Dustin Wong might be known best for his guitar playing in baltimore band Ponytail, but i heard rumblings after his whartscape solo set, that his layered, blissed-out guitar jams were something to keep an eye out for.  Turns out that Dustin is set to release his new solo album, Infinite Love, on October 5th along with a “DVD with an album-length music video”.  Sounds trippy.

Which is appropriate since his songs are pretty trippy, beautiful guitar-chestral (yah i just made up a word) compositions that don’t include any vocals, and don’t really need to in order to get their vibe across.  While Ponytail has announced they will be taking a break, it’s great to see that the pieces that make up the band are far from remaining stagnant, and in this case, really shining.

Dustin Wong – Talking Walking Cloud (MP3)

Dustin Wong – Infinite Love preview from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Get it HERE.

I was sitting at work a few weeks ago when a co-worker was listening to some funk/jazz radio station and a few songs came on that caught my attention. I started out listening subconciously and slowly noticed that my foot was tapping. When I actually began to conciously listen to the music it took an avante garde turn. This music sounded like it was telling a story, had a landscape, atmosphere and characters involved in it. But it wasn’t like John Williams or Ennio Morricone, this was straight up funky, jazzy, lounge music that had an experimental edge to it.

“Who is this?”, I asked.
“Syd Dale”.

Ever since I have been strutting into work listening to this brilliant music. I’ve come to find that Syd Dale was primarily a music composer for TV and film in the late 40’s. And I also came to realize that music for TV in the 40’s was 100 times better than it is now.

Here is a great, very sexy clip montage from “Another Day, Another Man” for which Syd Dale did the theme song for, “The Hellraisers”. This is like 60’s classy softcore.

That was a more risque example of what he has composed for, but he has a more mainstream portfolio as well. You’ve probably heard this music whether or not you recognize the actual songs or not. The style is indelible. Syd Dale has been used in a ton of recent and past movies and television including the most recent “Black Dynamite” Movie, Spongebob Squarepants, 1970’s Spiderman Cartoons, The Sixth Sense and Ren & Stimpy.

Now, you may be thinking, without listening, that these are going to be pretty cheesy.. well they are and they aren’t. this is very tongue-in-cheek lounge music with incredible musicianship, complex melodies, and an experimental side that will turn your head. It has a pyschedelic twist at times that sounds a little bit like something you might hear at the Lithuanian Hall on soul night, or you might here some influence in Stereolab (although I find this a lot more engaging), or even maybe a bit of Serge Gainsbourg. These are songs that are more than just TV show background soundtracks, they stand up all on their own.

This is called Lounge and Library Music, but the variety runs the gamut. I’ve also heard it called Loungecore, but that’s just a ridiculous name. Overall, this is leisure, this is swank.

So here is a “Library Music” mix inspired by and containing some Syd Dale.

Download Full Mix as .Zip

Chris Joss “Slack the Slammer”
Syd Dale “Disco Tek”
M. Hubler & S. Schwab “dedicated to love” (from Vampyros Lesbos)
Clive Tanaka “International Heartbreaker”
Deep Throat Part II “Saxy”
Syd Dale Orchestra “Drunk Punch”
Juan Pablo Torres Y Algo Nuevo “Rompe Cocorioco”
Syd Dale Orchestra “Fat Man”
Syd Dale “Night Raider”
Deep Throat Part II 08 “Deeper And Deeper”

A couple weeks ago we saw the lyrical version of Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You” video, and now he’s released the snazzy official video, which features various ages of himself being denied by his “heartbreaker” only to come back in the end with a big…you guessed it…”FUCK YOU” once he’s become a success.  Cool video.  How long till a female R&B/Rapper comes out with a girl version?  I am banking on 3 weeks.

Watch the official video over at his Facebook page.

UPDATE: Embedded video

Download the entire mix as a .ZIP

Tracklist:

1. Breakbot – Baby I’m Yours (Aeroplane Remix)
2. Nite Jewel – Am I Real?
3. Mike Simonetti – Louie Louie
4. Worship – Starcrash
5. Wolf People – Tiny Circle
6. Night Gallery – Wild Palms
7. Chemical Brothers – Swoon (Lindstrom and Prins Thomas Remix)
8. Blackbird Blackbird – Summer Heat
9. Grimes – Weregild
10. Moss of Aura – Cowboy
11. Holy Ghost! – Say My Name
12. Parallels – Find The Fire
13. Patrick Hernandez – Born To Be Alive

There is also a cold drink jam..

The National – You Were A Kindness (MP3)

So good:

I was in a fog i didn’t notice everything
was comin all apart inside of me
there wasn’t any way for anyone to settle in
you made a slow disaster out of me

there’s a radiant darkness upon us
i don’t want you to worry
i was careful but nothing is harmless
baby you better hurry

you were a kindness when i was a stranger
but i wouldn’t ask for what i didn’t need
everything’s weird and we’re always in danger
why would you shatter somebody like me

It doesn’t work that way.
Wanting not to want you won’t make it so,
It doesn’t work that way.

Don’t leave me here alone.
I’ll do what I can to be a confident wreck
Can’t feel this way forever I mean
There wasn’t any way for anyone to settle in
You made slow disaster out of me

There’s a radiant darkness upon us
But I don’t want you to worry.
I was careful, but nothing is harmless,
Baby, you better hurry.

You were a kindness when I was a stranger,
But I wouldn’t ask for what I didn’t need.
Everything’s weird and we’re always in danger
Why would you shatter somebody like me?

It doesn’t work that way.
Wanting not to want you won’t make it so,
It doesn’t work that way.
Don’t leave me here alone…

The Baltimore Independent Music and Arts Festival started off last night and will continue the entire weekend.  It’s a great opportunity to see/support local bands that don’t start with beach and end with deacon.  Check it out if you get a chance:

Wye Oak is on tour reppin’ our joint up in Canada and Beach House is busy blowin’ up places like Merriweather Post Pavilion, but there are about 100 other bands playing in Baltimore that deserve mad props from you townsfolk. Plus about 20 others that aren’t all that but you’re probably friends with and have been telling them you’d go see them for a year.

Head over to their site for the full lineup.