I’m completely mesmerized by Mayer Hawthorne’s new album, A Strange Arrangement.
The “retro” tag is added to almost any contemporary work that sounds like it was originally recorded between 1966 and 1974, and Hawthorne, among the newest contributors to the genre, is aware of how trends come and go. After being introduced to Stones Throw label head Peanut Butter Wolf by mutual friend Noelle Scaggs of the Rebirth, even his current boss was skeptical. “He showed me two songs and I didn’t understand what I was listening to,” Wolf recalls. “I asked him if they were old songs that he did re-edits of – I couldn’t believe they were new songs and that he played all the instruments.”
For more youtube-ness, watch his new video for Maybe So, Maybe No.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out (2:28)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Mayer Hawthorne – When I Said Goodbye (4:11)




Chrono Trigger Mixtape, Vol. 1
This is a huge late pass, but I just stumbled upon the Chrono Trigger Mixtape, Vol. 1 that was produced in 2005. It’s set to some random hip-hop songs, but the beats are pretty seamless and most people unfamiliar with the Chrono Trigger OST probably wouldn’t have guessed that the samples in this mixtape were sourced from a video game made in 1995.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Yasunori Mitsuda - Gato’s Song (set to 50 Cent’s Disco Inferno) (3:16)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Yasunori Mitsuda - At the Bottom of the Night (set to Kanye West and Talib Kweli’s Get ‘Em High) (5:16)
Download the rest of the mixtape here.