Our friend from ATL, the illustrious Ms. Brittany Bosco has a new EPK out in support of her quest to play Bonnaroo in June. Most of y’all know that Atlanta is overflowing with talent, and the underground scene there is poppin’. Now that Janelle Monae is out front it’s time for Ms. Bosco to get next.

For those who need to be schooled on Ms. Bosco, check the song 8-Track, produced by my homie Alex Goose. Don’t sleep.

DOWNLOAD: The Blueprint 3 Outtakes

Alex Goose – Fire

Alex Goose – Hova’s Back

Alex Goose is one of music’s rising producers, creating some of the best hip-hop and R&B beats this decade. Raised in the DC area, and now living in Atlanta, Goose’s inspirations come not from the traditional breaks of hip-hop, but from psychedelic rock and French film scores. In addition, he is a talented graphic designer and photographer and he’s pushing the cultural boundaries of music and design. Alex is also a member of Atlanta’s The Big Up Crew, a art and music collective which includes Couch Sessions favorites Danny Swain and Brittany Bosco, along with designer Brandon Collins.

Last month, Alex dropped The Blueprint Three Outtakes, a collection of his beats that were sent to Hova himself for consideration for his latest album. Needless to say Goose didn’t make the cut, but the Outtakes have become a web success, spawning 10,000 downloads in its first week and getting acclaim from the hip-hop world.

However, Alex is expanding his palate, working with DC band US Royalty for their new project, as well as creating a psychedelic hip-hop album for Danny Swain.

Alex is one of my favorite new producers of the past 10 years, and his star is rising fast. Follow Alex on Twitter and check his MySpace.

Production wise, you’re all over the map. You’ve done Hip-Hop, R&B, and now Rock. However, they all have an almost vintage appeal about them. What are your influences?

My influences are first and foremost Serge Gainsbourg. He was a big face in French music, and he was around in the 50s but was super prominent in the 60s and 70s. He was the man of the moment for a really long time. He did films and acting and ususally would score the music for those films [as well]. I really like his music because he is so versatile. One minute he would be doing chants and the other minute he would be doing psychedelic rock and then the next would be super dramatic film scores. I really value his diversity and sound. His ear was very unique and I felt like he was way ahead of his time. I want to take some of that style and fuse it with what I’m doing and the projects I work on.

Your latest project is The Blueprint 3 Outtakes, which I think is Amazing. What was the story behind that?

Basically what happened was, around the Spring 2008, an A&R from Def Jam/The Roc hit me up on email. Within 2-3 weeks he came down to Atlanta and we met up, and we talked about music and we chilled and whatnot. I sent him some tracks and he was like “yo, I want to send a couple of these to Jay-Z.” I gave him the tracks and he said that he was going to email them to Jay-Z, and and about 2-3 months later the A&R hit me back and said that Jay-Z didn’t hear anything he wanted to use for the album.

I was kinda bummed at first, because I thought that these would be great [for Jay], but at the same time I was really appreciative that I had the opportunity to submit music to Jay-Z. It was a win-win situation for me because Jay is hands down my favorite rapper besides Nas, so it was a great experience to send tracks.

Alex Goose – Dear Daisy

So a few months after that I was like “maybe I should release these?” and other people at the time were like “hey you should put these out.”  I acquired a management team around that time and they were like “you should drop these around the same time as The Blueprint 3″, and I was like “that’s a great idea.” At first I was thinking “maybe I shouldn’t,” but they kind of pushed me and said “you need to do this.”

[The release] was done strategically. I wanted to drop this around the same time as the album. A lot of people were searching Google for The Blueprint 3 and it just so happened that my project was coming up in those Google searches. It kind of started to catch a buzz really quickly.

All of the tracks on that album were sent to him, and about half of them were pretty old. Some of them were created around 2004-2005. When I was looking for tracks to send to Jay-Z, I went to some of my old tracks and basically just revamped some of them. Even back then I was making beat with Nas and Jay-Z in mind, because they are my favorite rappers.

The sound of The Blueprint Outtakes is very 60s vintage, and you use a LOT of horns and orchestrations. How were you able to craft that sound?

It had a lot to do with how I arranged things and the kind of of samples I chose. I don’t really listen to a lot of hip-hop so what really inspired me to make those hip-hop records were the music that I actually listened to. I’m really into Itialian film scores, French pop, psychedelic rock, garage rock, prog rock. Mostly music between the years of 1967-1974. I really just wanted to hear Jay rap over fuzz guitar from a psychedelic rock band, and drums from that time, and horns and strings and stuff like that.

I think it also has to do with how I mixed the album too. I  didn’t particularly try to mix the album like a normal hip-hop album. A lot of people were telling me that the drums were too set back and the kicks aren’t hitting hard enough, and I did a lot of that on purpose. I don’t really study hip-hop mixes, I study how old records are mixed, and a lot of times the drums are set back and the music is up front. A lot of hip-hop music now is so bassy that you didn’t hear nothing but the bass. I wanted to sound like Jay was really rapping over a psychedelic rock record or a soul record that came out in 1968. Kind of like how DOA sounded. That was kind of the direction that I was going in, because I know that’s more of Jay’s element.

No doubt, I feel you. I’m in the same boat where I don’t listen to a lot of hip-hop at all. It all sounds the same to me.

It’s funny that you would say that because I feel the exact same way, and I wanted to make something that didn’t sound so repetitive. I wanted to make something that even people that listen to rock and don’t listen to hip-hop would like it. For example, someone told me “man, when you made that outtakes record, I was disappointed that you made that for a hip-hop artist,” and I was just like wow, that’s crazy. I kind of wanted everybody to like it. I wanted it to be a real eclectic record.

Danny Swain – Manic at the Disco

People should also know that you handled a bulk of the production for Danny Swain’s album And I Love Her, which I feel is one of the most slept on albums this generation. You’re also doing production for Danny’s Latest project. I know you told me a few months ago that you’re going for a more psychedelic vibe, is that correct?

It’s called Where is Danny, because whenever he’s not around, people are asking “Where is Danny?” (laughs) As far as the music goes, we wanted to make something that focued moe on his lyrics. He was real inspired by the Madvillian records, and of course I’m inspired by psychedelic records and we just came up with this minimal concept where each track was a minute to 3 minutes, and sequence them like a movie. Some of the tracks won’t even have a chorus and some of them won’t even make sense. It’s like when you’re listening to things that Ghostface does and you’re just like “I don’t even know what he’s talking about but its good.” Danny loves that, and I think this is just a really fun record. He would write the tracks and I would create a beat in 10-15 minutes instead of me working for an hour to a day.

I know he’s been having issues with his label. Will that album ever see the light of day?

Yeah (laughs). We’re going to self release it. It should be out by next month, no joke.

Brittany Bosco – 8-Trak (produced by Alex Goose)

One of my favorite songs that you’ve produced is Brittany Bosco’s 8-Trak. I’ve always wanted to ask…are those samples or live instruments on that song?

They were samples. Primarily I’m a sample based producer unless I’m working with a band. Primarily I would not sample if I had the resources not to sample, like Mark Ronson used The Dap Kings for all of his tracks. Your’e kind of limited when you sample but at the same time I appreciate the aesthetic and the sound quality. So if I can produce music that resembles that type of sound quality then that’s what I would do.

That’s dope. You’re one of the few producers that’s been able to pull it off. I rarely say “oh, I’ve heard that sample somewhere” with your songs. It feels like it’s an original composition.

Your design as well and one of the things that I thought was amazing was Brittany Bosco’s packaging for her Spectrum EP. How did you come up with that concept?

No budget, no money, no time. Yeah, we didn’t have a lot of money to put into something. We needed a quick turnaround, and we had to put something out in a week, and we wer so pressed on time. We ordered the bubble gold wrap and me and Brandon just fleshed it out real quick. I think we finished [the design] in four hours and we put everything together by hand, and within a week we shot it in the studio. It was that simple man, we had to do something cool with no budget. So many people get a slim jewel case with an little insert and a some graphics on it because its the norm, but when you get a gold package you’re more likely to take a look at it and see what it’s about.

I feel like that whole era of physical packaging is dying now.

Yeah, you have to really give someone a reason to want to buy a CD. You have to make them feel like they’re investing their money into something that make it feel like they are owning a collector’s item, you know?

Who is your design inspiration?

I’m just not into trends. I’m really into things that are simple, clean, timeless and smart. The keyword is timeless. I value a lot of design that came out of the 60s and 70s because it I thought it was very original and the communication was very direct. I feel like a lot of people lose touch with how important communication is as designers. Communication is key and you have to send a message through design. I also value a design with a good strategy in mind as well. I think that everything needs to be done strategically. Like what you said earlier, that you saw the Brittany Bosco packaging and you wanted to hear the music, that’s what I want to do.

So what’s your involvement with US Royalty?

I’m just glad they want to work with me. They heard the Outtakes and they wanted to work with me, and I think that they could see that my boundaries are not just hip-hop. I met them through Chis Black, their manager, and I came to thier show in Atlanta, I saw them perform, and after their first song I was like “I would love to do a song with these guys.” After the show we hung out, and me and John Thornley talked for almost two hours. While everybody is off at the bar getting drinks and getting drunk, me and John were at off to the side talking about music for hours. I think that then I knew I wanted to work with these guys. I think that me and John were on the same page immediately. Hopefully I can get up to DC and work with them for at least a week or so, because I have some great ideas.

Alex Goose’s Top 5 Songs

Warpaint – Billie Holiday

Dangermouse and Sparklehorse – Just War

Jefferson Airplaine – White Rabbit

The Beatles – I Am The Walrus

Skyzoo – Under Pressure

DOWNLOAD: Brittany Bosco Spectrum 2.0 EP

We all fell in love with Brittany Bosco when her Spectrum EP dropped way back in 2008. Well here it is close to 2010 and Ms. Bosco wants everyone to know that she hasn’t gone anywhere.

Bosco’s spectrum re-released this week with four new tracks on Bandcamp (aka my NEW favorite music distribution service). ALSO, she will be playing not one but two shows in NYC in September for Fashion Week on the heels of a European tour.

If you enjoyed Spectrum as much as I did (she was a Top 5 to Watch in 2009 Remember), then you will LOVE the new tracks, my favorite being “Love Thing,” and “It Was You.” These tracks building on her already solid original EP.

Catch Ms. Bosco in NYC during her two shows in September. I know a few of y’all are already planning to roll through, so if you’re in the Big Apple, make sure to put these on your agenda:

Most of y’all know that I think that ATL (via Savannah, GA’s) Brtittany Bosco “got next. ” And I’m proud to post her newest video for the tracks “Blues for Blue” and “Black and White” which was shot in LA last month. You might remember these two tracks from Ms. Bosco’s Spectrum EP. You can’t knock her mix of jazz, soul, and R&B, backed by the some of the most creative people I’ve seen in a while. Watch for Ms. Bosco in a town near you.

If you didn’t know, Brittany Bosco dropped one of the hottest albums of 2008 with her Spectrum EP. Not only was the packaging better than anything else put out last year (except maybe for that Chester French EP), but the music was some of the best I’ve heard in a while

Since then, the Atlanta based Ms. Bosco has been on her grind with well recieved shows on the West Coast and an upcoming show in New York at Santos Party House on May 21st. While she was out in LA, she filmed a video for her song “Black and White,” which  is dropping real soon.

I have already pegged Ms. Bosco as a figure to watch in 2009. Her and her fellow Big Up ATL companions Danny! and Alex Goose are off to big things this year.

myspace.com/brittanybosco

But as much as I love tracks and remixes, there is nothing that substitutes for an album. Sure, ANYBODY can create a track these days, but it still takes a true artist to create an album.

My top 50 albums of the year might surprise some of y’all. First off, there is a scarcity of hip-hop in the top 15 albums. Also, the biggest album of the year, Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III is at 49. And finally, the album is missing some critical favorites, such as Black Milk’s Tronic. But hey, it is what it is. These albums are the one’s that I’ve listened to in 2008, and unfortunately Tronic slipped through the cracks. Also, to those who lament the lack of hip-hop, I offer no apologies. This list is compiled from how many spins each album got on my iPod, and just like that female at the club, I can’t help what I’m attracted to.

Without further adieu, here is the list. The top 15 is here with the rest after the jump.

15.) Wale – The Mixtape About Nothing

Even though he didn’t even drop an album, Wale has had a big year. The DC rapper has been on everybody’s “it” list in ’08, and the 2009 debut is going to be massive. This year, the dude had the nerve to create a Seinfeld (a show which I’m boycotting because of you know who), and still retain his swag. Even if you question his 90s television refrences, you have to agree that he’s one of the best upcoming rappers in the game right now.

14.) Brittany Bosco – Spectrum EP

Brittnay Bosco is going to tear s*#t up in 2009. The Savannah/Atlanta artist’s EP showed a creativity and versatility that most R&B singers lack these days.

13.) Estelle – Shine

Performance wise Adele blows Estelle out the water, however, I found myself enjoying Estelle’s album Shine even more than 19. Producers like Kanye, Will.I.Am, and Wyclef created an album that not only had pop hits like “American Boy,” but more mellow tracks like “Back In Love.” This album isn’t no Miseducation, but a classic nonetheless.

12.) Solange – Sol Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams

While Beyonce was busy being Sasha Fierce, her little sister crafted one of the best R&B albums of the year. Whether Solange’s love of Dilla and Zero 7 is genuine or a record company ruse is yet to be known. However, Solange is taking the place of Kelis as the left-field R&B chick everybody wants to get with.

11.) Santogold – Santogold

Santi White’s first solo album carries over her rock sensibilities from her punk days while incorporating that Brooklyn hipster swag that is the big thing in music nowadays. This was a big year for Santi, who not only got sampled by Kanye (a feat usually reserved for 70s era soul singers), but also by licencing every track of her album for TV shows, movies, and commercials, ensuring that she will be getting paper well into 2009.

10.) The Black Keys – Attack and Release

Attack and Release started out as collaboration with Ike Turner until his death in 2007, which would have been off the chain. However, what remains is The Black Key’s finest album to date. The Danger Mouse produced disc is their first studio-recorded album and their best selling so far.

9.) Danny – And I Love Her

Danny Swain is still the most underrated hip-hop artist of the past decade. The Couch Sessions Approved artist has been creating hot tracksfor years now, and he’s past dude for his shine. And I Love H.E.R. is a concept album that was better executed than most, with Danny’s nonchalant rhymes and incredible beats (with some of the most random samples imaginable), make this album a hip-hop lover’s dream.

8.) Lykke Li – Youth Novels

I initially dismissed Lykke Li, but she had me at this one line from her track “Little Bit”: “For you I keep my legs apart/and forget about my broken heart.” From that moment I was sold. The album itself is a stripped down, organic affair with Lykke’s voice being the main instrumental. And the girl has cred with fans like David Banner, Kanye, and Q-Tip among others.

7.) TV On The Radio – Dear Science

As someone who simply hated TVOTR’s disjointed musical style and downright depressing lyrics, I was so presently surprised by their new album that it made the top 10. TVOTR made a downright upbeat and danceable album that still retains their trademark vocal styling and instrumentation.

6.) Kanye West – 808 and Heartbreaks

I had REAL low expectations for Kanye’s venture into experimental avant garde emo and thought that this album would be a dud. However, Kanye not only knocked this one out of the park but AGAIN flipped the script on Black popular music in America. You may hate Kanye all you want (and I still do), but let’s face it: Kanye West is Steve Jobs. He’s a outlier (props to Malcom Gladwell) who sees the future and where music is headed way before we can comprehend it. Just like Job’s said we wouldn’t be using floppy drives way back in 1998.

5.) Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple

Even though Gnarl’s sophomore release didn’t get the attention or sales numbers it deserved, the Atlanta duo’s return marked their best work so far. Their lead single “Run,” couldn’t match the juggernaut that was “Crazy,” but songs like “Can You Save My Soul?” and “Going On,” have cemented the duo as a musical force.

4.) Q-Tip – The Renaissance

Q-Tip’s return to the rap game marked a return to the golden era rap that hip-hop needs right now. Q-Tip never really changed his formula from Amplified, yet crafted an album that that the grown and sexy can cling to without being ultra nostaglic about the past.

3.) Jazzanova – Of All Things

Jazzanova makes music for people who love music. I’m not talking about people who love to dance to music or those who simply just cop CDs or go to concerts, but for those who are simply obsessed with the art of music. The German collective has arranged some of the greatest heard and underheard talent this year–Phonte, Dwele, Jose James, Bembe Segue and Ben Westembach to name a few and created music around each artists’ personal style. This album should be in every music lover’s collection.

2.) Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It

When I heard Raphael Saadiq was doing a Motown album, I dismissed it outright. I thought that he was yet another artist jumping on the bandwagon. Even if The Way I See It could be called “bandwagon jumping,” Saadiq has not only set a standard for what a revival album should sound like, but raised the bar so high that I doubt any artist will ever come close.

1.) Foreign Exchange – Leave It All Behind

When Foreign Exchange dropped their latest album, I almost felt like it spoke to me. Phonte’s soulful voice, combined with Nicolay’s always organic, smooth beats, made this album a must own for frustrated rap fans like myself that wanted something deeper in their music. Instead of played out cliche’s about poppin’ champange in the club, the duo made an album about breakups, and self deprecation. Billbord chart topper? No. But do we really care anymore?

Albums 50-16 after the jump.

50.) Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
49.) Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter III
48.) The Game – LAX
47.) Guns and Roses – Chinese Democracy
46.) Thievery Corporation – Radio Retaliation
45.) Tittsworth – 12 Steps
44.) Femi Kuti – Day By Day
43.) Hot Chip – Made In The Dark
42.) Flying Lotus – Los Angeles
41.) Portishead – Third
40.) Coldplay – Viva La Vida
39.) T.I. – Paper Trail
38.) MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
37.) People Under the Stairs – Fun DMC
36.) Sam Sparro – Sam Sparro
35.) Slakah The Beatchild – Soul Movement Volume 1
34.) The Roots – Rising Down
33.) 10 Deep Presents The New Deal
32.) Mickey Factz – Heaven’s Fallout
31.) N.E.R.D. – Seeing Sounds
30.) The Constellations – Southern Gothic
29.) Ludacris – Theater of the Mind
28.) Erykah Badu – New Amerykah: Pt. One (4th World War)
27.) Common – Universal Mind Control
26.) Jazmine Sullivan – Fearless
25.) Daedalus – Love to Make Music To
24.) Various Artists – The Food Chain Collective
23.) 88 Keys – The Death of Adam
22.) The Knux – Remind Me In 3 Days
21.) Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
20.) Clipse – Road Till When The Casket Drops
19.) Tawiah – In Jodi’s Bedroom EP
18.) Kid Cudi – A Kid Named Cudi
17.) Tricky – Knowle West Boy
16.) Adele – 19

Asher Roth – With Eminem’s on again/off again status apparently off again, the mantle for best white MC has been quite empty for a while now. Enter Asher Roth, the Atlanta via Pennsylvania MC has been the Internets greatest white hope this past year. Can he take the throne in ’09?

Brittnay Bosco – Being a Black female with left-field R&B aspirations is a tough road. Said road is littered with the remains of singers gone by: Imani Coppola, Jack Davey, Res–just to name a few. But I’m putting my hope in Ms. Bosco, that she will defy these trends in 2009. Can she make it? Only if you cop her ish next year!

Colin Munroe – Saying that Colin Munroe is going to blow up in 2009 is too easy. The dude’s got it all…catchy pop vocals, nice hooks, and the support from some of the largest players in the music industy. The dude is tailor made for pop stardom, yet he still gets love from the hip-hop community.It’s a win-win situation.

Kid Cudi – Even though I couldn’t stand “Day and Nite,” when I first heard it, I have to agree that it’s a certified banger, and the track is slowly lighting up dance floors worldwide as well as the TV show Entourage. Could Cudi break into the mainstream?

Wale – The Couch Sessions was profiling Wale way before Mark Ronson ever heard of this dude (I kid!!). We first brought you Wale in 2005 and since then it’s been a whirlwind of online publicity for the DC-area MC. With his impending 2009 release–with production talent such as Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, and Travis Barker–Wale is carrying the torch for DC, and has the whole city on his shoulders.

Runners Up: Chester French, B.o.B., Tabbi Bonney, Idle Warship

Brittany Bosco – Spectrum EP (Zip File)

I know I deserve a mad late pass for this, but I’m just getting around to the amazing Spectrum EP from Savannah’s Brittany Bosco. Like fellow Georgian Janelle Monae, Ms Bosco does have that futuristic element to her sound (like everybody out of that state these days), but the comparisons end there. Bosco brings a more soulful, jazzy element to her tracks. Songs like 8 Track sound retro without hyping the current Motown trend. With production by Alex Goose (who was responsible for Danny Swain’s fantastic album And I Love Her), the Spectrum EP foreshadows good things for Bosco’s debut album.

Also, this EP qualifies for the best packaging of 2008. Hands down.

myspace.com/brittanybosco