts come through with another endearing little ditty.

Track 10: More Adventure Time dialog / Videogame Orchestra - "Prince of Darkness"
This Carpenter tribute is pretty amazing.

Track 11: Supercommuter - "Unusual Habits (Hanssen Remix)"
Because you can never have too many Supercommuter remixes.

Z's final interlude: "A disproportionate number of songs containing the word 'vagina.'"
A phenomenon I'm sure I have mentioned before.

Track 12: Sulfur - "My Mama Is A G"
This is another one I've been sitting on for months. Mother's Day seemed like an ideal time to bust it out.

Wow, there was a lot of synth in this episode. More than usual even.

It's always weird for me to listen to a show and find little unintentional consistencies like that.

Across the 3rd Dimension

You don't want to be a hater. You don't want to be that guy at the bar shouting "sell-out" at confused passersby. You don't want to be an underground asshole, but sometimes it's a hard habit to break.

When Chicago bit-poppers I Fight Dragons hit the big time, I think we all feared that a major label would soften their geek rock edge. Admittedly there were some shifts within the band dynamic, but, as anyone who caught them at Nerdapalooza 2011 can attest, they are still very much the group we grew to love in the DIY days of Cool is Just a Number.

And just this week the guys released a brand new video for the track "Save World Get Girl" (from 2011's KABOOM!) via the 3DS's Nintendo Video service. I think we can all agree that represents a nerd caché all its own.

THE HORROR!

I can't pretend to know what your weekend plans entail, but if you're in Redmond (or the greater Seattle area) I will simply assume you're headed down to the Big Picture Theater tomorrow for the 2nd annual BoneBat Comedy of Horrors Film Fest.

Features films include zombie road movie Dead Heads and Robert Englund vehicle The Moleman of Belmont Avenue, not to mention tons of shorts and live music from prog metal act Burning of I and local nerdcore legends Death*Star. Organizers Steve and Gord will, of course, be on hand to officiate all this madness, and tickets are still available for $30.

This is a 21+ event, as alcohol will be in no short supply. And with films like Monster Brawl on the menu, I imagine drinking is actively encouraged.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 131: Musical Comedy Is Not Pretty

It takes a special kind of bravery to be funny. I'm serious, so stay with me here.

Comedians, in whatever form, encourage others to laugh at them, which flies in the face of the innate human fear of seeming foolish in the eyes of one's peers. Moreover, these jokesters actively encourage audiences not to take them seriously, which is itself rather counterintuitive to the nature of the artist.

This is especially true for those who play music for laughs. They are often viewed as creatively compromised, accused of hiding behind humor to mask some manner of creative deficiency. They are labeled mere "novelty acts."

But being funny, much like being a superb songwriter or an adept guitarist, takes work. It takes both practice and skill. It takes dedication. And to do all three? Why that takes a very special kind of artist indeed.


Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 131: Musical Comedy Is Not Pretty [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 61.9 MB Running Time: 47:36 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah - "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Though humor is not their primary mechanism, both Beef and Spellah manage to creatively employ comedy in their music.

Track 1: Prairiebagel - "Ragnarok Blues"
I know this track is really played for laughs, but it's impossible to deny that it's skillfully written and expertly performed.

Z's 1st interlude: "The power of comedy in music."
And also the Power of Grayskull, but that's its own episode.


Track 2: "Weird Al" Yankovic - "Skipper Dan"
I heard some fans say this was their least favorite track on the album. Personally, I thought it was one of the best.

Track 3: Double Down - "This Is the Life"
I'll not lie, I sometimes say Jesse Dangerously when I mean Johnny Dangerously.

Track 4: Mr. B, The Gentleman Rhymer - "Let Me Smoke My Pipe"
Chap-hop at its finest.

Track 5: Adventure Time dialog / Insane Ian - "My Name is Neville"
Ian is a second generation nerd musician. I find that fact endlessly fascinating.

Track 6: Adventure Time dialog / Sci-Fried - "TNG 2.0"
Crusher truly is dynamite.

Track 7: Tom Lehrer - "We Will All Go Together When We Go"
I often wrestle with including classic songs like this, stuff that I assume everyone already knows, but I have to remind myself that someone out there's always hearing things for the first time.

Z's 2nd interlude: "A fuckin' horrible segue way."
Yeah, not my best work.

Track 8: Illbotz - "The Power Glove (Lucas' Theme)"
Only Stevie D could retell the story of The Wizard from Lucas's perspective.

Track 9: Torrentz - "French Toast Tango (feat. Milk-Plus, MC Wreckshin, and Rappy McRapperson)"
Probably my favorite Rappy guest verse ever.

Track 10: Helen Arney - "Statistically I Love You"
Maths are sexy.

Track 11: Donald Glover and Danny Pudi - "101 Rap"
Oh, Community, how I missed you!

Track 12: Steve Martin - "The All Being" / MC Hawking - "Entropy"
A throwback track to episode 18.

Z's final interlude: "Sort of inclined to give them an additional tip of the hat."
Note to self: buy new hat.

Track 13: mc chris - "Discord"/ Betty White, Donald Glover and Danny Pudi - "Anthropology Rap"
I missed it myself, but apparently mc's site was totally ponied up for April Fools'.

I play a lot of funny music on this 'cast, but I rarely spotlight it as such. With the sort of stigma that sometimes gets attached to comedy music, maybe I oughta.

I really have a lot of respect for people who are genuinely funny. It's not an easy thing to do, and I should know; I likely try and fail more often than most.

But that's the strength of humor. When it hits, it hits hard. And there's always a payoff. Then it somehow has the power to make everything, even the pains of daily life, seem just a little less dire. A little more fun.

ReBOTed

Obviously this is the week of the indispensable EP! Hot on the heels of the latest from Tribe One we also get an equally amazing and equally free remix collection from Seattle's Supercommuter.

Remixes, Vol. 1 is six tracks strong and boasts some of Wheelie and Co's best from their first two albums reshuffled by Klopfenpop, Hanssen and their own resident Game Boy-slinger Stenobot. You may've heard some of these joints before—particularly Klopf's on my own podcast—but they combine (a la Devastator) to create an even more powerful symbiote.

Snag a copy now for your weekend enjoyment.

Damn it Feels Good

Kick-ass cover art by @Rusty_Shackles

So it's midday on a Wednesday, and I'm sitting at my desk high on spicy tangerine beef and low on energy when I get the most exciting news I've heard all week. Ever since I met him, ever since I heard him rhyme all live and in person at last summer's Nerdapalooza, I have been a huge fan of Tribe One.

Admittedly I already knew he was dope from his turn on Adam WarRock's debut album, but that was a concept piece and Tribe was mostly playing a part. What I wanted to hear, even if I didn't fully realize it back then, was Tribe One just being Tribe One. This particular revelation didn't come until that fateful July evening.

That night Tribe said—and I honestly didn't know if he was joking or not—that he was working on an EP of raps over Anamanaguchi instrumentals. It was a weird concept, but I was all for it. I just wanted more music. I wanted more Tribe One.  Which brings us to today's release.

Along the way we've all been treated to a couple of wonderful singles and a specialized collection of mostly live material that Tribe used to round out the merch booth on mc chris's Race Wars Tour. Hell, I even had the good fortune to see Tribe perform again alongside Adam, int eighty, The ThoughtCriminals and Illbotz, a crew that I proudly and frequently refer to as my fam. And it was all good.

Fuck that; it was all great.

Tribe One has become one of my favorite MCs, with his casual front-porch flow and his commanding but extremely personable presence, but more importantly he's become one of my favorite storytellers. anamanaGANGSTA // Devil Rhymeosaur is a collection of borrowed beats, sure, but the stories are all his.

From the project intro ("anamanaGANGSTA"), a lo-fi funkadelic mission statement, to the titular closer ("Devil Rhymeosaur"), the best damn intro track to ever grace the end of a disc, it's an amazing ride that, thankfully, I was able to experience in its infancy. "Expand Your Brain," another track I was treated to early in its development, is a chippy club banger and "I Will Make You Believe," which I've just heard for the first time myself, has a sort of maddening urgency that can't help but impress even if it runs a bit short.

The true highlights, however, are introspective WarRock collab "Midlife Crisis" and the monolithic braggadocio of "I'm Kind of a Big Deal," a joint that's been my new favorite song ever since a demo landed in my inbox a couple weeks back. I really can't praise that track ( or Tribe One) enough.

The six song EP is currently freely available via Bandcamp, and you need to download a copy right now.

Seriously.

Sax and Violence

John Anealio has a brand new track out--one that you can cop, I am inclined to add, for free over at the Bandcamps. It's a commission piece for Mur Lafferty and Angry Robot Books based on Adam Christopher's alt history noir thriller Empire State.

Y'all know I'm a big fan of John's, but this selection is particularly interesting as it channels some cool prog rock and groove metal elements alongside a swingin' saxophone solo. Give it a listen below, and don't forget to give Mr. Anealio some well-deserved love.

Time Bandits

I've been looking forward to Wordburglar's 3rdburglar for as long as he's been talking about the project, and at last the album itself is close at hand. Earlier today Burg released the first single, "Rhyme O'Clock," an amazing cut featuring fellow Canadian hip-hoppers More or Les, Fresh Kils and Uncle Fes.

There's also a video featuring ED-209, the Millennium Falcon and Granpa Funnybook. Just in case there wasn't enough awesome shit going on with this track to begin with.

Look for the full release of 3rdburglar come May 15th, with dual release parties in Halifax on April 27 and Toronto on May 11.

Straight Out of Ponyville

This year I elected not to do my regular April Fools' Day podswap. Truth be told I'm thinking of skipping Drunken Podcasting Month as well. (It appears as though one of the hazards of a long running project like Radio Free Hipster is that your recurring bits wear a little thin over time.)

Still, I did keep an eye on everyone else's gags. Google and ThinkGeek once again managed to brings the LULz, and things on the musical end faired just as well thanks to the hard work of cats like an oddly country-fried Klopfenpop. But likely my favorite example of yesterday's lyrical shenanigans came compliments of mc chris.

"Discord," mc's latest, actually rivals 2010's epic AFD track "Twin Peaks" as an example of both pure novelty and innovative musicality. This time around he put his own spin on the brony phenomenon, but also managed to inject a little social commentary in there with the humor.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 130: Spring Broke

I fear that the general lack of a proper winter has made the arrival of spring a bit less… awe-inspiring. It's a little hard to celebrate the season of nature's rebirth when nature was, y'know, basically limping along the whole time.

Still, I mark the change of another season because, in ways both subtle and obvious, it influences my listening habits.

That's just a part of my own natural cycle.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 130: Spring Broke [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 61.6 MB Running Time: 46:34 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah - "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
My boy Beefy recently got engaged. Congrats, homie!

Track 1: The BossFights – "Ctrl-Z"
"You can trim off the waste, and what's left? Excess."

Z's 1st interlude: "I am Z."
This is the tentative name of my forthcoming autobiography.

Track 2: Metaforce – "Subliminal (Style Wars Part 1)"
Thunderball of Metaforce/Southside was the original North American voice of Kid Icarus: Uprising's Pit. Sadly, he didn't make his way into the final retail release.

Track 2: Regular Show dialog / r_garcia – "Divergence"
I had no reason for putting that Regular Show sample in there, save for the fact that I find people saying "turd" repeatedly to be fuckin' hilarious.

Track 3: Adam WarRock – "Jane"
I've been sitting on a proper interview with Adam for few weeks now. I'll be sharing it soon.

Track 4: Richie Branson – "White Reflection"
Check out Richie's Wing Zero EP. Even if, like me, you totally couldn't follow the Gundam saga.

Track 5: Dethlehem – "Interlude I - A Mournful Discovery" / "Chasing the Keeper"
These cats are currently prepping for a summer tour. Please donate.

Z's 2nd interlude: "My first band of spring, if you will."
That's a thing, right?

Track 6: Anthrax – "New Noise"
The Refused original has been one of those songs I tend to revisit each spring. Now I do so in tandem with this amazing cover.

Track 7: the Mountain Goats – "Damn These Vampires"
This one's really more of a save-it-for-the-Halloween-show type of song, but I went with it anyway.

Track 8: Insane Ian – "Synthesizer (acoustic)"
Ian hipped me to this one via Twitter just a couple days back. It was exactly the song I needed to round out the episode.

Track 9: Benjamin Allen – "Apple Jack 101"
Yet another brony track that Church sent my way. I figured this show could use some more southern accents.

Z's final interlude: "I pray to all that is unholy."
I ain't even playin'; buy Worship Music!

Track 10: Supercommuter – "We're Watching You"
Wheelie and the crew are taking requests for PAX East. This seemed like something you should know.

I have a few simple rules regarding the manufacturing process of this podcast. The first is to always try and make it not suck. (I can't stress that one enough.) The second is to never be afraid to fuck with the audience.

Last ep. I set up the second set for maximum rockage by leading with a heavy metal rager. This time I used another metal banger but instead switched immediately to a mellow acoustic set.

It wasn't fair, but I admit it was kinda fun.

The Pre-Fab Ten

When Davy Jones passed away last month my first instinct was to let my mom know. He and Peter Noone were her teen pop idols, and I knew his death would be news that she needed to hear. Preferably from someone who wouldn't mock her still admittedly juvenile taste in music.

My second was to make sure Marc with a C knew. The Monkees are a musical influence that this Orlando singer-songwriter still wears plainly on his sleeve, and I similarly surmised that it was passing of which he should be made aware. Preferably from someone who wouldn't mock his juvenile taste in music. #bazinga

Marc, of course, had already heard. He's a cat with an ear to the ground with regard to music news. (That's just one of our many commonalities.)

More importantly, it seems as though Marc with a C was already hard at work on a fitting tribute to a fallen hero. Good Clean Fun: Marc With a C Sings The Monkees! is a 10-song collection of cover songs from throughout the band's career. And, since this is Marc we're talking about, the project tends to linger over deep cuts.

He kicks things off with a pitch-perfect take on "The Porpoise Song," the theme from the film Head. He adds the odd bit of Jonathan Richman jangle to the affair, but it's exactly the type of cover that will strike a chord with classic fans. It's followed up by a thicker, more rocked-up take on "99 Pounds," one of the album's finest moments, as well as title track "Good Clean Fun." Marc excises a bit of the country-western flavor of the original, which is sorely missed, and in doing so he makes it almost too easy for younger fans to mistake this for a Marc with a C original.

"I Wanna Be Free" from The Monkees debut LP is a stripped-down affair that somehow manages to keep the delicate feel of the source material. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," alternately, slows down this cover of a cover… of a cover… for an even more sinister sound. Marc's take on "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" almost comes through as a bit too thin, but the natural percussion and resonance of its acoustic drive manage to transform it into something exquisite.

This plays well off a banjo-free interpretation of "You Told Me," among Marc's strongest two minute showings to date, and an even more southern-fried version of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones's "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" A gentle fade brings us to a very grimy "Writing Wrongs," a song I never cared for in its original form, but I find this one's creepy, experimental grind growing on me.

The closer is a plodding take on "Don't Bring Me Down" that crushes the 60s-pop-by-way-of-80s-soul feel of its Michael Nesmith-free inspiration. Easily the most ambitious track on the album, it admirably forges its own path even if it (like "Writing Wrongs" before it) monkeys—see what I did there?—with the two-and-a-half minute recipe for Monkee music greatness.

The Monkees were a fake band, a meticulously crafted charade designed to target a very specific demographic. They were the epitome of corporate music, designed by producers to generate profit and not art. But The Monkees rebelled. A band that the press—specifically the European press, which is known for being particularly nasty—lambasted as artistically bankrupt fought to not only be allowed to hewn their own craft, but to exercise control over their output.

The patently manufactured group that delighted the American youth audience (and made NBC a shit-ton of money) with their screwball faux-Beatles antics also went on to make the self-aware, feature length acid trip that was Head. The actor-vocalists that signed on to star in a musical sitcom turned on their handlers and began to take at least some semblance of control of their production, instrumentation and musical legacy.

In the contemporary world of reality television and auto-tuned radio hits, The Monkees should stand out as an attractive alternative, as soldiers that defected to the side of angels. But they don't. Their catalog is still viewed by the nostalgic old guard as a musical relic from a by-gone (read: better) era, yet aside from the brief and occasional resurgence contemporary acts fail to find inspiration in The Monkees rebellion. And they similarly neglect the pure pop perfection of the sounds of Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork and Jones often layered atop the lyrical musings of Carole King and Neil Diamond.

Except for Marc with a C. He knows. He sees. He understands. He is, if you'll pardon the cliché, a believer.

Please Aid These Wandering Adventurers

There are few things more pure and beautiful than nerd metal. In fact the phrase "nerd metal" is rather redundant. Metal in its truest form is nothing more than aggressive nerdery. From the cartoon swashbuckling of Maiden's Bruce Dickinson to the trippy concept albums of Mastodon, heavy metal is our music. Even if the guys making it sometimes go to great lengths to preserve their fragile image as leather-clad shit-kickers.

Pittsburgh's Dethlehem, however, do the honest thing and shed all pretense. They embrace their legacy by not only playing music that is hard, fast and cleverly nuanced, but by actively communing with their undeniable dork side. Dressed as fantasy warriors they take to the stage with their sword hands strong and their collective tongue (gross!) planted firmly in cheek.

Imagine if Dio had their own WoW guild. If Anthrax played your local Renaissance Faire. Now multiply by thac0.

But like any band of adventurers, Dethlehem must occasionally refill their coffers, restock their potions and other wares in anticipation of another grand quest. In this case that means touring.

The crew, being a self-respecting indie outfit, is currently hosting a Kickstarter campaign to help ready the DethleVan for the coming tour season, and you can help. You are their stamina buff.

Reach into your pockets and donate whatever spare gold pieces you may have. And rest assured that it will help Dethlehem in its mission to defend the righteous and punish the wicked.

It will also buy new tires.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 129: Straight Down the Middle

As I type this I am not playing Mass Effect 3. That likely goes without saying, but it's an important point. Because I want to be playing Mass Effect 3.

Instead I'm writing podcast notes for you, my friend. Much in the way that when I sat down to record and edit and mix the show itself I wasn't playing Mass Effect 3.

All I'm saying is that I care enough to compromise my gaming for your amusement. I don't need your pity or your gratitude or anything; I just figure it's never a bad idea to tell folks that they mean something to you.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 129: Straight Down the Middle [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 58.9 MB Running Time: 44:51 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah - "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
My podcast theme song could beat up your podcast theme song.

Track 1: Klopfenpop - "Stillwield (Klopfenpop vs. Jonny Nero Action Hero)"
I really dig this track. It's got a different feel for Klopf—sort of a spoken-word kinda thing—and I love how it plays off Jonny's chiptune backing.

Z's 1st interlude: "Really happy that you are."
Thanks so much for listening! I feel like I don't say that enough.

Track 2: Adam WarRock - "Active Squad (feat. Beefy, Mikal kHill and Kabuto the Python)"
Mordin died in my game. I don't reckon that's spoilery, as your play-through might be completely different. But in mine he is dead. It was a noble sacrifice, and I miss him.

Track 3: Nosaj Thing - "Fog"
This one's for Larry. For some reason it reminds me of the Mass Effect 3 home screen, which I guess explains its placement.

Track 4: DJ Le Clown - "Do You Really Want to Tchiki Boom?"
I'm only just realizing that a significant portion of my listeners likely have no idea who the fuck Culture Club is. #old

Track 5: Service Lab - "BouncingHead Volleyball"
There's a strong electric groove in this one. I dig it.

Track 6: King Pheenix - "Bottle It (feat. Dale Chase)"
I'm kinda hoping Dale and KPX form some sort of hip-hop duo side project. I love how well they play off each other!

Z's 2nd interlude: "Hip-hop and electronic-music focused set."
I usually try to mix things up, stylistically-speaking, but this time around stuff seemed to gel into two distinct sets.

Track 7: Finntroll - "Trollhammaren"
Again, I blame this one on Steve. And also on the fact that I just found out I can watch Trollhunter for free via Amazon Prime.

Track 8: Alestorm - "Keelhauled"
Church turned me on to this one. He knows I dig metal and pirates.

Track 9: The Aeronauts - "My Marvelous Toys"
You might remember these guys from my recent "Steampunk Boba Fett" post.

Track 10: The Doubleclicks - "The Way I Glow"
This one is actually the counterpoint to the Molly Lewis track I played a couple shows back.

Track 11: The Boom Bang - "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLEZ"
This is not my first atonal "Ninja Turtles" cover.

Z's final interlude: "Specialty metal."
That totally needs to be a thing.

Track 12: Shael Riley and The Double Ice Backfire - "Area Dolls Guy"
If you missed Songs from the Pit the first time around—which may be the case, as it was a cassette-only release in its original iteration—you need to snag this one. Hell, even if you do have the original, this one offers lots of expanded material.

I feel like I should be writing something thoughtful about how I usually piece together shows and how this one was a little different, but I reckon I've already elucidated enough on that. So instead I will simply bid you adieu.

Have a great St. Pat's! And if you're down for some multiplayer, holler at a scholar!

Hermione Everdeen

Considering the dogged persistence of the Wizard Rock community—stalwart defenders of the Wizarding World Harry and the Potters, for example, kick off a new tour next week—and the growing Rockingjay music movement, I thought that this item might be relevant to your collective interests. It's a new mash-up tee from our friends at the International Quidditch Association that combines these two incredibly popular and uniquely nerd-friendly series into a single clever package.

Behold the District 9 3/4 shirt. (I can only imagine their chief industry in broomstick and Time-Turner manufacture.) It was designed by the IQA’s very own Melissa DeVarney and Allyson Burton, and is available now for $19.99.

All the profits benefit the International Quidditch Association's twin missions of physical activity and social awareness, which is pretty damn cool in and of itself. Plus, if you order by at 7:00 AM Eastern tomorrow, Friday, March 16th, you'll get yours in time to sport it at next week's Hunger Games movie premiere. Use it as a divining rod to root out potential row-mates. If they get the joke, they are your kinda people!

It Came from the Past

My pal Jarvis is a big fan of vinyl. (He's a big fan of Pearl Jam too, but that's irrelevant at this juncture so we'll let it slide.) My buddy Marc with a C is doubly-so. They've both said some really compelling things about the medium itself, about the warm, crisp, genuine fidelity of analog audio, and I tend to agree. And yet I seldom buy or even listen to traditional LPs.

For me the record has become a different sort of animal altogether. It's a rare treat—part Thanksgiving turkey, part prize trophy. Something I can enjoy both as an active consumer and an object that provides me with some strange semblance of residual pleasure just by continued proximity. The back wall at my office, for example, is festooned with framed albums and covers along with other keepsakes like my Star Trek phaser and my signed Sci-Fried drum head. I keep them there as just another reminder that music, though I typically hear it via insufficient earbuds played as tinny MP3s through my iPhone, is a thing that has a perfect physical mass.

I delve into this realm of the oft-forgotten format because one of the most interesting hip-hop collaborations of the past year was recently released as a limited edition collectible 12 inch. My Canadian homey The Garthim-Master was nice enough to send me a copy and, as I neglected to write a proper review of Ghosts of Nostalgia when he and German-based producer DJ Extend originally released the full downloadable version back in October, it seemed only fitting to share my thoughts about this newer, leaner iteration.

Totally forgoing the original song lineup for the sake of its own cohesion, the vinyl release kicks off with the Heroes-inspired "Save the World," a deep cut on the original album, before seguing into the funky, haunting cautionary tale of "MMORPG." It then backtracks to the comical groove of "Dude, Where's My AT-AT At?," featuring the incomparable Wordburglar. This one was one of my favorite joints of 2011, and its inclusion alone should likely make this a must-buy for indie record collectors with a fine ear for the stranger side of Canadian hip-hop. Side A concludes with Dune tribute "Fremen Oath," another genuine stand-out.

The lengthy "Rorschach's Journal" kicks off program two with a sharp guitar groove and The Master at his abstract best, and that flows nicely into "Krang," a song about the titular TMNT foil that, while not a favorite on my first listen, has slowly grown on me. "Mynocks & Jawas," another fabulous Star Wars send-up, marks the album's final decent, and The Garthim-Master's rapid fire lyrical meditation on D&D, "Multi-Class" closes things out with a dissonant bang.

Admittedly, there are other songs from the original release I would've loved to've seen included in this iteration. The deeply personal "Action Figures" is one example, as the appropriately epic "The Crystal Shard," but it's hard to disagree with the results. This 8-track redux is certainly leaner than the full version, but it still manages to pack a punch.

When I mentioned the album in my Halloween music round-up I talked about how DJ Extend's thick beats played well off The G-M's story-driven narratives. I may've even touched on how, lyrically, the album walks a line between the autobiographical and impressionistic—and both these things are still genuinely true. But mostly what this new release provides is a bit of tangibility to a notably interesting (and still free, I might add) downloadable release.

It doesn't come in a fancy sleeve, which is kind of a shame given Jacek Grzeskowiak's exquisite cover art, but the marbled blue vinyl fits the album's tone perfectly. Dark and whimsical, Ghosts of Nostalgia is an intoxicating blend of pop culture reverence tempered with personal recollection. And if you enjoyed the project in its original form, $11 is a small price to pay for a literal keepsake of your musical journey.

Rather Be Your Iron Man

Not to be outdone by MC Frontalot's recent puppet-related shenanigans, my southern brothers Sci-Fried have just unveiled their own felt-heavy music video. It's for their new single "Tech Support," a song that (if pressed) I would call my very favorite from their 2011 release Future Tense.

Further, the vid itself is a healthy slice of ska-tinged geek rock at its finest that also happens to look like an unceremonious melding of Office Space and Sesame Street!

Also, I gotta say puppet Sunni is spot-the-fuck-on! Uncanny even!

Hero Worship

There are few things that fill me with more joy than Kirby Krackle videos. I'm not sure if that says more about my own delicate emotional state or my dedication to the band—possibly both—but it certainly says something.

But what I'm saying, and let there be no mistaking, is that there is a new Kirby Krackle vid. And you should watch it. And then buy their album. And then probably play some Mass Effect 3.

Okay, that last bit was rather unrelated. And yet still so very important.

Mega-Mania

As music fans, hell, as consumers we're a pretty difficult lot. I mean, we want our favorite artists to be consistent—or, more to the point, consistently good—but we also want them to do new and exciting things.

Basically what I'm saying is that listeners are assholes and that the acts we love are unquestionably screwed.

Okay, I'm just playin'. Sort of.

Still, I think we've all gotten frustrated in the past both by bands cashing in on the same sounds and concepts, "phoning it in" as the kids says, and with artists trying to reinvent themselves (sometimes even to the point of delegitimizing their own previous output) at every turn.

So what's the happy medium? Sometimes you have to break with the old for the sake of the new. Recently the Blue Bomber himself, Mega Ran, announced that he was abandoning that moniker as he moved forward.

Always one to be willing to talk about the long, hard walk of the independent artist, he took some time to answer my questions about this decision and to reflect on his own unique musical evolution.

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It's been a while since we've talked, and in that time you've done–well, I'm afraid "a lot" is rather underselling it! Mega Ran 9, Forever Famicom, Black Materia, Mega Ran 10; all things considered you've dropped no fewer than eight releases in the past three years. Is being prolific more an art or a science, and what's your own secret for keeping your output fresh?

I don't know if I could call it a secret, but the only way for me to keep things fresh musically is to experience more. When something gets boring, I have to move away from it and try something else. Retraining your brain is important. I've read books and studies on it, and it really does help you to think differently. Drive a different way home from work... tie your shoes another way… I don't know… anything to keep your brain on its toes. One day a week, I watch TV, and when I do, I may watch documentaries, another day it's The Office or Walking Dead, most days I'm trying to experience life and write about it. Definitely a combination of arts and sciences to my approach.

It's been six years since your RAHM Nation debut The Call. A dozen albums later, how do you feel you've changed as a songwriter?

Wow, those numbers make me feel very old... 6 years, 12 albums, oh my. It's strange, because I look back and listen to albums like The Call and things I did while a part of RAHM Nation, and I don't even feel like I'm the same person... heck, I don't even agree with a lot of the things I said on some of those records anymore, ha. I really see the growth, and though it makes me somewhat ashamed of who I was, I'm also very proud of what we accomplished and how far I've come. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm better than I was last week, baby steps I guess, as some poet said. Wow, just wow.

In that time you've made a lot of interesting connections. Obviously you've toured with guys like MC Lars and mc chris, but, more importantly, you've managed to create some really amazing collaborations with cats like Lost Perception and K-Murdock. How do you feel these collabs have altered your creative process?

I love bringing someone else on board because it creates such a different type of energy that keeps me on my toes. Between K-Murdock, Lost Perception and DN3, these guys challenge me in unimaginable ways with what they're able to do with music. I just try my best to keep up. I love collaborating; in the early days, before Random was Mega Ran, I'd make tapes at home with my crew, and I would feature a different artist on each song, mainly because I hated the sound of my voice, and wanted it to be on a song as little as possible. Today, I still hate my voice, but I like to collaborate to help both of us bring something out of the other that may not have been there in the past. I'm so thankful for the times I get to sit down with great rappers and producers and craft songs, because they give me ideas for rhymes and subjects that I wouldn't have come up with had I been sitting alone. K-Murdock said his original plan for Forever Famicom was an all-instrumental album before I came along... I don't know if either of us would have been the same had it remained in beat-only form.

Speaking of Murdock, you two just recently returned from Japan as part of the More B.A.R.K. Less Bitin' tour. What was that experience like, especially for artists so rooted in eastern pop culture like video games and anime?

Man... As gamers, nerds and cartoon addicts, Japan is our Mecca, our motherland, where we have learned, borrowed and taken so much culture from. It's a place I never thought I would see in my lifetime and I'm thankful to the folks at JTB Travel Agency and Tomamaru Entertainment for making that happen. It all started as a great idea from emcee Substantial, who then got DJ Asu Rock and then K and myself involved in an epic trip where we not only got to enjoy the land of the Rising Sun, but to perform there, AND to bring fans who also had never been. I had a blast. Time flies in Japan faster than anywhere I've ever been, that's for sure. Great friendships were forged, and hopefully we'll be doing another More B.A.R.K. tour this year.

Aside from your sojourn to the Far East, certainly the biggest news to come out of the Random camp of late concerned Mega Ran 10. Is this truly the last Mega Ran album?

It is. I hope the fans understand, but I feel like it was time to go out with a bang. Mega Ran 10 was an album to prove a point to myself, because it was probably my least favorite soundtrack of the Mega Man game series. I wanted to see if I could make something fresh that I enjoyed more than the original source material. It took about 2 years, but I managed to pull it off.

What motivated you to retire the Blue Bomber?

I think it's just time, man... I mean, all of the Capcom drama surrounding the character makes it pretty obvious that the Blue One doesn't seem to fit into their long term plans. The good news is just like we have countless Mega Man games we can pop in to relive the Bomber's heyday, we have 3 great Mega Man themed rap albums... I'd say that's more than enough. I thought a lot this past year about leaving a legacy, and though the title of "Mega Man rapper" tends to turn more than a few heads, I don't know if it fully encompasses what I have done and plan to do in the future.

Do you fear you'll always be associated with Mega Ran? Do you still plan to perform those fan-favorite tracks live?

Oh of course. I didn't choose it, but at every show this fall with Lars and chris, I was on the marquee as "Mega Ran." Those fans will forever know me as such, and I'm okay with that. As a full-time musician now, I realize the importance of owning your catalog. And though Capcom was extremely helpful to me, if God forbid that relationship were to turn sour, I'd like to know that I can still make a living making music that I enjoy. Any Mega Ran song I write, no matter how personal, how awesome or how catchy, it is only half mine. But I love to perform those songs, and as long as I can help it, "Grow Up," "Splash Woman" and "Lookin' Up" will be a part of any Random live set moving forward.

I've mentioned before that "Lookin' Up" is, in my eyes, the quintessential Mega Ran joint. What song do you feel best captures the spirit of that and highly successful ongoing project?

Thank you. I think "Lookin' Up" as well, but many others tell me that "Sick!!" is the one they replay the most... which is awesome because I first released the song on Capcom-Unity in mid-2010. So 2 and a half years later, for that song to still be talked about and a reason people bought the album is amazing. People always complain about the lack of patience in today's fans, but my MegaManiacs—I'm trying to think of a cool name for my fans, still working on that—came through and showed out big time. For an album to be 2.5 years from conception to execution in this day and age, with the fans being updated on every step, and for the album to still hit #2 on Bandcamp in sales, is amazing. I also love "Now Hiring" a song I conceptualized in London while watching my email pile up... Though I'm happy to say that now, I DO have a manager! w00t!

Next on the horizon from Random is a Black Materia remix album. What manner of new hotness can fans of the original expect from this release?

We've been working hard on this, honestly, since about a month after the original released last January. The cool thing about Lost Perception is that he's a perfectionist when it comes to beats, so he'll send me 8 versions of the same beat to choose from... so although I only choose one, several of those may be very dope, so I thought, let's rework the tracks and use some of these alternate mixes you've sent. We're also outsourcing some production to some great producers to give the tracks their own spin. I wanted to create something that wasn't a cheap cash-in like these video game developers do, but more of a re-imagination of the tracks they loved... add-ons and bonuses for people who want more of the same but in a new package... almost like the music version of DLC. So for that reason, the Black Materia: The Remixes album will only be available digitally and will only cost $5. The first single "Ninja Girl" produced by DN3, will release soon.

As you look to the future, do you feel you'll continue to mine video games as a source of musical inspiration?

I think it'll always be a part of my thought process... as time goes on, I'd like to do a little less direct sampling and more original chiptune styled hip hop beats. I feel like we've got something really good here and though I don't want to end it, I just want to extend it. If I were doing the same thing I did 5 years ago, that wouldn't be very Random at all. I want to help create an additional lane for hip-hop as well as music in general, moving forward. So the next album will be highly game, anime and comic influenced, but won't involve 8-bit samples.

There seems to be this never-ending drama surrounding nerdcore, with some clinging tenaciously too it and still others seeking to actively distance themselves from the term. For the most part, however, you seem fairly indifferent. How concerned are you with the labels that others may associate with your music?

Not very. It's funny though, when people say to me "You're my favorite nerdcore rapper!" I'm very humbled and thankful for that, there's no time, or reason to say, "Well actually, I consider myself a neo-nerdy-soul-core-chip-hop artist!" As I learned from many of my forefathers in this subgenre, there's no use trying to run from what people will say about you. People will classify you however they want. In 2007 while I was begging for the support of my peers in the underground-soulful-backpack rap crowd, it was the nerdcore fans who embraced me like one of their own, invited me to play shows, into their homes, and into their families. And I don't know who said it, but when you have family, you have everything you ever need. Even a dumb dog knows to go where he's wanted.

Lastly, Ran, if you could tell your 2007 self, that guy who was just getting' ready to drop his first Mega Man-themed hip-hop album, one thing, what would it be?

DON'T DO IT!! Nah, that definitely wouldn't be it. I would tell him to relax, take off his cool a bit, and embrace his creative self. When I dropped that album, I was so afraid of it losing me whatever I had thought I had gained in the hip-hop world, and all it did was multiply it. I was so afraid of ridicule that I created a separate MySpace page for it, and I dismissed it as a "side project" in interviews and everything. I quickly worked on new albums and foolishly rushed releases out to dilute the effect that I thought Mega Ran was having on my "true school hip hop" credibility. I didn't think my fans would be comfortable with that experience, and I really shouldn't have cared! That's what an artist is supposed to do, bring you into his or her world for that 50 or so minutes that you have their attention. I don't have many regrets in my career, but one of them is releasing Patches and Glue and The 8th Day so close together. I feel that both of those are 2 classic album experiences that everyone should listen to… In fact, go listen to them now!

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And you know what? I did.

After completing this interview I went back and listened The 8th Day and Patches, as well as The Call. And something interesting happened; I had just as enjoyable a listening experience as I did with Famicom or Mega Ran 10.

You see, as much as Ran has changed, as much as he grown and evolved and, yeah, occasionally misstepped, as much as his voice and his swagger and his flow have strengthened over the years, I was reminded by a quick look back down his artistic path that he has always been a dope-ass MC. And I can't help but believe he always will be.

As sad as a part of me is to hear, all official-like, that he's abandoning his old stage persona, I certainly understand. He's no more required to be the same rapper he was 6 years ago as I am to be the same writer. Age and experience mold us, and that is reflected both in what we do and in how we do it. Art changes you, and that in turn changes your art.

Whatever's next for Random, we cannot possibly know. And it's impossible for even the man himself to anticipate where inspiration will ultimately lead him, but the one thing I know is that I'll still be here. Listening.

Mega Ran is dead. Long live Mega Ran.