In Storm the Mondo Boys

MONDO BOYS is everything Girl Talk wants to be. This self-described “NY/LA mixtape/ sound collage collaborative” has elevated the art of the mash-up with their latest release Tidal Wave. Released via Aquarium Drunkard, an LA based music blog founded by Justin Gage, one of the MONDO BOYS' very own, this digital mixtape shows the group evolving with confidence toward their handling of their source material.

Rather than simply matching beats and juxtaposing flash in the pan Billboard singles, MONDO BOYS rely on samples mined from the depths of obscure A and B-side hits, taking the listener on a constantly undulating journey from Beck to The Drifters to Thee Oh Sees (after whose single the album was titled) in the span of a minute and a half. This diversity in source material is much of what sets MONDO BOYS apart from their contemporaries. Where the aforementioned Girl Talk might come off as shallow and similar sampling acts such as Onra and his Chinioseries appear obsessive, MONDO BOYS handle their fast moving and potentially noisome transitions with such finesse that it becomes hard to pin down which songs stand alone, and which have had an extra element of backing track or esoteric vocal added.

Tidal Wave stands out from their previous efforts as it sees the group operating with a much more concrete direction in mind. Drawing more from mid-50s to late 60's R&B cuts as well as a host of otherwise ignored yet catchy hits from modern outfits, this collection is lent a hint of fuzzy nostalgia and the feeling that you're impatiently flipping through your uncle's 78 collection. Somehow MONDO BOYS manage to find the balance in their organization, and what could be another tired exercise in condensed listening experiences is dealt with so balletically that it only begins to grow tiresome moments before the record ends. Hopefully the BOYS continue to set their energy toward compilations with a clear narrative direction, as it is the strongest distinguishing factor between them and their generally spastic and inattentive competition.

Luau Banh Mi with Mock Pulled Pork

In the land of luaus, a vegetarian can get a raw deal. Think of meat free dining in Hawaii and you'll conjure an image of poi, the starchy mush of ground ground taro root. However, with the help of another piece of island grown flora, you can get close to the island experience while keeping those adorable Hawaiian porkers intact.

I speak, of course, of jackfruit. Hailing from Southeast Asia, this spiky vessel is the largest tree-born fruit, growing as large as 80 pounds. Jackfruit is traditionally eaten ripe, after it has developed a sweet fleshy casing around the numerous chestnut sized seeds within. For our purposes, however, we will need an unripe jackfruit, bright green in color, and whose seeds are mere pips. More important is the lack of sweetness present in these unripe specimens, allowing us to use the normally discarded flesh of the fruit as the base for our meat analog.

I had the good fortune to come across a perfectly sized jackfruit at the weekly farmer's market in Kilauea. If you don't happen to be in the tropics, canned jackfruit in brine can be used just as effectively. We start by oiling all tools and work surfaces thoroughly; the jackfruit is incredibly sticky. A neutral oil like coconut or vegetable will work best, and coating your knife, cutting board, and hands in the oil you choose will make clean up infinitely more easy. Begin by removing the skin and shopping the fruit into cubes about an inch in size. If you are using canned jackfruit, wash it in a few changes of water. Toss the jackfruit into a slow cooker along with a couple cloves of minced garlic and a healthy slathering of barbecue sauce. Keep this mixture simmering for between two and three hours, until the flesh of the fruit falls apart at the touch.

From here the applications are only limited by your imagination. In the spirit of the pacific I decided on a Banh Mi, a typical Vietnamese sandwich, with a Hawaiian twist. A toasted French roll is coated in chili mayonnaise (or a mayonnaise substitute, if you prefer), and topped with an excessive helping of our fake pork. Add cilantro to taste and you'll have a meal that will have even the Hawaiian-shirt-wearing, luau-attending carnivores in your life jealous.