Mazarin, "The New American Apathy"

Mazarin, "Louise"

The next entry in our look at the Philly Music scene is Mazarin, Philly boys who are on the verge of taking off. If there is any justice in this world, this band will be a big success in the next few years, headlining big shows and being featured on The OC Volume 20 and having their song play at the pivotal moment in some Zach Braff dramedy. Their music is beautiful, catchy and inviting, the type of band that once people hear, they instantly fall in love.

We're Already There is the band's latest release, two years in the making. That time was clearly well spent, as this is the one of the best releases of 2005. I only wish that I had heard this last year and that I had come up with a Top 10 list, as it would have been on there for sure. There isn't any obvious influence, lots of bands come to mind when you hear the CD. The Beach Boys, the Flaming Lips, The Postal Service, Neutral Milk Hotel, obscure psychedlic bands that I'll never hear, Can, whatever other reference evokes the psychedelic pop of Mazarin. The fuzzy guitars, harmonies, openness to using any sounds available (including the ocean!), that's what you get. "Louise" is my favorite track, one which shows that this band is more than cool sounds and can write a heartbreaking song with the best of them. Dig the bells and serene voices on "The New American Apathy" with the mechanical drum beat, reminiscent of the best Postal Service songs. Throughout, there is an willingness to open up their sound, a rarity in indie rock I think. Check out "Schroed(er)/Inger," which has an almost electro feel that works well.

The blog world has done its part to get the word out, as many have discussed this album. SCATTERBRAIN, See You In The Pit, Hello Gina, My Old Kentucky Blog, (((withoutsound))), So Much Silence, ANALOG blog, moistworks, 3hive and the CAMERA as PEN all took the time to write and upload some songs (most of the songs aren't available, except at Hello Gina, 3hive, (((withoutsound))) and SCATTERBRAIN). Pitchfork loved the album, giving it an 8.0.

Have we sold you yet? Yes? Good. Now go out and support these Philly guys and buy the album. Head to their site and get more info, free tunes and tour dates, or be their friend on myspace and form a lasting bond. For the record, they are touring with fellow Philly Music focus The Walkmen right now, so those of you out West have a chance to see an amazing double bill. I can't say enough good things about this band, can't wait to hear what's next.

Much more to come on the sounds of the 215, get at me with recommendations if your favorites or your band's music. Even better, just move to the city and become a part of something big.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that this post was coming, and it's finally here. I have a tendency to overthink things, try to make them perfect, and that's the reason for the ridiculous delay on making a short, simple post. With a topic so close to my heart, Philadelphia and its future, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I'd try to make this perfect. I've come to my senses and decided to just do it, and get this new part of Pound for Pound rolling.

It's should be obvious to anyone who knows me or reads this blog that Philadelphia, cities and urban life are the most important things to me. Why this post, why now, why so serious? It wasn't one thing, it was more like a lot of things building up. The death of Jane Jacobs was one such moment, as losing her focused me more on the issues that she thought and fought over. Another would be my growing desire to go back to school to study this further, to get involved in the battle of ideas. Likewise, the knowledge that I will be moving from Philly in the near future has left me a little shook to be honest, a little more critical of the city, a little more nostalgic, a lot more interested in being engaged with the city even if I'm not physically there.

Most of all, it was two conversations I had, one with EC a few months ago and one with my bol MM at the end of last summer. Both work in the legal community, and both (in a few months) will have moved from Philly. Both conversations stressed the reasons this city is losing people that it wants to be keeping here. These are brilliant, funny, attractive, witty, creative people. Both have different stories, different reasons for leaving. I won't get into the specifics, but those conversations will inform some of my criticisms of the city and things that need to change.

I'm not really sure what posts under this topic will look like or consist of. I will label them, so everyone can skip over them and get to the ass 'n' titties portion of the blog. I love my city so much and feel like we are finally moving forward and becoming the 21st Century city I know we can become. That love will hopefully make me a strong critic of our problems, as everyone knows that I'm not some dilettante, NYC/LA snob who has about as much sense of a great city as they do a good bar. I also hope to further the idea that the people of Philly need to acknowledge how great the city has become, stop with the hating and negativity. If you can't deal with the present, you sure won't be much help in the future, so please stay out of the fucking way.

I hope that none of this comes off as pretentious or stupid or boring. If anything, I hope that it can start a conversation about Philadelphia or any of the great cities of the world like New York, Paris, Prague, you know the list. Cities are a passion and source of inspiration for Pound for Pound, hopefully my support for them can pay back all that they have given me.

DJ Green Lantern and Beanie Sigel, Public Enemy #1

Everyone knows now that Beanie Sigel was shot early Thursday in an attempted robbery. Sigel was treated at UPenn Hospital and released quickly, sustaining a superficial wound out of the incident. So much to say about this, nothing really good or profound. It's sad that this is the first I've heard of Beanie in a while, sad that we were all close to having to write obituaries of the man, saddest of all that it happened in his old neighborhood.

I'm not sure it's appropriate to feature Beanie and his music in the wake of his shooting, but we'll see. It's hard to delink the man's music with the trials and tribulations of his real life. They seem so intertwined, for better or worse, moreso than any one else in rap today. This mixtape is the perfect example, made following his acquittal on murder charges. The intro is Kurt Loder announcing the news on MTV and what follows is an entire CD of murder tales, redemption, freedom, crime, North Philly and paranoia. There's no sense of a "Beanie Sigel", playing a role or telling stories about his past. This is Beans here and now, take him or leave him. While I wish that he would disengage so that he could get away from trouble, I'm not sure that he would be able to be as effective an artist if he did.

I've got so much to say about this guy, one of my favorites, that I'm gonna save it for a seperate post on his last album, The B. Coming. In the meantime, check out this mixtape, Public Enemy #1, which Beanie did with DJ Green Lantern a few years ago. It's one of the best mixtapes I've ever heard, something that I still turn to after all these years, an almost unheardof thing in the mixtape world. Anyway, go to mixtapeunit and cop other Beanie mixtapes, as you can't really go wrong.

The Walkmen, "Louisiana"

The Walkmen, "Another One Goes By"

I have decided to make the focus on the Philadelphia music scene a permanent part of Pound for Pound, as opposed to a one-week tryst. I hope to do at least one artist/band per week, maybe more. I can't think of a bigger act calling the city home right now than The Walkmen, whose new album Hundred Miles Off drops today. That's right, the Walkmen are Philly bols now. In case you missed it, they've made the brilliant decision to move from NYC to the "Sixth Borough", Philadelphia, the greatest city on Earth, and nothing makes me happier.

The Yah Mos Def, "I'm Gonna Be Under Your Bed"

As fellow Philadelphians Young Gunz said, "Can't stop, won't stop." The next entry in our look at the Philadelphia music scene is The Yah Mos Def, a local rap duo who have been gaining momentum over the past year or so. The Yah Mos Def are best described as the Beastie Boys if they had sampled their early punk band sound and lived in Philly. This track, "I'm Gonna Be Under Your Bed", comes off their EP Plays Ugly For Suckers, which is out now. You can cop it at their website, or if you are in Philly, grab a copy at Tower Records on Broad or any of the smaller stores (a.k.a., spaceboy, you know.) It gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect, from the verse tradeoffs to the strained vocals to the hardcore sound to the different samples.

I first saw the guys at a show at the mezzanine space at AKA Records (Note to AKA: Please use that space more), playing a small show put on by the Philly City Paper. I had no idea what to expect, but I'm not sure I would've been able to prepare even if I'd been given a hint. Two white kids came out and started rhyming to loud, furious punk beats, jumping up and down, spinning around the small area used as a stage. It was like nothing I had ever heard, and yet it sounded perfect.

Plastic Little, "Foil"
Plastic Little, "Drizhollering"
Plastic Little, "Drizhollering" (screwed and chopped)

The next group from Philly that we are looking at has already been mentioned quite a few times here at Pound for Pound. I feel like I've seen Plastic Little live more than almost any band playing today, a sign of how much I enjoy their music and how much a part of the local scene they are.

The tracks above are off of their out of print first EP, Thug Paradise, that came out on A-Ron the Don's aNYthing label a few years ago. It was a great first recording, putting down most of their live staples like "Drizhollering" and "Foil". It's what I would consider the best of underground hip hop, bringing a more electro/experimental sound without copping that holier-than-thou attitude that afflicts most backpackers. One listen to the lyrics and you will hear that they are making fun of hip hop, themselves, anything that comes into their mind.

Man Man, "Banana Ghost"

Man Man, "Van Helsing Boombox"

No better band to kick off our look at the Philly music scene in all of its glory and diversity than with its weirdest and one of its best, Man Man. I imagine everyone has heard of them, but not sure that people have actually listened to the music. The comparisons have all been given, from Captain Beefheart to Tom Waits, and all basically get at the same premise. That this is a band willing to experiment with sound, willing to push at the edges of rock music tradition.

These tracks come off their 2006 release, Six Demon Bag, their second full-length on Ace Fu Records. It's a little less crazy than the previous effort, or maybe just a little more focused. The sound has a circus music feel at times, other times a jazz feel, other times an experimental band playing the opening set at Tonic, brief metal freakouts, I think you get the picture. The music is both rough and pretty, loud and quiet, inane and profound. Pay special attention to the percussion on the album, which doesn't seem to get much notice but should. Amid all the chaos and morphing, it holds the music together.