Do any of you know how much of a hip hop head I am? Well you should. Next to Radiohead, Neil Finn, & Elvis Costello I love me some hip hop.

I first heard of Souls of Mischief when they opened for A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul in San Diego circa 1993. What a crazy show. I'm not too keen on many live rap shows though. MC's end up screaming more than rhyming, but these 3 acts absolutely ripped up the stage. I think I even went out and bought "93 til Infinity" by S.O.M. that night. Anyway, I came across this great track that was released before their debut album came out. Over a tight James Brown sample, Opio, Phesto, Tajai, and Casual committ to tape some great verse. Please enjoy:

Souls of Mischief "Cabfare"

(via Cocaine Blunts )

The lovely Cellophanegirl at Me You, We Two graciously posted another new Spoon track:

Spoon - The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine

Has anyone ever heard of New Zeland's Hunters & Collectors? Of course you haven't. They put out several mediocre albums before finally calling it quits a while back. But buried within their 2nd album was one gem of a pop song entitled "Throw Your Arms Around Me." Absolutely fucking kills me everytime I listen to it. Neil Finn's cover version is my personal favorite, but check out this rendition by Ben Harper & Eddie Vedder:

Ben Harper & Eddie Vedder - Throw Your Arms Around Me

For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The Eels - P.S. You Rock My World
Elliot Smith - Everything Reminds Me Of Her

and lastly, `cause my favorite friend Keira really, really, REALLY digs this song:

Moby - I Like It

(via My Old Kentucky Blog )