​Many frequenting Minneapolis shows of late are familiar with the sex-laden "sea-punk" trio Chelsea Boys. And by "familiar," we're talking getting jabbed by a guitar or splashed with sex juice, AKA sweat, during one of their rambunctious live sets. Since the Boys' dissolution in August, songwriter Hunter Morley has been stirring his musical pot in seclusion, patiently awaiting the opportunity to serve the people. Today marks the day that Morley -- together with Chelsea Boys drummer Jacque Clark -- emerges from his creative cave as Enola Gay. Yes, today, ladies and gentleman, is the first G.A.Y. Friday.
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Photo by Nick Wosika

​"If I don't get this in one take I'm going to quit rapping," Brother Ali mutters over the opening beat of new track "Writer's Block," and things only get more life-or-death serious from there. Released as a free download to tide fans over until the release of his new full-length Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, "Writer's Block" is a stream-of-consciousness narrative of an artist laboring through a dry spell -- and if this somber tone of this track is any indication, we're in for some heart-wrenching tracks from Ali in the coming months.More >>

​It's a big day for all of Atmosphere's Welcome to Minnesota tourmates today, as tickets go on sale for their six-date February jaunt around the state -- especially for MaLLy, who not only appears on a new collaborative track with Atmosphere, Kill the Vultures, and Big Quarters, "Somebody, MN," but also released a new track of his own and a music video as part of his ongoing Free on the 15th series.More >>

​So the first rapped lyrics on "I Got AIDS" are, indeed, "I got AIDS." This isn't a song that fucks around; it straddles the elephant in the blog comment box and starts beating that sucker on the ears with a spiked riding crop. This is significant in a number of ways, not least of which are these: 1) no major pop figure has ever strung those words together on a chorus, 2) AIDS remains a terrifyingly real enough cultural proposition, even today, that this statement hits the listener's psyche with the force of a load of bricks, and 3) Lil B is a rapper.

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​When Seattle rapper Sadistik and hometown MC Kristoff Krane went on tour earlier this year, the pair felt an immediate connection and almost immediately started writing songs together on the road. More >>

Photo by Ben Grimes

​Readying for his debut EP release Halloween weekend at Kitty Cat Klub's "Menergy" monthly dance night, Minneapolis producer Gigamesh whipped up a killer Halloween mix to get us in the mood. This isn't your typical mix stuffed full of tired Halloween themes like "Monster Mash" (although it does include Vincent Price's unforgettable "Thriller" monologue). Instead, it's ripe with dancefloor movers that dip ever so slightly into creepy territory with far away vocals, dissonant snyths, and helter-skelter rhythms. 

Our favorite part comes 44 minutes in when Matt folds in a re-work of Edwyn Collins' haunting atomic gem, "A Girl Like You" (You might remember it from Empire Records).
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​Sarah White has certainly kept busy since she left Minneapolis for Brooklyn back in 2007. Though many in the Twin Cities may still know her best as one of the founding members of Black Blondie, she's actually spent far more time now as a solo artist, and her new Space Madness, is the second full-length solo album she's recorded since leaving her hometown.More >>

​Each year, it seems like at least one compilation is released that vies for a spot in the top local records of that year. For the past two years, the Minnesota Beatle Project has landed in the top Minnesota albums section of our Year in Music issue, and this November a new compilation that pays tribute to the late Vic Chesnutt will be among the highest-quality Minnesotan records issued in 2011.

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​I Self Devine, frontman of the rap duo Semi.Official (with DJ Abilities), took time out from preparing for his new album to talk with Gimme Noise about the graffiti anthem he penned,"Nocturnal Terrorist Squad." More >>

​In addition to his work on Justin Schell's forthcoming documentary We Rock Long Distance, Twin Cities-based rapper M.anifest has been channeling his recent journeys back and forth between his home country of Ghana into songs for a new record, Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America, which will be released this week.

To give fans a preview of the record, M.anifest is offering up a stream of the first track, "Ghana-must-go," exclusively on Gimme Noise, along with some info about the song and the new album.

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