Outlawz

Outlawz
We Want In

This album was a lesson in the need to do your homework. First I thought it was another mediocre street rap disc, then I was pleasantly surprised by the five or six good tracks on it, and then I realized it was 2Pac's old crew. Who have been around since 1995, and put out a million records, which maybe explains why they are better than your average street rap crew. Half of this I actually liked, the other half was not so great, and the promo I got divided each song into five tracks, so it is going into landfill.

review here.

Sankofa - MWF2

I'm a big fan of Fort Wayne, Indiana rapper Sankofa. This is the second installment of his free "Music With Friends" series, available at www.obeseamerica.com.
He is on a more bluesy tip here, accompanied by live guitar and drums. It is a little samey, but I still dig this. I'm really into Atmosphere's experiments with a live band, and I think more rappers should step away from the boards and try jamming for a change. Go download it, already!

Review is here.

Invincible

Invincible
Shapeshifters
Emergence, 2008

My review is here.

I'm a big fan of Invincible. I had heard about this up and coming female MC who had been slated to be the next Eminem, but I was sceptical. I figured the hype had more to do with people wanting to like her rather than actually being into her music. I'm sad to say that this is only the seventh hip hop album by a female MC I've ever owned, and that's if you count Peaches as a hip hop MC. It was only after I heard a few tracks on her Myspace page that I finally relented and bought her debut, Shapeshifters, out June 18 on her own Emergence Music label. Musically, she has great beats and can spit some fire. Lyrically, she is that all-too rare thing in hip hop: an intelligent, passionate MC who uses the art form to break things down and tackle real, complex issues. She's also a lefty, but not an obnoxious, Rage Against the Machine lefty. She deals with the hypocrisy, racism, gentrification, and sexism in the world. She tackles issues of love and depression. She even gets her swagger on a little, but just enough. In short, she's made an amazing record, and deserves commercial success to rival her critical success. So go buy ten copies.

Ratings

In my work for Rapreviews, I have to rate albums on a ten point scale, judging both their lyrics and music. When I review a more high-profile album, my score ends up part of the Metacritic aggregate, which means that my positive reviews of Lyrics Born and Erykah Badu have helped their latests albums have higher scores. The ten point scale is daunting, and even worse when converted to Metacritic's 100 point scale. Then it becomes a grade, and I'm giving albums a B, a B- or a C. Sometimes I wish I could just use Sound Opinions "Buy It, Burn It, Trash It" scale, which often better sums up how I feel about an album. I either like it, think it's worth checking out, or don't want to waste my time with it. I guess the ten point scale allows for more nuance and fairness.

I taught English in the Peace Corps for a year, with the idea that I would end up being a History teacher when I got done with my two years. It turns out I couldn't stand being a teacher, and grading was part of the issue. It was always such a hassle, and such drama. No one would accept a bad grade, even when they deserved it. As a result, grades end up inflated, and then the truly great students end up getting robbed. If mediocrity becomes the new good, then good is mediocre.

I struggle with my ratings on Rapreviews. I could be accused of inflating my scores, but if that's true, it isn't on purpose. A lot of what I review are independent releases made by artists that are working hard at their music. I factor this into my reviews, and I tend to be more lenient to an independent artist who is actually trying as opposed to an established artist who is doing the same old bullshit. I also take into account the fact that the indie artists don't have access to the production and promotion that major label artists do. When you know a rapper is doing this on top of a full-time job, and will be lucky to sell a thousand copies, you aren't as tempted to rip them a new asshole for not being the second coming of Nas.

I try to lay out what I dislike about an artist, although in as constructive a way possible. I always imagine having to say my review to the artist's face, which keeps me honest. Many of the albums I've given favorable reviews I've never listened to again. Most of them get traded back to Ameoba, or end up in a pile on my shelf gathering dust. Most of these reviews I still agree with, but some of them I regret - there are at least a few I've written that could have been given one or two less points. The problem is that I generally want to like the albums, and I want the artists to succeed, so I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt even when I should be calling bullshit sometimes. I get caught up in the moment, the album grows on me after the twelfth listen, and in a moment of insanity, I give a Six record a Seven.

The problem is that people probably skip to the end of my reviews and see the 7.5 or 8.0, and think, ok, this is a great record, or a so-so record, or whatever. The truth is that there are different 7.5's and 8.0's. I've given two sevens this week. One of the albums had five great tracks and a whole lot of garbage. The other album had great beats, a great message, but mediocre delivery. They both end up with the same score, although I felt differently about both. And then there is the question of taste. I tend to be more into backpackey stuff that is pushing the envelope and doing interesting things musically and lyrically. I'm over melodramatic synths or ice-cold tales of crime, and yet there are a lot of hip hop heads who love this kind of music. Whenever I watch BET I think, this is hip hop? Really? And yet people go nuts for that shit, and then it ends up in my mailbox to review, and I have to find a constructive way to write about it, and judge it on its own merits.

In the end, I hope that my reviews get people interested in the artists, even if they don't agree with my review. I hope that I turn more people on to music than I deter, and I hope that the artists whose albums I don't like realize that I have to be honest, and I'm probably being as nice as I can.

Port O'Brien

Port O'Brien All We Could Do Was Sing I was introduced to Oakland's Port O'Brien when "I Woke Up Today" was the KEXP song of the day. I immediately fell in love. The song is sort of like the Arcade Fire meet Modest Mouse meet the Dodos - folky instrumentation with a hammering beat and shouted lyrics. It's a great song, and further develops and contributes to the catologue of baroque/folk/orch/indie music that has been gaining steam lately. What I like about this new indie folk music is that, while it can be pretentious and a bit affected, it is generally sincere and interesting. In an age of day-glo fabrics, stunna shades, and things moving at the rate of a fast internet connection, its nice to hear music that isn't snarky or ironic, and doesn't try to pretend that we should all be doing coke and sipping jack and coke's at some New York club in 1985. Fuck that, the indie folkers say. We should all be smoking weed and preparing macrobiotic group meals in a yurt in the late sixties. I actually have no compunction to do either, but I'm too old, and have too many bad memories of the 80s having actually lived in them, to want to relive that wretched decade. I'm much more into what the Dodo's, Port O'Brien, the Fleet Foxes, or the Arcade Fire are doing - using old tropes and instruments to make new music. Not everything on "All We Could Do Was Sing" is as great as "I Woke Up Today." There are probably one too many fishing ditties here, but that is as bad as this album gets, and those tracks are only mildly annoying. Elsewhere they do some sublime ballads, and even rock out a little. They also bring in a female vocalist, who rounds out their sound and brings a welcome feminine touch to an otherwise very salty group of boys. I'm excited to see these guys live (although they evidently just left the Bay Area for a US/Canada tour). They do wicked covers of Move Bitch and My Humps live. For real.

I'm Not There

I recently saw Todd Haynes I'm Not There, which looks at various stages in Bob Dylan's life through the lens of six different characters, each played by a different actor or actress, none named "Bob Dylan." There is the sixties electric Dylan, played by Cate Blanchett, the Woody Guthrie worshipping Dylan played by a young African American actor, the protest singer/born-again Christian played by Christian Bale, the celeb Dylan played by Heath Ledger, and the weird America/Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid Dylan played by Richard Gere. It is an adventerous, risky movie that doesn't stick to a clear narrative, doesn't tell a clear story, and doesn't totally make sense. People steeped in Dylan's mythology will get the most out of this movie, as it assumes that you understand the characters it references, but I can't see aging hippies/baby boomers necessarily digging this. It's pretty out there, as out there as some of Godard's sixties work (Masculine/Feminine is explicitly referenced in the film). It's remarkable that Haynes got this thing made, considering it tackles an American icon who is still alive, and turns the life of Bob Dylan into an arthouse flick. The casting is also a little stunt, but all of the actors do a tremendous job, with the possible exception of Bale, who just sort of acts constipated. What I loved about the film was its cinemetography; this is one gorgeous film, with rich colors, and some stunning black and white work. I also loved how it tackled the issues Dylan faced rather than merely relate his life story. It didn't detail his change from protest singer to drug-addled rocker to born again preacher - it examined how he fought against being classified as merely a protest singer, and how constrained he felt by his image, his legend, and the expectations his fans and the media had of him. Even the rock cliche of drug addiction is handled well here: Haynes doesn't bother detailing Dylan's drug abuse, but instead shows how Dylan's amphetamine use is fueled in part by his desire to deal with and makes sense of the pressures around him. It doesn't end with him hitting rock bottom or making a brave comeback - it ends with him being shown as the real human that he is, warts and all. Perhaps the best thing about I'm Not There is that it doesn't pretend to be the truth. Bio pics always play fast and loose with the truth in order to weave a coherent story and make a compelling narrative. By not naming any of the characters "Bob Dylan," Haynes avoids the hypocrisy and deciet of most bio pics. Some may be put off by the lack of a coherent story, but at least Haynes isn't telling the same tired "rise from obscurity, reach success, succumb to sex and drugs, hit bottom, make triumphant comeback" narrative that is the staple of rock bios. (See every episode of "Behind the Music," or Walk Hard). I'm not sure I totally got I'm Not There, especially the scenes with Richard Gere, but it is a beautiful, interesting film, and a worthy tribute to an important musician.

Outside Lands Festival

I just got tickets to the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park. I got the tickets for Sunday, August 24. It’s a three-day festival, but I can’t swing that much festival, so I picked the day that had the most bands that I was excited about. Day 1 was also exciting, with Radiohead and Beck, but whatevs. There is something funny about the fact that I just paid a hundred bucks to see Jack Johnson and Widespread Panic, two artists for whom I have no affection. I’m really excited to see Wilco, Andrew Bird, Sharon Jones, Little Brother, and the Cool Kids. I’ll admit, I’m a little wary. I hate being in the sun, I hate crowds, especially with really drunk people, I hate waiting in long lines for stinky port-a-pottie…Originally I had no desire to go, but I was discussing it with some friends, and I realized that my hatred of festivals is based on Lollapallooza ONE seventeen years ago. So maybe I should give it another shot. Plus, it’s within walking distance of my girlfriend’s (and soon to be my) apartment, so what the hey. Also, festivals seem like the new big thing, so I better learn to love them.

Tix are still available, so go buy some, dog. www.outsidelandsfestival.com
The line up is below…


Sunday August 24th (first band is on at 1pm)
Jack Johnson
Wilco
Widespread Panic
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Broken Social Scene
Andrew Bird
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Drive-By Truckers
Toots & the Maytals
Stars
Rogue Wave
ALO
Jackie Greene
Mike Gordan
The Cool Kids
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Little Brother
Bon Iver
The Mother Hips
Nicole Atkins & The Sea
K'naan
Back Door Slam
Culver City Dub Collective

Best of 2008 So Far

With the year a little more than halfway over, I thought I'd take a minute to reflect on some of my favorite releases in the first six month of the two thousand and eighth year of Our Lord.

Best Hip Hop Releases:

1. Erykah Badu "New Amerykah Part 1" I gave this a really high score, and I still think it is a phenomenal record. You have to listen to "Soldier" on a system with good bass to truly understand. It's beautiful, angry, and banging.

2. Cool Kids "The Bake Sale" plus all their sundry mixtapes. I fucking love these guys. Call them hipster douchbags if you will, but I'm on board.

3. Atmosphere - "Strictly Leakage" Their free party album is full of classic funky breaks and Slug at his emo rap best, having fun and killing it.

Also. Atmosphere - "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold." A little downtempo, with a few clunky tracks, but still packing enough great songs to make it worth repeated spins.

4. Invincible "Shapeshifters" An activist rapper who is white and female and doesn't sound like the Consolidated? Believe it.

5. Red Ants "Omega Point" I've been listening to this some more, and goddamn is it evil and delicious, like a good sludgy Black Sabbath track, only it's hip hop, and they are rapping about conspiracy theories.


Best Non Hip Hop Releases

1. Fleet Foxes S/T Like My Morning Jacket if they were a baroque medieval folk band.

2. Dodos "Visiter" Charming, pretty folk music that manages to not be to precious for its own good

3. Radiohead "In Rainbows." Goddamn is this good. After a few albums of meandering bullshit, they finally cut the crap and start writing songs again.


I don't really have any other top picks. There are other albums I like, but am not in love with, like the She & Him album, the Port O'Brien record, the Vampire Weekend album, etc. There is a lot I haven't heard, like the Hercules and the Love Affair album, which is supposed to be awesome, the Lil Wayne album, the new Torche album, etc Most of the other stuff that made other best of lists that isn't on mine is stuff I haven't heard and can't be bothered to check out.

So what did I miss? What am I totally wrong about? I'm pretty sure that all of my picks will stand the test of time, but then again, I don't listen to all of the stuff that made my year end list very much anymore either.

T.H.U.G. Angelz

T.H.U.G. Angelz
Welcome to Red Hook Houses
Babygrande, 2008

T.H.U.G. Angelz is former Wu affiliates Shabazz the Disciple and Hell Razah, who offer a gritty concept album about the notorious Brooklyn projects. I appreciated the fact that they didn't glamourize the crime and drama of the project. This is more Nas or Mobb Deep than Cash Money. Beats-wise and subject-wise, this is solid, mid-nineties East Coast hardcore.

My review is here.
www.rapreviews.com/archive/2008_07_welcometoredhook.html

While trying to find a photo to steal for this blog, I came upon 187onamothafuckincop.blogspot.com, which, of course, is an Italian blog where you can illegally download albums. Awesome.

Articulate Review

Articulate
Slave For the Dollar EP

Articulate is a Baltimore MC who did this concept EP about not being a slave to the dollar. I had a bunch of journal entries like this when I was in high school. It dawned on me that rather than, like, work, I should be creating art and beauty and shit. Typical teenager, I thought I had it all worked out and the rest of the world were the idiots. His message is a little naïve, but still important – it’s easy to lose your soul chasing a buck.

My review is here.

Go to his website, www.slaveforthisdollar.com and pay what you feel is fair.

Mooga Review

40 Cal
Mooga
Gold Dust Media

I’m not a fan of the Dipset and their whole crack rap thing. This is the third Dipset member’s material I’ve had to review, and the second album by 40 Cal. That means that I’ve invested more time with the Dipset and 40 than I have with Mission to Burma, , the Fall, Love, 13th Floor Elevators, Ike and Tina Turner, or any number of important musical acts that have never crossed my way. That makes me a little sad. 40 isn’t a bad rapper, but I don’t like the Dipset schtick, and he sticks to it. The promo was especially annoying, with no album art, no production credits, and all of the tracks divided into five tracks to make it harder to rip and post on the internet.

My review is here.

By the way, “Mooga” means money in 40’s parlance, but www.mooga.com is an Arabic-language website. I can’t tell what it’s all about. The one article I glanced at with Google's translator blamed Israel on the food shortage, and accused them of trying to sabotage Egypt's wheat production.

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2008_07_mooga.html

Get yr folk on

By now I can admit that My Morning Jacket's new album is pretty fucking awful. I gave it the old college try, but I just can't listen to it, despite a few high points.

Luckily, my yen for countrified prog-folk is being sated by two great newish albums.
The first is the Fleet Foxes self-titled debut on Sub Pop. They basically sound like an atmospheric MMJ channeling CSNY. But in a good way. It's been on heavy rotation on my girlfriend's computer since I downloaded it yesterday.

The other is Oakland's Port O'Brien, who have the chaotic tendencies of the Arcade Fire with the quirky folk of the Dodos. I've only given their album "All We Could Do Was SIng" a few spins, but it's better than ok. Maybe I'll write a real review later.

If you are as heartbroken by the experimental sucktitude of "Evil Urges," take succor in the Fleet Foxes and Port O'Brien.

Seven Essential Ska Albums (and the only ones really worth owning)

I love old ska. I first got into ska in the summer of 1987, when I went to the Manteca water slides with the Manresa Junior Lifeguards, and older JGs Shanae Machetti and Allison Moore played the English Beat’s “Mirror In the Bathroom” at our campsite. Slowly, through my older sister and her friends, I got exposed to the second wave British acts like the Specials and the Selector, and some Desmond Dekker stuff. I got really into ska my sophomore year of college, listening to bands like Operation Ivy, more Two Tone stuff, and local bands like Sacto’s Daisy Spot and Filibuster. My best friend Jaime was dating a (Philipino) skinhead in the mid-nineties, and hanging out with some of the Sacto skins, and through them I got exposed to more old ska and reggae, including Lee Perry’s “Chicken Scratch.” Lee Perry is better known for his reggae and dub stuff, but “Chicken Scratch” is an essential early ska album. I just picked up a remastered reissue from Heartbeat, and it still sounds wonderfully scratchy, just like old vinyl should. Ska was basically Jamaicans attempts at American R&B, and it has all the charm of old soul albums with the extra kick of that ska rhythm. Some of the tracks even sound like jump blues. (I recently learned, by the way, that ska is meant to be pronounced “skya,” and refers to the sound of the guitar. Just thought I’d mention.)

Listening to Chicken Scratch got me thinking about other ska albums, and so I’ve compiled a list of essential ska albums that no collection should be without. Because of ska’s limited range, this list is also the ONLY ska albums you need to own.

1. Chicken Scratch

2. Rockin’ Steady – the Best of Desmond Dekker. This came out in 1992 on Rhino. There is another greatest hits package floating around with two discs, which is an awful lot of Desmond Dekker. Either package is worth it for “That Woman,” “the Israelites,” “Honor Your Mother,” and “007” which is available on pretty much any early reggae collection.

3. The Harder They Come Soundtrack – Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals…a lot of the great early reggae/ska is here. This was America’s real introduction to reggae.

4. The 2 Tone Story. The two-cd 2Tone singles collection. 2 Tone was the label that led Britain’s second wave of ska, in which punks and first-generation West Indian immigrants banded fused the energy with punk with the speed and angst of punk, creating some pretty great music. All the great British bands are here, including Madness, the Selector, the Specials, the Beat, and the Bodysnatchers. The second cd is mostly neo-mod and new wave stuff that is pretty inessential.

5 & 6. While you’re at it, you might as well pick up the Specials self-titled first album, and the Selector’s “Too Much Pressure.” Both bands have greatest-hits collections that are more readily available and collect the few gems from their second albums, but you might as well just go for their debuts.

7. Finally, you should get Operation Ivy’s self titled album on Hellcat, which I believe is a rerelease of their Lookout! Records discography. At the very least, it has their Energy! disc and is only missing a few tracks. Op Ivy were a late-80s punk/ska band, and one of the best to do that mix well. Their later incarnation Rancid had some ok songs as well, but Op Ivy are really the way to go if you want an American 3rd wave band. The one issue with Op Ivy is that they inspired leagues of imitators, none of whom were as good, and most of whom sucked.

Ska, like punk, is one of those genres which offers diminishing returns, so an artists second disc is worse than their first, and the third and fourth iterations of the genre have none of the wheat of the original and all of the chaff. That’s why Let’s Go Bowling, Skanking Pickle, and every other Bay Area ska band from the mid nineties is omitted from this list. They just aren’t worth your time, and these seven albums should be all you need, ska-wise. Neither is any of the bands’ later output. Anything that the British groups put out after 1984 isn’t worth your hard-earned money. (That same rule holds true for early 80s hardcore as well, by the way.)

Ska eventually morphed into reggae (at least in my version of the universe – let me know if you disagree), and there is a lot of great early reggae out there. If you are still jonesing for that ska beat, and can deal with a little mellowness, check out any of Trojan Records collections of early reggae. There is some good stuff in their vaults, and most of it ended up being covered by the British second wave bands.

Nas, Step Your Rap Game Up

Earlier this year, Nas made a shameless attempt at generating interest in his flagging career by saying he was going to name his new album "Nigger." Unsurprisingly, retailers, his label, and anyone with common sense pointed out that you can't really name your album an expletive, particularly an especially vile racial slur. Even if you are black.

So Nas caved, and now his album is untitled. I watched the video for "Sly Fox" on Pitchfork today, and it was pretty bloodless and lame. He's taking a stab at the media, but lines like "When I see CBS, all I see is B.S." are just embarrassing. Step it up, Nas. Quit trying to stir controversy, and focus on making good music. Please?

America is just a word but I use it

As usual I’m late to jump on the bandwagon with this, but a recent Sound Opinions show about their favorite songs about America got met thinking. So here are three songs that embody America to me:

Modest Mouse, “Novocaine Stain” off their 1996 album This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About

Modest Mouse were one of my favorite bands in the late nineties. They were the perfect soundtrack for depression, and for a quarter-life crisis. This song, about the changing landscape caused by development, perfectly captured my fears and anxiety about California and San Francisco’s ever-growing population. Everyone’s moving to paradise and turning it into a strip mall. No I don’t like this change of pace at all.

“Interchange plazas a mall
And crowded chain restaurants
More housing developments go up
Named after the things they replace
So welcome to Minnow Brook
And welcome to Shady Space
And it all seems a little abrupt
No I don't like this change of pace”


Minutemen “Corona” off Double Nickels on the Dime

Better known as the Jackass theme song, this rousing Tex-Mex blazer is actually a commentary on coming face to face with “the dirt, scarcity, and the emptiness/of our South.”

"The people will survive
In their environment
The dirt, scarcity, and the emptiness
Of our South
The injustice of our greed
The practice we inherit
The dirt, scarcity and the emptiness
Of our South
There on the beach
I could see it in her eyes
I only had a Corona
Five cent deposit"

It makes me tear up almost every time.

The Minutemen’s “I Felt Like A Gringo” is another song that reminds me of America, partially because it takes place on the 4th of July, but also because it discusses the awkward, ugly American abroad, both reviled and envied by those outside our borders. Over a funky, bluesy riff, D. Boon wails “A ton of white guilt that’s my problem. Obstacle to joy/one reason for using drugs.” The song is a classic example of Boon’s wonderful poetry, which seems simple on the surface, but deals with a lot of big questions.

“Slept on a mexican beach slept in trash - American trash -
thinking too much can ruin a good time.
I asked a Mexican who ran a bar for Americans
"Who won" I said "The election?",
He laughed, I felt like a gringo,
They played a song and had some fun with us.
Why can't you buy a good time?
Why are there soldiers in the street?
Why did I spend the fourth in someone else’s country?”

That song also gets honorable mention for containing several quotes that have continued to resonate with me since I first heard it almost twenty years ago. Why can’t you buy a good time? Why are there soldiers in the street? Why did I spend the fourth in someone else’s country?

Cool Kids

Cool Kids
Bake Sale
Chocolate Industries, 2008

I don't know much about the Cool Kids, other than they are a Chicago hipster-hop duo who have generated a lot of buzz among those in the blogosphere. Me, I don't have the patience/short attention span to keep up with the latest and greatest, so it takes me a few months/years to catch on to things. Bake Sale is their first official release, I believe, although they have released some mixtapes and singles over the past year.

It would be tempting for me to hate on the Cool Kids and their irony-drenched hip hop, only it's so much damn fun. Their beats are minimalist, futurist, and dance-oriented, in the same vein as a lot of hyphy stuff, only not annoying. Lyrically they are clever and funny. Imagine if the Pack had some better skills, or if Spank Rock weren't as sex obsessed - that's sort of the Cool Kids. I've been listening to this nonstop since I downloaded it from emusic, and you should too.

The Cool Kids also have a new mixtape, which you can download here.

Tanya Morgan - The Bridge

Tanya Morgan
The Bridge EP
IM Culture, 2008

I'm a Tanya Morgan fan, so I was happy to review their new EP for RapReviews this week. Here.

If you've never heard Tanya Morgan, you probably should. Their only flaw is an awkward name and some technical issues, given that they are located in Brooklyn and Cincinnati, and do a lot of their recording over the internet. Sometimes the vocals come in at different levels, which can make their recordings sound more amatuerish than they deserve. Still, good stuff.


There is a good interview with the crew at Mixtape Monster here.

Skate Punk

I traded a bunch of stuff to Amoeba the other day and picked up a copy of We Know You Suck, a compilation of Arizona skate punk band JFA's stuff. It's basically their Blatant Localism and Valley of the Yakes albums, with some bonus tracks and live stuff. I had a cassette of their albums when I was a kid, and it was one of my favorite punk albums. They mix 80s hardcore with a slight surf vibe, including covers of "Baja" and "Walk Don't Run." None of their songs clocked in at more than three minutes, and you couldn't really understand a word they said. They thankfully broke up before turning into a shitty hard rock band, although they have reappeared in paunchier form to crank out their old hits to aging punkers on a nostalgia trip. Like myself.

JFA (Jody Foster's Army - how cool is that?) were skaters, like my 13-year-old self, and I first heard about them on Thrasher's "Skate Rock: VOl. 1" comp. I just found a download of that cassette-only release, and I have to say, for how impactful it was on my as a teen, it doesn't really hold up. The highlight are two Skoundrelz tracks, which I guess was Tony Alva's band. They played fast and dirty hardcore, a little like Fishsticks, who none of you have heard of, because they sold like twenty albums.

I originally found the download at some Spanish site, the profile of which was a swastika made out of a confederate flag. So then I ask, do I download it anyways? A: No, because the links didn't work.

J.R. Writer and Plies

There are times when I rush to do reviews because I am really excited about an album, and then there are times when I rush to do reviews because I don’t want to have to listen to it anymore. Plies and J.R. Writer are examples of the latter, both up on Rapreviews now. J.R. Writer is generic crack rap which sounds like all of the rest of the Dipset stuff, ie slick but not very good. Plies is Floribean rap that is a little like a second-rate UGK, which means slick, funky synths and lots of gutter talk. It has one of the most disturbing covers I’ve seen in a while, of him in a ski mask wearing a medallion of him in a ski mask. It looks like a caricature of black criminality from a white supremacist site. Plus I had to skip yoga so that I could crank it out Monday night. Nothing is less hip hop than having to ditch your Astanga class to write about a rapper with songs like “Feel Like Fuckin.’” I tell you, life ain’t shit to fool with. But with those reviews out of the way, I have time to listen to music that is less offensive and shitty, like the new Cool Kids E.P., or the new My Morning Jacket – I’m determined to learn to love it. Nothing is less hip hop than shelving your gangsta rap cd so you can listen to a Southern Jam band.

Anyways, the review of J.R. Writer’s Politics and Bullshit is here.

The review of Plies' Definition of Real is here.

Evil Urges

My Morning Jacket
Evil Urges
ATO, 2008

My Morning Jacket’s 2005 album Z is one of my favorite records of the last few years. It defies classification – a little jam band, a little southern classic rock, a little indie rock, a little prog, and all awesome. I was excited for Evil Urges in a way that I don’t get excited about music much anymore. What were they gonna do this time? When you make a masterpiece, where do you go from there?

A lot of bands have tried to answer that question. Some, like Radiohead, go off into a radically different direction. Some, like My Bloody Valentine, fall apart, others try to recapture that magic to increasingly diminishing returns, while still others, like …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, try to expand their sound and end up with something closer to mediocrity than genius.

Which brings me to Evil Urges. From the opening chords of the title track, you know the boys are trying to be on some next level shit. Prince falsettos? Funky guitar work? Um, ok. Does it work? Sort of. Is it good? Mmmm….well, it’s not actively bad. How’s that?

“Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 1” is better, and shows the band expanding on their prog tendencies (like having a two-part song). They try to get their rock on on a few songs. “Remnants” sounds a like a Seattle circa flannels and heroin; “Aluminum Park” is a classic MMJ uptempo number. Their biggest stretch, and their biggest failure, is “Highly Suspicious,” which is so bad I didn’t download it.

They also play it mellow and safe, with mixed results. “The Librarian” is a tender love song that has some of the albums best and worst lyrics. No band that isn’t the Bare Naked Ladies should ever use “interweb” in its lyrics. MMJ redeem that party foul with lines like “what is it inside our heads that makes us do the opposite?/
Makes us do the opposite of what's right for us?”

“Sec Walking” and “Look At You” are wailing alt-country that are heartbreakingly great, but their Skynard-esque “I’m Amazed” is hampered by horrible lyrics and sounds kind of like an ad for a big truck.

In the end, Evil Urges doesn’t deserve either the four stars Rolling Stone gave it, or the 4.7 of 10 that uber-snobs Pitchfork awarded it. The truth is that it is pretty good, but hardly fucking amazing. That means that it is worth checking out, but a disappointment coming after Z.

Drapht Review

Drapht
Brothers Grimm
Obese Records, 2008

Drapth is a 23-year-old MC from Perth, Australia. His melodic delivery didn't rock my world, but he is backed by good beats, and doesn't try to be the hardest guy in the room. My review is here.

Not brilliant, but worth checking out. I especially liked "Money" and "Dreams and Dreamers." Go Perth.

What Does It All Mean?

I reviewed Steinski's retrospective, What Does It All Mean, in RapReviews this week.  Here. 

His "Lessons" were a pretty big deal, and very rare, since none of the sample are cleared.  You should probably buy this record.  Really.  It's the best of classic hip hop, plus some pretty cool sound collages. You should also check out his blog at www.steinski.com

Plus, it's got a really great cover.  Helvetica baby.  Fascist minimalism is the new future!

I also reviewed MC Rentz' 1981.  Here

I was not a fan of Rentz, and it is only out of a sense of duty to give an honest review that I forced myself to listen to the whole thing.  He seems like a nice enough guy, and he has some talent as a lyricist and producer, but I can't deal with his rapping.  100% not my thing.  You can check it out for yourself here.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Atmosphere
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Rhymesayers, 2008

Atmosphere, the Minneapolis rap group headed by MC Slug and beatmaker Ant have been making music for the proverbial hip hop minute. They’ve become known as emo-rap, mostly due to Slug’s confessional, autobiographical lyrics which detail his every flaw, from being an imperfect father and lover to smoking and drinking too much. However, Slug is much more than just another self-pitying rapper, and Atmosphere are clearly angling to be more than just another rap group. They’ve been touring with a live band, and on Ant is starting to move away from his autobiographical lyrics and expand his range.

The result, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, is basically hip hop’s answer to Bruce Springsteen. Slug moves out of the limelight, telling tales in the second and third person. His songs are populated by drug addicts, prostitutes, alcoholics, bad fathers, and homeless people. They are all down on their luck, and they are all victims of Bushenomics and the failed American dream that ends in foreclosure. He tackles his subjects with empathy and sensitivity. Slug understands that no one is perfect, and even the biggest fuck-ups often mean well. “You gotta let people be hypocrites,” he says on opener “Like the Rest of Us.” “Count your blessings and mind your business.”

When it works, When Life Gives You Lemons offers the kind of emotional experience that is rare in hip hop, a genre that is generally obsessed with getting yours by any means necessary. “Guarantees” is heartbreakingly gorgeous in its personification of a warehouse worker on his last straw; “You” offers a you-go-girl celebration of a down-on-her luck waitress; “Shoulda Known” describes a relationship with drug addict; and “Your Glasshouse” is a frightening description of an alcoholic’s lost weekend. On these tracks, and several others, Atmosphere manage to combine compelling beats with stories that are emotional without being cheesy. Ant moves on from his old-school leaning beats, instead offering up several tracks based around pianos, and a few tracks of old synthesizers. For the most part, it works.

There are two issues with When Life Gives You Lemons: the first is that Slug hits that alcoholic/drug addict story two often, and sometimes is maudlin and cliché. The other issues is that this is a drab, downtempo album. On tracks like the sparse “Guarantees” or “Puppets,” it works, but a whole album of depressing, slow songs is a bit much. There are handful of tracks on here that are too cheesy, and try too hard for the emotional punch, like Pay It Forward set to music. “Yesterday” is an example of how Slug can slip into high school poetry mode; Over tinkling pianos, he tells the tale of an unknown person who he thought he saw on the street, reminiscing about this person, and wondering what there up to. The kicker comes towards the end, when he says “but you passed away, dad.” It’s a little painful. There are a few more moments like this on the album, but, I’m willing to forgive them for these missteps – they are reaching as artists, and the payoffs make up for the mistakes. I hope that in future albums, Slug watches not to slip into total cliché mode, and Ant keeps things a little more upbeat. When Life Gives You Lemons is an album that is as good as its title. Paint that shit gold indeed.

As a side note, I bought the “Deluxe” version of the album, which comes in book form with a children’s story, lyrics, and a live dvd. It’s interesting, but not essential. The live DVD proves that they are damn good live act.

Nut-Rageous

Nut-Rageous
Raw Nuts
Poor Pocket Muzik

Review here.

Good East Coast beats marred by some below-average rapping. Nut-Rageous seems like a decent guy, and he has some alright lines, but this just doesn't work for me. It was one of those albums where at first I though it was pretty good, only to realize that it didn't quite add up. Old school East Coast fans should give this a listen, but it's not a must-have.

Albums You Should Own Pt. II

Black Flag
My War
SST, 1984

Black Flag were formed in SoCal (I can't remember the specific area, and I'm one of those people who refer to everything south of Santa Barbara and north of San Diego as "Los Angeles") in the late 70s by Greg Ginn (who is a cousin or brother of artist Raymond Pettibon, who designed the Black Flag Bars). Their early incarnation featured Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris on vocals, and was straight ahead hardcore. Their 1978 EP Nervous Breakdown is essential early hardcore punk.

They went through a revolving list of singers and musicians before finally settling on a young Henry Rollins, who jumped onstage to sing at a show in DC. Rollins brought his own element of angry, tough-guy alienation to Black Flag, and purists often say he ruined the band. Personally, I was a huge fan of Rollins, and I much prefer Rollins-era Black Flag to the earlier stuff. The band had some label drama after they released 1981's Damage, which resulted in them not being able to put anything out for three years. When the embargo was lifted, they were insanely prolific, putting out SIX albums between March 1984 and October 2005. My War was the first.

The album marked Black Flag's shift from a hardcore punk band to a Sabbath-inspired metal band. The first side of the album contained heavy punk songs, but the entire side two is just three long, slow dirges. Again, purists freaked out. Where were the two minutes blast of angst? Who needs a six minute metal blues jam with Rollins screaming lyrics like "I might be a big baby/But I'll scream in your ear/until I find out just what it is I am doing here?" Well, I did. As a 13-14 year-old, I thrived on Rollin's brand of alienation. The entire lyrics to "My War" are essentially "My war/you're one of them/you say you're my friend/but you're one of them." That is pure teen angst. Fuck my parents! Fuck the popular kids! they're one of them!

I listened to My War endlessly as a teen. It was heavy, it was angry, it was awesome. It had a huge influence on my as a kid, how I viewed others, and how I viewed myself. Music in general, and Black Flag specifically, were this oasis where I could retreat to. They echoed a lot of the feelings I was having, they acted as a surrogate for emotions I couldn't express, and they validated all the dramas and traumas I was going through, from the minor to the major. It's tough being a kid, and being able to look up to these burly older guys who were screaming their heads off was incredibly therapeutic.

I downloaded My War from emusic the other day, and I have to say that while it is still awesomely heavy, the lyrics don't quite move my soul the way they used to. For example: "My life's a piece of shit that got caught in my shoe/and i've been grinding that stick in the dirt for a long time now!" At 14 that sounded awesome, at 33 it's just kind of embarrassing. It's shocking to think that My War is twenty-four years old. It is an album that has loomed large in my life since I first saw its iconic cover in a Cymbaline record store in Capitola circa 1987. It remains one of my favorite album covers of all time. I think Raymond Pettibon's art is genius. I've considered buying a t-shirt of it, but I feel like I'm too old. I still have a soft spot in my heart for My War, and I'm looking forward to burning copies for my nephew when he comes of age. Although hopefully he will be a much better adjusted kid than I was.

Albums You Should Own

Mogwai
Come On Die Young
Matador, 1999

Mogwai are a Scottish band who formed part of what is sometimes known as the “post-rock” and slow-core movements. To paraphrase/plagurize Wikipedia, post-rock is essentially non-rock music created with rock instruments, and slowcore is along the same lines. Think Slint, Sigur Ros, Tortoise, etc. Basically, they make long, slow, intricate instrumentals using bass, guitar, and drums. It’s influenced by shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine, and lots and lots of depressants.

Come On Die Young is actually mellower than Mogwai’s other stuff, which is kind of why I like it. I have to admit that the first few times I listened to it, I was really unimpressed. It sounds like three dudes got together, chased some vicodin down with some pot, and jammed. Only after repeated listens did I really get the subtle beauty of the album, and the intricate patterns and structures in the songs. My favorite track, “Cody,” is the only track with vocals, and it is stunning. My other favorite track is the ten-minute-long "XMas Steps," which slowly builds to this incredible crescendo.

It is the perfect sleepy late-night album: This is driving at 3:00 AM music, when the world is still and quiet and you’re not quiet sure that you aren’t the last person left on earth. It’s painfully beautiful, sad, and lonely, and you should probably own it.

Emusic Roundup

Here are some of the albums I’ve downloaded off Emusic in the past six weeks.

Radiohead – In Rainbows. Is awesome.

Atmosphere – You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having.
This came out a few years ago, and I figured I’d check it out since they don’t have his latest one. Atmosphere does a sort of hip hop Springsteen or something. It’s emo rap with slightly cheesy lyrics that are wholly redeemed by amazing beats and MC Slug’s heartfelt understanding of what it is to be underpaid and overcharged in the U.S. of A. The perfect example is “That Night,” a track about a young girl who got raped at an Atmosphere show. It just skirts being kind of lame and manages to be pretty heartbreaking, while having a pounding, funky beat.

Dodos – Visiter. SF indie folk band who are pretty great.

The Drift – My old roommate Safa is the bassist for this band, who do mellow instrumentals. They are interesting, if a little obtuse. A little like a jazzier C.O.D.Y. - era Mogwai.

Neu! - Neu! Were a German band who were a big influence on Stereolab. I’ve been hearing about these guys for years, and I sort of feel like I arrived too late to the party. In 1995, I would have loved this album (which came out in 1975, the year of my birth). Now, I just can’t get into it.

El Perro Del Mar – I downloaded this for my girlfriend. She’s not excited about it, and neither am I. maybe it will grow on us.

Music With Friends Vol. 1

Sankofa
Music With Friends, Vol. 1.

Sankofa is an indie rapper out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I reviewed his 2007 album “Tortoise Hustle,” which I really liked. This is a free download that isn’t quite as strong, but still worth checking out. www.obeseamerica.com.

Review here.

My New Favorite Song or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Emo Rap

I've never been a huge fan of white rappers. Hip hop is such an idiomatic genre, and so heavily rooted in African american musical and linguistic traditions that when white people do it, more often than not it just doesn't work. They are either trying to imitate black performers, and failing miserably, or they put this pop spin on it that just kind of sucks.

I've always resisted Atmosphere and their brand of emo rap, and I've always written Slug off as a white rapper. Then I heard "Guarantees," off of their new album. The song is just Slug rapping over a bluesy guitar, without a beat, and it perfectly sums up the struggles of the middle-turned-working classes under Bushenomics:

No overtime pay no holiday
Months behind on everything but the lottery
Winter round the corner guaranteeing that my car died
Wifey having trouble juggling both the part times
My cup aint close to filled up
We trying to build up so we can have enough
And when I finally get the color
There won’t be nothing left to paint on
My friend tried to kill himself to the same song

I firmly believe that hip hop is modern blues, and this song is evidence. He comes up with clever, heartbreaking turns of phrase like "Can't save no nest egg in fact this nest is rented
In fact that rent is late, wait." You can download that track and their mixtape Extreme Leakage from www.rhymesayers.com. I just got his 2006 album "You Can't Believe How Much Fun We're Having," and it's pretty awesome. I'm thinking I may shell out 16 bucks for the deee-lucks version of his new one, "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold," which comes with a bonus DVD and children's book. Turns out that Slug is only half-white, too, which just makes me feel like a big old racist dumbass.

Dert

Dert
The Short List
Illect Recordings, 2008

This is an instrumental album by this hip hop producer. It’s ok, but way too mellow for my tastes. Very downtempo. He did a beat tape using Jose Gonzales’ Veneer album that I’ve been listening to.

Review here.

Or here: http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2008_05_theshortlist.html

Battlehoggs Mixtape

Review here.

Aussies actually make pretty ok hip hop. They got the beats down, at least. Lyrically, it’s mostly about drinking, girls, and life in the city. Not brilliant, but not bad.


http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2008_05_battlehoggsvol2.html

Everywhere At Once

Lyrics Born
Everywhere At Once
Anti/Quannum 2008

This was the featured review last week on rapreviews. I liked it, although it isn’t exactly my type of hip hop – a little too colorful for my tastes. Still, it’s fun, funky album with only a few crumby tracks, and I’m excited that I got it as a promo. Survey says: worth checking out.

Review here.

Or here: http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2008_05F_everywhereatonce.html

He’s Just A Rascal

I first heard British Rapper Dizzee Rascal on the Basement Jaxx’s “Lucky Star” in 2003. I found his hiccupy flow kind of irritating, but was eventually coerced into buying his debut, Boy In Da Corner, when it received obsequious praise from the critics. Dizzee was part of the grime movement, which was basically London gangsta rap over garage beats. It combined hard-hitting rhymes with hard-hitting beats that were more techno than hip hop. Grime is thus named because it is so dirty and grimey sounding.

Boy In Da Corner is a good album, and it has some great tracks on it. Dizzee offers up a sound that is totally unique and unlike American hip hop, while still being true to the spirit of hip hop. His beats are punishing, and his aggressive but staccato flow is lethal. Unfortunately, he is also kind of difficult to listen to for long periods of time precisely because he is so punishing. I’ve never listened to Boy In Da Corner in it’s entirety. 2-3 track of Dizzee is thrilling, 14-16 tracks is annoying.

I didn’t really hear his follow up, Showtime, and when Maths and English was released as a download-only last year, I took a pass. However, when Def Jux re-released it on April 29, I decided to support Dizzee and the label and bought it. As with his debut, there are some brilliant moments on this disc, particularly “Where Da G’s,” featuring Texas duo UGK rapping “Dizze Ras’ and UGK/You know we stay connected/ Trill recognizes Trill.” The track has a whining synth mixed with Dizzee’s signature garage thwump, and like several other tracks on the disc (“Wanna Be,” “G.H.E.T.T.O.”), “Where Da G’s” asserts Dizzee’s street cred while calling out phony gangstas. “What’s with all the fake aggression?” Dizze asks. “I can see that it’s not true/I know killers/ I know gangsters/ and they never heard of you.” “Wanna Be” features a chorus by Lilly Allen, which is pretty awesome. Another brilliant track is “Driving With No Where to Go,” which has a Kraftwerk-like beat. Lyrically, Dizzee deals with staying trill, being paranoid, and basically dealing with the drama of fame. He also gets a little light-hearted at points, but for the most part this is a pretty tough disc. So tough, in fact, that I can’t really listen to the whole thing all in one sitting, and several of the tracks (“Sirens,” Suck My Dick”) must make me feel old. Still, it’s worth listening to, even if it doesn’t come with "Pussy’ole", the best track off of the UK version. I’m pretty sure there were licensing/sampling issues, because the only version I can find is a remix riffing off Rob Base’s “It Takes 2.”

The Roots

The Roots
Rising Down

I want to like the Roots more than I do. Their 1999 album, Things Fall Apart, is considered a masterpiece, and they get constant praise from the critical community. They do angry but positive hip hop grounded in live instruments, and they are said to be the best live act in hip hop. Unfortunately, they kind of bore the hell out of me. I’ve listened to Things Fall Apart a million times, and while it’s ok, it just doesn’t excite me.

I bought their new disc, Rising Down, after hearing “75 Bars.” It is exactly that, 75 bars of Black Thought spitting absolute fire over a hammering, funky drum beat. I always wonder why more rappers don’t create their own funky breaks rather than paying a million dollars to sample them, and producer/drummer ?uestlove does exactly that on this track – he lays down the funkiest, dirtiest break this side of the Funky Drummer.
Black Thought also wins awards for most uses of the word “nigga” in a song:

I'm a modern day saint; I'm a modern day king My definition I can finally explain Cold smooth like that dud Sean Connery was playing I just got to be the man, I'm the father figure and When I spit it's something like a psychology exam If you stand where I stood, you could probably understand How that mic feeling like a million dollars in my hand It's the silence of the lamb, go and cop another gram And twist with your zanny, work your set, work it down What's your net working plan? You better look alive Cause them niggas outside looking desperate again nigga And the blunts and liquor killing our lungs and liver The asthmatic drug addict I function with it I put a rapper in a hole where the dust will sit For spitting played out patterns that once was hitting I got news for you all, let me show you how to ball See the legendary fall? I ain't heard of that Y'all niggas is off the wall like Aresnio Hall I'm a put you right back where the dirt is at 450 fahrenheit on the thermostat Somebody starving like a white girl? that But she not a earner yet, she couldn't put in no work, Not earning that, the black microphone murder vet

The rest of the album is strong, although it can’t maintain the fire of the first few tracks. Some of the guest rappers are less than genius, and there are some cheesy moments. Still, it’s worth the price of admission just to hear Mos Def spit fire on the title track. The boom bap of “Get Busy,” the sinister funk of “I Will Not Apologize,” Talib Kweli’s guest verses on the hard hitting “Lost Desire,” and Wale’s guest appearance on “Rising Up.” I don’t know that Rising Down has converted me to being a hardore Roots fan, but I am starting to understand what the fuss is about.

Radiohead part 2

A few months ago, I wrote a snarky post dissing Radiohead, mostly prompted by the obsequious praise they get from the press, and the hype surrounding their release of “In Rainbows” as a pay-what-you-want download. I have a few things to say RE; Radiohead:

1. “Hail to the Thief” is a shitty album
2. Before everyone disses record companies and praises Radiohead’s DIY approach, remember that they got where they are by all the support and promotion from their record label (and being one of the more amazing bands of the last fifteen years). If “In Rainbows” was the debut album by an unknown group, absolutely no one but the Pitchfork crowd would give a shit.
3. “In Rainbows” is pretty awesome. It is much more human than their past few releases, incorporating actual songwriting into their experimentation.

Keith Murray review

Keith Murray
Intellectual Violence
Legion of Doom, 2008

Review here. It was the featured review on rapreviews last week.

I was impressed by his old school skills, but this album suffers from the same fate as the last Ghostface record – he’s on overdrive all the time, and it grates. The thuggery gets old quick, too.

Survey says: meh.

Tanya Morgan

Tanya Morgan
Moonlighting
Loud Minority, 2006

My review is here.

This is one of my favorite albums in a while. Good, solid, positive hip hop.

Bad Luck and Nathan Blaze

This week on www.rapreviews.com I reviewed Bad Luck’s Make It Brief. He’s a young NYMC who is sort of like a gutter Kool Keith, which is kind of cool. EDK supplies the beats and do some of that somber NY shit mixed with a little esoteric/indie flavor. Not brilliant, but not bad, and worth keeping an eye on.

I also reviewed the demo by Nathan Blaze, which I wasn’t feeling. I never have liked white MCs, especially when they do that Eminem-being-serious thing. It’s like they are trying to hard. Meh. You can go to www.nathanblazemusic.com to sample and purchase if you feel so inclined.

I Am A Fucking Hippy Who Listens To Jam Bands

I have a deep, deep hatred of hippies, dating back to my childhood growing up near Santa Cruz California being suffocated by mellowness. I used to want to make a mock up of the Sex Pistol's God Save The Queen art, only with Jerry Garcia's face. As I've gotten older, however, I've started to embrace some of the very hippy tropes that used to make me want to throw up on myself. For example, I go to yoga, I try to eat organic, whole food, I wear hemp shoes, I recycle, and, most disturbingly, I wear essential oils, including the dreaded patchouli. Patchouli has become my signature scent in some ways, because I use Lush's Aramaco deodorant which has patchouli.

A staple of being an Angry Punk Rock kid was hating the Grateful Dead. I still don't fuck with Jerry and Crew, but I no longer detest them, and compared to a lot of the horseshit being put out today they seem downright innocuous. What really freaks me out is that I've gotten in to two bands recently who are basically (GASP) JAM BANDS.

The first is My Morning Jacket. They are from Kentucky, and do a kind of stoned, Southern-fried indie country that is much, much better than it should be. I have only heard Z, which came out a few years ago, but it is one of my favorite albums of this decade. They got the chops, the songwriting, and they reference classic rock while still being interesting and innovative.

The other hippy-ass band i've been listening to is Wilco, ten years after everyone first started telling me they were amazing. I saw the documentary about them called "I Am Breaking Your Heart" a few weeks ago, and have been listening to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot obsessively since. Like MMJ, they mix classic rock elements with alt-country, and then fuck with it enough to make it sound new and un-tired.

As I was cruising up the Sonoma Coast last weekend in a rented Prius, "Kamera" came on, and I realized that with it's sweetly sung, country-lite harmonies, it could easily be a "Working Dead" era Grateful Dead song. And still I love it. I still detest tie dye, so I got that going for me, but I'm wondering these days when I became such a goddamn hippie. Maybe getting older means becoming what you hate, and realizing it wasn't as bad as you thought.

Rilo Kiley LIVE!

I saw Rilo Kiley at the SF Design Concourse last night, which is located near the Trader Joes/Mars Bar at 8th and Bryant. It was my first show at the venue, which is a little funky - it sort of felt like a warehouse with astroturf carpeting. It's a large space, and was about half full, and about half that crowd were young women who were probably too young to drink. About 2/3rds of the remaining crowd were cuddling couples, and the rest of the audience was made up of single people trying not to throw up on themselves because of all the excessive snuggling.

In rare perfect timing, I arrived exactly as Rilo Kiley came onstage. I don't go to too many shows that are frequented by large numbers of girls/ young women, and the enthusiastic screaming that accompanied everything Jenny Lewis did was new to me.

Speaking of Jenny Lewis, while she remains very fetching, I have to say that standing in a crowd with 1,000 other people who thought she was hot diminished her appeal in my eyes. I've always hated liking things that were popular. Her voice was great, however, and she definitely brings a lot of personality and sex appeal to a band that would otherwise be a bunch of nebbish dudes.

The band sounded pretty good, although it did show that this was the first night of their tour. Jenny fucked up one of the songs and had to start over, and there was a general awkwardness, like a party before people have finished their first drink. The best sounding songs were from their new album, which are more complex and energetic than a lot of their early stuff. After watching Jenny strut her stuff to the pop/R & B of "breakin' up" I wondered if she is due for a pop album soon, reinventing herself as an indie Ashlee simpson or something. They encored with "Portions for Foxes," which was sloppy, but still thrilling to hear Jenny sing "talking leads to touching/and touching leads to sex/ and then their is no mystery left/ cuz I'm bad news/ baby I'm bad news." During the closing chords we rushed outside and caught the first cab that came. It wasn't the best show I've ever seen, and I'm not sure it was quite worth the forty dollars the tickets cost, but whatevs. It beat sitting at home and watching the office. Plus I got to bed by 11:30, so it was perfect for an old fart like me.

Most importantly, we went to Sushi Zone, which was fucking awesome AND cheap.

King Vision

Grand Buffet
King Vision

Review here.

I was somewhat excited by their mix of hip hop, electro punk, and Naked Lunch, but not so much to prevent me from selling it back to Amoeba.

Under the Blacklight

Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight
Warner Brothers Records, 2007

I’m going to see Rilo Kiley this Thursday, so I thought I’d catch up on their music. All I really know about them is that Jenny Lewis is really pretty. She has alabaster skin, ginger hair, a gorgeous voice, and a potty mouth. Her musical persona reminds me of the kind of woman whose kisses taste like cigarettes and gin and tonics, whose fragile beauty is on the verge of being destroyed by age and hard living, who drinks enough to qualify her as an alcoholic, and who would feed your heart to the pitbull owned by one of her other lovers. In other words, the kind of femme fatale that has made film noir such a compelling genre for sixty-odd years.

Under The Blacklight is Rilo Kiley’s pop album, and it sounds like it was produced by the team that handles American Idol winners. It’s got a glossy sheen that is a striking contrast to their indie roots. To me it sounds like the soundtrack to a romantic comedy where an impossibly beautiful heroine is dumped by her gorgeous yet oily corporate boyfriend, which leads her to romp throughout Manhattan or Beverly Hills in stilettos in an intense bout of retail therapy, only to find true love in the arms of a chiseled, rugged mensch with tussled hair who can cook and likes kids. And at the end they kiss, the repeat the first thing they said to each other, he says something impossibly romantic, and the film ends assuming that they live happily ever after.

Like a mainstream RomCom from your favorite quirky indie director, Under the Blacklight has it’s share of embarrassing moments, namely the wretched “The Moneymaker,” and the lame, Miami Sound Machine-esque “Dejalo.” They are redeemed, however, by some truly sublime moments, like “Close Call,” the Fleetwood Mac-esque “Dreamworld,” and “Smoke Detector,” which is raunchy rock n’ roll.

Essentially, the album is the mainstream attempt by your favorite indie crew, and as such loses some of what makes them so charming in the first place, and it isn’t entirely successful at achieving the mediocrity that it shoudn’t ever have tried to duplicate in the first place.

I admire Rilo Kiley’s ability to take chances and expand their musical range. I like that they aren’t just treading the same well-worn indie country boards. However, I hope they find a sound that is more comfortable and organic with what they are. The world doesn’t really need another overproduced, dumbed down pop record, and that’s what Under the Blacklight is in it’s lesser moments.

Crack, Strippers, and Guap

Yung Ralph
The Juug Man DVD
Review here.

Naked strippers cooking crack. Yessirree.

Gah.

You Think It’s Alright, But It’s Really Just Shite….

WNYC Soundcheck had a debate between critics Michael Azerrad and Jim DeRogatis about REM’s new album, Accelerate. Jim thought they were bloated, rock stars, Michael thought it was their best album in years. Listening to cuts from the disc, I have to say I can’t be bothered to give a shit. REM were interesting and relevant in the 80s, and made some brilliant music with Out of Time and Automatic For the People. Ever since then, it’s been diminishing returns, Monster was their attempt to get on the grunge bandwagon a day late and a dollar short, and then they just veered into Adult Contemporary blandness. It’s rarely a good idea for a band to decide to rock out late in their career, but especially so when the band never really rocked to begin with. That’s exactly what Accelerate is: a bunch of middle aged dudes trying to rock out/ sound like U2. Some fans are gonna eat it up, and that’s fine. A lot of people like middle-of-the-road, boring rock: just look at Nickleback’s album sales. I am personally reminded of Sick Boy’s succinct appraisal of Lou Reed’s career in Trainspotting: “You think it’s alright, but it’s really just shite.” There is too much interesting, vital music out there for me to waste my time with late-period REM, or any other half-assed effort by musicians past their sell-by date who refuse to grow old gracefully.

That said, I need to remember to buy the last John Doe album: there’s one aging rocker who is still putting out interesting music 30 years into his career.

Joke Rap Is No Joke

Sudden Death
Fatal Error

Review here.

Me and my friends used to do joke raps when we were in jr. high. These guys have been doing joke raps since I was in jr. high. The difference is, me and my friends and I were 13, and we stopped. I have always hated joke bands and "funny" music, be it They Might Be Giants or Weird Al, or basically anything on Dr. Demento. The humor is always horribly corny, and I feel like when you make a song a joke, then it diminishes it's enjoyability. I want to hear a song a million times, but a joke, only once or twice. Even good funny music, like Spinal Tap or Monty Python, I just can't get with it.

This Sudden Death album was monumentally dorky, and painful to listen to. They seemed nice, so instead of given them a shitty review, I rated them on a joke score that is as corny as their music. Happy April Fool's.

PS. Corny is an awesome word, and more people should use it.

Spank Rock

I did a "Back to the Lab" review of Spank Rock's YoYoYoYoYo for Rapreviews this week. Here.

I love that album, and I'm not a fan of the whole dayglo-tight pants scene. I hear they are awesome live.