Telepathe – “Chrome’s On It“

This Brooklyn group was panned for bizarre live performances, but the studio cut is even weirder. In a good way.

School of Seven Bells – “Connjur“

Ex-Secret Machines’ Benjamin Curtis is the marquee name here, but twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza mesmerize. Alpinisms is out now.

Friendly Fires – “Paris (Aeroplane Remix ft. Au Revoir Simone)“

Friendly Fires have gotten plenty of CMJ-infused hype, and the Belgian-by-way-of-Brooklyn is icing on the buzz cake.

Photo by Flickr user forest spirrit used under the Creative Commons

In the south, predominantly within the 1990s Houston, TX scene, chopping and screwing was all the rage—taking the tempo down a few notches, dropping a beat or two. The result? Oozing, slo-mo beats that pair especially nicely with that purple drank and a hot Texas afternoon.

I am pretty sure this isn’t the same kind of chopped and screwed T-Pain and Ludacris had in mind with their latest.

Sure, it’s a little chopped, and T-Pain is hands down screwy. But this is a different kind of “chopped” and a different kind of “screwed,” and neither has to do with a little extra stop time.

Let’s just say that T “I am in love with a stripper” Pain and Luda “What’s Your Fantasy” cris have done a little “research” and know what they don’t want. So they are here to ask the ladies, quite simply, “Shawty don’t chop me, shawty don’t screw me.”

And that video? There must be some sort of special prescription, be it glasses or drug, needed in order for it to make any sense. Regardless, it’s undeniable that in true hip hop style, these boys have taken their craft just one step further. So sit back, and enjoy that beat—it was meant for creepin’.

“The inconvenient truth is that the ozone is bad because I’ve been smokin’ all the trees.”

Why is this even up for debate? The honorific King of the South is back in full glory after a spell of guest verses, letting you know that he is, in fact, “Undisputed.” In the video, we see him gearing up for his upcoming Theater of the Mind with quick-footed boxer friend Floyd Mayweather, and there is no question, Luda’s hungry. His flow is confident, his disses fierce, and the horns in that beat? Untouchable.

Chicken N Beer this album isn’t. According to the man himself, this album is conceptual: borrowing from his acting, he’s going at every song like a scene from a movie. “Whether it’s storytelling, me giving you the real of what’s going on in the world,” he told MTV, “you gotta look at it as your imagination is going to run wild every song you hear.”

My imagination doesn’t have to run too far here. Many have tried (Bill O’Reilly, for one), but if ‘Cris is going to keep dropping verses like this, no one will ever come close. Except maybe this kid.

Download the song here.

The first single from Amanda Palmer’s solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer? jabs playfully at both the Guitar Hero video game phenomenon and human complacency in general. If the bouncy chorus gets stuck in your head, don’t blame us!

And now it’s trivia time.

Q: Of what punk cabaret duo is Amanda Palmer one-half?
A: The Dresden Dolls

Q: Where is the Dolls’ other half, drummer Brian Viglione, while the band takes an indefinite hiatus?
A: Why, he’s touring with Brooklyn’s very own World/Inferno Friendship Society, of course!

Here’s World/Inferno performing “Tattoos Fade” in Chicago on September 26, 2008.

Want more? Check out the artists’ respective MySpace pages. For Amanda, click here. For World/Inferno, go here.

Photo by Flickr user colliding light used under the Creative Commons

Currently occupying the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, T.I.’s latest is the sort of big, dumb and undeniable party song that saves careers. Before releasing what would become one of the fastest selling digital songs of all time, Tip was in a bit of a slump, still reeling from the commercial and artistic flop that was Sweat/Suit T.I. vs. T.I.P.

And then he hits us with “Whatever You Like”—a sing-song jingle without any rapping at all, tailor-made for a ringtone. In essence, it’s T.I.’s “Lollipop.” And we all know how that worked out for Wayne. A shrewd business move, savvy to the struggling nature of the record business and one that sounds damn good bumping out of cars.

Download it here.