We won’t front, Stone Rollin’ is in some heavy rotation at b3sci headquarters. The production, the melodies, THE SOUND, it’s right. “Go To Hell” is the type of track that aims big, epic big. And from the archives, with throwback love comes “Get Involved” featuring Q-Tip off The PJ’s: Original Soundtrack release.
Raphael Saadiq – Go To Hell Raphael Saadiq – Get Involved (Feat. Q-Tip)Raphael Saadiq: (Official) (Purchase)
Rating: 8.2
You know it’s a good day when a new Raphael Saadiq LP hits the shelves! “Just Don’t” is a favorite deep cut off of Stone Rollin’, an album sure to fit comfortably on many year-end lists.
Raphael Saadiq – Just Don’t (feat. Yukimi Nakano)Raphael Saadiq: (Official) (Purchase)
Rating: 8.3
Saadiq appeared on Gilles Peterson’s show this week and previewed much of the material from his upcoming Stone Rollin’ LP. Wow, just wow. We heard much of the new material played out live during SXSW but hearing the recorded versions, the album is just crazy. Stone Rollin’ will no doubt be one of the best records of the year. Mark it!
Raphael Saadiq – Good Man (Live Acoustic)Raphael Saadiq: (Official) (Myspace) (Twitter)
Rating: 9.0
Another killer entry from Saadiq’s upcoming Stone Rollin’ LP. “Moving Down the Line” is maybe the new record’s “Big Easy”, the minor key, the shuffle rhythms, the percussive melodies. Keeping with Stone Rollin’s more ’70’s-inspired sound, “Moving Down the Line” is more cinematic, more layered, more dramatic in its arrangement. The strings build and break with the tenor of the tune. Stone Rollin’ is due May 10th on Columbia.
Raphael Saadiq – Moving Down the LineRaphael Saadiq: (Official) (Myspace) (Twitter)
Rating: 9.0
We arrived during Cults set, and caught a band often too overlooked on last year’s ‘best of’ lists. But not by everybody, “Go Outside” was recently re-released through Columbia. Judging by their set, and if we were gamblers (and a gentleman never tells), we’d bet pretty handsomely that you’ll be seeing a lot more action from Cults in 2011.
Cults – Go Outside
The Vaccines set was full of energy, fast-paced, and over before you knew what had happened. It says a lot when a band with a set full of short-running songs can so captivate their public (their first single runs only 1:24 long). With catchy hooks and melodies on songs like “Blow Up” and “If You Wanna”, they impressed a courtyard of eager listeners. “Wreckin’ Bar” killed. “Post Break Up Sex” had us popping around. The set was kinetic and fun. Pay attention, kids, cause The Vaccines are definitely a band to watch out for in 2011. And stay tuned for an exclusive b3sci interview with the band backstage after their set. And yes, the interview is about 50% talk about penises. C’mon what did you expect?
The Vaccines – Norgaard
Foster The People again played to make some noise. That’s sick set #2 we’d caught from them. 2-0, boys. Read about sick set #1 here.
If you know b3sci then you know that we are BIG fans of Raphael Saadiq, so suffice to say we were pretty excited to see his set next. We’d missed him at Stubb’s the night prior but left the performance at Cedar Street impressed nonetheless. Strongly rooted in jazz, blues, and R&B, Saadiq gave a performance that was funky and full of soul, mixing influences from greats like Chuck Berry and James Brown. Saadiq’s band was great. Consisting of a drummer, a bassist, two guitarists, a keyboardist, and two excellent backup singers, the Saadiq band provided a proper foundation for his sound. The pocket was tight, the harmonies were on point, and the vibe was right. Material wise, we heard a collection of new tracks from Saadiq’s forthcoming studio album, Stone Rollin’. What we heard was really really good. More of that 70’s soul inspired sound we’ve heard in singles “Good Man” and “Radio” with big beats and huge hooks.
Raphael Saadiq – Good ManCatch all of b3sci’s SXSW 2011 coverage HERE
Photography contributed by Genevieve Sheehan
Swiss mix man Cee-Roo flips Talib & Saadiq in the mix on this excerpted track from his new “Beatz N’ Rhymes #5” Mixtape. Cee-Roo tips a nice groove on “Make Me Feel Good” twisting up Saadiq’s golden tenor to Talib’s rapid fire rhymes.
Cee-Roo – Make Me Feel Good (Feat. Raphael Saadiq & Talib Kweli)Rating: 8.0
Unearthed this cool new 2Pac remix from depths of the Youtube slums. 2Pac sounds nice here over Saadiq’s shoeshine smooth vocal tones.
2Pac – Crooked Nigga Too (Raphael Saadiq Remix)Rating: 8.2
On his new “Good Man” jam, b3sci fav Raphael Saadiq puts it down real and does like the song says. The tune oozes heat and aches for its lyrical content. “Good Man” sounds a few years in the future from Saadiq’s 60’s flavored The Way I See It material, namely the early to mid 70’s think Delfonics, think Dramatics. Good shit right here. Get into it.
Raphael Saadiq – Good ManThe video for Saadiq’s new single “Radio”
rating: 8
“seven” is an unreleased saadiq track recorded during “the way i see it” sessions. the tune now appears on the FYE store version of the record. what a GREAT song. “the way i see it” was one of the best records of 2008 and “seven” easily could’ve been on it. we’ve been bumping the shit out of “seven” the last few days here at b3sci HQ, we’re pretty sure you’ll be doing the same after you push play.
[Download] Raphael Saadiq – Sevenrating: 9.3
seriously. dude puts out great records. “the way i see it”, “instant vintage” , even the old tony toni tone shit are always in rotation. saadiq always comes packing the GREAT melodies, COOL rhythmic shit & CANDY SWEET hooks. if you’re not already, do your ears the favor, and get yourself hip to just some really classic classic music.
raphael saadiq – big easy
Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still Adele we can’t let you go. We’ve reached 2011’s closing hour and now it is time: b3sci presents it’s Top 50 Albums of 2011. No one’s even come close to having the year Adele’s had. The most albums sold in a single year since 2004, two of the biggest singles of the year, etc, a truly international breakthrough both commercially and critically on a level we haven’t seen in a long time. Adele, our girl, the crown is yours. 21 is b3sci’s Album of the year.
So where the fuck is Adele on many of these respected-indie-press-dude best of lists? That period between Nov 2010 when “Rolling in the Deep” first broke and the lead up to the album’s release in late January, Adele ruled the blogosphere, the fold was united. Then “RITD” got overplayed to the point of absurdity, your mom bought the record, probably your grandma bought it too; those bros that listen to Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 started bumping “Someone Like You” out their trunk. Soon, the “wrong people” liked 21 and Adele’s brief moment atop the indiesphere was over. Right.
Thanks for reading this year, y’all. We’ve got some big plans for 2012. Stay tuned. Much love.
01. Adele – 21 (Buy It) (Read)
02. The Weeknd – House of Balloons (Buy It) (Read)
03. Drake – Take Care (Buy It) (Read)
04. James Blake – James Blake (Buy It) (Read)
05. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80 (Buy It) (Read)
06. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – We’re New Here (Buy It) (Read)
07. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire on the Mountain (Buy It) (Read)
08. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne (Buy It) (Read)
09. The Horrors – Skying (Buy It) (Read)
10. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Buy It) (Read)
11. Wye Oak – Civilian (Buy It) (Read)
12. Girls – Father Son, Holy Ghost (Buy It) (Read)
13. Real Estate – Days (Buy It) (Read)
14. A$AP Rocky – Live Love A$AP (Buy It) (Read)
15. Sepalcure – Sepalcure (Buy It) (Read)
16. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (Buy It) (Read)
17. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient (Buy It) (Read)
18. Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming (Buy It) (Read)
19. Metronomy – The English Riviera (Buy It) (Read)
20. SBTRKT – SBTRKT (Buy It) (Read)
21. Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (Buy It) (Read)
22. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From the Vaccines (Buy It) (Read)
23. Destroyer – Kaputt (Buy It) (Read)
24. The Antlers – Burst Apart (Buy It) (Read)
25. tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l (Buy It) (Read)
26. Beyonce – 4 (Buy It) (Read)
27. Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Buy It) (Read)
28. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Buy It) (Read)
29. Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4eva (Buy It) (Read)
30. Clams Casino – Instrumentals (Buy It) (Read)
31. Gillian Welch – The Harrow and the Harvest (Buy It) (Read)
32. Low Roar – Low Roar (Buy It) (Read)
33. AraabMUZIK – Electronic Dream (Buy It) (Read)
34. Active Child – You Are All I See (Buy It) (Read)
35. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Buy It) (Read)
36. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (Buy It) (Read)
37. Cults – Cults (Buy It) (Read)
38. Radiohead – The King of Limbs (Buy It) (Read)
39. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials (Buy It) (Read)
40. Alex Clare – The Lateness of the Hour (Buy It) (Read)
41. Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise (Buy It) (Read)
42. Jhene Aiko – Sailing Soul(s) (Buy It) (Read)
43. The Stepkids – The Stepkids (Buy It) (Read)
44. Freddie Gibbs – Cold Day in Hell (Buy It) (Read)
45. Gardens & Villa – Gardens & Villa (Buy It) (Read)
46. Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know (Buy It) (Read)
47. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo (Buy It) (Read)
48. Foster the People – Torches (Buy It) (Read)
49. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Buy It) (Read)
2011. What wasn’t to love? The rise of weirdo R&B, the fall of chillwave, the end of R.E.M. We started the construction of this list over a month ago. One truly epic and extensive Google spreadsheet later, we arrived at this Top 50. We sorted and sorted and sorted, listened through a TON OF STUFF, “traded jabs” on whether James Blake or Jamie Woon put on the tougher persona, etc. Thanks for reading and we hope y’all enjoy the list!
01. James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream (Buy It) (Read)
02. The Weeknd – The Morning (Buy It) (Read)
03. Lana Del Rey – Video Games (Buy It) (Read)
04. Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (Feat. Kimbra) (Buy It) (Read)
05. Britney Spears – ‘Till the World Ends (Buy It) (Read)
06. Maverick Sabre – I Need (Buy It) (Read)
07. Drake – Marvin’s Room (Buy It) (Read)
08. Beyonce – Party (Feat. Kanye West & Andre 3000) (Buy It) (Read)
09. Jamie Woon – Lady Luck (Buy It) (Read)
10. Michael Kiwanuka – I Need You By My Side (Buy It) (Read)
11. Kendrick Lamar – ADHD (Buy It) (Read)
12. The Alabama Shakes (formerly The Shakes) – I Found You (Buy It) (Read)
13. Nneka – My Home (Buy It) (Read)
14. Rihanna – We Found Love (Feat. Calvin Harris) (Buy It) (Read)
15. DJ Khaled – I’m On One (Feat. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil’ Wayne) (Buy It) (Read)
16. Adele – Rumour Has It (Buy It) (Read)
17. Labrinth – Earthquake (Feat. Tinie Tempah) (Buy It) (Read)
18. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Otis (Buy It) (Read)
19. Flo Rida – Good Feeling (Buy It) (Read)
20. Bon Iver – Towers (Buy It) (Read)
21. Azealia Banks – 212 (Buy It) (Read)
22. Big Black Delta – Huggin’ & Kissin’ (Buy It) (Read)
23. Florence + The Machine – What the Water Gave Me (Buy It) (Read)
24. Flight Facilities – Foreign Language (Feat. Jess) (Buy It) (Read)
25. Cults – Abducted (Buy It) (Read)
26. Raphael Saadiq – Good Man (Buy It) (Read)
27. Spector – Never Fade Away (Buy It) (Read)
28. Marina & the Diamonds – Radioactive (Buy It) (Read)
29. Afrojack – Lionheart (Buy It) (Read)
30. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – If I Had a Gun… (Buy It) (Read)
31. Active Child – Playing House (Feat. How to Dress Well) (Buy It) (Read)
32. M83 – Midnight City (Buy It) (Read)
33. Radiohead – Lotus Flower (Buy It) (Read)
34. Madlib & Freddie Gibbs – Thuggin’ (Buy It) (Read)
35. The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love (Buy It) (Read)
36. NO CEREMONY/// – Hurtlove (Buy It) (Read)
37. Ifan Dafydd – No Good (Buy It) (Read)
38. Bombay Bicycle Club – Shuffle (Buy It) (Read)
39. TOKiMONSTA – Little Pleasures (Feat. Gavin Turek) (Buy It) (Read)
40. Colleen Green – Cujo (Buy It) (Read)
41. Foxes – Youth (Buy It) (Read)
42. Jacques Greene – Another Girl (Buy It) (Read)
43. Grouplove – Gold Coast (Buy It) (Read)
44. Family of the Year – St. Croix (Buy It) (Read)
45. Lucy Rose – Middle of the Bed (Buy It) (Read)
46. LIPS – Everything to Me (Buy It) (Read)
47. Trophy Wife – Wolf (Buy It) (Read)
48. Dev – In the Dark (Buy It) (Read)
