You already know what everyone else is saying. You know what's popular, what's been out for a minute... but maybe you forgot what's classic, maybe something slipped under the radar, maybe you didn't dive deep enough on what you thought you knew. So before you go do all that...
Happy birthday to me. . . good friends hit me up, and good music kept me goin'.
The Strokes - Is This It (Live From Bonnaroo '11)
Solid intro to a playlist referencing turning a page, adding another notch on the belt. Plus, I was there.
The Beach Boys - I Get Around
A song I've been bumpin' since I was 8.
Boards of Canada - Hi Scores
Chill, ambient, heavy beats that kept me mellow.
Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life
Just a damn good song. As gleeful as it gets.
Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T)
How solid is this song? Only perceived as a downer if you let it get to you. Breaking this one down...one of his better beats/songs/messages.
Pete Yorn - Murray (Live in Chicago)
Got chills watching this. The sign of a damn good performance.
Erykah Badu - Otherside Of The Game
Had to chill it out a bit. Her voice... the word "sultry" comes to mind. I find it comforting like when your hands are dry and you slide 'em across cold steel. Just relaxes you. This song's the same way.
The Bravery - Swollen Summer
Had to brighten things up a bit. This song'll get you movin'. Loud, fast, obnoxious...just how I like my women.
311 - Loco
Keepin' it on that upbeat tip, these guys have been with me since day 1.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside
Birthdays, as they rack up, bring about reflection. I'll hop off my soapbox in a second, but I gotta say that, for better or worse, I can't help but look back on where I've been and where I'm at now. The thought has highs and lows and almost always ends on an ambiguous note, not unlike this song.
*NOTE: These songs came up on shuffle, with no more than two songs between them. This took no time at all to put together and because of the sheer luck that that took, I had to toss 'em together.
Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces
Can't help but think of Swingers when I hear this. Looking forward to celebrating soon.
The Black Keys - Money Maker
New one from them. Will soon be featured in strip clubs and party playlists everywhere.
Motion City Soundtrack - Time Turn Fragile
Just a solid "What's it about?Fuck it, let's drink" song.
Honors English - Flyin' High (feat. Lupe Fiasco)
A new one, for those that are sick of radio hits, but still want a radio hit.
Check this guy's site out. You'll be blown away: Honors English
Spoon - Trouble Comes Running
Maybe the most reliable band that I know of.
Mute Math - Typical (Live on Letterman)
Seeing this actually happen changed my perception, not only of the band, but of Letterman's show. The drummer was, for a moment, not human and was a conduit for insanity via cymbal crashes.
!VIDEO BONUS!
Sugar Ray - When It's Over
Just enjoy it, dammit.
Pharrell - Frontin' (feat. Jay-Z)
The kinda party I'd love to have for my birthday. . . that he has on a Wednesday.
Have NO clue what this person was doing with the video. I wish Youtube would get their act together in regards to these classics...too bad they'd hafta patrol billions of videos daily.
Back to The Reverend, I've been a fan since I can remember hearing his stuff in Pulp Fiction. I've obviously dove in since then, checking out his older stuff, his newer albums in the 80's... and the man still has it.
Recently saw him on some late night PBS show my dad was watching. He said he was going to make me watch it with him.
Lightnin' Hopkins. Took some time to do some research on this man.
- He passed away 4 years before I was born, which gives some perspective into how music travels. Thoughts that came outta him impacted me almost 30 years after he'd died.
- Blues artists have this way with words. Their brevity, their choices, their ability to bring a thought back around to the beginning...it's something to marvel at, since most of the best ones probably didn't get much more than a high school education. Further proof that degrees don't mean much if you haven't lived or can't express yourself.
- The Blues is/are something that doesn't keep it's aim on color or creed. Man, woman, young and old can all get a bitter taste of 'em.
- Maybe the coolest name ever.
I'd go into him and Blues, as a genre...but anything I could articulate is said, five times over, here.
Been this kind of an emotion running through me: where I just open the blinds or take a left and see beauty, but in the back of my head, there's a melancholy that's got the reigns.
Not to get emo and drone on, but let's be real: life's crazy these days. Pick any subject to talk about with a complete stranger and you'll assuredly end up at a "yeah...shit happens" moment, unless you're talking about anything but Derrick Rose or. . .
(spend five minutes looking around the room for something.)
Yeah, I got nothing.
But at the same time, that keeps me present, keeps me aware of what I'm doing. When I'm listening to this song. . . yeah, it's a bummer. But dammit, they're good, and they kinda rock, and they keep it simple so I can keep reading what I'm reading or taking care of whatever I'm doing in the garage. That kind of mentality might be an "ignorance is bliss" mentality, but knowing what I know, I'd say it's a "peace of mind while bombs go off" mentality.
Solid song.
Here's the weird video. I watched half of it and realized that I had my own picture, I'd made my own music video in my head and didn't want to sully it with vampires or whatever the hell is going on in it. . . but feel free to watch.
I was going to delve deep into the abyss with why this video, to me, is incredible. . . but I don't want to put my stamp on something that might influence someone's take on it. The epiphany of a song/video that this is and the one I garnered from watching it and listening to it repeatedly were live and without question, our own, respectively.
Mute Math, also known as mutemath. . . from what I've seen, usually goes for broke on the esthetics of a live performance; not detracting from the sound, but c'mon. . . when you do a song backwards while glitter, paint and confetti rain down from smoke machines, there's clearly something behind that. But this time, they turned to a band that was purely sonically based. The video is still eye-catching, with the constant flux of neons and solid camera work, and they, as a band, are a good lookin' group of hipster dudes, but the way they're shown to play. . . it's like watching The Wonders the first time they play That Thing You Do to a live audience: I'm transfixed.
So that's it. Watch it. It's watching a band at their pinnacle. Whether that's in respect to Letterman, who's got mad clout, or just because they'd been doing things one way for so long and switched gears, they nail it.
GET THIS ALBUM (...that I know you've already heard is good)
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV
To summarize quickly: It’s his best album yet.
That’s saying a lot...a TON, actually, because he’s touted as one of the best, if not THE best going. But, in order to be the best going, you’ve gotta produce when the pressure is on, when the money is on the table. I’m not saying he hasn’t. III and II were solid and I just watched a 106 & Park episode where he was on damn near every video on the countdown (Seriously, I think he clocked in at 7/10). I’ve always felt like his mixtapes were a lot better than his albums, and I’m not sure I’m wrong with that statement. But I believe this album, Tha Carter IV, sways that, starting at the start.
I enjoy intros that aren’t just skits or just a few weird sounds or just whoever’s album it is talking himself up. The intros that are lyrically-backed are great ways to get things going. Ludacris does this all the time, both Jay and Nas have, too. Talib and T.I. also did this on occasion, and I think Wayne’s intro is a solid one. That’s all it has to be, really: Something that get’s ya salivating but doesn’t outshine any of the other tracks.
Regarding substance, there are moments where I wish he’d expand on some of the deep thoughts he has.
He has a line in the song Abortion…
Sometimes you gotta fight the devil with a demon.
I wish he’d go deeper on this kind of a thought. I always found that he hit notes like this and then just hopped off of them onto something else. That's fine, but to be as creative and talented as this guy is, I'm sure he's holding back, intellectually, and I'm sorry, but I wanna hear the guy delve deeper. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to art, in whatever format it's being portrayed, and I think he's starting to realize that.
He shows this well on How To Love, which is fine for a love song, but I wouldn’t mind hearing a track or two about his success or his failures or his ambition or his jail time. Dude stuff. Whosever idea it was to release How To Love as his first “single” earned their paycheck. Pretty smart. It’s definitely a love song, very marketable and it’s well-made.
IV has emotion backing it up, which is something that Wayne has done in the past, but I never bought it. The kings nail it: Kanye and most of G.O.O.D. Music handles the darker side of things, Em can't help but bring bleak lyrics to songs, Drake has had enough songs to solidify himself as an "emotional MC," even Rick Ross throws down on some heavy-hearted subjects. There are multiple heavy hitters with regards to emotion, but it's tough to buy into it when they come right back and contradict themselves. It’s few and far between, and when radio is more repetitive than the storyline in Jersey Shore and there’s no MTV to speak of, it’s good to hear songs that hit home on thoughts that one might have, but haven’t heard.
One that I’ve had is How To Hate. Not that I’m vindictive about any ex, but man...that song solidified the thought that one sour instance can be a catalyst for such a heartfelt thought that spans an entire aspect of one’s life. He nailed that song's subject matter, and what's even better is that he doesn't mix words or go "soft" and pander. He stands behind his behavior and, at the same time, keeps things real with regards to relationships. . . Then T-Pain comes in and auto-tunes it up and I can’t lie, it took me out of the moment. I started to wonder what T-Pain thinks when he steps up to the mic, as in “Jay-Z destroyed me and my one way to make crazy amounts of money, but I gotta make crazy amounts of money. . .” I picture him sauntering up to the microphone like a sad clown and flicking an “auto-tune” switch on some massive soundboard and going through the motions like some kinda sad clown. . .
Anyway, T-Pain kinda pisses me off, but that song is still a killer.
Most of the songs on Wayne’s album are killers. He's still as confident as ever, and any fan of his takes that confidence with them. His one-liners, whether lengthy or succinct, have always been tattoo-worthy. Here’s some that stuck out to me from this album.
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Intro - I’m so high, I get starstruck
Blunt Blowin’ - I put it down like my hands’ hurtin’/I’m on a natural high, but I land perfect.
Megaman - Young money, man. We got this shit by a landslide/Boy I’ll send them Bloods at yo ass like a tampon
Nightmares of the Bottom - Don’t call me sir, call me survivor
President Carter - Appetite for disaster. I want a full plate, and a full plate after.
It’s Good - Talkin’ ‘bout “baby money”? I got ya “baby money”/Kidnap yo bitch, get that “How much you love yo’ lady?” money
I Like The View - It’s Dr. Carter, bitch. I got this shit nipped and tucked.
Two Shots - If I ain’t a trend topic, I’m a fuckin’ trend setter.
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It’s pretty remarkable that I’m still so impressed with his lines. You gotta figure that he’s gonna run out of “wow that’s clever” lines, but the guy’s creativity is on point.
She Will with Drake is such a good song, I don’t know how to handle it. It gets me really really amped for their collab album they’re saying they’re gonna put out before the year is up. Probably my favorite track.
Minor thoughts:
- The concept of President Carter made me wonder how Jay-Z missed that. How has he never done anything like that? Not really Jay's style, then again, I didn't think Otis was his style, either.
- Jada’s line “Life is a game, but all you get is a turn” really stuck with me.
The overall is that IV is better than III. I really enjoyed this album. I enjoyed breaking this one down because I felt like there was more to break down. III hit on more subjects and had appearances from a slew of different artists, but this album had more to offer from Wayne himself, and like his mixtapes, I think the more Weezy, the better.
I’ve always considered Wayne like a Dirk Nowitzki of hip-hop. He does things you’d never see coming out of a guy his size, is always in the discussion for “best on the court,” but never really brought the noise when it mattered. Wayne was the same way: He’d dropped incredible mixtapes and solid albums, but nothing “ring” worthy. I think this year was both of theirs. Dirk got his championship and Wayne dropped, what I believe, his best album ever. Well produced and creative, he wasn't outshined by anyone, he broadened his subject matter while staying in his wheelhouse, and I think he showed more maturity. Really solid album.
RUN THROUGH SOME RANDOMS
J Cole - Workout
Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat
almost 26 million views ain’t for nothing.
Phoenix - Love Like A Sunset
I heard about this song through a Lipton Iced Tea commercial. Did NOT see this video coming. HEAVY INEBRIATION NECESSARY
Groove Armada - I Won't Kneel
Joy Formidable - Whirring
LAST GASP OF SUMMER
BLACK ROB - Celebration
Brianna - Fly Kicks
How'd she get her lips like that? DAMN
Ol' Skool Jam of the Month:
Ini Kamoze (?) - Here Comes the Hotstepper
MURRRRRDA-RAH!
LIST: Soundtracks I've Loved
I was watching a movie calledPirate Radioa week or two ago, and I was enamored by this movie's compilation of music. The film is centered around the era and area of some of the most brilliant music ever made, but to pick the best of the best can be a bit of a drag. It's what I call, a "good problem" to have. (Anyone who watches The Wire will get that.)
But this movie had some insanely catchy songs from a time that, I'm sure, most of my generation has just forgotten or flips past when they're shuffling, trying to get to whatever song gets asses moving.
There's nothing wrong with gettin' a party going, but these guys INVENTED the party... The Stones, The Yardbirds & Cream & everything else Clapton did, Martha and The Vandellas, The Who, The Isley Brothers... Pirate Radio even had songs that were original ballads from Smokey Robinson, Dusty Springfield...and I mean, if it wasn't for Jay and Ye naming their song OTIS, I sincerely wonder if Otis Redding would've ever made it onto people's playlists.
So I went back and looked at some of the soundtracks that I've come across over the years that've been greats.
I've thrown it back a bit this month. I also cracked the 32-day and 57-Gig mark with my music, which any tune-geek will tell you is pretty cool. Anyway, here's what's been played so far, with wiki links and videos of some of my favorite stuff...
(I went on a tear with this woman. I've found that, when realizing that I missed out on something that came about in my special because it just wasn't your time to understand it, going back to that, whatever it is, and delving into it is incredibly fulfilling. I've done it when I finally discovered Death Cab, Spoon... a bunch of artists. Anyway, I'm lookin' to catch up on this kind of stuff... stuff that was influential to me without me really knowing it.)
Does anyone remember Lupe saying that his next album would be his last? I never wanted that. The guy was touted immediately as a KRS-One reincarnate, a guy who refused to go with the grain and "Dumb It Down." Who wants to lose someone with his kind of talent? It'd be like Derrick Rose retiring in a year. There's a lot in common between the two, besides their Chicago origin: They're both relatively humble, but have unreal ambition; they're both REALLY fast and can, at times, attack (words or rims) with a high amount of aggression; they've both had the same sort of progression, career-wise, with immediate strides towards success founded on performance and not hype, garnering respect from peers. For instance, Jay-Z, a guy who rarely makes appearances on anyone's record, was featured on Lupe's rookie album. Rose, who's an MVP-status player these days, was recently voted as Captain of the Eastern All-Star team. Kind of funny how two dudes from Chicago can have the same type of demeanor to go along with the same sort of success.
As far as LF is concerned, in his past albums, and even mixtapes like Enemy of the State, he's shown an incredible amount of versatility and has improved his ability to reach out and hit volatile subjects in descriptive fashion, like sexual abuse and religion. He could always tell what songs were about. Even if they words blew past you like train windows, you still got a relatively specific idea of what he was trying to convey. With this album, I find it difficult to put my finger on any particular subject. Not to say that he had to fit into any sort of mold. Many of these songs are anthems, songs sprayed at a crowd of people rather than aimed at an individual mind.
The first two songs are darker. They're almost (God forgive me for saying this…) emo. Words I Never Said is playing on the radio currently, and if I'm ever listening to the radio, it's for something that doesn't make me "think," its because I'm on my way to get groceries and I'm in too much of a hurry to reflect on where I'm at in life or any other intrinsic issue I have.
Till I Get There is a great song. I picture the possibility of this album being a "first cut" and thinking of songs that would make it to the next round. I feel like this one would've made it. He takes words and spins them around his fingers like a pair of scissors.
The next song with MDMA is cool. Most of the ones featuring MDMA are, but he uses word tricks and electronic tools that aren't his usual "go-to" tools. I'm careful to judge that aspect because, like Jay said, "People want my old shit? Buy my old albums." Progression is something that I've always sought from music. Whether it works or not, you can't shy away from it because things don't come out squeaky-clean. I respect the challenge and don't see anything wrong with a little reverb or auto-tune or shift-stutter thrown in. It's actually done well and get's pretty catchy. Thing is, I've seen this guy twice live and I can't picture him ever doing I Don't Wanna Care Right Now live.
Upon a second listen (giving a review on one listen of an album is a little like doing one set of curls to build muscles), the album is dark, which has become Lupe's wheelhouse, but in a different way. The Cool was gloomy, but in a Dark Knight sort of way, not weakening in intensity. That's where I see this album at. I hesitate at using the word "emo" because that has so many negative connotations, but it is a bit self-masichistic, he does take some sensitive, melodramatic turns. All in all, the album has many unexpected sounds and when a reliably successful artist makes a change like that, there's almost always a backlash, where loyal fans grit their teeth as casual listeners don't mind or may not even notice the somber demeanor and think it's a normal thing.
The song State Run Radio is interesting. It's not catchy by any means, it's actually a bit annoying. I picture him sitting down in a black leather-bound chair facing guys wearing suits, but no ties…because they work in the music industry. This song plays and it is seen as a middle-finger to the industry, which would offend these empty-suits, except they're blind to the idea that the statement is pointed at them. They think, "This'll appeal to anyone that says he's controlled by us" and simply move on, checking "militant song against mainstream media" off his list of "How To Format A Rap Album."
I enjoyed this album but I'm no causal listener. I've written a number of articles/blurbs/excerpts/whatever about him and I, along with a number of my friends, follow Lupe's dogma as if it was written in stone eons ago. I enjoyed this album's latter tracks, but I had heard them a number of times before (I'm Beamin', Shining Down, The Show Goes On…which still hasn't gotten old). But overall, I felt like the things I've heard, the idea that the album isn't really "his," but rather a product of a a restraining record label that yanked the reigns on his originality. There was a noticeable lack of confidence. His albums have had a trend of opening with a banger; a pretty complicated set of verses, accompanied with a beat that got things moving early, making sure you knew what you'd started listening to. I'm not referring to "confidence" as talking big, but lyrically complicated, with rapid alliteration, rarely taking more than a short breath.
What I don't respect is doing something that is lesser than what you've offered up previously. If you're as great as Lupe has been, you're held up to a higher standard. Sorry…that's what it is. I, once again, can't help but liken this to sports. The whole Miami team? The Yankees? Squads or players that have a reputation for dominating, for being a step ahead of everyone else because not only are they better, but they're putting more out there…when they take a step back, or in Miami's case, get blown back, they're accosted for not performing up to what we remember they could do. We, as American consumers, demand that, if you got our attention, you earned it and from here on out, you better not waiver or mess it up because we'll ruin you in tomorrow's paper.
This album, with a glass-half-full mentality, could act as a segway to his past albums, which I can't say is a bad thing. It's not a bad idea, even if it's forced from above, because it gets him out there to the masses. Thing is, if that was the scheme, I don't think that needed to happen. Lupe has already done immense amounts of live shows, has the ability in today's market to go platinum and he's a pretty charming guy as it is. Hip hop is always going to be grimy, and with Lupe being one of the genre's more clean-cut acts, to clean him up even more so takes away some of what makes him fantastic, as if to wipe away the dirt on car would take some of the paint with it.
311- Universal Pulse .... A "Listen While You Write" edition
I don't usually write about music on the first listen because I feel like music is, if enjoyable, something that needs to be listened to over and over, repeated to catch what you missed. Decided to give the other side a shot...
Ok…so I got a little distracted while I listened to them, but this is a pretty solid first version. I sat back and waited until about midway through the album so that things could sink in a bit, but it's very well composed. They don't overstay their welcome, and what they do while they're there is one more evolutionary step for them. They've been evolving since From Chaos, where Evolver (pardon the pun...), Don't Tread On Me and Uplifter have all been what I think sincere 311 fans would say are solid albums. The thing is, they've been pretty large albums, all between 40 minutes and topping out at an just under an hour (Uplifter, the deluxe edition...as if I'd come in with some weak REGULAR edition) With Universal Pulse, I feel like it's a Strokes kind of album, where they keep giving everything the "chop" and arranging things so that it's very fluid and succinct.
Speaking of The Strokes...
STROKED: Stereogum'sversion of The Strokes' Is This It? Album...
Ok…it's a new twist, and at first, I can't lie, it wasn't met with a warm welcome, but after coming to terms with what I was listening to wasn't one of my favorite AND one of the best albums I've ever owned, I was ok with going along with it. For one, some songs like Hard to Explain are incredibly good. An orchestral take on it, which brought me back to my cello days.
This version is one that I felt did the original justice.
*I need to remember to write an entry on the difference between "favorite" and "best." For the reader out there, note that there's a difference and put the shackles on the "Best list ever" critique.
Memory Tapes - Player Piano
Really solid album if you're into them. Quick summation: They're electronic, with these ambient, lofty sounds where they sound like they're playing in an empty airplane hanger or something. Things echo and snap with remarkable clarity at the same time but they're "happy to be alive" ambient kind of sound is lofty and quiet enough to be solid background music for folding clothes or driving.
This album, though, has a few bangers. The song Worries is one of them that hit very well with headphones.
This song, too...
The kind of music that keeps clouds floating by, now featuring ill beats. I really really wish I could've seen them at Pitchfork. So glad I'm moving back to Chicago.
QUICK NOTE ON A BAND THAT'LL QUICKLY TAKE OVER THE WORLD
BLACK JOE LOUIS & THE HONEYBEARS
I'm unbelievably bummed that I didn't know who these guys were yet prior to Bonnaroo. I'm sure they tore the house down, live.
Questions to answer after hearing this, once again, incredible mixtape from 1/2 of Clipse:
- Why's he hafta be so awesome and not get more popular? I'm tired of having to tell everyone I know that you're the shit.
- What happened to his brother? Sure, most of the time, he's more entertaining, but the darkness his brother Malice brought made them even tougher to keep in a corner. Hell Hath No Fury is still the most repeated hip-hop album I've ever had.
- Can't wait for new album. When's it coming out? Gotta find that out...
************Using the same mixtape website, www.datpiff.com, also mention The Cool Kids and their new one THE BAKE SALE EP. Mixtapes are a friggin fantastic way to get your music to your fans, I wish better bands did it. Radiohead kind of does, which makes them, once again, even awesomer...if only that were a word.
