N.A.S.A. - Gifted

N.A.S.A. (acronym for North America South America) is a collaborative project between Squeak E. Clean (producer for Show Your Bones) and DJ Zegon. The idea is to gather up an eclectic group of artists and showcase them on original tracks all on the same album at their own will. Thus, we have The Spirit of the Apollo. I never imagined that I'd hear the likes of Karen O and Ol' Dirty Bastard or The Cool Kids and Scarface on the same tracks outside of a Girl Talk album.

"Gifted" has been circulating around the blogosphere for months now and is unfortunately one of the few I can actually find a stream of. I really wanted to write about "Way Down" which features RZA, Barbie Hatch and John Frusciante but had no luck there. Luckily I really like "Gifted" as well. After all, it features Kanye West, Santogold and Lykke Li ... so how bad could it be? If you're interested in a full album review and hearing more from this duo click here.

CORRECTION: After posting this entry I ended up finding a stream of "Way Down." Click here to listen.

Favorite Part: Other than the sweet combination of artists I just love the production on this track. It's definitely one of those "feel good" songs that make you just want to get up and dance ... if dancing is your cup of tea. Otherwise you can still bob your head to it!

Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes

I left my home to disappear is all

I'm here for myself, not to know you

As the end of the year approaches, music bloggers race to post their top ranked albums/tracks. For those who have been following any of these, you'll notice Santogold is splashed across the lists. She's definitely struck a chord with a lot of listeners this year with her self-titled debut album. Not to mention all the remixes and songs she's appeared on (i.e. "Gifted" featuring Lykke Li and Kanye West or "Get It Up" with M.I.A.). It's easy to think of her as an M.I.A. knock off but she's far from it. She's more a mix of M.I.A., Gwen Stefani, Janelle Monáe and Nelly Furtado, but with her own touch of course.

Santogold is comprised of Santi White and, usually, former band-mate John Hill. The two were originally part of a ska-punk band known as Stiffed. After some trouble with labels and finding the right producers, their first LP (originally titled Creator) was ready to be released in January 2008. However, the CD didn't hit shelves until April. By then, their first single "Creator" was already getting a lot of attention. "L.E.S. Artistes" is probably what really put her on the map this year though. Check out the awesome video as well.

Favourite Part: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets Tegan & Sara like beat.

For those who haven't noticed, I'd like to point out a somewhat new feature to my blog. After each entry you'll find a "Reactions" section where you can vote on how you felt about that days post. It's right after the list of tags. So, uh .. rock the vote?