By DJ Pusspuss
The L Word: The Third Season Soundtrack
www.LWordOnline.com
This 2-CD compilation celebrates the third season of the L-Word series that premieres Jan. 8. Showtime’s highly rated and critically recognized dramedy exploring the lives of a group of friends straight and not-so in Los Angeles—the media mecca of the west. Ushering in a new chapter of lesbian and bi-friendly sensibility while setting records for artistic effort and viewership, Showtime has also brought and highlighted a diverse array of “lesbi-friendly” music to support the incredible series. My picks: Télépopmusik’s “Don’t Look Back,” Tracy Bonham’s “Naked” and “Whether You Fall,” Jahna’s “Flower Duet from Lakmé,” D’Angelo’s “Feel Like Making Love,” “Transformation” with Pam Grier, Nona Hendryx and BETTY, Cory Lee’s “The Naughty Song,” Shivaree’s “I Will Go Quietly,” Maria Muldaur’s “It Ain’t the Meat It’s The Motion,” Frazey Ford’s “In My Time of Dying,” Maggie Moore and Yvette Narlock’s “Lady Loves Me,” Esthero’s “I Drive Alone,” Tegan and Sara’s “So Jealous,” Amy Cook’s “10 Million Holes In Heaven” and Neko Case & Her Boyfriends’ “Porchlight.”

Visionary Underground
Keep The Grime On
www.VisionaryUnderground.com
London-based Visionary Underground claims the dancefloor for a multi-dimensional groove with world and old-school influences and deliberately avoids sampling from the past. Pulling hip-hop, dub, asian, electro, ragga and R ‘n B nuances coupled with dirty basslines, organic breakbeats and inspired collaborations leaves us maxed with a compilation bridging hardcore to drum ‘n’ bass with plenty of funk to fill the floor. Be sure to join the next visit to SF. My picks: “Hooliganz,” “Champagne & Wealth,” “Surface To Air,” “Eye Of The Storm,” “Murder Won,” “Sun & Grime,” “Unity,” “Money” and “Subway.”

The Now Sound Of Brazil 2
www.SixDegreesRecords.com
The new (and now) sounds of Brazil are by default cosmopolitan with a sophisticated and quirky touch and turns of passion. Celebrating life and dancing the time away when not chilling, Brazilians have a zest for living that transcends each of these lushy, groovy, chillbient and shake & bake tracks. My picks: Bebel Gilberto’s “Simplesmente (Tom Middleton Balearic Remix)” and “Cada Beijo (Thievery Corporation remix)”; Bossacucanova’s “Samba da minha terra” featuring Zuco 103, Apollo Nove’s “Inexplicata” featuring Céu, Cibelle’s “Esplendor,” Celso Fonseca’s “Por acaso pela tarde,” Zuco 103’s “Love Is Queen Omega” featuring Lee “Scratch” Perry, Bossacucanova’s “Essa moça tá diferente” featuring Simoninha and DJ Dolores’ “Trancelim de marfim (Apollo Nove remix).”

The Aristocrats
www.TheAristocrats.com
You have been warned! A who’s who of comedians, over a hundred from Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Carey, George Carlin and Gilbert Godfried to Sarah Silverman and co-producers Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette of hit duo Penn & Teller explore and retell a classic, filthy, raunchy, foul, obscene joke which each comic re-interprets in their own style. A surprisingly insightful soundtrack to the movie of the same name that is not only very funny (and disgusting) but also explores the process of comedy and why we laugh and why gross is funny. You might also learn new ways of describing fecal matter as well as underground sex acts like “Dirty Sanchez,” “Felching,” “the Rusty Trombone,” and “Strawberry Shortcake.” My picks: “Harder Than It Seems” by Otto & George, Gilbert Gottfried’s “Apoplectic, Rhythmic Incantation,” Bob Saget’s “Made To Tell This Joke” and “Wait... There’s More;” George Carlin, Andy Dick, Paul Reiser’s “Matter Of Fact,” Judy Gold’s “Strap It On,” Wendy Leibman’s “To Hear The Differences,” Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden’s “You Have To Have A Go,” Drew Carey’s “That’s Show Business” and The Royal Debonaires’ “Love Theme From The Aristocrats.”

Mizell: The Mizell Brothers at Blue Note
www.BlueNote.com
Compiled, produced, mixed & mastered by the Mizells themselves, Mizell: The Mizell Brothers at Blue Note is the first release putting the perspective and sonic quality to the legend of the Mizell brothers—Larry and Fonce (Alphonso) Mizell. Mizell Brothers produced albums are coveted among crate-diggers and have been sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, De La Soul, Tupac, Pete Rock, and many others. They were hot songwriters and producers of the 1970s helping launch and reinforce many careers with deep soul and jazz-funk and pimptastic R&B jazzsters. My picks: Donald Byrd’s “Think Twice (Mizell 2005 Remix),” “Wind Parade,” “Lansanna’s Priestess” and “Change;” Rance Allen’s “Reason To Survive,” Bobbi Humphrey’s “Uno Esta” and “Blacks And Blues,” Gary Bartz’s “Funked Up” and Mizellstory’s “N R Time.”

Lipstick Conspiracy
Don’t Tell A Soul
www.LipstickConspiracy.com
Gig alert! Lipstick Conspiracy covertly operates Jan. 9 at San Francisco’s Red Devil Lounge. This debut features the San Francisco tranny-rockers Lipstick Conspiracy in well-polished form serving a mini-set of goods with gorgeous guitar-work and introspective lyrics. From “Just A Girl –“It’s very simple / I’m just another girl / It’s not easy but I’m giving it a whirl”–Ok that’s more poppy but it’s still nice! They have a lot of promise plus a keen fashion sense. My top picks: “Just A Girl’ and “Living In America.”

Hip Hop Essentials 1979-1991 Volume Three
www.HipHopEssentails.net
Volume three in this series still holds up with classic tracks and history-making scenes including (Niggas With Attitudes) N.W.A.’s “F*ck the Police” which was in response to decades of racism and victimization from Los Angeles’ police force. Less dramatic is the sultry “Bonita Applebaum” from A Tribe Called Quest, which homages the jazzy roots of hiphop. The 1990’s ushered in the war-mongering Bush regime and hiphop was in full thug force with misogynistic tendencies rampant. These tracks fly in the face of both those unfortunate trends to celebrate life and confront inequality. My picks also include: Eric B. & Rakim’s “Microphone Fiend,” Tone-Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina,” The 45 King’s “The 900 Number” and Digital Underground’s “Humpty Dance.”

Eliot Lipp
Tacoma Mocking Bird
www.HeftyRecords.com
Gig alert! Elliot Lipp lands the spaceship Jan 11 at San Francisco’s Hush Hush Lounge. Elliot escaped his home in Tacoma, Washington to visit friends in LA and came up with a great CD to boot! Organic blissful and trippy throbbing soundscapes of the porn movie of your life and maybe the drive there will help you get into that great space. My picks: “Glasspipe,” “Tic Tac,” “Rap Tight,” “Sex Tape,” “Mashin’ On Em” and “Vallejo.”

Thumbtack Smoothie
Fall Back
www.QuakeTrap.com
Gig alert! Thumbtack Smoothie constructs sets Jan. 14 at Sacramento’s Club Pow. Thumbtack Smoothie builds new worlds with industrial minimalistic bleeps and beats. Quirky experimental soundscapes go bouncing through your brainwaves looking desperately for a performance artist to hold dear. Warm yet troubling. My picks: “Sweet Wilma On Maneuvers,” “Whiplash Phantasm Beneath The Drywall,” “Chipple,” “Ten Minnows” and “Troublems.”
Richie Havens
Grace Of The Sun
www.RichieHavens.com
Gig alerts! Ritchie Havens troubadours Jan. 12 at Point Arena’s Arc Arena Cinema and Jan 13 at Santa Cruz’s Rio Theater. Popularized at the original Woodstock festival and in the movies about that festival Ritchie Havens has held true to his passions of being a singer / songwriter and soul stirrer. On his latest release he not only delivers a wet dream for folk rockers but also does justice to Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” and Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” My picks also include: “By The Grace Of The Sun,” “Way Down Deep” and “Dusk.”

Kristi Martel
Quaint & Curious Ravendemos
www.Kmetal.net
Poet, singer and troublemaker Kristi Martel flies words alongside sprite lyrics to grow stunning Americana powerchick gems. From “Harder Than Dying:” “I still need the ocean here almost like you did there. / But I am not a bird. I will not fly away home. I will keep my feet planted on this shore / ‘til it’s my time to go. Living is harder than dying, and truth is harder than lying. My roots dig deeper than your flying / pulled me to sky. You wanted to fly. So fly away, Littlebird. You are my truest home still. And here in my heart you live: alive alive alive!” My top picks: “Harder Than Dying,” “Ravengirl,” “Photophobia” and “Littlebird’s Flight (Radio Edit).”

Pier Bucci
Familia
www.CrossTownRebels.com
Crisp beats and smooth basslines travel you on Pier Bucci’s Chilean linear minimal techno tour of Familia his latest offering splicing up micro-house treats with a electro-feminist grounding. Don’t be surprised to see this pop on your favorite crime show or in the best chill spaces. My top picks: “Tita,” “Towers,” “The R-8 Mooger” and “Hay Consuelo.”

DFA Records Holiday Mix 2005
www.DFARecords.com
This compilation meshes and mixes DFA artists and is also an experiment in what the music industry hopes will “save” their profit from those who grab music and / or share it across platforms and boundaries without compensation. I think we’ll see better solutions coming in the next few years but here is one concept. For 99 cents you can have the whole mix, the downside is it’s one long track—still may be worth it for this cutting edged music from their featured artists and the mix is tight so no loss there. My picks: The Juan Maclean’s “Give Me Every Little Thing (Eric B Dub),” Black Dice’s “ABA,” Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom’s “# Five,” LCD Soundsystem’s “Tribulations (Tiga Remix)” and their “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (Soulwax Shibuya Mix).”

Dead To Fall
Villainy And Virtue
www.TraxHouse.com
Gig alert! Dead to Fall worships the heavy metal monsters Jan. 12 at San Francisco’s The Pound. Apparently inspired by Swedish metal-core, Dead to Fall invade every orifice with brutal guitars, slicing drums and an unholy growl that I think would do a lot of good inflicted in the right direction. From “Stand Your Ground” – “It feels as if this burden is all I’ve ever known / And the weight pushing down on me continues to grow / I’ve live my life on my own terms / Gaining ground from everything I’ve learned / This is where we bury all that drags us down / This is where we break free to stand on our own ground.” My top picks: “Bastard Set Of Dreams,” “Stand Your Ground” and “Epilogue.”