Something To Shout About

Panico (featuring Crazy Girl) “Transpiralo” – Following the deluge of post-DFA punk-funkers, it’s been hard for me to listen to that sort of music without either feeling very cynical or totally uninspired by the work of half-assed imitators. But this…this is special. This is intense, highly potent stuff. Unlike many of their Anglo peers, there’s nothing stale or monochromatic about Panico. Their music is crackling with manic energy and sexual urgency; full of noise freak-outs, Latin rhythms, and lewd come-ons. The record basically sounds like it wants to fuck you. (Click here to buy it from Tigersushi.)

Kano “Brown Eyes” – UK grime, with Kanye-style pitched-up samples and disingenuous lyrics about romance and love. I love it that so many of the big names in UK hip hop are coming out with these great accessable singles. I don’t think it will be enough to push any of them (except for maybe Lady Sovereign, who could have a great novelty hit with “Random”) into the US mainstream, but I’m sure that it will help build an audience over here. There’s definitely room enough in the hip hop market for a non-lame “alternative”, right? (Click here to visit the official Kano website.)