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	<title>The Couch Sessions &#187; Danny Swain</title>
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	<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com</link>
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		<title>ALBUM PREVIEW: Danny Swain- Where Is Danny?</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/11/album-preview-danny-swain-where-is-danny/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/11/album-preview-danny-swain-where-is-danny/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:29:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex Goose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Big Up]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=9232</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Download: Danny Swain &#8211; Where Is Danny? My homie Danny Swain has been through the ringer. Signed to Def Jux a few years ago, his debut project for the label has been in flux. I don&#8217;t know if this album Where Is Danny was leaked maliciously or on purpose but I&#8217;m rejoicing either way. Most [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9236" title="WhereIsDanny" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/WhereIsDanny.jpg" alt="WhereIsDanny" width="500" height="500" /></p>
<p><strong>Download</strong>: <a href="http://usershare.net/nu2blvu2nd5q">Danny Swain &#8211; Where Is Danny?</a></p>
<p>My homie Danny Swain has been through the ringer. Signed to Def Jux a few years ago, his debut project for the label has been in flux. I don&#8217;t know if this album Where Is Danny was leaked maliciously or on purpose but I&#8217;m rejoicing either way. Most of y&#8217;all know that I think that Danny is one of the<a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2008/07/review-danny-and-i-love-her/"> best underheard MCs of our time</a>, and combined with <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/10/future-producer-interview-alex-goose/">Future Producer Alex Goose</a>, the duo seems to be unstoppable.</p>
<p>Compared to previous work, Where Is Danny is darker, deeper, and more psychedelic. The beats that Goose drops for this project are insane and unlike anything you will here on a hip-hop album to date.</p>
<p><strong>THIS IS NOT THE FULL ALBUM, just a un-mastered preview of what is in store when the real album drops on iTunes very soon. PLEASE SUPPORT</strong></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Future Producer Interview: Alex Goose</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/10/future-producer-interview-alex-goose/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/10/future-producer-interview-alex-goose/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:24:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex Goose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brittany Bosco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Future Producers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Big Up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[US Royalty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=8449</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Future Producers is a new segment from The Couch Sessions profiling the newest and hottest producers in the game. These young, fresh, talented producers are flipping the script and bringing the game to new heights. Watch out for these Couch Sessions-approved producers in 2010. DOWNLOAD: The Blueprint 3 Outtakes Alex Goose &#8211; Fire Alex Goose [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Future Producers is a new segment from The Couch Sessions profiling the newest and hottest producers in the game. These young, fresh, talented producers are flipping the script and bringing the game to new heights. Watch out for these Couch Sessions-approved producers in 2010.</em></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8451" title="562591240788743" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/562591240788743.jpg" alt="562591240788743" width="427" height="640" /></p>
<p><strong>DOWNLOAD</strong>: <a href="http://www.theblueprint3outtakes.com/">The Blueprint 3 Outtakes </a></p>
<p><strong>Alex Goose</strong> &#8211; <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/07-Fire.mp3">Fire </a></p>
<p><strong>Alex Goose</strong> &#8211; Hova&#8217;s Back</p>
<p>Alex Goose is one of music&#8217;s rising producers, creating some of the best hip-hop and R&amp;B beats this decade. Raised in the DC area, and now living in Atlanta, Goose&#8217;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&#8217;s pushing the cultural boundaries of music and design. Alex is also a member of Atlanta&#8217;s <a href="http://thebigup.tumblr.com/">The Big Up Crew</a>, a art and music collective which includes Couch Sessions favorites Danny Swain and Brittany Bosco, along with designer Brandon Collins.</p>
<p>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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>However, Alex is expanding his palate, working with DC band <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/tag/us-royalty/">US Royalty</a> for their new project, as well as creating a psychedelic hip-hop album for <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/tag/danny-swain/">Danny Swain</a>.</p>
<p>Alex is one of my favorite new producers of the past 10 years, and his star is rising fast. <a href="http://twitter.com/alexgoose">Follow Alex on Twitter</a> and check his <a href="http://myspace.com/goosebeats">MySpace</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Production wise, you&#8217;re all over the map. You&#8217;ve done Hip-Hop, R&amp;B, and now Rock. However, they all have an almost vintage appeal about them. What are your influences?</strong></p>
<p>My influences are first and foremost <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Gainsbourg">Serge Gainsbourg</a>. 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&#8217;m doing and the projects I work on.</p>
<p><strong>Your latest project is The Blueprint 3 Outtakes, which I think is Amazing. What was the story behind that?</strong></p>
<p>Basically what happened was, around the Spring 2008, an A&amp;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 &#8220;yo, I want to send a couple of these to Jay-Z.&#8221; 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&amp;R hit me back and said that Jay-Z didn&#8217;t hear anything he wanted to use for the album.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="Alex Goose BP3" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/agbp3.jpg" alt="" width="514" height="264" /></p>
<p><strong>Alex Goose</strong> &#8211; Dear Daisy</p>
<p>So a few months after that I was like &#8220;maybe I should release these?&#8221; and other people at the time were like &#8220;hey you should put these out.&#8221;  I acquired a management team around that time and they were like &#8220;you should drop these around the same time as The Blueprint 3&#8243;, and I was like &#8220;that&#8217;s a great idea.&#8221; At first I was thinking &#8220;maybe I shouldn&#8217;t,&#8221; but they kind of pushed me and said &#8220;you need to do this.&#8221;</p>
<p>[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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>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?</strong></p>
<p>It had a lot to do with how I arranged things and the kind of of samples I chose. I don&#8217;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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>I think it also has to do with how I mixed the album too. I  didn&#8217;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&#8217;t hitting hard enough, and I did a lot of that on purpose. I don&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;s more of Jay&#8217;s element.</p>
<p><span id="more-8449"></span><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8459" title="l_3c4f212687934581bc3993a24e5f848a" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/l_3c4f212687934581bc3993a24e5f848a1.jpg" alt="l_3c4f212687934581bc3993a24e5f848a" width="496" height="371" /></p>
<p><strong>No doubt, I feel you. I&#8217;m in the same boat where I don&#8217;t listen to a lot of hip-hop at all. It all sounds the same to me.</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s funny that you would say that because I feel the exact same way, and I wanted to make something that didn&#8217;t sound so repetitive. I wanted to make something that even people that listen to rock and don&#8217;t listen to hip-hop would like it. For example, someone told me &#8220;man, when you made that outtakes record, I was disappointed that you made that for a hip-hop artist,&#8221; and I was just like wow, that&#8217;s crazy. I kind of wanted everybody to like it. I wanted it to be a real eclectic record.</p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong> &#8211; <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Danny_-_Manic_At_The_Disco.mp3">Manic at the Disco</a></p>
<p><strong>People should also know that you handled a bulk of the production for Danny Swain&#8217;s album And I Love Her, which I feel is one of the most slept on albums this generation. You&#8217;re also doing production for Danny&#8217;s Latest project. I know you told me a few months ago that you&#8217;re going for a more psychedelic vibe, is that correct</strong>?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s called Where is Danny, because whenever he&#8217;s not around, people are asking &#8220;Where is Danny?&#8221; (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&#8217;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&#8217;t even have a chorus and some of them won&#8217;t even make sense. It&#8217;s like when you&#8217;re listening to things that Ghostface does and you&#8217;re just like &#8220;I don&#8217;t even know what he&#8217;s talking about but its good.&#8221; 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.</p>
<p><strong>I know he&#8217;s been having issues with his label. Will that album ever see the light of day?</strong></p>
<p>Yeah (laughs). We&#8217;re going to self release it. It should be out by next month, no joke.</p>
<p><strong>Brittany Bosco</strong> &#8211; <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/03-8-Trak-11.mp3">8-Trak</a> (produced by Alex Goose)</p>
<p><strong>One of my favorite songs that you&#8217;ve produced is Brittany Bosco&#8217;s 8-Trak. I&#8217;ve always wanted to ask&#8230;are those samples or live instruments on that song?</strong></p>
<p>They were samples. Primarily I&#8217;m a sample based producer unless I&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;s what I would do.</p>
<p><strong>That&#8217;s dope. You&#8217;re one of the few producers that&#8217;s been able to pull it off. I rarely say &#8220;oh, I&#8217;ve heard that sample somewhere&#8221; with your songs. It feels like it&#8217;s an original composition. </strong></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8452" title="spectrum_images" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/spectrum_images.jpg" alt="spectrum_images" width="504" height="666" /></p>
<p><strong>Your design as well and one of the things that I thought was amazing was Brittany Bosco&#8217;s packaging for her Spectrum EP. How did you come up with that concept?</strong></p>
<p>No budget, no money, no time. Yeah, we didn&#8217;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&#8217;re more likely to take a look at it and see what it&#8217;s about.</p>
<p><strong>I feel like that whole era of physical packaging is dying now.</strong></p>
<p>Yeah, you have to really give someone a reason to want to buy a CD. You have to make them feel like they&#8217;re investing their money into something that make it feel like they are owning a collector&#8217;s item, you know?</p>
<p><strong>Who is your design inspiration?</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;m just not into trends. I&#8217;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&#8217;s what I want to do.</p>
<p><strong>So what&#8217;s your involvement with US Royalty?</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;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 &#8220;I would love to do a song with these guys.&#8221; 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.</p>
<p><strong>Alex Goose&#8217;s Top 5 Songs</strong></p>
<p><strong>Warpaint &#8211; Billie Holiday</strong><br />
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<p><strong>Dangermouse and Sparklehorse &#8211; Just War</strong><br />
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<p><strong>Jefferson Airplaine &#8211; White Rabbit</strong><br />
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<p><strong>The Beatles &#8211; I Am The Walrus</strong><br />
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<p><strong>Skyzoo &#8211; Under Pressure</strong><br />
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<title>New Music: Danny feat. Von Pea &#8211; Hoedown Showdown</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/09/new-music-danny-feat-von-pea-hoedown-showdown/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/09/new-music-danny-feat-von-pea-hoedown-showdown/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:26:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Couch Sessions Appoved Artist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alex Goose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Von Pea]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=7079</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny feat. Von Pea &#8211; Hoedown Showdown Yep, we have some more from Couch Sessions Approved Artist Danny Swain for you. As many of y&#8217;all know, I&#8217;ve been down with this kid since 2006, and his Def Jux debut, &#8220;Where is Danny,&#8221; is dropping real soon (finally!). &#8220;Hoedown Showdown&#8221; is my favorite tracks out of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7080" title="danny" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/danny.jpg" alt="danny" width="395" height="594" /></p>
<p><strong>Danny feat. Von Pea</strong> &#8211; <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Danny-feat.-Von-Pea-Hoedown-Showdown.mp3">Hoedown Showdown</a></p>
<p>Yep, we have some more from Couch Sessions Approved Artist Danny Swain for you. As many of y&#8217;all know, I&#8217;ve been down with this kid since 2006, and his Def Jux debut, &#8220;Where is Danny,&#8221; is dropping real soon (finally!). &#8220;Hoedown Showdown&#8221; is my favorite tracks out of all of the ones I&#8217;ve heard so far. Produced by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/goosebeats">Alex Goose</a>, the track draws from the dark, psychedelic tones that both Danny and Alex was going for. Lyrically, this track is a beast. Get on this.</p>
<p>catch up on Danny, check him on <a href="http://twitter.com/dannyswain">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mcdanny">MySpace</a>.</p>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>New Music: Danny Swain &#8211; Manic At The Disco</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/07/new-music-danny-swain-manic-at-the-disco/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/07/new-music-danny-swain-manic-at-the-disco/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:04:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Couch Sessions Appoved Artist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=6220</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny Swain &#8211; Manic At The Disco You might remember Mr. Swain from our harping on him since way back in 2006, and our review of his last album, And I Love H.E.R. If you still haven&#8217;t gotten hip to Mr. Swain yet, you need to stop sleeping. After a slew of stops, starts, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1810" title="dswain" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/dswain.jpg" alt="dswain" width="286" height="429" /></p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong> &#8211; <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Danny_-_Manic_At_The_Disco.mp3">Manic At The Disco</a></p>
<p>You might remember Mr. Swain from our harping on him <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2006/12/best-of-2006-couch-sessions-breakout-artist-of-the-year/">since way back in 2006</a>, and our review of his last album, <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2008/07/review-danny-and-i-love-her/">And I Love H.E.R.</a> If you still haven&#8217;t gotten hip to Mr. Swain yet, you need to stop sleeping.</p>
<p>After a slew of stops, starts, and other associated drama, Couch Sessions Approved Artist Danny Swain is finally releasing his latest LP on Def Jux records. Since the last album The album, titled Where Is Danny? is slated to drop this year, featuring production from the stellar Alex Goose.</p>
<p>Swain cuts through the nonsense of hip-hop, giving us simply dope lyrics and rhymes over hot beats. Even though some might call him &#8220;backpacker,&#8221; Swain consistently stays current and defies any label or categorization. Manic At The Disco takes on a darker tone than most of his work and is a take off of Eminem&#8217;s Slim Shady EP.</p>
<p>If you need to catch up on Danny, check him on <a href="http://twitter.com/dannyswain">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mcdanny">MySpace</a>.</p>
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		<title>Best of 2008: Top 50 Albums of 2008</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/01/best-of-2008-top-50-albums-of-2008/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2009/01/best-of-2008-top-50-albums-of-2008/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:42:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Best of 2008]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brittany Bosco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Estelle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Exchange]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gnarls Barkley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jazzanova]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kanye West]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lykke Li]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Q-Tip]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raphael Saadiq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santogold]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solange]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Black Keys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV On The Radio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wale]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=3357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m an old soul. I&#8217;ve been reading reports about how the album format is dead, and that more and more people are choosing to buy a couple of singles from iTunes than cop a full album from your local mom and pop record store. Times have changed, and I&#8217;m sure that writing is on the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m an old soul. I&#8217;ve been reading reports about how the album format is dead, and that more and more people are choosing to buy a couple of singles from iTunes than cop a full album from your local mom and pop record store. Times have changed, and I&#8217;m sure that writing is on the wall for the album format, just like it is for newspapers, magazines, and broadcast television.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>My top 50 albums of the year might surprise some of y&#8217;all. First off, there is a scarcity of hip-hop in the top 15 albums. Also, the biggest album of the year, Lil&#8217; Wayne&#8217;s Tha Carter III is at 49. And finally, the album is missing some critical favorites, such as Black Milk&#8217;s Tronic. But hey, it is what it is. These albums are the one&#8217;s that I&#8217;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&#8217;t help what I&#8217;m attracted to.</p>
<p>Without further adieu, here is the list. The top 15 is here with the rest after the jump.</p>
<p>15.) <strong>Wale &#8211; The Mixtape About Nothing </strong></p>
<p><img class="alignnone" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="Wale Mixtape About Nothing" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/4vse0w.jpg" alt="" width="378" height="378" /></p>
<p>Even though he didn&#8217;t even drop an album, Wale has had a big year. The DC rapper has been on everybody&#8217;s &#8220;it&#8221; list in &#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;s one of the best upcoming rappers in the game right now.</p>
<p>14.) <strong>Brittany Bosco &#8211; Spectrum EP</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2928" title="bosco" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/bosco.jpg" alt="" width="299" height="304" /></p>
<p>Brittnay Bosco is going to tear s*#t up in 2009. The Savannah/Atlanta artist&#8217;s EP showed a creativity and versatility that most R&amp;B singers lack these days.</p>
<p>13.) <strong>Estelle &#8211; Shine</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3369" title="estelle_shine" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/estelle_shine.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="316" /></p>
<p><strong></strong></p>
<p>Performance wise Adele blows Estelle out the water, however, I found myself enjoying Estelle&#8217;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 &#8220;American Boy,&#8221; but more mellow tracks like &#8220;Back In Love.&#8221; This album isn&#8217;t no Miseducation, but a classic nonetheless.</p>
<p>12.) <strong>Solange &#8211; Sol Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3370" title="solange-sol-angel" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/solange-sol-angel.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></p>
<p>While Beyonce was busy being Sasha Fierce, her little sister crafted one of the best R&amp;B albums of the year. Whether Solange&#8217;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&amp;B chick everybody wants to get with.</p>
<p>11.) <strong>Santogold &#8211; Santogold</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3371" title="santogold-santogold" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/santogold-santogold.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></p>
<p>Santi White&#8217;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.</p>
<p>10.) <strong>The Black Keys &#8211; Attack and Release</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3372" title="black-keys-attack-and-release" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/black-keys-attack-and-release.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></p>
<p>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&#8217;s finest album to date. The Danger Mouse produced disc is their first studio-recorded album and their best selling so far.</p>
<p>9.) <strong>Danny &#8211; And I Love Her</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1809" title="and-i-love-her" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/and-i-love-her.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></p>
<p>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&#8217;s past dude for his shine. And I Love H.E.R. is a concept album that was better executed than most, with Danny&#8217;s nonchalant rhymes and incredible beats (with some of the most random samples imaginable), make this album a hip-hop lover&#8217;s dream.</p>
<p>8.) <strong>Lykke Li &#8211; Youth Novels</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3373" title="lykke-li-youth-novels" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/lykke-li-youth-novels.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></p>
<p>I initially dismissed Lykke Li, but she had me at this one line from her track &#8220;Little Bit&#8221;: &#8220;For you I keep my legs apart/and forget about my broken heart.&#8221; From that moment I was sold. The album itself is a stripped down, organic affair with Lykke&#8217;s voice being the main instrumental. And the girl has cred with fans like David Banner, Kanye, and Q-Tip among others.</p>
<p>7.) <strong>TV On The Radio &#8211; Dear Science</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3374" title="tvotr-dear-science" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/tvotr-dear-science.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="350" /></p>
<p>As someone who simply hated TVOTR&#8217;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.</p>
<p>6.) <strong>Kanye West &#8211; 808 and Heartbreaks</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3367" title="kanye-808-and-heartbreak" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/kanye-808-and-heartbreak.jpg" alt="" width="280" height="280" /></p>
<p>I had REAL low expectations for Kanye&#8217;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&#8217;s face it: Kanye West is Steve Jobs. He&#8217;s a outlier (props to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316017922?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=articleonline-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0316017922">Malcom Gladwell</a>) who sees the future and where music is headed way before we can comprehend it. Just like Job&#8217;s said we wouldn&#8217;t be using floppy drives way back in 1998.</p>
<p>5.) <strong>Gnarls Barkley &#8211; The Odd Couple</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3366" title="gnarls-barkely-the-odd-couple" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/gnarls-barkely-the-odd-couple.jpg" alt="" width="315" height="315" /></p>
<p>Even though Gnarl&#8217;s sophomore release didn&#8217;t get the attention or sales numbers it deserved, the Atlanta duo&#8217;s return marked their best work so far. Their lead single &#8220;Run,&#8221; couldn&#8217;t match the juggernaut that was &#8220;Crazy,&#8221; but songs like &#8220;Can You Save My Soul?&#8221; and &#8220;Going On,&#8221; have cemented the duo as a musical force.</p>
<p>4.) <strong>Q-Tip &#8211; The Renaissance</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2343" title="q-tip_the_renaissance" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/q-tip_the_renaissance.jpg" alt="" width="294" height="294" /></p>
<p>Q-Tip&#8217;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.</p>
<p>3.) <strong>Jazzanova &#8211; Of All Things</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3365" title="Jazzanova - Of All The Things2" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/41jfkgvuyl_ss500_1.jpg" alt="" width="327" height="324" /></p>
<p>Jazzanova makes music for people who love music. I&#8217;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&#8211;Phonte, Dwele, Jose James, Bembe Segue and Ben Westembach to name a few and created music around each artists&#8217; personal style. This album should be in every music lover&#8217;s collection.</p>
<p>2.) <strong>Raphael Saadiq &#8211; The Way I See It</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3363" title="thewayiseeit" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/thewayiseeit.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="320" /></p>
<p>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 &#8220;bandwagon jumping,&#8221; 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.</p>
<p>1.) <strong>Foreign Exchange &#8211; Leave It All Behind </strong></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3362" title="fe-leave-it-all-behind" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/fe-leave-it-all-behind.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="320" /></p>
<p>When Foreign Exchange dropped their latest album, I almost felt like it spoke to me. Phonte&#8217;s soulful voice, combined with Nicolay&#8217;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&#8217;s about poppin&#8217; champange in the club, the duo made an album about breakups, and self deprecation. Billbord chart topper? No. But do we really care anymore?</p>
<p>Albums 50-16 after the jump.</p>
<p><span id="more-3357"></span><br />
50.) Vampire Weekend &#8211; Vampire Weekend<br />
49.) Lil&#8217; Wayne &#8211; Tha Carter III<br />
48.) The Game &#8211; LAX<br />
47.) Guns and Roses &#8211; Chinese Democracy<br />
46.) Thievery Corporation &#8211; Radio Retaliation<br />
45.) Tittsworth &#8211; 12 Steps<br />
44.) Femi Kuti &#8211; Day By Day<br />
43.) Hot Chip &#8211; Made In The Dark<br />
42.) Flying Lotus &#8211; Los Angeles<br />
41.) Portishead &#8211; Third<br />
40.) Coldplay – Viva La Vida<br />
39.) T.I. &#8211; Paper Trail<br />
38.) MGMT &#8211; Oracular Spectacular<br />
37.) People Under the Stairs &#8211; Fun DMC<br />
36.) Sam Sparro &#8211; Sam Sparro<br />
35.) Slakah The Beatchild &#8211; Soul Movement Volume 1<br />
34.) The Roots &#8211; Rising Down<br />
33.) 10 Deep Presents The New Deal<br />
32.) Mickey Factz &#8211; Heaven&#8217;s Fallout<strong style="font-weight: normal;"></strong><br />
31.) N.E.R.D. &#8211; Seeing Sounds<br />
30.) The Constellations &#8211; Southern Gothic<br />
29.) Ludacris &#8211; Theater of the Mind<br />
28.) Erykah Badu – New Amerykah: Pt. One (4th World War)<br />
27.) Common &#8211; Universal Mind Control<br />
26.) Jazmine Sullivan &#8211; Fearless<br />
25.) Daedalus &#8211; Love to Make Music To<br />
24.) Various Artists &#8211; The Food Chain Collective<br />
23.) 88 Keys &#8211; The Death of Adam<br />
22.) The Knux &#8211; Remind Me In 3 Days<br />
21.) Bon Iver &#8211; For Emma, Forever Ago<br />
20.) Clipse &#8211; Road Till When The Casket Drops<br />
19.) Tawiah &#8211; In Jodi&#8217;s Bedroom EP<br />
18.) Kid Cudi &#8211; A Kid Named Cudi<br />
17.) Tricky &#8211; Knowle West Boy<br />
16.) Adele &#8211; 19</p>
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		<title>Review: Danny! &#8211; And I Love HER</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2008/07/review-danny-and-i-love-her/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2008/07/review-danny-and-i-love-her/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:50:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Couch Sessions Appoved Artist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=1802</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny And I Love HER It&#8217;s a damn shame that Danny Swain isn&#8217;t more known in the music industry. While some acts, even those who aren&#8217;t even signed to labels, generate massive Internet hype, Swain, who is signed to the venerable Def Jux can&#8217;t even get his label to return his phone calls. But its [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1810" title="dswain" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/dswain.jpg" alt="" width="295" height="444" /></p>
<p><strong>Danny</strong><br />
<em><a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/dannyswain9">And I Love HER</a></em><br />
<img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/customer-reviews/ratings/stars-4-5._V25749327_.gif" alt="4.5 Stars" /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s a damn shame that Danny Swain isn&#8217;t more known in the music industry. While some acts, even those who aren&#8217;t even signed to labels, generate massive Internet hype, Swain, who is signed to the venerable Def Jux can&#8217;t even get his label to return his phone calls.</p>
<p>But its all good. Swain has resorted to what he does best: producing, writing, packaging, and distributing this records by himself. And like his last CD that I reviewed here two years ago, this D.I.Y. approach can hold its own with any major label CD on the market this year. (And no, I&#8217;m not biased, this is my honest opinion.)</p>
<p>And I Love H.E.R. is a concept album, and that concept is one that most guys know all to well&#8211;our frustrations with women. But of course, there is a duality to all this: the &#8220;woman&#8221; is hip-hop. As a dude who hasn&#8217;t gotten the ink that he deserves in the hip-hop industry, the frustration is well deserved.</p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong> &#8211; I Want Her (Snippet)</p>
<p>What strikes you first about this album is its production. Headed by the 24 year-old Danny and ATL producer Alex Goose, the sound leans very heavily on 60s era jazz samples and skirts into the Motown sound. Sure, the cover and the title pay homage to the Beatles, but the sound stays fresh and modern. Even if tracks like &#8220;The Groove,&#8221; &#8220;I Don&#8217;t Know&#8221;, and &#8220;After the Love Has Gone&#8221; have some 60&#8242;s cheekiness, it&#8217;s handled with in a way that&#8217;s tasteful and not annoying (Think &#8220;Hey Ya, not &#8220;Rehab&#8221;), and songs like &#8220;At What Price,&#8221; having an ending which I can only describe as amazing.</p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong> &#8211; At What Price (Snippet)</p>
<p>As a producer, Danny has a knack for putting a fresh spin on the tired hip-hop &#8220;backpacker&#8221; vein with production that emulates the jazz-centric &#8220;golden era&#8221; of hip-hop but dosen&#8217;t imitate it. Tracks like &#8220;Not The One,&#8221; &#8220;Wanderland,&#8221; &#8220;Do You,&#8221; and &#8220;Never Change,&#8221; have song of the year status on my iPod and the thump of &#8220;Yoko Ono,&#8221; can put almost any street song to shame. In fact, why doesn&#8217;t Danny have a production deal?</p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong> &#8211; Wanderland (Snippet)</p>
<p>As for the lyrical side, Swain brings fire as always with a nonchalant flow that never tries too hard. From his lyrics to the liner notes (mastered at Roscoe Mastering and Waffles?) Swain never seems takes himself too seriously, which is a rareity in hip-hop. Of course many people compare him to Kanye West (which apparently he&#8217;s still salty about&#8211;he mentions it about 4 times on the album), but Swain leaves the egotistical nonsense at home. Tanya Morgan&#8217;s Che Grand and Naledge from Kidz In Da Hall are recruited for the ride.</p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong> &#8211; Where You Goin&#8217; (Snippet)</p>
<p>The Verdict: &#8220;And I Love HER&#8221; ain&#8217;t your typical rap CD, and that&#8217;s a good thing. Solid production. Solid rhymes, and an a refreshing atmosphere that is neither backapcker nor hood makes this album a must buy for 2008. Seriously.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/dannyswain9">Buy And I Love HER from CD Baby</a></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1809" title="and-i-love-her" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/and-i-love-her.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="257" /></p>
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		<title>Approved Artist Update: Danny Swain</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2008/03/approved-artist-update-danny-swain/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2008/03/approved-artist-update-danny-swain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:46:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Couch Sessions Appoved Artist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hip-Hop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecouchsessions.com/archives/1287</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny Swain feat Von Pea &#8211; I Don&#8217;t Know Like most Black recording artists who don&#8217;t sound like this, Danny Swain has had some trouble with his record label. After signing to Def Jux last year, the dude wasn&#8217;t even getting phone calls or emails returned. Check his interview with 33 Jones where he calls [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> <img src="http://thecouchsessions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/l_b85b6f0da4bdf5b9b99fdf5f5f6e460d.jpg" alt="l_b85b6f0da4bdf5b9b99fdf5f5f6e460d.jpg" height="462" width="309" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.divshare.com/download/4117398-f7b">Danny Swain feat Von Pea &#8211; I Don&#8217;t Know</a></p>
<p>Like most Black recording artists who don&#8217;t sound like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD1EQMlfs6E&amp;feature=related">this</a>, Danny Swain has had some trouble with his record label. After signing to Def Jux last year, the dude wasn&#8217;t even getting phone calls or emails returned. Check his interview with 33 Jones where he <a href="http://33jones.com/blogentry.asp?EID=744">calls out his label multiple times</a>.</p>
<p>Well, Swain is releasing an album, but not through Def Jux.</p>
<p>On April 15th, Swain will release And I Love H.E.R., and its going to be self-released. The dude is even boxing and stuffing CDs by himself. <em>That&#8217;s</em> hustle. Thing is, it sounds like a major label album, with appearances by Naledge (of Kids In Da Hall)<strong> </strong>and Von Pea (of Tanya Morgan). Like his previous efforts, Danny handles most of the production by himself.</p>
<p>Like I said before, this dude can hang with the best rappers/producers out there. Check <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mcdanny">the tunes on his MySpace page</a> and you&#8217;ll agree (or your money back!). This album is going to be a monster. Def Jux will regret sleeping on this one. (track via <a href="http://15minutestolive.blogspot.com/2008/03/danny-and-von-pea-i-dont-know.html">15 Mins to Live</a>)</p>
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		<title>D. Swain Gets Signed by Def Jux</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2007/02/d-swain-gets-signed-by-def-jux/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2007/02/d-swain-gets-signed-by-def-jux/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:59:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Quickies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecouchsessions.com/archives/791</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[myspace.com/mcdanny Danny Swain &#8211; Cafe Surreal Congratulations to Danny Swain for winning MTV2&#8242;s and Def Jux&#8217;s Best Music on Campus Contest. As part of the contest winnings, Swain gets a digital EP release from Def Jux, a video on MTVU as well as a collaboration with Def Jux Artist Mr. Lif. Y&#8217;all know Danny from [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/articles/297_1307779327_l.jpg" alt="297_1307779327_l.jpg" height="315" width="297" /><br />
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mcdanny">myspace.com/mcdanny</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?byma2ezn0nf">Danny Swain &#8211; Cafe Surreal</a></p>
<p>Congratulations to Danny Swain for winning MTV2&#8242;s and Def Jux&#8217;s <a href="http://www.bestmusiconcampus.com/band/default.aspx?bandID=510#">Best Music on Campus Contest</a>. As part of the contest winnings, Swain gets a digital EP release from <a href="http://store.definitivejux.net/store/index.htm">Def Jux</a>, a video on MTVU as well as a collaboration with Def Jux Artist Mr. Lif. Y&#8217;all know Danny from his numerous profiles on this site and others such as Okayplayer.com.</p>
<p>If you didn&#8217;t know already, D.Swain is a multi talented producer/MC from South Carolina currently studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design. The dude not only raps, but he produces all of his beats, and <a href="http://www.dannyswain.com/">designed his website</a>. Although most people try to pigeonhole him into the Little Brother/Kanye West realm, Swain considers himself more of a cross between A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. The dude brings a certain individuality and swagger to the game that most independent rappers lack.</p>
<p>TCS voted him <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/articles/002200.shtml">Breakthrough Artist of 2006</a> last year and people are starting to take notice. I&#8217;m gonna hopefully get this dude on a Podcast before he gets too famous for our ass.</p>
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		<title>Best of 2006: Couch Sessions Breakout Artist of the Year</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2006/12/best-of-2006-couch-sessions-breakout-artist-of-the-year/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2006/12/best-of-2006-couch-sessions-breakout-artist-of-the-year/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:45:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Best of 2006]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hip-Hop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecouchsessions.com/archives/739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny Swain Danny Swain &#8211; Can&#8217;t Wait (Radio Edit) (Direct Download) Danny Swain &#8211; Cafe Surreal (Mediafire) To say that D. Swain made moves in 2006 would be an understatement. The Georgia based rapper might just be the prototype for do it yourself artists in 2007. The dude produced, rapped, promoted, and designed the website [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img alt="669753168_m.jpg" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/articles/669753168_m.jpg" width="170" height="278" /></p>
<p><strong>Danny Swain</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thecouchsessions.com/media/CantWaitRadioEdit.mp3"><br />
Danny Swain &#8211; Can&#8217;t Wait (Radio Edit)</a> (Direct Download)<br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?byma2ezn0nf">Danny Swain &#8211; Cafe Surreal</a> (Mediafire)</p>
<p>To say that D. Swain made moves in 2006 would be an understatement. The Georgia based rapper might just be the prototype for do it yourself artists in 2007. The dude produced, rapped, promoted, and designed the website for his current album release, <em>Charm</em>. Oh, did we mention that Charm made the shortlist for the Grammy&#8217;s this year and that dude got an invitation to go? Yeah, the dude is making movies.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/articles/002001.shtml">We first profiled D. Swain back in July</a>. I still stand by my &#8220;Next Hotness&#8221; claim, because after about 5 months of repeated listening in my car, Charm has not gotten old. It&#8217;s definatly a good look as one of my favorite albums of the year. Everythng works. The beats are insane, the rhymes are on point, and the skits are actually entertaining (and most of you know how i can&#8217;t stand rap skits.) Like I said before, D Swain is on that Kanye tip&#8230;&#8230;without the <a href="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/articles/002151.shtml">crazy</a>. </p>
<p><strong>Bonus</strong>: <a href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&#038;friendID=8949996&#038;blogID=206406748&#038;MyToken=ba3c91bd-b93b-4b6f-9941-5df992855878">Swain is making is full album collection avalable for free on his MySpace blog</a>. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s up.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dannyswain.com/">Danny Swain Official Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mcdanny">Danny Swain at the MySpace</a></p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Next Hotness? Danny Swain</title>
		<link>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2006/07/the-next-hotness-danny-swain/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2006/07/the-next-hotness-danny-swain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:47:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stone</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny Swain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecouchsessions.com/archives/543</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny Swain &#8211; Can&#8217;t Wait (Radio Edit) Can we compare Danny Swain to Kanye? No. But its tempting. The South Carolina based producer/MC has a similar flow and style and he mimics the whole &#8220;college dropout&#8221; thing to a tee. However, he might have more &#8220;cred&#8221; in the backpack industry, because he actually got kicked [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img alt="669753168_m.jpg" src="http://www.thecouchsessions.com/articles/669753168_m.jpg" width="170" height="278" /></p>
<p><a href="http://thecouchsessions.com/media/CantWaitRadioEdit.mp3"><br />
Danny Swain &#8211; Can&#8217;t Wait (Radio Edit)</a></p>
<p>Can we compare Danny Swain to Kanye? No. But its tempting. The South Carolina based producer/MC has a similar flow and style and he mimics the whole &#8220;college dropout&#8221; thing to a tee. However, he might have more  &#8220;cred&#8221; in the backpack industry, because he actually got kicked out of college for a grade changing scandal. That&#8217;s gangsta right there.</p>
<p>Seriously though, this dude&#8217;s flow is sick. Unlike Kanye, he can actually rap. Add to that, the fact that the beats are better than anything that 9th Wonder has put out lately. Add to that the fact that he produced over 90% of the labum, and made the damn website. After dropping some EPs, playing off the whole Kanye theme (<em>F.O.O.D. -Finding Out Our Destination</em> and <em>The College Kicked Out</em>),  Swain is coming out strong with the self-produced, self-promoted album Charm, which follows what his bio describes as a &#8220;up-and-coming rapper who looks to fame as a way to escape dismal reality.&#8221;  Interesting.</p>
<p>Haven&#8217;t gotten my hands on Charm yet, but expect a full review soon.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dannyswain.com/">Danny Swain Official Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mcdanny">Danny Swain at the MySpace</a></p>
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