Tuesday, a free Mux Mool EP called Viking Funeral was released on Ghostly International, in anticipation of Minnesota-native Brian Lindgren’s debut full-length, Skulltaste.  The album artwork also represents my Ghostly debut in the catalog, an accomplishment I consider my biggest since my first album cover for Moodgadget.  The straightforward layout combines some of Brian’s incredible sketch work with a halftone treatment I’ve been exploring within the specific context of Mux and Ghostly, a nod to the pulpy vintage threads abound in his music.  Working with Brian’s talent as “an incurable doodler” is a lot of fun, his unique renderings beg for color and texture, in an age where the sketch pad and pencil are waning in the shadow of the tablet.

Mux Mool – Ladies Know (Live edit)

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This track is a live edit from one of Mux’s older beats, Ladies Know, which originally appeared in 2008 with vocals from fellow Minnesotans, Big Quarters.  The way the track gets chopped and literally beaten up is surprisingly reminiscent of his live performance.  It will be especially interesting to hear how his sound has evolved when Skulltaste comes out in March.

Calmer – Angela (Taxi Theme Song) (cover of Bob James)

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The ISO50 2010 covers series is in full effect, with Jakub sharing his birthday presents each week.  This Calmer remix is one of the many standouts so far, an especially challenging song to cover– “Angela,” the .  When I crashed at his crib in Brooklyn two weekends ago, he played an early draft of his remix, almost thinking the challenging cover “assignment” was more of a joke, but the response seems to be more love than laughter.

Paul White – Hustle (Bullion Remix)

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So Bullion, one of the musicians who tied for Best New Artist of 2009 here on Blog.H34, has a new EP out on bandcamp.  While I can’t say it has me going like Time For Us All To Love, I can say this remix he did for Paul White is blazing hot.  The snare drum roll at the beginning signals a mollases-thick synth barrage, and the somewhat cheesy vocals have me smiling and shouting responses of cliché hustle rhetoric.

Charles Trees – Exodus

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Finally, I received a transmission from Charles Trees, who is currently living virtually off the grid in the mountains of California.  He gave me an update on a couple new releases on the way, including a new LP under the working title, Capturing Animals.  The meaning of this title is currently a secret, but this dirty sub smasher of a track is not.  Apparently it found its way into the iTunes indie spotlight earlier this month, from the Versus Series, Round 2: Alt Hip Hop.