The Beat

Hopefully this will be a recurring feature, and I hope you like it.

This is some music I’ve had on repeat for the past week.

1. Lil Wayne & Kevin Rudolph- “Let It Rock”- This, frankly, isn’t the best Lil’ Wayne song, but I can’t help having it on repeat. It’s catchy, and the Weezy verse(s) are pretty clever.

2. Marah- “Tame the Tiger”- I just got this yesterday from a friend, but I can’t get it out of my head. It’s Mid-Atlantic style rock, and it’s light enough to fit just about any mood or situation.

3. Radiohead- “Wierd Fishes/Arpeggi”- Another great Radiohead song, this “In Rainbows” track has a guitar riff that sticks with you, and Thom Yorke is his usual haunting self.

4. T.I. feat. John Legend- “Slide Show”- A cut off the stellar “Paper Trail,” this song has smart, soulful verses from T.I. and an outstanding chorus from the always-excellent John Legend. And it doesn’t have the chorus “I had straps in my ride, now I gotta go to prison,” unlike another cut off “Paper Trail.”

5. RJD2- “Good Times Roll, Part 2”- RJ played at Emory a few days ago, and this song puts his DJing skills on full display. The beginning of the song is good, but in the last segment, he puts the turntables through the paces, and I find myself rewinding the song just to hear him again.

6. Marah- “Sooner or Later”- Marah is back on the list, mostly because I just got 5 of their albums and have been slowly but surely making my way through them. This song has more country-sounding guitars, but my no means is it a country song.

7. JJ Grey  & Mofro- “Country Ghetto”- This one is as southern as it gets. Mofro are from North Florida, and the harmonica on this track gives it a down home feel. This is great blues music, and JJ Grey’s voice fits the style perfectly.

8. Curren$y- “Modern Day Hippie”- If the beat sounds familiar, that’s because it is. He takes the French techno song put to good use by Wiz Khalifa this summer and spits verses far more inventive that Wiz ever did. Curren$y first got on the radio with “Where The Cash At” a little while back, but this song simply blows that one out of the water.

9. Tea Leaf Green- “One Reason (Live)”- This song, off TLG’s “Rock and Roll Band” album, is a great introduction to the band that many have called successors to the Grateful Dead (TLG hail from San Fran, too). While not quite as strange as the Dead, TLG are very good live, and this track is no exception.

10. The Black Keys- “I Got Mine”- In my opinion the best track on “Attack & Release,” this is a hard-rocking blues song. The Akron, Ohio duo kill it live, and this song carries the feel of a highly charged performance, all the way through the distortioned mics. A worthwhile listen, and a great way to start listening to one of the better blues bands out now.