I've been listening to Vaudeville Villain a ton lately (the single biggest oversight on my 00's album list) and went looking for more Doom stuff. This got some pretty lukewarm reviews, but heck, I'll give it a shot.
This is more or less the MF Doom scene as usual. There's the usual mostly repetitive, slightly weathered, fairly straightforward production, with just enough creaky atmosphere to keep it interesting. Its the rhymes you're here for though. This isn't quite as fun as VV, let along The Mouse and the Mask, but its remarkably consistent, featuring one great, packed, rhyme-within-rhyme line after another. If you know Doom, you know what I'm talking about. It's so unpredictable that more of the same just isn't more of the same. Check out the diagrams here, with special attention to the bottom right one. Doom line like a picture the way it's worth with a thousand words.
Other highlights include the female guest verses and the brilliant, heartbreaking That's That. But it's just solid front to back, wholly engaging, layers after layers, requiring dozens of listens, with less intrusive samples than usual. This guy's almost certainly my favorite rapper going these days, and this album just solidifies the status 4.5/5
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
#337 Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight
Forgetting for the 100th time whether Cheap Trick or Thin Lizzy did The Boys are Back in Town (its Thin Lizzy) got me thinking about both bands - 2nd tier, coupla hit wonders who I didn't know much about. It feels like progress that these are the the kinds of albums I'm filling in blanks on now.
This starts off promising, Surrender is a classic, and On Top of the World is the finest example of this band's Queen side. And throughout there is some vaguely catchy, slightly menacing rock that would later inspire plenty of soft-edged 90's songs. Stiff Competition in particular is good, Rock Band-style fun.
But the rest of it is just so uninspired. It's important to remember that this came out in 1978, and therefore inspired a lot of the bad 80's rock it evokes, but it also rips off so much that came before it. The title track has kind of a nice thing going (the prospect of heaven as both the promise of bliss and the threat of death, perfectly straddled) but it so thoroughly apes Cashmere and She's So Heavy that I can't get into it. High Roller must have some conspiracy with Hot Blooded (also 1978!) to make that the lamest riff of the year, with the Cheap Trick version mixing in some Jean Genie copping. And the stuff that isn't derivative is just kind of slick and boring. This stuff was reasonably ahead of its time, but it was ahead of a time I don't much appreciate.
I started off liking this more than I expected to, and ended up liking it less than I expected to. If I was less jaded, I might have found more fun here, but then, I'm pretty jaded 2.5/5
This starts off promising, Surrender is a classic, and On Top of the World is the finest example of this band's Queen side. And throughout there is some vaguely catchy, slightly menacing rock that would later inspire plenty of soft-edged 90's songs. Stiff Competition in particular is good, Rock Band-style fun.
But the rest of it is just so uninspired. It's important to remember that this came out in 1978, and therefore inspired a lot of the bad 80's rock it evokes, but it also rips off so much that came before it. The title track has kind of a nice thing going (the prospect of heaven as both the promise of bliss and the threat of death, perfectly straddled) but it so thoroughly apes Cashmere and She's So Heavy that I can't get into it. High Roller must have some conspiracy with Hot Blooded (also 1978!) to make that the lamest riff of the year, with the Cheap Trick version mixing in some Jean Genie copping. And the stuff that isn't derivative is just kind of slick and boring. This stuff was reasonably ahead of its time, but it was ahead of a time I don't much appreciate.
I started off liking this more than I expected to, and ended up liking it less than I expected to. If I was less jaded, I might have found more fun here, but then, I'm pretty jaded 2.5/5
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
#336 Brian Eno - Discreet Music
One more shot, Eno!
Ah, see, this is more like it. This is untainted ambient. For being the grandaddy of ambient, this guy sure fucked with the formula a lot. I liked the first track on Music for Airports because it was the only one that didn't have anything annoying over top, no excess pianos, no vocal synth noises. Then there were his experiments with Robert Fripp which were really less than the sum of their parts, with Fripp's guitar squalls ruining most of the songs.
If you're going to "do ambient" and thereby get a pass on making long, slowmoving, minimal songs, don't call attention to yourself. Parts should come and go like spouses with different work schedules; gracefully, lightly, respectfully, in dull 6 am light. Don't wake me up.
The first, side-long track here succeeds in this regard, and is probably Eno's finest ambient work. It evolves glacially, wearing paths gently. If you don't have anywhere to be, and you want some ambiance, these 30 minutes will do ya.
About the 3 canon variations on the 2nd side, I'm not so sure. They're interesting, and I think if I was more classically trained, or if I was willing to give them a few more listens, there would be interesting details in the exercise. My rating is really for that first half, which is a really nice piece in a genre I often have a hard time appreciating 3.5/5
Ah, see, this is more like it. This is untainted ambient. For being the grandaddy of ambient, this guy sure fucked with the formula a lot. I liked the first track on Music for Airports because it was the only one that didn't have anything annoying over top, no excess pianos, no vocal synth noises. Then there were his experiments with Robert Fripp which were really less than the sum of their parts, with Fripp's guitar squalls ruining most of the songs.
If you're going to "do ambient" and thereby get a pass on making long, slowmoving, minimal songs, don't call attention to yourself. Parts should come and go like spouses with different work schedules; gracefully, lightly, respectfully, in dull 6 am light. Don't wake me up.
The first, side-long track here succeeds in this regard, and is probably Eno's finest ambient work. It evolves glacially, wearing paths gently. If you don't have anywhere to be, and you want some ambiance, these 30 minutes will do ya.
About the 3 canon variations on the 2nd side, I'm not so sure. They're interesting, and I think if I was more classically trained, or if I was willing to give them a few more listens, there would be interesting details in the exercise. My rating is really for that first half, which is a really nice piece in a genre I often have a hard time appreciating 3.5/5
#335 E-603 - Something for Everyone
After hearing his newer one, listening to his (also free!) (better liked, by some) debut seemed like an obvious choice.
This one is actually a lot better in subtle ways. It's more fun, it's more briskly paced, just bursting with ideas, overflowing with enthusiasm for the next sample, rushing headlong to the next and the next. Torn Up is comparatively ponderous. Also, maybe this where he used up some of his best ideas, because the song selections are top notch here - he still falls behind Girl Talk in terms of diversity, but this has more of my favorite songs than any mashup album ever. Wolf Parade, The Unicorns (!), Yoshimi, YYY's, The Strokes, they all make appearances in the first 7 minutes, and are all used to incredibly good effect. By the end of the album we've heard 4 Spank Rock sections and Crystal Cat and I'm sold.
There's something more listenable about this one than the other one. He still lack's Girl Talk's overall showmanship and mastery of pacing (see #332 for the full comparative analysis), and this is in many ways a "smaller" work, even smaller than Night Ripper on the Girl Talk spectrum. But it's charming, and its brisk pacing and lack of big heavy moments makes it weirdly addicting.
If I had never heard Girl Talk, this would be an easy 5. But I have, and the newness of Night Ripper is part of why I loved it so much and why I still hold it in such high esteem. Fuckit though, you know what, this is a worthy entry in a pantheon of top notch mashups. Girl Talk's going to continue his reign over my car, but this guy has earned a top slot in my headphones 5/5
This one is actually a lot better in subtle ways. It's more fun, it's more briskly paced, just bursting with ideas, overflowing with enthusiasm for the next sample, rushing headlong to the next and the next. Torn Up is comparatively ponderous. Also, maybe this where he used up some of his best ideas, because the song selections are top notch here - he still falls behind Girl Talk in terms of diversity, but this has more of my favorite songs than any mashup album ever. Wolf Parade, The Unicorns (!), Yoshimi, YYY's, The Strokes, they all make appearances in the first 7 minutes, and are all used to incredibly good effect. By the end of the album we've heard 4 Spank Rock sections and Crystal Cat and I'm sold.
There's something more listenable about this one than the other one. He still lack's Girl Talk's overall showmanship and mastery of pacing (see #332 for the full comparative analysis), and this is in many ways a "smaller" work, even smaller than Night Ripper on the Girl Talk spectrum. But it's charming, and its brisk pacing and lack of big heavy moments makes it weirdly addicting.
If I had never heard Girl Talk, this would be an easy 5. But I have, and the newness of Night Ripper is part of why I loved it so much and why I still hold it in such high esteem. Fuckit though, you know what, this is a worthy entry in a pantheon of top notch mashups. Girl Talk's going to continue his reign over my car, but this guy has earned a top slot in my headphones 5/5
#334 Folk Implosion - Dare to be Surprised
I think this album, or one album by these guys might have been AMG's album of the day like a month ago, and maybe that planted a seed, because suddenly I wanted to see what the guys who did Natural One actually did as a band.
That song was no No Rain; the same basic strengths are on display in the rest of their album. There's the muttered delivery that manages to not sound too annoyingly disinterested, over some really sweet basslines, really cleanly produced, and some groovy complimentary guitar parts, sounding somewhere halfway between Soul Coughing and The Eels. At times its a little too smooth, and loses some personality, but I get the idea that these guys just really like making music, and want it to sound good. I could see this being a grower. It doesn't do anything spectacular, but its highly listenable, with a glitter of uniqueness here and there to catch the ear 3.5/5
That song was no No Rain; the same basic strengths are on display in the rest of their album. There's the muttered delivery that manages to not sound too annoyingly disinterested, over some really sweet basslines, really cleanly produced, and some groovy complimentary guitar parts, sounding somewhere halfway between Soul Coughing and The Eels. At times its a little too smooth, and loses some personality, but I get the idea that these guys just really like making music, and want it to sound good. I could see this being a grower. It doesn't do anything spectacular, but its highly listenable, with a glitter of uniqueness here and there to catch the ear 3.5/5
Monday, March 21, 2011
#333 Egytrixx - Bible Eyes
Dust'd.
Why do I keep listening to this kind of stuff? I guess the Dusted review made it sound more interesting than it ended up being. This is vaguely dubsteppy, vaguely arty, slightly noisy, fairly annoying, indistinct warble wobble. Take a few loops, make your average amateur Acid song out of them, then apply some "wwweeeooooOOOOOOOOoooooooeeeeeewwwwww" / "wwooaaAAAaaaooommm" / tweak / bend / envelope on a few of the loops and you're good to go. Most there's thumpy 4/4 in the background, sometimes there's a beat or two missing to keep things interesting, I guess?
I need to stay away from current electronic music, this simply did nothing for me 1.5/5
Why do I keep listening to this kind of stuff? I guess the Dusted review made it sound more interesting than it ended up being. This is vaguely dubsteppy, vaguely arty, slightly noisy, fairly annoying, indistinct warble wobble. Take a few loops, make your average amateur Acid song out of them, then apply some "wwweeeooooOOOOOOOOoooooooeeeeeewwwwww" / "wwooaaAAAaaaooommm" / tweak / bend / envelope on a few of the loops and you're good to go. Most there's thumpy 4/4 in the background, sometimes there's a beat or two missing to keep things interesting, I guess?
I need to stay away from current electronic music, this simply did nothing for me 1.5/5
#332 E-603 - Torn Up
In anticipation of my upcoming date with Girl Talk, I went looking for other people doing similar stuff. As in, maximalist, busy, mashups, combining dozens of songs in various combinations, instead of stretching a two-song pairing to track length. When I've done this kind of search in the past, I've come away unimpressed with the stuff I've found, but this guy's sample track sounded promising, and hey, it's free! (get it here!).
It's impossible to talk about this album without talking about Girl Talk. These guys employ the same mix of rock and rap, with a similar samples-per-minute-rate. E-603 uses a lot of the same songs and even the album cover and title evoke Gregg Gillis's previous work. How does it compare then? Surprisingly favorably. Here's the main differences as I see them:
1) E-603 doesn't draw from quite as wide a selection of albums, focusing more squarely on indie rock and recent rap.
2) Where GT allows the rap and rock elements to share vocal duties, E-603 almost exclusively features rapping, with very little singing to be found. This makes the album as a whole blur together a bit more.
3) E-603 is a lot headphonier, more likely to make you bob your head than shake your ass.
And this comes to the major overriding difference between these guys. Gillis has honed his craft by putting on killer live shows; his focus is on making a party happen via music. E-603 is more focused on making music in its own right, and seems to take it a lot more seriously. It's not quite as much fun, and fun is, after all, what makes Girl Talk great. Also, this album lacks Girl Talk's mastery of pacing. It drags in places (feeling much longer than the actually-longer All Day), doesn't carve out high and low spaces as well as it should, and kind of just dies out at the end, rather than reaching a satisfying climax. Word is Gillis bristles at being called a DJ, but he has a DJ's mastery of mood, of pacing, of setting up and denying and fulfilling expectations about what's next, and it's something you don't miss until you hear an album that lacks it.
That said, this is still a really fun album, with some really gorgeous pairings that rival Girl Talk's finest moments (The M83, Ratatat, TPC and Closing Time samples come to mind, each perfectly utilized). E-603 also has a few new structural tricks up his sleeve. He sometimes returns to a sample used previously in the song (a move is strikingly absent from Girl Talk's steadfastly in-the-moment approach) and it works really nicely, and the weaving of related riffs through the second half of Hey Shorty is goddamned brilliant. Technically, it's solid, but are are some rough edges; there were at least a handful of places where the vocals are speed-adjusted clumsily, ending up logy, off-beat or distractingly distorted (see his take on Juicy on You Can Get) - so score one back for Girl Talk, whose albums are, if nothing else, perfectly executed on a technical level.
I do feel a bit guilty for talking about this album so squarely in Girl Talk terms, but its inescapable, the original mashup superstar's shadow looms large over every part of this album. And part of this is E-603's fault: it seems like, like so many of us, he heard Girl Talk and said "I could do that". Unlike the rest of us, he actually can. But he needs to expand on some of the divergences I mentioned, set up his own take on the style, before I can talk about his stuff wholly on its own terms. I look forward to that day, there's tons of potential on display here.
Again, its a super fun album, even if it comes up short on innovation and soul. One to watch, a new contender has arrived, squeaking in on the low end of 4.5/5
It's impossible to talk about this album without talking about Girl Talk. These guys employ the same mix of rock and rap, with a similar samples-per-minute-rate. E-603 uses a lot of the same songs and even the album cover and title evoke Gregg Gillis's previous work. How does it compare then? Surprisingly favorably. Here's the main differences as I see them:
1) E-603 doesn't draw from quite as wide a selection of albums, focusing more squarely on indie rock and recent rap.
2) Where GT allows the rap and rock elements to share vocal duties, E-603 almost exclusively features rapping, with very little singing to be found. This makes the album as a whole blur together a bit more.
3) E-603 is a lot headphonier, more likely to make you bob your head than shake your ass.
And this comes to the major overriding difference between these guys. Gillis has honed his craft by putting on killer live shows; his focus is on making a party happen via music. E-603 is more focused on making music in its own right, and seems to take it a lot more seriously. It's not quite as much fun, and fun is, after all, what makes Girl Talk great. Also, this album lacks Girl Talk's mastery of pacing. It drags in places (feeling much longer than the actually-longer All Day), doesn't carve out high and low spaces as well as it should, and kind of just dies out at the end, rather than reaching a satisfying climax. Word is Gillis bristles at being called a DJ, but he has a DJ's mastery of mood, of pacing, of setting up and denying and fulfilling expectations about what's next, and it's something you don't miss until you hear an album that lacks it.
That said, this is still a really fun album, with some really gorgeous pairings that rival Girl Talk's finest moments (The M83, Ratatat, TPC and Closing Time samples come to mind, each perfectly utilized). E-603 also has a few new structural tricks up his sleeve. He sometimes returns to a sample used previously in the song (a move is strikingly absent from Girl Talk's steadfastly in-the-moment approach) and it works really nicely, and the weaving of related riffs through the second half of Hey Shorty is goddamned brilliant. Technically, it's solid, but are are some rough edges; there were at least a handful of places where the vocals are speed-adjusted clumsily, ending up logy, off-beat or distractingly distorted (see his take on Juicy on You Can Get) - so score one back for Girl Talk, whose albums are, if nothing else, perfectly executed on a technical level.
I do feel a bit guilty for talking about this album so squarely in Girl Talk terms, but its inescapable, the original mashup superstar's shadow looms large over every part of this album. And part of this is E-603's fault: it seems like, like so many of us, he heard Girl Talk and said "I could do that". Unlike the rest of us, he actually can. But he needs to expand on some of the divergences I mentioned, set up his own take on the style, before I can talk about his stuff wholly on its own terms. I look forward to that day, there's tons of potential on display here.
Again, its a super fun album, even if it comes up short on innovation and soul. One to watch, a new contender has arrived, squeaking in on the low end of 4.5/5
Saturday, March 19, 2011
#331 Grinderman - Grinderman 2
Some Grinderman came on at a recent party, and I realized despite liking Nick Cave perfectly good, I had never heard anything from this project. Seemed agreeable enough at the time.
This starts off ridiculously promisingly, with a night-black fuzzed guitar sound and an unpredictable, twitchy structure. The former sticks around for the duration of the album, and remains welcome, but the structures get much more linear and much less unpredictable, and overall the pacing drags pretty badly. In most of the songs, Cave gets a vocal line in mind and meditates on it with a simmering menace for five minutes or so, sounding somewhere between a listenable Tom Waits and a sedated The Fall. Kitchenette displays this problem most prominently, plodding on laboriously, seemingly without any particular plan in mind, as the lines mutate slowly over muttering and crooning, smoldering without catching fire.
I love the guitar sound, and the solos do occasionally ignite, but the whole tone is just too stoned, too unstructured, too undisciplined to interest me too much on an album level 3/5
This starts off ridiculously promisingly, with a night-black fuzzed guitar sound and an unpredictable, twitchy structure. The former sticks around for the duration of the album, and remains welcome, but the structures get much more linear and much less unpredictable, and overall the pacing drags pretty badly. In most of the songs, Cave gets a vocal line in mind and meditates on it with a simmering menace for five minutes or so, sounding somewhere between a listenable Tom Waits and a sedated The Fall. Kitchenette displays this problem most prominently, plodding on laboriously, seemingly without any particular plan in mind, as the lines mutate slowly over muttering and crooning, smoldering without catching fire.
I love the guitar sound, and the solos do occasionally ignite, but the whole tone is just too stoned, too unstructured, too undisciplined to interest me too much on an album level 3/5
#330 Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Dusted liked it, I liked the sample track.
Catchy, bouncy stuff, with vocals hopscotching back and forth between two agreeable notes, counterpoints on counterpoints, while the guitars follow suit. It's mostly one-idea-per-song territory, with two or three hooks tag teaming your ears and then jumping out the window, but at least it's briskly paced, with only 3 songs breaking the 3 minute mark. That's the right approach to this kind of music if you ask me - if you're going to do pop, don't make it more than it is, and most of the songs here are built around a good hook and a stone soup of crunchy guitars and clean beats.
These guys are like the opening band you've never heard of, who have you saying "these guys are actually pretty good!" during their set, but that you forget by the next morning. That sounds more backhanded than I mean it; most random bands I catch at shows don't even accomplish that. But this is the kind of music that you'll enjoy more if you don't expect too much from it.
Palm of Your Hand, Please Ask for Help and Country Lane are wrapped around great little pop moments, and even now I tap my foot, but (the latter excepted, maybe) I just don't see the melody lasting past the moment I turn the album off. I suspect the trajectory is that I'll hear about their follow-up in a year and a half and perk up, curious to see what they can do once they have their sea legs 3/5
Catchy, bouncy stuff, with vocals hopscotching back and forth between two agreeable notes, counterpoints on counterpoints, while the guitars follow suit. It's mostly one-idea-per-song territory, with two or three hooks tag teaming your ears and then jumping out the window, but at least it's briskly paced, with only 3 songs breaking the 3 minute mark. That's the right approach to this kind of music if you ask me - if you're going to do pop, don't make it more than it is, and most of the songs here are built around a good hook and a stone soup of crunchy guitars and clean beats.
These guys are like the opening band you've never heard of, who have you saying "these guys are actually pretty good!" during their set, but that you forget by the next morning. That sounds more backhanded than I mean it; most random bands I catch at shows don't even accomplish that. But this is the kind of music that you'll enjoy more if you don't expect too much from it.
Palm of Your Hand, Please Ask for Help and Country Lane are wrapped around great little pop moments, and even now I tap my foot, but (the latter excepted, maybe) I just don't see the melody lasting past the moment I turn the album off. I suspect the trajectory is that I'll hear about their follow-up in a year and a half and perk up, curious to see what they can do once they have their sea legs 3/5
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
#329 Fripp and Eno - Evening Star
For whatever reason, I then listened to this. I guess I wanted to listen to music during a brief minecraft relapse, and this was on hand.
This one is better than the last one, if nothing else because there's less guitar squallsing and squealing. But the actual tones and pulses and buzzes and forces are also just better designed and better executed. The sense of movement is better, and there are moments of real beauty tucked away here and there. Wind on Water, in particular, finds fuzzy spaces in between notes that push into place in satisfying, compelling ways. Even the side-long An Index of Metals is better than either song on No Pussyfooting, evolving slowly.
I don't like ambient much. This project has taught me that. A few great tracks on Selected Ambient Works, one great track on Music for Airports, and few other lucky hits have gotten me to try to give it a fair chance. But I don't have the patience for it most of the time, and I don't find it all that satisfying when I do bother to listen closely. This is one of the better ambient albums I've heard, a distinct improvement over their last project, but its still a big fish in a pond that's pretty far from my house, where I don't bother to drive very often 3/5
This one is better than the last one, if nothing else because there's less guitar squallsing and squealing. But the actual tones and pulses and buzzes and forces are also just better designed and better executed. The sense of movement is better, and there are moments of real beauty tucked away here and there. Wind on Water, in particular, finds fuzzy spaces in between notes that push into place in satisfying, compelling ways. Even the side-long An Index of Metals is better than either song on No Pussyfooting, evolving slowly.
I don't like ambient much. This project has taught me that. A few great tracks on Selected Ambient Works, one great track on Music for Airports, and few other lucky hits have gotten me to try to give it a fair chance. But I don't have the patience for it most of the time, and I don't find it all that satisfying when I do bother to listen closely. This is one of the better ambient albums I've heard, a distinct improvement over their last project, but its still a big fish in a pond that's pretty far from my house, where I don't bother to drive very often 3/5
#328 Fripp and Eno - No Pussyfooting
The Fripp solo album was suprisingly good, and researching it a bit lead me to some collaborations with Brian Eno that I hadn't heard about. I like some of Brian Eno's solo stuff (about half of each of his rockier albums, about a third of his ambient stuff) and mostly respect the rest. It seems like a combination that could be promising.
Or it might just be too much experimentation. This album is two 20 minutish songs, with some evolving tape loop experiments in the background while Fripp noodles his guitar over them. The ambient side I kind of like. It rewards close listening, even if it kind of gives me a headache. Maybe I just spend too much time in front of my computer. All these headaches. Maybe I just need to listen to less dissonant music.
The real problem is the noodling. The guitar playing is just too aimless, too rambling, nothing hooky about it, no riffs, no ostinato at all. I'm ok with jammy guitar. At times I really like highly repetitive, ambient music. But the combination just doesn't work for me. The best part of the album is the first half of the second track, before the guitar noise comes in and has a seizure on it.
There's some branch of arty music that so far I just can't seem to appreciate. I understand that this was pretty amazing at the time, being composed without synthesizers as we know them, nor via loops as we know them. As art and technology, sure, impressive. As actual music, I don't enjoy it enough for more than 2.5/5
Or it might just be too much experimentation. This album is two 20 minutish songs, with some evolving tape loop experiments in the background while Fripp noodles his guitar over them. The ambient side I kind of like. It rewards close listening, even if it kind of gives me a headache. Maybe I just spend too much time in front of my computer. All these headaches. Maybe I just need to listen to less dissonant music.
The real problem is the noodling. The guitar playing is just too aimless, too rambling, nothing hooky about it, no riffs, no ostinato at all. I'm ok with jammy guitar. At times I really like highly repetitive, ambient music. But the combination just doesn't work for me. The best part of the album is the first half of the second track, before the guitar noise comes in and has a seizure on it.
There's some branch of arty music that so far I just can't seem to appreciate. I understand that this was pretty amazing at the time, being composed without synthesizers as we know them, nor via loops as we know them. As art and technology, sure, impressive. As actual music, I don't enjoy it enough for more than 2.5/5
#327 Eric's Trip - Forever Again
AMG'd.
The guide's review references Guided by Voices, and along with relative newcomers The Microphones, that's a good starting point for their sound. There's a bit of tape hiss, sure, but mostly its the combination of numerous, casually thrown-off melodic gems (ala GBV) and a strangely timeless, epic, everybedroom-and-nighttime-backyard-at-once pulse (ala The Microphones). It's music both tiny and huge, with hints of indie pop and punk doing battle at all times, shouty crunchy guitar dueling with too-sweet vocals and one-take acoustic trumble twang.
The whole thing is curiously compelling in its pacing, with lots of catchy, reverb-laden short songs wandering around your headphones. Building, receding, building, then *poof*, never overstaying the idea. At times the thin mix wears thin, and at times some of the boy-girl vocals are kinda dissonant, but its an interesting one, good for long nights with sunshine in mind, that I'll totally listen to again one of these days 4/5
The guide's review references Guided by Voices, and along with relative newcomers The Microphones, that's a good starting point for their sound. There's a bit of tape hiss, sure, but mostly its the combination of numerous, casually thrown-off melodic gems (ala GBV) and a strangely timeless, epic, everybedroom-and-nighttime-backyard-at-once pulse (ala The Microphones). It's music both tiny and huge, with hints of indie pop and punk doing battle at all times, shouty crunchy guitar dueling with too-sweet vocals and one-take acoustic trumble twang.
The whole thing is curiously compelling in its pacing, with lots of catchy, reverb-laden short songs wandering around your headphones. Building, receding, building, then *poof*, never overstaying the idea. At times the thin mix wears thin, and at times some of the boy-girl vocals are kinda dissonant, but its an interesting one, good for long nights with sunshine in mind, that I'll totally listen to again one of these days 4/5
#326 Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Deja Vu
AMG said so. I'm actually almost out of albums from that book that I haven't heard - most of my marked entries are soul / R&B albums that I haven't quite been in the mood for yet.
I was never so big on CSN w / w/o Y, but never actively disliked them either. Here, the whole thing is kind of smooth, in a good way at times, in a bad way at others. It reminds me a bit of Steely Dan actually, sounding so perfect that it's clearly a studio product and not a performance in any real sense. It robs the album of some of its soul when I listen closely (especially with the too-clean vocal harmonies), but it also does make the whole thing weirdly timeless and soothing when I let it get in my bones. Helpless mostly succeeds as a smooth soother, Almost Cut My Hair brings some much-needed ragged edge, and the title track has a bit of each. On the other end of the spectrum, Teach Your Children sounds like a parody. Actually end-of-line rhyming "why", "cry" and "sigh"? Sigh.
And so it goes. To my first-timer, 40-years-later ear, some of these sound timeless, but most of them sound a bit dated, and at least a little overblown. It's a perfectly enjoyable listen that I don't quite buy into the soul of. Worth having around as largely mellow, good time music, nothing that blows my mind 3/5
I was never so big on CSN w / w/o Y, but never actively disliked them either. Here, the whole thing is kind of smooth, in a good way at times, in a bad way at others. It reminds me a bit of Steely Dan actually, sounding so perfect that it's clearly a studio product and not a performance in any real sense. It robs the album of some of its soul when I listen closely (especially with the too-clean vocal harmonies), but it also does make the whole thing weirdly timeless and soothing when I let it get in my bones. Helpless mostly succeeds as a smooth soother, Almost Cut My Hair brings some much-needed ragged edge, and the title track has a bit of each. On the other end of the spectrum, Teach Your Children sounds like a parody. Actually end-of-line rhyming "why", "cry" and "sigh"? Sigh.
And so it goes. To my first-timer, 40-years-later ear, some of these sound timeless, but most of them sound a bit dated, and at least a little overblown. It's a perfectly enjoyable listen that I don't quite buy into the soul of. Worth having around as largely mellow, good time music, nothing that blows my mind 3/5
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
#325 Robert Fripp - Exposure
Mentioned in the AMG, and hey, I've always liked King Crimson, and had good luck with Steve Hacket (of Genesis)'s solo album, so lets see.
This was supposed to be this more mainstream album, but I sure don't hear it. I mean, I guess its more mainstream than King Crimson, but this is no late-era-Genesis. This isn't even Peter Gabriel accessible. Which I mean in a good way. This album is kind of awesome.
There's the the lurching instrumentals, surging through odd time signatures and keys, some punk-ish numbers, and some wild Giddy Motorsey combinations of the two. Even the slower instrumentals ballads work pretty well, dripping with atmospheric Enoistic, Frippertronic production details. The tragically brief Water Music I in particular sounds like Ratatat meets The Books, which, is good. The bizarre vocal snippets, array of guess vocalists, drastic changes in pace and tone, and general adventurousness keep this from being anything resembling mainstream to my ear. What it is is downright listenable, much more so than King Crimson, whose albums I have to confess are comparatively hard to get through.
The low point is I May Not Have Had Enough of Me But I've Had Enough of You, which is as ridiculous as its title, sounding like a limp version of Faith No More's Epic sung over a limp version of Rock You Like a Hurricane. Not awesome. But the rest? Totally worth hearing if you like the adventurousness of prog, but wish it was (a lot) more briskly paced and a little less indulgent. Maybe I'm on a generous swing, take this, and all my ratings with a grain of salt, but my gut says 4.5/5
This was supposed to be this more mainstream album, but I sure don't hear it. I mean, I guess its more mainstream than King Crimson, but this is no late-era-Genesis. This isn't even Peter Gabriel accessible. Which I mean in a good way. This album is kind of awesome.
There's the the lurching instrumentals, surging through odd time signatures and keys, some punk-ish numbers, and some wild Giddy Motorsey combinations of the two. Even the slower instrumentals ballads work pretty well, dripping with atmospheric Enoistic, Frippertronic production details. The tragically brief Water Music I in particular sounds like Ratatat meets The Books, which, is good. The bizarre vocal snippets, array of guess vocalists, drastic changes in pace and tone, and general adventurousness keep this from being anything resembling mainstream to my ear. What it is is downright listenable, much more so than King Crimson, whose albums I have to confess are comparatively hard to get through.
The low point is I May Not Have Had Enough of Me But I've Had Enough of You, which is as ridiculous as its title, sounding like a limp version of Faith No More's Epic sung over a limp version of Rock You Like a Hurricane. Not awesome. But the rest? Totally worth hearing if you like the adventurousness of prog, but wish it was (a lot) more briskly paced and a little less indulgent. Maybe I'm on a generous swing, take this, and all my ratings with a grain of salt, but my gut says 4.5/5
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
#324 Starfucker - Reptilians
Really liked their last one, heard this one was coming and go go go.
Here's an album with everything I like. Great, buzzy synthys, beautiful melodies, unexpected turns, texture, texture, texture, but on top of clean lines. I know its a crutch, but if you want to get a sense of this album, think: MGMT, Cut Copy, Ratatat (Quality Time), M83 (Bury Us Alive, Quality Time), late Beck (Death as a Fetish, Astoria), a smidge of Adore-era Smashing Pumpkins (The White of Noon), and a touch of The Unicorns' squared-off buzz and general death fetishism. There's even totally Lamb Lies Down on Broadway synth on Julius. And I mean this all in a good way.
The whole thing is highly listenable, infectiously joyous, and well-paced*, mixing straightforward pop gestures and atmospheric soul-crushers in appropriate measures, sometimes pulling both tricks at once. Every time you've gotten tuned into what it's doing, it swerves, but pulls you along in a neon arc, momentum preserved and turned swooping. Slow, fast, dense, clean, twee, batshit, all in luxury car shifting with only the barest tug to mark the change. And then whatever that incredible clipped-static beat over double acoustic guitar move on Reptilians is.
The only thing keeping it from even loftier points (beyond my general stinginess on the matter) is the fact that it does remind me an awful lot of a lot of bands. Also, some of those Alan Watts samples get old pretty fast. But man, it is pretty. What a great uplifter/soulcrusher of an album 4.5/5
* skip the two bonus tracks, which overextend it past a perfect finish
Edit 3/16: I'm a fool, this way should have been a 5. Album of the year so far, easy.
Here's an album with everything I like. Great, buzzy synthys, beautiful melodies, unexpected turns, texture, texture, texture, but on top of clean lines. I know its a crutch, but if you want to get a sense of this album, think: MGMT, Cut Copy, Ratatat (Quality Time), M83 (Bury Us Alive, Quality Time), late Beck (Death as a Fetish, Astoria), a smidge of Adore-era Smashing Pumpkins (The White of Noon), and a touch of The Unicorns' squared-off buzz and general death fetishism. There's even totally Lamb Lies Down on Broadway synth on Julius. And I mean this all in a good way.
The whole thing is highly listenable, infectiously joyous, and well-paced*, mixing straightforward pop gestures and atmospheric soul-crushers in appropriate measures, sometimes pulling both tricks at once. Every time you've gotten tuned into what it's doing, it swerves, but pulls you along in a neon arc, momentum preserved and turned swooping. Slow, fast, dense, clean, twee, batshit, all in luxury car shifting with only the barest tug to mark the change. And then whatever that incredible clipped-static beat over double acoustic guitar move on Reptilians is.
The only thing keeping it from even loftier points (beyond my general stinginess on the matter) is the fact that it does remind me an awful lot of a lot of bands. Also, some of those Alan Watts samples get old pretty fast. But man, it is pretty. What a great uplifter/soulcrusher of an album 4.5/5
* skip the two bonus tracks, which overextend it past a perfect finish
Edit 3/16: I'm a fool, this way should have been a 5. Album of the year so far, easy.
#323 Peaking Lights - 936
Dust'd.
I don't tend to like dub so much, but said site's gushing review on this one convinced me to give it a try. It's a lot more adventurous, a lot prettier, a lot better differentiated in the mix, a lot synthier and otherwise otherworldly than the dub label would lead you to believe. It's totally a headphone album, just something to let whorl brainwise.
As with all these mushy, double-tripled sound albums that are in these days, it kind of gives me a head fog, but for whatever reason, this time around, I didn't mind it quite so much. That said, as I've ranted, I prefer a little more scaffolding and a little less horsing around under blankets 3/5
I don't tend to like dub so much, but said site's gushing review on this one convinced me to give it a try. It's a lot more adventurous, a lot prettier, a lot better differentiated in the mix, a lot synthier and otherwise otherworldly than the dub label would lead you to believe. It's totally a headphone album, just something to let whorl brainwise.
As with all these mushy, double-tripled sound albums that are in these days, it kind of gives me a head fog, but for whatever reason, this time around, I didn't mind it quite so much. That said, as I've ranted, I prefer a little more scaffolding and a little less horsing around under blankets 3/5
#322 Mr. Dream - Trash Hit
Dust'd.
Sometimes I read a review of an album before I'm done listening to it. I try not to let it influence me unduly, and sometimes it provides a nice piece of context. In this case, the dusted review called attention to the fact that this was possibly parody, calling it, in the snarkiest review of the year, the funniest album of the year. This served two purposes: 1) it helped point out the degree to which these guys are sounding like the 90's on purpose 2) it caused me, via violent disagreement with the idea that this is a "funny" album, to gain a lot of respect for it.
So, sure enough, it sounds a LOT like 90's rock. Not in the vague burgeoning indie/alternative style, but it sounds, at times, exactly like Pavement, The Jesus Lizard, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana, Ween, etc. etc. sometimes sounding really precisely like one of them at a time. It's so spot on, in the songwriting, in the production, in every detail, that is makes me smile. It makes me want to laugh. But it's not because it's funny, its because they've nailed it so hard that I am filled with glee. It's just a delightfully nailed deconstruction/recreation/homage/riffing on a style.
The actual music is, as I've hinted at, pretty good. If you like the bands I mentioned, I see no reason you wouldn't like this. But as an art object, as a perfect crystalization of a style into a single platonic 90's rock album. I keep smiling, almost laughing as I listen to it, so maybe the joke's on me after all. I'll take a smile any day though, fuck the reason. Always stay out of the intention-hole 4/5
Sometimes I read a review of an album before I'm done listening to it. I try not to let it influence me unduly, and sometimes it provides a nice piece of context. In this case, the dusted review called attention to the fact that this was possibly parody, calling it, in the snarkiest review of the year, the funniest album of the year. This served two purposes: 1) it helped point out the degree to which these guys are sounding like the 90's on purpose 2) it caused me, via violent disagreement with the idea that this is a "funny" album, to gain a lot of respect for it.
So, sure enough, it sounds a LOT like 90's rock. Not in the vague burgeoning indie/alternative style, but it sounds, at times, exactly like Pavement, The Jesus Lizard, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Nirvana, Ween, etc. etc. sometimes sounding really precisely like one of them at a time. It's so spot on, in the songwriting, in the production, in every detail, that is makes me smile. It makes me want to laugh. But it's not because it's funny, its because they've nailed it so hard that I am filled with glee. It's just a delightfully nailed deconstruction/recreation/homage/riffing on a style.
The actual music is, as I've hinted at, pretty good. If you like the bands I mentioned, I see no reason you wouldn't like this. But as an art object, as a perfect crystalization of a style into a single platonic 90's rock album. I keep smiling, almost laughing as I listen to it, so maybe the joke's on me after all. I'll take a smile any day though, fuck the reason. Always stay out of the intention-hole 4/5
#321 Parts and Labor - Constant Future
One of a few songs off a recent run through Dusted's faves.
This one starts off really promisingly, with erratic drums and super buzzy, warbly synth lines. The pace on the first couple songs surges and ebbs and flows and crashes, its right up my alley. But then it really mellows out a lot, sounding very Interpol, trading the start-stop-swerve for new york post punk thrubthrubthrubthrubthrubthrubthrubthrub, and trading all those gorgeous, messy synths for more traditional thump and strum. Instead of songs that have you peaking around the next corner, most of the later songs are straight shots.
This isn't such a bad thing necessarily. Some of the repeated bits transcend on up to anthemic, carrying some of Pepper's (Butthole Surfers) eerie lurch. And at times (Echo Chamber) the production is punchy in a satisfying way, and Hurricane at least reaches for the places the first song promised might follow.
It reminds me of a lot of bands I listened to in the 90's who frontloaded their album with something really promising, but just didn't have the nerve or the genius to live up to that early excitement*. I'd listen to their next album, they've got promise, but this doesn't quite move me 2.5/5.
* Soul Asylum and Lunatic Calm, of all people, come to mind. I have weirdly specific memories of the CD Listening bar on Culver and Alton in the sweet, sweet heart of Irvine, CA.
This one starts off really promisingly, with erratic drums and super buzzy, warbly synth lines. The pace on the first couple songs surges and ebbs and flows and crashes, its right up my alley. But then it really mellows out a lot, sounding very Interpol, trading the start-stop-swerve for new york post punk thrubthrubthrubthrubthrubthrubthrubthrub, and trading all those gorgeous, messy synths for more traditional thump and strum. Instead of songs that have you peaking around the next corner, most of the later songs are straight shots.
This isn't such a bad thing necessarily. Some of the repeated bits transcend on up to anthemic, carrying some of Pepper's (Butthole Surfers) eerie lurch. And at times (Echo Chamber) the production is punchy in a satisfying way, and Hurricane at least reaches for the places the first song promised might follow.
It reminds me of a lot of bands I listened to in the 90's who frontloaded their album with something really promising, but just didn't have the nerve or the genius to live up to that early excitement*. I'd listen to their next album, they've got promise, but this doesn't quite move me 2.5/5.
* Soul Asylum and Lunatic Calm, of all people, come to mind. I have weirdly specific memories of the CD Listening bar on Culver and Alton in the sweet, sweet heart of Irvine, CA.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
#320 Elvis Presley - His Hand in Mine
The AMG liked this one. I can't say I've heard enough Elvis, and I haven't heard much gospel at all, so at very least this will get me into some underexplored territory.
It's strangely moving stuff. At least as described in these songs, being gospel and all, Elvis does love him some lord. And I don't know if all gospel is like this or what, but man, it is all really death obsessed. Dying and meeting god and all passed loved ones sounds like the greatest highest end that could ever come, like Elvis's fondest wish. The result is an album that is simultaneously uplifting and at least a bit morbid.
Musically, well, the man can sing. It almost doesn't register as singing to me, just passing directly into my brain as seniment, so smooth is his voice. On the slower songs, the backing vocals harmonize barbershopily, further lubricating the delivery. Silky, there's no other word for it, scarcely a rough edge in sight, and not from the overproduction I'm so used to, but just from it actually being that damn smooth.
There's also some stompy, spiritual rockers on there that bring some rough edges and keep the energy level from being overconsistent (in contrast, say, to some of the slower Sinatra albums).
I'm not sure what to take from this. On one level, as I am so prone to saying as a means of softening, it's not for me. My life is not of Elvis's era, and I'm not an especially Christian man, so it kind of misses on the two main selling points as far as the actual sentiments of the songs. But the music is actually, I have to admit, kind of uplifting, and I suspect that it will be more so the more I listen to it, as the repetition worms heartpaths. For that, given the uphill battle at hand, I have to at least give respect, and at least 3.5/5
It's strangely moving stuff. At least as described in these songs, being gospel and all, Elvis does love him some lord. And I don't know if all gospel is like this or what, but man, it is all really death obsessed. Dying and meeting god and all passed loved ones sounds like the greatest highest end that could ever come, like Elvis's fondest wish. The result is an album that is simultaneously uplifting and at least a bit morbid.
Musically, well, the man can sing. It almost doesn't register as singing to me, just passing directly into my brain as seniment, so smooth is his voice. On the slower songs, the backing vocals harmonize barbershopily, further lubricating the delivery. Silky, there's no other word for it, scarcely a rough edge in sight, and not from the overproduction I'm so used to, but just from it actually being that damn smooth.
There's also some stompy, spiritual rockers on there that bring some rough edges and keep the energy level from being overconsistent (in contrast, say, to some of the slower Sinatra albums).
I'm not sure what to take from this. On one level, as I am so prone to saying as a means of softening, it's not for me. My life is not of Elvis's era, and I'm not an especially Christian man, so it kind of misses on the two main selling points as far as the actual sentiments of the songs. But the music is actually, I have to admit, kind of uplifting, and I suspect that it will be more so the more I listen to it, as the repetition worms heartpaths. For that, given the uphill battle at hand, I have to at least give respect, and at least 3.5/5
#319 Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pine
Pitckfork'd.
Man, this is so what pitchfork is into now. All very dense, lush, mega-reverbed production, quirky electronics, crooning harmonized vocals. All very Ariel Pink. For the most part it doesn't move me, but some of the simpler melodic lines (How I Know and instrumental, album highlight Divina) are actually really pretty. The problem is, I think the rest of that album thinks it's that pretty, and it just isn't.
It's all too mushy for me, too wrapped up in layers of ambient fuzz and reverb and doubling, nothing distinct, meticulously flecked with buzzy synths and glitchy flickers.
I need more clarity of vision. Have the confidence to just put a song out there without hiding behind making every note sound like every note at once 2.5/5
Man, this is so what pitchfork is into now. All very dense, lush, mega-reverbed production, quirky electronics, crooning harmonized vocals. All very Ariel Pink. For the most part it doesn't move me, but some of the simpler melodic lines (How I Know and instrumental, album highlight Divina) are actually really pretty. The problem is, I think the rest of that album thinks it's that pretty, and it just isn't.
It's all too mushy for me, too wrapped up in layers of ambient fuzz and reverb and doubling, nothing distinct, meticulously flecked with buzzy synths and glitchy flickers.
I need more clarity of vision. Have the confidence to just put a song out there without hiding behind making every note sound like every note at once 2.5/5
Monday, March 7, 2011
#318 Talking Heads - Remain in the Light
Another off the AMG trawl. I liked Talking Heads '77, but haven't heard this well-regarded one.
You're in for more or less what you'd expect if you know the Talking Heads at all, plenty of funk guitar, skittery beats and shouted, nervous lyrics, a bristling Gang of Fourey energy across the board. Over top of all the angular, busy instrumentation is a pretty expert set of vocal lines that are sometimes alienating/alienated and percussive, and other times simply soar over the chaos, a pattern particularly effective on Crosseyed and Painless and minor hit Once in a Lifetime.
Overall, its a curiously listenable album. The rhythms are complex, the playing stabby, but the songs make good use of repeated, rich melodic lines to give you something to grab onto as the scatter skitters by. Its almost dancable, at times, without giving up much adventurousness. Even the bizarre spoken word experiment Seen and Not Seen has a beauty to it that reminds me Fire Coming out of a Monkey's Head (of all things). Still haven't quite gotten my head around the song structures, which always bodes well for repeat listening. I suspect there are mysteries worth exploring in some of these crannies 4/5
You're in for more or less what you'd expect if you know the Talking Heads at all, plenty of funk guitar, skittery beats and shouted, nervous lyrics, a bristling Gang of Fourey energy across the board. Over top of all the angular, busy instrumentation is a pretty expert set of vocal lines that are sometimes alienating/alienated and percussive, and other times simply soar over the chaos, a pattern particularly effective on Crosseyed and Painless and minor hit Once in a Lifetime.
Overall, its a curiously listenable album. The rhythms are complex, the playing stabby, but the songs make good use of repeated, rich melodic lines to give you something to grab onto as the scatter skitters by. Its almost dancable, at times, without giving up much adventurousness. Even the bizarre spoken word experiment Seen and Not Seen has a beauty to it that reminds me Fire Coming out of a Monkey's Head (of all things). Still haven't quite gotten my head around the song structures, which always bodes well for repeat listening. I suspect there are mysteries worth exploring in some of these crannies 4/5
Saturday, March 5, 2011
#317 The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Was on a roll on the same night, put on the previous Stones album, another well regarded one. Tickin' off the classics!
Again, you lead off with a well known, epic song (Sympathy for the Devil) and then follow it up with a lot of saltier, humbler tracks. Here they're even more slide guitared, more dylanesque in the delivery, and a lot more heartbroken, reaching on into blue land. The epic Jigsaw Puzzle with its punchy basslines is a highlight, writhing on for 6 minutes, always wrapping back around to the same desperate vocal hook.
There's something less consistent about this one, something less charming about its rough edges, that makes me not quite like it as much, something hamfisted about songs like Salt of the Earth and Dear Doctor. It seems like a transition album, though I'll have to work my way back to be sure. Not quite raw enough to beat you up, not quite polished enough to move you. That said, there's enough standout tracks, acoustic richness and guitar fireworks to at least be good for 3.5/5
Again, you lead off with a well known, epic song (Sympathy for the Devil) and then follow it up with a lot of saltier, humbler tracks. Here they're even more slide guitared, more dylanesque in the delivery, and a lot more heartbroken, reaching on into blue land. The epic Jigsaw Puzzle with its punchy basslines is a highlight, writhing on for 6 minutes, always wrapping back around to the same desperate vocal hook.
There's something less consistent about this one, something less charming about its rough edges, that makes me not quite like it as much, something hamfisted about songs like Salt of the Earth and Dear Doctor. It seems like a transition album, though I'll have to work my way back to be sure. Not quite raw enough to beat you up, not quite polished enough to move you. That said, there's enough standout tracks, acoustic richness and guitar fireworks to at least be good for 3.5/5
#316 The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
Another odd one. I was working on a song, knew I needed a series of chords I couldn't play, realized they were similar to some in Gimme Shelter, thought, hey, how about all those albums? I like Exile on Main Street a heck of a lot, but never really heard a lot of the other Stones albums in earnest.
My growing sense is that The Rolling Stones are a misunderstood band in the modern era. Their singles are a mix of overblown bombast and early-Kinks stripped-down stomp. But neither of those is a good picture of the workmanlike middle portions that I see in this album and Exile.
This album opens with the gospelled out, aforementioned Gimme Shelter and ends with the choir-featuring You Can't Always Get What You Want. These are the known songs of the album, and the biggest outliers. The meat of the album is all twang, country fried and blasted, with clear basslines, slide guitar, rattle, strum, dylanism and pianey. It sounds like a band tired, dried out, and more interested in making rock than being rock stars. Its weirdly grounded, curiously humble given the big blasts that bookend it. It is an album that is utterly different than the impression given by its best-known songs.
And I like it. I like the fried middle, and I like the grandiose buns on either end better when they buttress this particular sandwich. There's something respectable here that doesn't come out in the singles. They become a band I'd like to be in, which I've oft-argued is a key quality in a band.
There's some bands you can get a sense of from their well-known songs. You can pretty much figure out the essence of Led Zeppelin and The Doors from their best known songs, but I think that the stones are a different band than you might think. I don't think you'll necessarily like them any better, but if you haven't heard their albums, I think its worth a go just to get a sense of what kind of band they really were at heart: far simpler and more rustic and desperate than you might expect from all their swagger. For me, this isn't quite for me, but was a crunchy eye opener, worth putting on for poker nights and moments of grooved grit, good for the high end of 4/5
My growing sense is that The Rolling Stones are a misunderstood band in the modern era. Their singles are a mix of overblown bombast and early-Kinks stripped-down stomp. But neither of those is a good picture of the workmanlike middle portions that I see in this album and Exile.
This album opens with the gospelled out, aforementioned Gimme Shelter and ends with the choir-featuring You Can't Always Get What You Want. These are the known songs of the album, and the biggest outliers. The meat of the album is all twang, country fried and blasted, with clear basslines, slide guitar, rattle, strum, dylanism and pianey. It sounds like a band tired, dried out, and more interested in making rock than being rock stars. Its weirdly grounded, curiously humble given the big blasts that bookend it. It is an album that is utterly different than the impression given by its best-known songs.
And I like it. I like the fried middle, and I like the grandiose buns on either end better when they buttress this particular sandwich. There's something respectable here that doesn't come out in the singles. They become a band I'd like to be in, which I've oft-argued is a key quality in a band.
There's some bands you can get a sense of from their well-known songs. You can pretty much figure out the essence of Led Zeppelin and The Doors from their best known songs, but I think that the stones are a different band than you might think. I don't think you'll necessarily like them any better, but if you haven't heard their albums, I think its worth a go just to get a sense of what kind of band they really were at heart: far simpler and more rustic and desperate than you might expect from all their swagger. For me, this isn't quite for me, but was a crunchy eye opener, worth putting on for poker nights and moments of grooved grit, good for the high end of 4/5
#315 The Cave Singers - No Witch
Dusted liked it, and the sample song piqued my interest.
I kind of like it. There's heart here, a touch of Songs: Ohia's deep folky twang, some Black Keys delta scorch, some Cage the Elephant half-false swagger, some Exile on Main Street gospelations, some Okkervil heartstutter stomp, all a bit reedy and wet and real. None of it strikes me as overly new, none of it is striking, none of the melodies struck me as major keepers, nothing changed my viewpoint, but its a satisfying amalgamation of a bunch of stuff I grudgingly-and-otherwise like. Its the kind of album that I want to recommend to people, without loving wholeheartedly myself. It's not exciting enough for me, but I respect its workmanlike exertions. I think that's probably a good solid 3.5/5
I kind of like it. There's heart here, a touch of Songs: Ohia's deep folky twang, some Black Keys delta scorch, some Cage the Elephant half-false swagger, some Exile on Main Street gospelations, some Okkervil heartstutter stomp, all a bit reedy and wet and real. None of it strikes me as overly new, none of it is striking, none of the melodies struck me as major keepers, nothing changed my viewpoint, but its a satisfying amalgamation of a bunch of stuff I grudgingly-and-otherwise like. Its the kind of album that I want to recommend to people, without loving wholeheartedly myself. It's not exciting enough for me, but I respect its workmanlike exertions. I think that's probably a good solid 3.5/5
Friday, March 4, 2011
#314 WIN WIN - WIN WIN
Dusted reviewed it, and it has the producer from Spank Rock (who I like), so lets see.
I wanted to like this. I expected to like this. But it just doesn't quite move me, it's not actually all that adventurous somehow. The moments I like sounded like songs by the people I like, and it makes me think I should just listen to albums by those people. The guy from Hot Chip does a song, and it sounds good, and it sounds like Hot Chip, and maybe I should just listen to Hot Chip, whose formula this does little to improve on. There's some squonky Deadmau5ey stuff that makes me want to listen to that. Some of it just sounds like shiny, repetitive, sub-LCDSS stuff. A few songs that sound like the best moments of Teddybears, but with less Iggy Pop, for the loss.
Maybe I'm just on a snarky, critical roll. This didn't impress me, but it did sound enough like stuff I like that I want to give it the benefit of the doubt, leaving me at a stingy/generous 2.5/5
I wanted to like this. I expected to like this. But it just doesn't quite move me, it's not actually all that adventurous somehow. The moments I like sounded like songs by the people I like, and it makes me think I should just listen to albums by those people. The guy from Hot Chip does a song, and it sounds good, and it sounds like Hot Chip, and maybe I should just listen to Hot Chip, whose formula this does little to improve on. There's some squonky Deadmau5ey stuff that makes me want to listen to that. Some of it just sounds like shiny, repetitive, sub-LCDSS stuff. A few songs that sound like the best moments of Teddybears, but with less Iggy Pop, for the loss.
Maybe I'm just on a snarky, critical roll. This didn't impress me, but it did sound enough like stuff I like that I want to give it the benefit of the doubt, leaving me at a stingy/generous 2.5/5
#313 Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
For the first time in a while, Fork'd.
Why? Why do I bother with this kind of stuff. I guess because its amicable to working while programming. But it is simply not a genre I have anything useful to say about. Which, I guess means that its fine for listening to - I'm not going to not listen to it just because I don't want to have to struggle to write a review - but its not really all that worthwhile as review fodder.
There's some noises, they echo, they crackle, they surge. There's no beat. Pretty, noisy, scary surges though.
I will grant it this, In the Fog (parts 1-3!) is legitimately unsettling. Its spooky on a level I can't place. But the fact is, this isn't fun to listen to, and I think there's plenty of more interesting chin-scratchery to be found. Plus, with song titles like Hatred of Music, Analog Paralysis 1978, and Studio Suicide (to say nothing of the album title!), I get the idea that Hecker thinks this is more important than I do. It sounds like dubstep without the bass or the beats, a step past The King of Limbs.
Look, I kind of respect this. It is spooky and affecting in a way that I don't often find. But this is not my style of music, and I have to stop trying to wring reviews from places my heart can't provide. Possibly brilliant, I wouldn't know. It occurs to me that if this was a Radiohead album, I might listen closer and find brilliance in the crannies. But my first impression didn't blow me away, just not for me 2/5
Why? Why do I bother with this kind of stuff. I guess because its amicable to working while programming. But it is simply not a genre I have anything useful to say about. Which, I guess means that its fine for listening to - I'm not going to not listen to it just because I don't want to have to struggle to write a review - but its not really all that worthwhile as review fodder.
There's some noises, they echo, they crackle, they surge. There's no beat. Pretty, noisy, scary surges though.
I will grant it this, In the Fog (parts 1-3!) is legitimately unsettling. Its spooky on a level I can't place. But the fact is, this isn't fun to listen to, and I think there's plenty of more interesting chin-scratchery to be found. Plus, with song titles like Hatred of Music, Analog Paralysis 1978, and Studio Suicide (to say nothing of the album title!), I get the idea that Hecker thinks this is more important than I do. It sounds like dubstep without the bass or the beats, a step past The King of Limbs.
Look, I kind of respect this. It is spooky and affecting in a way that I don't often find. But this is not my style of music, and I have to stop trying to wring reviews from places my heart can't provide. Possibly brilliant, I wouldn't know. It occurs to me that if this was a Radiohead album, I might listen closer and find brilliance in the crannies. But my first impression didn't blow me away, just not for me 2/5
#312 MF Doom - Special Herbs vol. 1 & 2
Doom recently released a box set of 10 or so of these special herbs albums. I like (love) Doom. Let's start with a release's worth though.
Well, its instrumental versions of MF Doom songs. If you're heard MF Doom songs, subtract vocals, off you go. If not, what's wrong with you? Start with Vaudeville Villain.
Ok, ok. Well, as instrumental hip hop goes, its...ok. The loops are groovy, out of time, crusty, with soul to spare. They sound, at their best moments, like something of Endtroducing, sure. But on an overall flow level, there's little progression, not much arc, not a lot of room to transport you, move you, even. Each track finds its groove and doesn't deviate from it much.
I mostly finished this because it made for decent work music. I can't say I have any need to revisit it though (let alone hear the remaining 8 or so volumes); if I want instrumental hip hop, I have better choices, and if I want these particular loops, I'd rather hear them with Doom's exceptional flow over top. Enough groove for a generous 2.5/5
Well, its instrumental versions of MF Doom songs. If you're heard MF Doom songs, subtract vocals, off you go. If not, what's wrong with you? Start with Vaudeville Villain.
Ok, ok. Well, as instrumental hip hop goes, its...ok. The loops are groovy, out of time, crusty, with soul to spare. They sound, at their best moments, like something of Endtroducing, sure. But on an overall flow level, there's little progression, not much arc, not a lot of room to transport you, move you, even. Each track finds its groove and doesn't deviate from it much.
I mostly finished this because it made for decent work music. I can't say I have any need to revisit it though (let alone hear the remaining 8 or so volumes); if I want instrumental hip hop, I have better choices, and if I want these particular loops, I'd rather hear them with Doom's exceptional flow over top. Enough groove for a generous 2.5/5
Thursday, March 3, 2011
#311 Kanye West - 808's and Heartbreak
I really liked his latest album, and never really heard this one. Also, its a pretty divisive one, so I'm curious to hear what its all about.
In case you hadn't heard, this album features, instead of rapping, Kanye crooning, highly autotuned, over synths. Which sounds terrible. When this came out, I hadn't heard anything by this guy that had impressed me, and this certainly sounded like a recipe for disaster.
In practice, as I hear it today, its actually kind of awesome. There's a lot of the seeds of MBDTF's best moments on here, from the lengthy opener, to the adventurous approach to beats and oilslick rainbow overproduction, to the stripped bare emotional content. Kanye reveals himself, on this album and its followup, to be a tortured, neurotic, bizarre, oversized personality, but one that is strangely relatable somehow. I think in terms of personality, he and I might have a thing or two in common, he just happens to be crazy rich and famous. Or maybe crazy, rich, and famous. And his fears play out on epic stages, blowing up with synths and noise and robot souls.
As far as the infamous autotuning, I think it works pretty well here. It's artificial, but still manages to carry some emotional heft, serving to make Kanye's voice more menacing, more vulnerable, and inexplicably, more human. If nothing else, making this album is such an insane, unusual move that I can't help but at least respect it on that level. Highlights include opener Say You Will, the atmospheric single Amazing, the stompy Love Lockdown, and (especially) the curiously, joyously exuberant Robocop.
Then again, I have to confess I suspect I wouldn't have liked this if I'd heard this when it first came out. MBDTF helps to inform what Kanye was going for here. In the context of that album's opener, its Flashing Lights / Monster freakout, and (especially) Runaway's synthed-to-oblivion confessionals, this album seems like a test run for some of that album's best ideas. On its own, this seems like a bit of a weird, indulgent near-failure - but now it seems like a nascent prequel, the boy that became the man.
I really did not like any of Kanye's college-era albums, finding them grossly, blindingly overrated, and it is baffling to me how much his last album turned me around. I wonder if the dropout/registration/graduation set would sound better to me now, or if his new stuff is just more my style. I can't figure the guy out, and I think that's part of the appeal. If its all part of his plan, point given Kanye. Well played, sir. 4.5/5
In case you hadn't heard, this album features, instead of rapping, Kanye crooning, highly autotuned, over synths. Which sounds terrible. When this came out, I hadn't heard anything by this guy that had impressed me, and this certainly sounded like a recipe for disaster.
In practice, as I hear it today, its actually kind of awesome. There's a lot of the seeds of MBDTF's best moments on here, from the lengthy opener, to the adventurous approach to beats and oilslick rainbow overproduction, to the stripped bare emotional content. Kanye reveals himself, on this album and its followup, to be a tortured, neurotic, bizarre, oversized personality, but one that is strangely relatable somehow. I think in terms of personality, he and I might have a thing or two in common, he just happens to be crazy rich and famous. Or maybe crazy, rich, and famous. And his fears play out on epic stages, blowing up with synths and noise and robot souls.
As far as the infamous autotuning, I think it works pretty well here. It's artificial, but still manages to carry some emotional heft, serving to make Kanye's voice more menacing, more vulnerable, and inexplicably, more human. If nothing else, making this album is such an insane, unusual move that I can't help but at least respect it on that level. Highlights include opener Say You Will, the atmospheric single Amazing, the stompy Love Lockdown, and (especially) the curiously, joyously exuberant Robocop.
Then again, I have to confess I suspect I wouldn't have liked this if I'd heard this when it first came out. MBDTF helps to inform what Kanye was going for here. In the context of that album's opener, its Flashing Lights / Monster freakout, and (especially) Runaway's synthed-to-oblivion confessionals, this album seems like a test run for some of that album's best ideas. On its own, this seems like a bit of a weird, indulgent near-failure - but now it seems like a nascent prequel, the boy that became the man.
I really did not like any of Kanye's college-era albums, finding them grossly, blindingly overrated, and it is baffling to me how much his last album turned me around. I wonder if the dropout/registration/graduation set would sound better to me now, or if his new stuff is just more my style. I can't figure the guy out, and I think that's part of the appeal. If its all part of his plan, point given Kanye. Well played, sir. 4.5/5
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
#310 Mike Watt - Hyphenated-Man
Another Adam rec.
Man, this comes out of the gates hard. Those are some catchy-ass basslines. Totally hooked.
I have certain reference points that I can't seem to get away from: I seem to repeatedly use comparisons to Guided by Voices to describe acts that are
* lo-fi
* effortlessly catchy
* liable to spit out dozens of songs at a time
* prone to writing simple, brisk and chorusless songs
In this case, it is the last 3 that apply, as it is just one effortlessly catchy, inventive, wildly varying song after another (the production is actually pretty good, losing it some DiY I-could-do-this charm, gaining it a large degree of listenability). It also reminds me of 69 Love Songs - all of these songs are good, the album wheeling off from one idea to another, going on and on, just more ideas than it knows what to do with, too much talent to stop effortlessly throwing off good lines and hooks and melodies. But eventually, by song #30, man, that lack of structure gets exhausting. There's a reason that a movie is easier to watch than 50 two-minute shorts, that overarching thread provides context for each idea.
I actually like shorter, chorusless songs (see The Unicorns, GBV), and the bass playing is unsurprisingly excellent, and Watt's voice has actually aged well enough, managing some Shatneresque pathos, and still mustering a powerful enough strained yell when it's needed. Pretty good for 53. The songs are vaguely minutemeney, angular, jagged, Gang-of-Four-but-more-fun bursts of sounds, quitting as soon as they've made their point. One after another, pop pop pop burst burst burst stab stab stab done. Fun, exhausting.
The most obvious point of reference is obviously, actually, Double Nickels on the Dime, which is an expansive set of songs that defies easy encapsulation. If I give this half the time I gave that classic I'm sure it will grow on me. Hyphenated-Man doesn't have the same sun-parched jitter, but it has some of the same spirit, and it is certainly the finest post-Minutemen release I've heard from Watt yet 4/5
Man, this comes out of the gates hard. Those are some catchy-ass basslines. Totally hooked.
I have certain reference points that I can't seem to get away from: I seem to repeatedly use comparisons to Guided by Voices to describe acts that are
* lo-fi
* effortlessly catchy
* liable to spit out dozens of songs at a time
* prone to writing simple, brisk and chorusless songs
In this case, it is the last 3 that apply, as it is just one effortlessly catchy, inventive, wildly varying song after another (the production is actually pretty good, losing it some DiY I-could-do-this charm, gaining it a large degree of listenability). It also reminds me of 69 Love Songs - all of these songs are good, the album wheeling off from one idea to another, going on and on, just more ideas than it knows what to do with, too much talent to stop effortlessly throwing off good lines and hooks and melodies. But eventually, by song #30, man, that lack of structure gets exhausting. There's a reason that a movie is easier to watch than 50 two-minute shorts, that overarching thread provides context for each idea.
I actually like shorter, chorusless songs (see The Unicorns, GBV), and the bass playing is unsurprisingly excellent, and Watt's voice has actually aged well enough, managing some Shatneresque pathos, and still mustering a powerful enough strained yell when it's needed. Pretty good for 53. The songs are vaguely minutemeney, angular, jagged, Gang-of-Four-but-more-fun bursts of sounds, quitting as soon as they've made their point. One after another, pop pop pop burst burst burst stab stab stab done. Fun, exhausting.
The most obvious point of reference is obviously, actually, Double Nickels on the Dime, which is an expansive set of songs that defies easy encapsulation. If I give this half the time I gave that classic I'm sure it will grow on me. Hyphenated-Man doesn't have the same sun-parched jitter, but it has some of the same spirit, and it is certainly the finest post-Minutemen release I've heard from Watt yet 4/5
#309 Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstacy
In one of the most roundabout origin stories ever: I was listening to a rap album that sounded like it sampled Steely Dan's Peg, thought that would make a pretty sweet sample, found out someone else had already used it (which probably gave me the idea, Marfa-dream style), and said, hey, I kind of like Steely Dan, I should probably hear one of his albums.
There was a recent run of light beer ads that talked about how the beer had superior "drinkability", which is the most brilliant thing to hang your beer on if you're trying to appeal to people who drink beer unthinkingly at social events. Is it delicious, satisfying, pleasant? Not necessarily, but man, it is no trouble at all to drink it. Oh! Oh how I railed against the insipid logic behind this ad. But this album might have changed my mind.
The way I want to describe this album is "listenable". But. But! I actually don't mean that in such a bad way. This album is easy to listen to. It is smooth, perfectly produced and mixed (as is the band's reputation), with a bit of soul, a bit of jazz, some stomping rock beats where it needs them, fancy moves perfectly timed and perfectly controlled. And I rather like it. Because the fact is, underneath the sheen, there is actually a fair amount of complexity, some expert playing, and more ambition and reach than you might expect. It's music that actually rewards close listening, actually keeps you on your toes, sounding like the best post-Hackett-pre-self-titled-album era Genesis songs (say, Abacab, Behind the Lines, Duke's Travels). When I spend all this time listening to "difficult" music, its a nice reprieve to find something that is pleasant to listen to without being boring. It's an interesting sweet spot.
And dammit, if I'm being honest, while I like myself a sierra nevada or a delirium or a stone, sometimes can after can of watery domestic is not such a bad reprieve.
On this subject, here's your homework. Is Steely Dan cool? They sound like they could be a band that serious music people despise or a band that serious music people respect. They seem like a band that it would be uncool to like, but also a band that it would be uncool not to like. They're a band that I feel inclined to say "actually, they're a lot better than you think" but then, I don't know whether I'm going to get a skeptical look that says "No, Steely Dan sucks" or a skeptical look that says "what do you mean 'actually'? Steely Dan rules". I usually know what a band's status is among the music listening populace and its various subfactions, but this one seems like a chameleon on that matter. Its strengths are its weaknesses.
Why does it matter what the world thinks? I guess I'm interested in positioning myself in the world of music listenership, finding my likes and dislikes, my overlaps and points of conflicts with various contingents. Music listenership is a language, and I'm trying to learn all the words, and there is no definition under Steely Dan.
I guess I'll have to actually listen to the music on its own.
It is too polished at times, a little repetitive at times, the vocals a little bit (a lot) too smooth. But for whatever reason, it isn't boring. It goes down smooth, but the way a decent Belgian does, not the way a Coors Light does. There's an legitimately exciting tempo change or paradigm shift at least once a song, with occasional touches of gritty (if well-honed) exuberance that evoke Exile on Main Street and the best Springsteen. And a couple of the songs are legitimately adventurous, on Your Gold Teeth and the epic tail-end-Genesis-evoking King of the World. And tell me that 2/3rds-thru breakdown on Boston Rag doesn't rock.
I think Steely Dan is a test. My answer is that it has all the trappings of sucking, but if you actually listen to it, it does not suck. I don't know if it means I pass or fail, but I put it at the high end of 4/5
Edit: also, after about 10 years of listening to the Super Furries' The Man Don't Give a Fuck, randomly I find out its oft-repeated, core sample is a one-off line from Show Biz Kids. Which, strangely, makes both songs way more awesome by association.
There was a recent run of light beer ads that talked about how the beer had superior "drinkability", which is the most brilliant thing to hang your beer on if you're trying to appeal to people who drink beer unthinkingly at social events. Is it delicious, satisfying, pleasant? Not necessarily, but man, it is no trouble at all to drink it. Oh! Oh how I railed against the insipid logic behind this ad. But this album might have changed my mind.
The way I want to describe this album is "listenable". But. But! I actually don't mean that in such a bad way. This album is easy to listen to. It is smooth, perfectly produced and mixed (as is the band's reputation), with a bit of soul, a bit of jazz, some stomping rock beats where it needs them, fancy moves perfectly timed and perfectly controlled. And I rather like it. Because the fact is, underneath the sheen, there is actually a fair amount of complexity, some expert playing, and more ambition and reach than you might expect. It's music that actually rewards close listening, actually keeps you on your toes, sounding like the best post-Hackett-pre-self-titled-album era Genesis songs (say, Abacab, Behind the Lines, Duke's Travels). When I spend all this time listening to "difficult" music, its a nice reprieve to find something that is pleasant to listen to without being boring. It's an interesting sweet spot.
And dammit, if I'm being honest, while I like myself a sierra nevada or a delirium or a stone, sometimes can after can of watery domestic is not such a bad reprieve.
On this subject, here's your homework. Is Steely Dan cool? They sound like they could be a band that serious music people despise or a band that serious music people respect. They seem like a band that it would be uncool to like, but also a band that it would be uncool not to like. They're a band that I feel inclined to say "actually, they're a lot better than you think" but then, I don't know whether I'm going to get a skeptical look that says "No, Steely Dan sucks" or a skeptical look that says "what do you mean 'actually'? Steely Dan rules". I usually know what a band's status is among the music listening populace and its various subfactions, but this one seems like a chameleon on that matter. Its strengths are its weaknesses.
Why does it matter what the world thinks? I guess I'm interested in positioning myself in the world of music listenership, finding my likes and dislikes, my overlaps and points of conflicts with various contingents. Music listenership is a language, and I'm trying to learn all the words, and there is no definition under Steely Dan.
I guess I'll have to actually listen to the music on its own.
It is too polished at times, a little repetitive at times, the vocals a little bit (a lot) too smooth. But for whatever reason, it isn't boring. It goes down smooth, but the way a decent Belgian does, not the way a Coors Light does. There's an legitimately exciting tempo change or paradigm shift at least once a song, with occasional touches of gritty (if well-honed) exuberance that evoke Exile on Main Street and the best Springsteen. And a couple of the songs are legitimately adventurous, on Your Gold Teeth and the epic tail-end-Genesis-evoking King of the World. And tell me that 2/3rds-thru breakdown on Boston Rag doesn't rock.
I think Steely Dan is a test. My answer is that it has all the trappings of sucking, but if you actually listen to it, it does not suck. I don't know if it means I pass or fail, but I put it at the high end of 4/5
Edit: also, after about 10 years of listening to the Super Furries' The Man Don't Give a Fuck, randomly I find out its oft-repeated, core sample is a one-off line from Show Biz Kids. Which, strangely, makes both songs way more awesome by association.
#308 Half Japanese - Charmed Life
Adam recommended these guys via #286, and I had my misgivings. Adam and AMG compare them to the shaggs, who I didn't especially like. What I read also more generally suggested that I was in for a pretty unlistenable experience.
Granting that this is supposed to be their most accessible early album, this was a lot more pleasant than I was expecting. There's actually a lot of fun, loud, fast, punk rock, but with more heart, inventiveness and hookiness than I could have imagined, landing somewhere between Guided by Voices, The Cramps, Ween, The Velvet Underground and [some really specific punk band with crazy horn riffs I heard recently that I now can't remember]. The horns are a key move, providing a ragged, focused melodic.
The whole thing is pretty ramshackle, but not as formless as the band's reputation for unstructured technique would suggest. There's a certain no wave tunelessness, but its usually underneath enough structure and rock energy to keep it from ruining the song. I guess by now they'd gotten some others who knew how to play on board. There's totally real solos and real talented playing on display. As punk goes this is more Minutemen than Sex Pistols.
Pretty fun stuff, curious to backtrack to their more pure stuff and see if I can handle it 4/5
Granting that this is supposed to be their most accessible early album, this was a lot more pleasant than I was expecting. There's actually a lot of fun, loud, fast, punk rock, but with more heart, inventiveness and hookiness than I could have imagined, landing somewhere between Guided by Voices, The Cramps, Ween, The Velvet Underground and [some really specific punk band with crazy horn riffs I heard recently that I now can't remember]. The horns are a key move, providing a ragged, focused melodic.
The whole thing is pretty ramshackle, but not as formless as the band's reputation for unstructured technique would suggest. There's a certain no wave tunelessness, but its usually underneath enough structure and rock energy to keep it from ruining the song. I guess by now they'd gotten some others who knew how to play on board. There's totally real solos and real talented playing on display. As punk goes this is more Minutemen than Sex Pistols.
Pretty fun stuff, curious to backtrack to their more pure stuff and see if I can handle it 4/5
#307 Ice Cube - Death Certificate
AMG says this one is good - I had previously satisfied myself with Amerikkka's Most Wanted, but I was curious where else he had to go with that approach.
I'm hard to please when it comes to rap. I love hard-hitting, sharp-edged, percussive rapping, but I still find endless murder fantasies numbing, and the two go hand in hand. Ice Cube is probably the best example. His rhyme structures aren't especially inventive. You know going in that all the rhymes are going to be at the end of the line, but at least he spends the rest of the line setting up that whip-crack at the end to hit hard, over and over and over again. The problem is that it's so relentless, so often about killing dudes or selling drugs or bitches and ho's and all the usual stuff. There's some jokey stuff mixed in that I don't remember there being much of on AMW, and for the most part it clashes with the violence. Look, are you a stone cold killer or the court jester? Trying to be both seems more unseemly than either.
On the other hand, there are moments here where Cube seems insecure, frustrated and scared, which makes him more human. At least for a while. Then its killing time again.
Productionwise, there are some great basslines and some pretty good beats, especially after the death/life turnaround in the middle. The pacing is snappy for a while, but then, like so many rap albums of the era, it long overstays its welcome.
I don't think this guy is for me, but it was worth hearing another album's worth. I'm slowly starting to get what the golden age scene was about, which is a tricky project for someone who couldn't be less in the target audience, and who only started listening to this stuff years after the era had ended 2.5/5
I'm hard to please when it comes to rap. I love hard-hitting, sharp-edged, percussive rapping, but I still find endless murder fantasies numbing, and the two go hand in hand. Ice Cube is probably the best example. His rhyme structures aren't especially inventive. You know going in that all the rhymes are going to be at the end of the line, but at least he spends the rest of the line setting up that whip-crack at the end to hit hard, over and over and over again. The problem is that it's so relentless, so often about killing dudes or selling drugs or bitches and ho's and all the usual stuff. There's some jokey stuff mixed in that I don't remember there being much of on AMW, and for the most part it clashes with the violence. Look, are you a stone cold killer or the court jester? Trying to be both seems more unseemly than either.
On the other hand, there are moments here where Cube seems insecure, frustrated and scared, which makes him more human. At least for a while. Then its killing time again.
Productionwise, there are some great basslines and some pretty good beats, especially after the death/life turnaround in the middle. The pacing is snappy for a while, but then, like so many rap albums of the era, it long overstays its welcome.
I don't think this guy is for me, but it was worth hearing another album's worth. I'm slowly starting to get what the golden age scene was about, which is a tricky project for someone who couldn't be less in the target audience, and who only started listening to this stuff years after the era had ended 2.5/5
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