Good Music That Everyone Should Hear: Das Racist

If you hate rap, then you haven't been exposed to enough rap. That's where these guys come in - Das Racist are a pair of rappers from NYC and Alameda, and they are obscene and vulgar brown men. However, they are also the most literate and hilarious rappers I've heard in a long time - it's hard not to open a new tab while listening and voraciously googling every reference they make, from Rumi to Gitmo to Harold and Kumar.

Joke rap sucks though, right? Well, not really, and especially not when it's as self-reflexive and intelligent as Das Racist are. They succeed in the face of the backpack-rapper backlash - people are sick of hearing about the shortcomings of hip-hop, but Das Racist bring those topics up and mock them without being didactic and preachy - quite the opposite, in fact. Just listen to the opening banter on hahahaha jk, and we already have a discussion and implicit derision for the tough-guy persona that most rappers build up.

Their discography is pretty slim at the moment - they came up with the rise of "internet music" and have only released two mixtapes and one retail album, as well as a handful of solo mixtapes and some unreleased stuff in the invaluable URC collection: a .rar full of their rarities and features, definitely worth checking out. If you're still undecided, give the impressive Womyn a listen:

They released their best stuff for free online, which you can grab when you hit the jump:

Good Music That Everyone Should Hear: Ghost Mice

If you've never heard of folk-punk, Ghost Mice are an excellent gateway drug. They're ineffably sincere, full of heart, they sing with conviction and yet they write songs about dumpster diving and Dungeons and Dragons. Make no mistake - they aren't limp-wristed geek panderers, they're all out punks. Acoustic only, yes, but the DIY ethos shines strong.

Chris Clavin, the guy who leads the band, is over 30 years old but still manages that adolescent, nasally wail that I have come to cherish as a throwback to my friend's teenage bands - full of hope and piss and vinegar. He sings about things of importance - anarchy and institutionalised brutality, childhood and child-molesting priests, all of it with the same earnest, untrained voice.

One other thing that you should know: Chris Clavin heads the stalwart Plan-It-X Records, a beacon to folk-punk and independent music (not that crap you heard on NPR or Pitchfork, but actual shipping-out-LPs-covered-in-crumbs-from-their-basement independent.) Their roster is extensive and has some excellent releases, almost all of it worth listening to.

If you're interested, get a hold of their splits - releases in which they perform on one half of the album and another band does likewise. I could recommend their split with Andrew Jackson Jihad, another excellent folk-punk band, and their split with Saw Wheel - admittedly not a huge fan of Saw Wheel, but the Ghost Mice side redeems it. Also, required listening: their album The Debt of the Dead. It's one of their fuller sounding albums, and has some excellent songs.

If you like them so far, you can buy their super cheap releases here. If you don't like them, then listen to Cementville from start to finish and then change your mind because you are wrong:

Good Music That Everyone Should Hear: Ethiopium

The story goes that Oh No (younger brother of legendary producer Madlib) found a crate of rare Ethiopian records, ranging from funk, jazz and obscure psych rock - and flipped them into hip-hop beats. The album samples widely and well, and the beats have just the right amount of menace and bite - something that Oh No does spectacularly, and that feels quite unique to him.

The theme of the album seems to be pretty skin deep, but there's a mild discussion of music as a primal, shamanistic medicine similar to the opiates used by Ethiopian villages. That's not really the focus, though - the most important thing is the beat, the way the music makes you feel "good," much like an opiate. Form, function, etc. Very good music and very impressive. I mean, listen to the drums on this last song, and you'll get it.