Welcome Home, John Forte

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JOHN FORTE and TALIB KWELI "Homecoming"

If we have one thing to thank George W. Bush for during his time as President, it's the commutation he granted rapper/producer John Forte in November, effectively releasing him from prison in December after a seven-year sentence. Forte, best known for his brilliant work with The Fugees in the 90s and two unheralded solo records (1998's Poly Sci and 2000's I, John,) was convicted on drug charges in 2000 and was sentenced to 14 years in a Pennsylvania prison. After his incarceration, celebrities and politicans (like Carly Simon (?!) and Sen. Orrin Hatch) actively campaigned on the behalf of Forte, believing that he didn't receive a fair trial. With the help of Hatch, Bush commuted Forte's prison sentence and the man has come home.

Immediately after getting released, Forte teamed up with Talib Kweli to record the appropriately-titled "Homecoming," which samples Kanye West's song of the same name. Forte wastes no time addressing his life in prison and his newfound freedom, and the accompanying video is a gritty, behind-the-scenes snapshot of his and Kweli's studio collaboration. Feels good to have you back, John. We missed you so much that we gave you an On The Blog Reel. Almost makes up for those seven years in prison, no? Video's after the jump.


"Homecoming" John Forte + Talib Kweli from The ICU on Vimeo.

New Under Electric Light Video - "This Moment"

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UNDER ELECTRIC LIGHT "This Moment"

Part of the fun of looking for things to blog about on a Monday morning is discovering something truly awesome amidst a pile of crap. Enter Under Electric Light, a one-man shoegaze project from Montreal. For this week's On The Blog Reel, We're bringing you the video for "This Moment", a dreamy, rhythmic pop song straight from the time when dinosaurs like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus And Mary Chain roamed the earth. (I guess that would be the Mesozaic era.) The video, directed by Canadian team Alexandre Auger and Jean-Sebastien Caron, is an iPod-commercial-worthy-kind-of-but-not-quite-animated-mind-trip, and it suits the song perfectly.

Under Electric Light, a.k.a Danny Provencher, has got a 4-track CD-R After The Blue available via uber-tiny Quebec label Think About The Future. (So tiny they've only got three friends on Myspace. Do what's right!) Both ventures are definitely on our radar now. Check out the video for "This Moment" after the jump.


This Moment from under electric light on Vimeo.