Free Michael Jackson Dedication Album? Of Course

I can't really say 'no' to anything relating to Michael Jackson, especially if it is free.

Rhymefest, who put out his debut Blue Collar in 2006, recently put out Man in the Mirror, a mixtape album dedicated to MJ. Melissa will be happy to hear it has the Mark Ronson presents stamp on it. Ronson is the new Tarantino. It makes sense obviously, Rhymefest is on Ronson's Allido Records, which will be putting out Rhymefest's next full-length effort.


Man in the Mirror is pretty amazing. The skits between featuring Jackson are sort of creepy though. Not to mention Talib Kweli and Ghostface Killah are on the album. Grab a free sample and the zip file of the album here.

Listen to Cassettes Won't Listen

There's a few things that need to be said about Cassettes Won't Listen.

1. If you like the Postal Service you should check them out. I'm sure they band will be sick of hearing this, but it is the best explanation.

2. Their newest album, Small-Time Machine, drops March 11th. As usual, you can hear a sample on their MySpace by the means of "Paper Float."

3. There's also two songs off their One Alternative EP, but why not just skip ahead of that and download it here.

The Teenagers' Album NOW Streaming

Sexy French pop artists The Teenager's have their newest album, Reality Check, streaming on their MySpace now! The WHOLE album is there. WOW. It'll be there until the 14th, so you don't have too long. GO GO GO! The album drops on March 18th, which is sort of far away, but hey you do have this lovely preview.


They will also be in New York for two dates at the end of the month. Check their MySpace for that too since I'm far too lazy to post the dates and places.

Jack Penate, with a Tilde

So we were late on Jack Penate's single "Have I Been a Fool," that was out way back on Dec. 10, 2007, and the release of his full album Matinee, with an accent over the first e, in October, but he's kicking off an international tour starting in New York. After that he'll be hitting up Japan, Australia and back to the U.K.

Also, last night Penate appeared on BBC's Radio 1 in place of the station's Zane Lowe and DJed between 7 and 9 p.m. There are links on the page to listen to the two hour broadcast and some other commentary by Penate himself.

Dates according to his MySpace:

Jan. 22: The Mercury Lounge in New York, N.Y.

Jan. 23: Union Pool in Brooklyn, N.Y. with the Spanish Prisoners and Argyle Johansen

"Second Minute or Hour"

Please excuse the lack of correct punctuation. Blame Blogger.

Don't Forget: White Williams On Sunday!

We posted about White Williams at the beginning of December, but for those of you who missed it the first time, here it is a second.

Tomorrow's Hartford Advocate will have a small feature on Williams written by yours truly. They are pretty amazing with their Web site, however, and it is already up for your viewing.

Williams will be performing at BAR -- located on Crown St. -- in New Haven on Sunday at 8 p.m. This isn't an everyday event for us Nutmeggers. I say this often when speaking of this show: This is something I'd have to take a train to Brooklyn or Manhattan for. So with that said, I suggest you read up (listen up?) and come out on a Sunday evening for some fun music.

We Love Mixes (1979 to 2007 Hip-Hop Megamix)

A guy by the name of Chris Read put out this mixtape at the end of last year. We missed it then, but it is still very much alive, kicking and relevant now. He takes the listener through a chronological journey through hip-hop from the years 1979 to 2007. I'm only through the beginning at the moment, but this is definitely worth downloading/checking out. You really can't go wrong with such a mix. You can find quick reviews, more info and of course the free download here.

As always, a great party mix for those lazy people out there.

Preview of new The Helio Sequence album

Despite the band's catalog (three previous albums) this is my first time listening to The Helio Sequence. Their new album, Keep Your Eyes Ahead, drops Jan. 28 on Sub Pop Records.

So far, so good though. Their first song released -- also with the same name -- is exclusively featured on SPIN at the moment. As not a fan of their former stuff I can't really say whether it is great, bad or different, but give it a listen. From a brand new standpoint, however, it is pretty good and I'll be looking for the release come the end of January.