S.S.

She traced the uneven scar that ran around her thigh like a coiled snake through her stockings. Every inch harkening a time long lost. She caught herself gazing out the window of her tiny, studio loft. It was dark even for a winter day. It was always on days like these that she felt herself reminisce, but she was going to be late. In a rush to get finished, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full-size mirror next to her bed. Her hair fell around her shoulders in a red, frizzled mess. Dark stockings ran underneath a black dress. The outfit was contrasted against her pale, white skin. She hated everything about herself. She hated living alone...


Bound and ingratiated to you
Taken as a child and inside you I grew
Pushing at the glass ceiling pressing against my face
One day I'll break through and live in outer space

I didn't know how to feel at first
A love song that was backwards and perverse
50 shades of grey
Painting the very lines of the man you see today

They tried to tell me how to feel
They tried to define my reality yet it's all surreal
Support groups structured like classrooms
Burying individual thoughts in unmarked tombs

You loved me too much
You hurt me so much
I loved you for it
I loved you for it

The next social manifest written in 140 characters
Parables sung by charlatans in every neighborhood theatre
We're all in love with the vanity
Excess pushing the bounds of this universal sanity

The next prophet preparing his mass eulogy; euthanize
The next president preparing her national address; euthanize
The next preacher preparing his pulpit call; euthanize
The next teacher preparing her lesson plan; euthanize

You loved me so much
You hurt me too much
I loved you for it
I loved you for it


Time heals most wounds and 30 years certainly healed the physical ones. Her mini celebrity status kept her inside most times early on, but most of that has died down. There were the occasional looks but most of that was inside her head, she thought. It wasn't the looks she detested, it was what was behind them. They pitied her. They felt sorrow for her. She was just a girl when it happened. 30 years ago to the day. It was their anniversary. It was then she noticed one of the roses shudder under the clench of her balled fist. The sun began dipping behind the skyline signaling her to hurry the pace. She was almost there but the sunset was always our time. Making her way through the maze of stones, she knew the quickest route.

The sky now ablaze with oranges and purples, it was oddly the brightest it had been all day. Shakily, she dropped the roses next to the headstone that was now showing its age. She knew what it said though. It was painfully seared. "Here rests the body and soul of Charles M. Nelson." Absently, her hand began tracing the scar again but the trace began to apply more pressure and before she knew it, she was reopening her flesh with every repetition. The pain reminding her of precious times. Times they shared. His last living gift. The light dropped from the sky and her eyes. Hugging herself, she turned on her toes and began the trek back. They'll never understand...


SS

iii. telegraph ave.

...The only one I know is you, so the fuck I'm supposed to do...



The last few bars of telegraph ave aggressively nuzzle their way against my eardrums. And as it drew to a close I thought, this is the last time in vain. And so it started for at least the 90th time in a row. There are just moments in life where a song perfectly aligns with my soul creating a bridge to a place I seldom get to visit. A place where intimate moments, thoughts, and expressions that don't mean anything singularly come together to create a tapestry of pure self. Here I can carefully take these threads and follow them to their source. One foot here. One foot there. In reality I am taking in everything for the first time. Words, signs, people all connect me to memories and thoughts so powerful it washes over like a tidal wave.

It was supposed to be a simple task. Procure food. An errand I've done a million times. I throw on a random pair of jeans, caramel-striped button up, and Oklahoma City Thunder-inspired Kamikazes. Next, earphones go in and I play crawl on the Gambino album. I know my order: crawl, sweatpants, 3005, and life: the biggest troll. Don't get me wrong. I love the entire album, those tracks are its highlights - or so I thought. Before I could leave, I came across the accompanying story that breaks down the concept album written as a screenplay.

becausetheinter.net

This is old. So old I actually had no intention of reading it. I thought I had a fairly good grasp on the album and its message. But suddenly with a jolt of curiosity I played along. I mean I devoted a whole night to a visual album of Beyonce's. Each song on the album sonically created the backdrop to the adventures of "The Boy" and the characters that make up his life. That's when it happened. My creative juices flooded my brain and began clamoring for an outlet. Now I just needed my sound scape.

Foot on the gas/I'm just trying to pass/All the red lights/And stop signs/I'm ready to go

By the time I left, it was well after the time I had intended to leave. My blood sugar was dropping fast and traffic was my consequence. The stop and go. Over and over. Cycles. Repetition. I feel safe inside it. For the majority of my life I've developed a routine that runs like a well-oiled machine. There's something safe and dependable about knowing what's next. I've never carried a large circle because there's safety in knowing the people you place around yourself. No surprises. And yet somewhere in the familiar march towards death it feels I've stepped out of line and been sentenced to run in circles or maybe I stopped to catch my breath. My ferris wheel seems to have stopped moving. It isn't the direction I'm concerned with, it's the speed in which I feel I'm traveling...

A honk jars me back to reality. I gave a flick of a wave expressing my apology. Still in a half trance, I park when I get to my destination just to absently grab for my wallet that is almost always near the handle of the driver's side. I've long since thrown caution to the wind regarding this subject. I'd rather chance someone breaking into my car and stealing it than me losing it. And if it isn't in one central place, I will lose it. But it isn't there. I play the "when did you use it last" game. Philomena the movie the day before. I'm wearing the jeans and jacket I was wearing that day so not there. Grimly, I stare down the possibility of the fact that I've lost my wallet. Either way it was back to the house and back through the traffic. That bowl of Kix now seemed to be eaten years prior instead of hours.

 Everything, that I needed/Now that I got you in your feelings/Everything you won't say, you tweet it/And a nigga don't like that shit at all

 The sun was starting to mock me as it was getting low by the time I reached the house. It took a minute to find it on the kitchen counter under the movie stub. Relief mixed with consternation. Do I really want to go back out there? A quick overview of my current groceries produced a meal of oatmeal or eggs. Stubbornly, I hurried back into the car and set off again. Right. Left. Right. Straight. Retracing your path just taken, creates an odd sense of regurgitation. How many times have I taken a specific route to go anywhere? Being born and raised in one place creates more deja vu moments than I'd care to admit. I've thought about moving. Where would I go? Austin? Brooklyn? San Diego?

In Oakland...In Oakland...

Everything has always been here. My family, friends and more importantly the routine. Starting over. Flashes like light bulbs going off behind my eyes take me back. I see people I haven't talked to in decades. I see places that seemed so important so long ago. Monuments of memories that once shone so bright have since been eroded by time. A cemetery that has long lost its undertaker. A beautiful tragedy now befalls this secret garden. A million experiences that lie dormant individually breathe life into me.

Yeah, we can try/So let's try

 After claiming my food it's this line that keeps sticking out. And on the way back it's the line that has me digging. It was at this moment I got a sense of deja vu that was altogether different. Instead of it revolving around a time or place it was the act of self discovery through music I developed at a very early age. I can remember my sister's Panasonic CD Player like it was yesterday. She was much better about saving her allowance for technology so when she got that CD Player I was enraged with jealousy. I don't know how many times I stole it to her chagrin. I was determined to get one as well so when I finally got my first CD Player the real anticipation was to use it was in the car.

More aptly -- the van. A beige Econoline van with a tire wheel cover that read Sassi Chassi. Appropriately it was dubbed the Sassi Chassi by friends later on in high school. But by that time it had been remodeled into an ice cream van. Another story for another time. Anyways, my excitement lie in the fact I had a strange fascination in laying down on my back in the very back of the van and peering through the window trying to guess where I was by the tops of houses and power lines. It was fun. I was somewhere else - a different world. It was always difficult to fall completely because of the chatter of the family most times so when I discovered the music could be the blanket to insulate these dreams, it was a genuine breakthrough.

It was especially transcendent at night so as I found myself pulling up to house I decided to pile into the back of my Toyota Camry which readily brought two things to mind. The car was much smaller and I was much bigger. Nevertheless, I gave it one more spin and let everything go. Yeah we can try...so let's try. I think about my brief trial learning how to play the tenor saxophone given to me by my cousin Michelle. I think about my trials playing JV basketball until 8th grade. I think about the trials of growing up black in a significantly white state that is Oregon. I think about you. I never know if I try hard enough to say what I mean to say. I picture you standing two feet away with hurricane winds shuttling between us. No matter how hard I shout, the syllables swallowed and spat out on deaf ears. Eyes open and stomach stirs. Answers for a 29 year old summing up this decade of transition aren't coming easy but on days like these, the questions become clearer.

 I don't really mind the drive/
But I think I'd rather die/
In Oakland, in Oakland/
With my hands on two and ten/
So I guess it all depends/
On Oakland, on Oakland/
And I'm nervous, truth be told/
I never saw me growing old/
In Oakland, in Oakland/
And if I married you tonight/
It would probably start a riot/
In Oakland, in Oakland/

Top 10 Albums of '09

I make no omissions about feeling a LITTLE bit lackluster about this year's crop of new music. While last year saw a return to form by Portishead, the cough syrup-toting New Orleans Nightmare, Weezy, and the melodic trance creating MGMT, there will not be one band or rapper returning this year except Bon Iver. But, there were plenty of surprises and bright spots and these ten albums were truly great for individual reasons. While last year I found more indie rock sneak their way in the door, this year was great for pop. Maybe the recession inspired the industry to make slap-happy grooves that lifted the soul? Whatever the cause, pick up these albums.


10. Daisy - Brand New

The boys from Long Island released their fourth studio album to much fanfare. This was their highest charted album reaching number 6 on the Billboard 200 thanks in large to the success of The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me. This album infuses surf-rock, bluesy riffs, and heavy metal. As experimental as the sound came across, Jesse still was able to inject enough of himself to create a link between this album and the rest of their catalogue - barely. Jarring, loud, and aggressive are just a couple of adjectives that could be used to sum up this album. It is trying. But it is complete. Mike Sapone did an excellent job breathing life into this angry beast. Standout tracks include, "Bed," "You Stole," "At the Bottom," and "Bought a Bride."

9. The Ecstatic - Mos Def

It's interesting how the two hip hop albums on this list are almost a throwback. A novelty. Let's hit rewind and remember what it was to listen to hip in the 90s. Grooving melodies crafted by neo-soul hits of the 50s and 60s. Of course Def puts his unique spin on it. While this may be one of his more accessible records of recent memory, he really strikes a rhythm that is deeply satisfying. It's a short romp, but the Brooklyn Bomber does his thing here. Standout tracks include, "History (feat Kweli)," "Twilite Speedball," and "Auditorium (feat. The Ruler)."

8. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga

I will admit. I was late to this party. And as much as this might be a guilty admission into my top ten, I cannot dismiss the power of Lady Gaga. Her club hits that started out as infectious hook-laden pop hits like "Just Dance" flourished to full-fledged arena-sized power ballads such as "Bad Romance." Her entry into music consciousness was as smooth as blunt force trauma. If the door wasn't to open, she would kick it down. Soon she was singing hooks on up-and-coming hip hop acts such as Wale and Kid Cudi. To her credit, once the populace was ready to receive her, she took the light and ran with it. She is a performer first and then musician. She has done a good job of keeping her music sonically different than fluff acts and to that I will give her artist to watch for years to follow. Standout tracks are, "Just Dance," "Poker Face," and "Bad Romance."

7. Blood Bank EP - Bon Iver

Justin Vernon just has a knack of creating wintery melancholy tunes that message the aches and pains of life. While this might be a bit boisterous to put a four song EP in the top ten of the year -- this is pretty much just an extra slap on the back for his highly-successful full length album last year. If you need some Iver to hold you over til the spring, this may be just the drink. All four tracks are standout. Even the final track that proved even a folk singer like Vernon could take the auto-tune and make something organic come of it.

6. Album - Girls

Christopher Owens may be one of the most interesting musicians to emerge this year. Creating the masterpiece that calls itself Album may be enough to give him the most misunderstood musical figure in the industry. He's a junkie. He is an ex-member of the Children of God cult. And that's just the beginning. He's a musical genius and his anti-hero anthem, "Hellhole Ratrace" may just sum up 09' as a whole. Born out of San Francisco, California, Owens croons to be believed in. We might not have a choice after this initial offering. Standout tracks include, "Hellhole Ratrace," "Lust for Life," and "Morning Light."

5. Manners - Passion Pit

The earnest crooning of Michael Angelakos is only the beginning to this band formed out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This electronic band wedges itself somewhere in between MGMT and Postal Service. The pure wall of sound that drenches every track creates a dramatic soundscape peppered with light keyboard strokes. This album is the dark horse. Created out of Angelakos' wanting to create music for his girlfriend, now their EP feels like a tremendous freshman effort to woo every girl listening. It's light. It's fun. There's not much to challenge the listener so repeat listens may not break any new ground, but damn it if it's not infectious. Standout tracks include, "Moth's Wings," "Sleepyhead," "The Reeling," and "Swimming in the Flood."

4. It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Karen O may just be my hero. It just seems like whatever she touches to gold. Born to be the princess of Indie rock. This being their third offering, they ditch slow emo ballads for some electronic dance music. "Zero" seemed to come hurtling through the sonic sphere right in the nick of time. The critical success of this album seems to parallel the success of LCD Soundsystem's Sounds of Silver which saw the band reach a different kind of success with their electronic offering. Already nominated for the Grammy for Best Alternative Album, It's Blitz! seems to find the YYYs in a different world. One that loves them almost as much as they love themselves. Karen O has always been Indie rock's superstar, but the mainstream success has never fully eyed her until now. It'll be interesting to see how they go from here. Standout tracks include, "Zero," "Heads Will Roll," "Skeletons," and "Dull Life."

3. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective

Holy coherent melodies, Batman! Who would have thought Animal Collective would have been able to release a comprehensive albums that hardcore freakfolk nerds and simpletons could sway to alike? Not me. And yet, they've done it. They're crossing over from independent glory to mainstream with deft ease. Did Panda Bear give Ben Gibbard a call? Reaching 13 on the Billboard 200, this is easily their most commercially successful album to date. And perhaps the sonic sound of the album was bred out of necessity and not out of creativity entirely. Josh Gibb (guitarist) needed to take some time from the band out of personal reasons, so the now trio had to come up with sounds for substitutes in lieu of the guitar. The outcome was something close to Panda Bear's solo album Person Pitch. Using samplers as their primary instrument, the result also draws comparisons to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Technically, this might be the best album of the year. Best Tracks include: "My Girls," "Summertime Clothes," and "Brother Sport."

2. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II - Raekwon

What an re-entry. If the music industry were a steel door, Rae used OB4CL like a chainsaw. He was not gonna be denied with this album. With some of the best producers to ever sit at the table he received beats from Dre, RZA, J Dilla, The Alchemist, Marley Marl, and Pete Rock, he could have done nothing over the sonic landscape laid out and still had a top ten album. But perhaps that's the icing, every single line and lyric seemed laid in perfect positioning. Every guest spot seemed to up the last. Jada has never seemed more gruff. Ghostface has never seemed more wise. Slick Rick has never seemed so immediately relevant. And if the first installment of this series was Godfather I, this definitely feels like Godfather II. The rise of Brando. Raekwon the Chef aka Lex Diamonds is back with something the hood and mainstream can bump alike. Everything feels dangerous from the strings to the samples. Give a lot of credit to RZA for that. If last year was the year of the forward-thinking Weezy, this year is an homage to everything rap used to be. Top Tracks include: "Surgical Gloves," "Canal Street," and "10 Bricks."

1. Two Suns - Bat For Lashes

The difference in genres couldn't be any more different between number 1 and 2 on this list. Natasha Khan will be the next Indie rock superstar -- well if you want to call it rock. She plays piano, guitar, harpsichord, and autoharp. Not exactly what the pillars of rock were built on. But this beautiful album plays one part mysticism and one part sexuality. It seeps out of every corner and somehow feels out of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack or something. Playing on a lot of ambient noise, these songs almost feel organic in nature. Beautifully composed, each track rises and falls with almost breath-like qualities. There really isn't anything out there like this right now sonically and maybe that's the reason they may not be as big as they should be right now. If I had to peg a musical equivalent, I could draw comparisons to Feist or Tori Amos, but dynamic sampling and synths infuse genres that simply put Bat for Lashes on an island for one. If you listen to one track all year -- just one. Pick "Daniel." It is a flagship single if I've ever heard one. The production comes screaming -- ahem sighing -- out of the 80s but Khan's voice feels timeless making it relevant. They may borrow techniques out of the 60s, 70s and 80s, but this band has created one of the most beautiful albums to date and it feels so new. Much like Damien Rice's album O, sometimes beauty is the missing piece behind these musical compositions and the highlights reside in this album's softer moments. Intimate. Almost naked. She bares all and I dare you to turn away. Highlight tracks: "Daniel," "Glass," "Moon and Moon," and "Siren Song."

Long Away From Long Island

The emo alt-rockers known as Brand New have come a long way since their pop/punk roots in Your Favorite Weapon. Every band aspires to truly evolve and change with each new record, but none do it with quite the style like Brand New. Jesse Lacey, frontman and lead writer on their first three albums, takes a backseat to Vin Accardi in Daisy. And from beginning to end you can feel the stark difference from this album compared to the other three.

From "Vices" to "Noro" this is Brand New's heaviest record yet aiming its sights on prog/heavy metal rock. Jesse and Co. self admitted that they wanted to create a record that would be fun to play live and scheduled many days off for fear of the toll this record would take on their voices. If The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me was the band in quiet contemplation Daisy finds them in angry resolution. With buzzing guitars, this record is loud -- really loud.

Jesse channels his best Kurt Cobain impression in "Bed." Strangely dark and cryptic, Vin writes the framework for this dark masterpiece. "I don't know what you feel like/Ambushed on the root, stole your gold and you laugh/Everything that you own starts to pile up/Like bones make the walls of your prison." And perhaps the lack of redemption in the lyrics is the main difference between Vin and Jesse. Jesse wrote songs that were drizzled with sadness, but you always felt the tiny vein of hope poking through for air.

Above all things, this is Brand New's most experimental album as well. In "You Stole," Brand New finds itself exploring and experimenting with a surf rock sound. "Be Gone" features a sitar-like imitation with Lacey's voice distorted as if sonically being projected through a body of water. Also they bookcased the album with a gospel hymn called "On Life's Highway" written by Bertrand Brown. Above all though, many will think this album plays up the guitars, but this is album shines due to the drummer, Brian Lane. And producer Mike Sapone, who produced their first album Your Favorite Weapon, gave this album a continuity like none before it.

Only 40 minutes long, the album is quick. Straight to the point. There have been allusions that this may be the last Brand New album, at least with this same lineup. Four albums that altogether are very different yet strangely connected. It's been a decade for these boys turned men and they take nothing for granted. This album is their most creative, cohesive work ever. Deja Entendu may be their crowning achievement, but Daisy takes every opportunity that album gave them and churned out a fiery force that resonates long after the first listen.

Heading a tour that will pack arenas, these guys are a long way from their underground punk roots, yet you never really feel they've ever lost a sense of who they are and what they aim to convey.


9/10


This. Is. Truth.

So many thoughts.....

This is what I frequently end up doing. Create a successful month or two of blogging to follow it up with a half-year hiatus til the point that I have so many thoughts, I can't focus it into a streamlined article. Over the past month, I think I have downloaded about 10 albums, read that Thom Yorke is starting a new band with Flea, Pavement is back, Alice In Chains has re-formed with William DuVall, reached a new zenith for my love of "Poker Face" by Lada Gaga, finished the first season of Dexter...err...and seen the rebirth of the Wu! Let's get down to this.



I hate to start with the dude, but how can I not? Kanye West. The dude is a titan. A superstar. He may be the last of his kind. So self-absorbed and egotistical I'm not even sure he can escape his own gravitational pull -- but neither can we. And he finally achieved his ultimate goal with 808s and Heartbreak, he has transcended hip hop and is a true music star. He can work with anyone, anywhere, anytime and be accepted for truth. Karen O? Coldplay? Freaking Elvis Costello? He is in true charge of whatever music he wants to make and we will continue to support him in the process because the man is a genius at crafting a hook. He has opened to the door for acts like Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco to go out and fuse hip-hop with indie alternative and still stay mainstream to the hip-hop heads out there. We are reaching a point in music where there is no one where to go but back. Starchy synths, hooks straight outta the 80s, and glam rock is pumping through top radio stations everywhere. Kanye has a hand in that. Truly a visionary, he may be one of the most repugnant figures in music, but damn if I can't smile at his kid genius.


AND he may have done the unthinkable. He might have had a hand in delivering Hov his worst album...maybe ever.

Back to the Blueprint?

I wasn't sure if it was just me as I was listening to the Blueprint 3, but I was actually bored. This was my second time to FYE and they had just gotten the shipment in. I broke the seal and started the third installment of the landmark series. The dude sounds tired. His rhetoric is so repetitive it's hard to imagine this is one of the best rappers ever to walk. All this elder of rap stuff is getting old and his hooks didn't help much. Jeezy's feature, "Real As It Gets" goes downhill right as the homage to "Public Service Announcement" ends. Even up-and-comers Drake, J. Cole, and Kid Cudi can't keep this product fresh (Let's not even get to the Kanye track, "Hate"). The fact it was released around the same time as Raekwon's stellar hip-hop follow-up Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, made it even more apparent that Hov's lost some edge. He's lost some connection for the game and the hustle. Three weeks later, the album has already fallen out of my daily rotation. And perhaps that's the most alienating offense -- it's completely forgettable.

Do It For the Kids

We are a week away from Spike Jonze's chronicling of childhood favorite, "Where the Wild Things Are," and I think the only thing better than this movie might be the soundtrack. Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) has composed and co-produced this whole soundtrack. Officially the artist is listed as Karen O and the Kids. However the "Kids" constitute of Deerhunter mastermind, Bradford Cox, YYYs members, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase, Dead Weather/Raconteurs' Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence, Liars' Aaron Hemphill, The Bird and the Bees' Greg Kurstin, as well as a children's choir. If you can't wait a week for the movie (and who can?), skip on over to your music store and pick up a copy of this. Another check for Karen O and her undeniable quest to become alt-rock's demi god.


Finally, I find myself renewed with vigor and vim (P.s. I looked up vim finally -- now I truly understand what it means) for the last quarter of music that will come hurtling its way this holiday season. I rededicate this blog to the notion that good music comes in all shapes, sizes, accents, and instrumentation. I specialize in nothing. Just have a thirst for trending music that makes me happy. Feel free to share, critique, or compliment. This week I'll get a review up for the new Alice in Chains record, Monsters of Folk, AFI, Paramore, Brand New, and Raekwon. As well as highlight a project I'm pretty pumped about: Blakroc.


This. Is. Truth.

Standing O

The art rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their latest album, It's Blitz! to heavy anticipation. They have all the momentum in the world to make this release their landmark. Legions of underground media pub. Check. New York supported cast. Check. Incredibly hot and fashionable female lead singer. Check. Talent. Check.

From open to close this album challenges every YYYs fan of old. Dropping the Indie lo-fi mantra, this album explores every sonic inch of space with synths, hollow drums, and hushed wails. The lead single and first track, "Zero" throws Karen O into a bed of rippling, buzzing rave sounds. Immediately shaking off any relevance to previous work, anyone ill-prepared likely experienced whiplash by the evolution of sound. The upbeat wall of sound threatens to intimidate, but once engulfed, you can't help but feel revitalized by the dance disco track. There is no letdown by the next track, "Heads Will Roll." In fact, when I listened to this I couldn't help but feel reminiscent of Orgy's "Blue Monday."

Standout track "Soft Shock" teaches new fans and old just how strong Karen O can be no matter what the soundscape. However, through the many varied transformations found on It's Blitz! Karen O and Co. still shine through the song writing. "It's a soft shock...to your soft side." The hooks never feel repetitive but layered in way that the mind keeps bringing the most important sentiments to the forefront of consciousness. Like a familiar memory, "Skeletons" welcomes in the most exciting shoe-gaze pop song since "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star. With a Celtic melody and rolling drum lick, this may top "Maps" as their best ballad to date.

The change in concept may or may not be attributed by the producer credits belonging to Nick Launay (Nick Cave) and Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio). I would like to think that it's the need for the YYYs insatious need to stay out of familiar territory. The only track that really could be pegged a YYYs song might be "Dull Life," but even that track has a groove that Gold Lion could never have claimed its own. With the aforementioned track, "Skeletons," "Runaway" and "Little Shadow" round the album's more ambient songs and provide a change a of pace against the disco-fueled lineup. Each are perfectly tinted with a bit of glam rock that still keeps relevancy with the other songs and the album a march through time.

In essence, this is a classic dance/disco alt-rock gem that is best listened to in the company of others. Play it at a party. Play it on a road trip. Hell, play it at a wake. Music this infectious deserves to be heard by the populace. Oh and take a good look at the album art for this album because it may be the best you'll see all year.


8.5/10



This. Is. Truth.

IncrediBLE

After a two-month hiatus, I have deemed it necessary to keep compiling these blogs as liner notes in my musical evolution. Honestly, it almost felt necessary to abandon music for a short period of time. In December, I was listening to music about 6-7 hours a day and I burnt myself out. The first album I listened to upon returning was The Lonely Island's Incredibad. It felt almost fitting that the album that pulled me out of my stupor was music mockery of sorts. Paralleling the worst music has to offer from rastafarian ("Tras Rent") to hip-hop ("Punch You In the Jeans"), these guys did something Flight of the Conchords couldn't: Make me laugh. Not smile or chuckle, but laugh. 

It might be one of the funniest albums ever. Pooling the best Digital Shorts from SNL, the favorites already make the album worth the purchase, but the other songs reach the same merit. The gift of repetition was not lost on Samburg and crew. "Like a Boss" starts off as a meager storyline that dissolves into a dizzying array of crass depictions that somehow works on every level. Appearances by E-40, Norah Jones, T-Pain, and Jack Black feel fresh and right, not forced. Plus the bonus songs of "Dick in a Box" and "Natalie's Rap" are a gift in their own right. The odd part is how the music and comedy compliment each other. These are songs that find themselves chock full of one-liners that are brilliantly placed. 

Favorite Lines: "I'm ridin on a dolphin/doing flips and shit/the dolphin's splashing/getting everybody all wet." - "I'm On A Boat"

"E to the S to the P to the N/Is all I watch cause I'm the man/If my team loses I'll be mean all night/If you tell me to relax/We'll get in a fight" - "We Like Sportz"

"Pussy out (like a boss)/Puke on Debra's desk (like a boss)/Jump out the window (like a boss)/Suck a dude's dick (like a boss)/Score some coke (like a boss)/Crash my car (like a boss)/Suck my own dick (like a boss)/Eat some chicken strips (like a boss)/Cut my balls off (like a boss)/Blackout in the sewer (like a boss)/Meet a giant fish (like a boss)/Fuck his brains out (like a boss)/Turn into a jet (like a boss)/Bomb the Russians (like a boss)/Crash into the sun (like a boss)/Now I'm dead (like a boss)" - "Like A Boss"

"Yo, reach in my pocket pull out some dough/girl acted like she never saw a 10 before/It's all about the Hamilton's baby/Throw the snacks in a bag and I'm Ghost like Swayze." - "Lazy Sunday"

"I bust in dude's mouth like Gushers motherfucker/Roll up in NBC and smack  the shit out Jeff Zucker/What you want, Natalie?/To drink and fight/What you need, Natalie?/To fuck all night." - "Natalie's Rap"

2nd - "My dick is afraid of you." - "Natalie's Rap"

"Yo I'll punch your jeans/We said it before/Best believe this is not a metaphor/You got something to say/We got the proper retort/Beat your jeans so bad/That they'll wish they were shorts." - "Punch You In the Jeans"

2nd "Gonna revise your Levi's/With physical harm/Put divots in the rivots/With my physical arm/Gonna beat those jeans/Wanna dip em in slime/Turn your 501s/Into 499s" - "Punch You In the Jeans"

"Last week I thought I saw you on the street/Turned out to be a bag of trash/Just a big ole bag of trash/I thought you looked like a bag of trash." - "Dreamgirl"

Well I had fun going through and listing those. It was gonna be one or two and I just couldn't help myself. There are literally a hundred more I could have listed. Pick it up an have a laugh. I think our country could use it. 

8.0/10

This. Is. Truth.

10 Greatest Albums of 2008

Alright Alright. I've had enough time with each album to throw my weight around. I think it's interesting that these magazines come up with their consensus top ten, even though you know they're restrained to pick within certain genres dictated by their target audience. You can't tell me that the only magazine that should have thrown Weezy a nod was the Village Voice? I have no restriction or obligation to anyone. I'm going to give you the best albums of 2008 with the one goal in the album being greatness. You know it when you hear it. The music that makes you want to go out and dance in the streets. Or the music that perfectly captures your bleeding heart. It's the sonic sound that reaches the purest ethereal experience. Beauty transcended through sound. Basically, if you don't have these albums, you need to get these albums.

10. Santogold - Santogold

Oh how I love this woman. Santi White better known as Santogold screamed her way into the scene with the infectious jungle-club suited single, "Creator." Her best single on the album, "L.E.S. Artistes," a pure 80s pop-hit, proved she could craft a hit. A song that I think is in the top 10 songs of 2008 as well. She is a strong female stepping down stereotypes in each song using pop, raggae, hip-hop, surf-rock, and techno-inspired grooves. You just get the feeling that this artist is uncontainable and she is welcome to do anything she pleases without raised eyebrow. Her guest spot on Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 on a track called "Brooklyn (We Go Hard)" just legitimizes her presence in the music scence.

9. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

What would we do without our lovable copyright marauder, Greg Gillis? The strange man with a nose for hooks dug out another illuminating album this year. Counting 25 samples in the first track of 4:33 alone, the man doesn't sit back on his laurels. There are tons of mashup artists dreaming of capitalizing off of others' finished works, but somehow it doesn't seem like crime when Gillis mans the tables. Pure. Art. Who else could seamless transition from Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strikes" to Birdman and Lil Wayne's "Pop Bottles"? The answer is no one. And that is why Gillis gets his credit here.

8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Ahh yes. The white boys with the African sound? With the album only lasting just over 3o minutes, it instantly became the summer soundtrack. Featuring African instrumentation such as congas, bongas, and other percussive instruments, Ezra Koenig and his fellow Columbia grads show off their degrees with this album being their disertation. Complex and interlocking melodies punctuated by strings tirelessly slice their way through the heart of this album. Around the third listen you start to get the idea that these guys aren't rock stars, but neo-Beethovens and Mozarts posing to get some more ass. I mean Ludwig had to know a guitar would have made things a bit easier on the dating side. These guys found the right sound for the right time and for that their sound identified a lot of 2008.

7. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Now this was a release I could really drop my head down and waggle my body slowly in a haphazard manner to. Perhaps the opus soundtrack to the 80s, Anthony Gonzalez managed to not only sonically shift decades, but the lyrics are truly authentic to the very last sigh. "Kim and Jessie" classically jives around harking every 80s love story never experienced. This French group explored every inch of this album with whispers that fall and rise with the mood. It may be a period project, but the structure from song to song are superb and exquisitely done.

6. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

The only hip-hop album to grace the top ten had to be from the syrup-addicted, wheezy man himself. From "A Milli" to "Lollipop" to "Mr. Carter", the man has set a precedent for every hip-hop album to reach in the future. In a little over a year, he has turned himself into a brand. In a mixtape song he so shrewdly comments, "I have a new nickname. It's called Feat. Lil Wayne." And why shouldn't he poke fun at the reality he now finds himself in. Every time he guest raps on a song, it's automatically supposed to be hot -- it's not even his song. His guerilla marketing scheme has paid off and now it's Weezy Baby standing with his hand on the ball. In "I'm Me" he raps about how last year they had the Grammys and left him home in Miami. Now leading the way with 8 nominations, he may finally add merit to the proclamation that he is heir to the throne.

5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Recorded in the Wisconsin backwoods, Bon Iver (pronounced Bohn eeVehr) went straight for the heart with this masterful album. Songs painted against stark backdops, but insulated warmly with Justin Vernon's knack for inducing positive pathos. This is the album for those that reminisce love. You can feel the cold pressing around the sides of each of these songs, and yet warmth radiate from the center and soul of each song. This is an album for eternal optimists. The nut can be found in "Skinny Love" that propels Vernon into reprimanding crooner. The song couldn't be more fun with intermittent yelps and hand claps towards the end, but listening to the words definitely throws in the cold again. A complex album that touches a bit of everything. A top five album for sure.

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

What a beautiful album. As glorious as a sunrise, so is this album. The melodies so tight, you could pluck a right pleasant tune to it. Robin Pecknold writes an incredible album set to gorgeous soundscape. From the opener, "Sun It Rises," it feels just as much barbershop quartet as it does folk. The acoustic guitar becomes a distant memory as Pecknold and Co. decide to infuse everything from the Beatles to the Beach Boys in this head-swaying collection of tunes that could be folk/pop's greatest hits. Everything from the maraca beat to crisp high hat seem to fall perfectly into place. Orchestrally, this may be the best bit of music to come in a very long time.

3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science

These boys from New York can't seem to make a bad album. This is their third critically-acclaimed album in a row and these last two could be argued as the best in 2006 and 2008 respectively. The experimental group has seemed to stay on the cusp of coolness while borrowing tactics from titans such David Bowie for vocals. You never will quite know what these guys will throw at you and that is the fun in peeling away at each song.

2. Portishead - Third

Some may have called Guns N' Roses the most awaited artist in 2008, but in my opinion, I could argue heartily for possibly the most ingenious band in history -- Portishead. Leaders of the trip-hop revolution, Gibbons resumes her spot as sultry seducer. This album was approached with an unbelievable mindset. Changing everything from their two previous works, the band works strings, synths, mechanical drums (layered over more drums) to create this unorganic album that haunts long after the album is through. In "Hunter," Gibbons asks, "If I fall, would you hold me?" This sweetly crooned lyric holds only for seconds before distorted guitars cut the serenity suddenly. This album proves to be the most difficult listen of all three, but the reward lay in the work. This is a terribly melodic album that preys on the senses given the focus. This may be the best Industrial Rock record of all time.

1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Tadaaa! Brooklyn stand up! Your boys have created the most infectious, synth-heavy, ear-pleasing album since Favourite Worst Nightmare from the Arctic Monkeys. Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser comprise the band that is taking both music consumer and composer by storm. Ghostland Observatory feel hauntingly close this product while Brandon Flowers from The Killers said some of the songs off of Day and Age were channeled to be MGMT songs. There could be one hundred bands trying to duplicate this album and they could all fail miserably. There is a certain soul in this tandem, one that bleeds through the starchy, metallic-sounding anthems that pump through your speakers. In "Kids" Wyngarden sings, "Control yourself/Take only what you need from it/A family of trees waitin'/to be haunted." This layered over a sing-song keyboard and plodding drum beat creating psychadelic pop at its absolute finest. Not even The Killers' Hot Fuss managed to capture my need to get up and fling myself around as much as this debut. Like I said...beauty transcended through sound.



There were a couple of albums that I battled with a bit. There were a couple of albums I didn't give full attention to also, but I feel this is the list I would have settled on regardless.

Honorable Mention:

Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Beck - Modern Guilt
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Nas - Untitled
Kanye West - 808's And Heartbreak
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine
The Dears - Missiles
Deathcab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Cat Power - Jukebox
Dj Rupture - Uproot


This. Is. Truth.

My Favorite Time of Year

No, not Christmas.

Not even the holidays. It is the end of year awards doled out by every major music magazine/rag to the top 10 best albums of the year. Usually I get my kicks by seeing how many of them I owned BEFORE reading the lists. This year? 6 out of 10. Not bad right? I mean sure, if I had limitless funds, I'd have owned all of them...well except for one in which I had never heard of. In this article, I will give you the media's top 10 list and I will give you mine on my next post, which will be different, I assure.

10. - Kings of Leon's Only By the Night

I believe I threw up a review for this album, but if I did not, I couldn't quite get into this album. It's tough when you come off sounding less a rock band than even Coldplay. Something about that album didn't gel with me, but it certainly did with a lot of critics out there.

9. Amadou and Miriam - Welcome to Mali

(Quickly purchasing just so I can point to it and say I have the most comprehensive music library on the block.)

8. Portishead - Third

I guarantee this album will be in my top 10 as well. I'm very happy they are getting press for this album.

7. Glasvegas - Glasvegas

6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Of course the boys from NY would be on here somewhere. If you've been living under a rock, crawl out and cop this shit.

5. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All of His Friends

God damn. Gotta give it up to Chris Martin and his crew. The one time I didn't rush out to grab a Coldplay album. I'm regretting it as I'm catching up on the rest of the world.

4. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

This album might have changed the world that I know it to be. Rightfully in the top 5, MGMT has done much to improve the music scene this year and will for years to come. I'll explain later.

3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

If you are a fan of neo-folk and you don't have this album...you are utterly utterly lost. The melodies are so intricate you might think this album took a lifetime to evolve into what it is.

1. TV On the Radio - Dear Science

As far as I'm concerned, they've done it again. The boys from New York have dug quite a nice homestead atop the best albums of the year as Return to Cookie Mountain was widely held the top album of 2006. I don't know if these guys will ever gain widespread success like Band of Horses was able to do, but it's amazing music that is definitely different.


I disagree with a couple of these and you can tell the media is partial to folk/alternative bands with hip/hop getting left on the list completely. That will change as Tha Carter III will hold a spot on my top 10. Check back soon to see how I shake it up a bit.


This. Is. Truth.

My Favorite Christmas Song...

A week or so back, I conversated with some friends over my favorite Christmas Song, "Ave Maria." You could argue the fact that it's not at true Christmas song, but that is what I associate the song towards. Honestly, everyone from Celine Dion to Stevie Wonder to Perry Cumo has made their version. I went on a true hunt for my favorite version of the song. I ended up buying six different versions while sampling around 25-30.

Now, there are several lines that you will fall on trying to decide which version suits you best. Do you appreciate the bravado of a man hammering out the sultry notes, or perhaps the delicate touch that only a female can bring to the song? Do you want a driving, forceful experience guided by cellos and up-tempo strings, or perhaps a more shallow experience exploring the singer's voice lucidly outlined with bare piano keystrokes.

For my dream "Ave Maria," I wanted something ethereal. I wanted lots of pathos. I wanted the the singer's voice to bleed through the melody while the orchestral melody rang clearly in sweeping crescendos. I'm a dramatic guy...what can I say? So after listening to recordings made in the 80s including Luciano Pavarotti's, I sifted through the Cranberries', Winona's, and Sarah Brightman's version to find a copy that caught my fancy. Essentially, it's not my cup of tea in the end, but if you prefer a more classic, Opera-like version of the song, you might want to check out Dame Joan Sutherland's version feat. Ambrosian Singers and New Philharmonica Orchestra. My only quaff with the composition was that the choir came in too late towards the end to really impact the song, but Suntherland's voice is bigger than life in this song and really drives the emotion.

Suprisingly, after listening to the same song for an hour, each variance kept it fresh enough for me to still become moved when listening to my favorite ones. I settled on a top four with MY favorite. I picked four versions that were a little different from one another so if you have a different preference than me, you might go for one of the other three.

#4 - Academy of Choir Art of Russia - feat. Andrea Bocelli and Moscow Radio Symphony.

This is the way the song was composed to sound according to Frank Schubert. Classic pacing with the remarkable Bocelli lending his expertise to the age-old tune. Again, more towards the opera sound, but it is a classical song. Very plodding and a slower tempo with not much building from the orchestra. Bocelli does a brillant job rising and falling to create his own resonance amongst the orchestra. If you're a Bocelli fan, this may be your favorite.

#3 - Christina England

This is the song used from the Hitman movie and trailer. England beautifully demonstrates great control in her upper registry and falsetto. This version is airy, elegant, and punctuated by the sliding strings. The song brings about the recognizance of a antique ballroom holding a magestrate masquerade. Paced exquisitely from beginning to end, this song could only have been sung by England.

#2 - Celine Dion

The Canadien Diva herself comes in at two with this haunting version. Playing up her voice (which in most of her tracks is the best instrument being used) in sonc reverberance, the song is composed in stages. Starting out starkly barren with only the marching harpischord outlining each beat, the second stage brings in the classic strings. Rising and falling with the melody, Dion's voice sounds the best over this soundscape. The way her voice can switch between subtle and vulnerble to strong and resilient draws the ire of even Toni Braxton. If you're looking for a female fronted version of this song -- pick this one.

#1 - Josh Groban

This even surprised me. Josh's album Noel came out a year ago in 2007 and it was the highest selling album of last year. I have owned this album since then, but was hesitant to declare it the best until I truly listened to all of the others. The composition and production is unparelled in terms of capturing the energy and not letting it go. From the original beginning of using a choir to a flowing piano, Groban takes this song from the first note in a different direction. Where Bocelli might have a better grasp on this song vocally, Groban's isn't a showcase for his voice -- it's a song. From the resonating cymbals, to the staccato cellos, to the swirling cries emitting from the strings, the pacing is best in this version above all others. The last minute (which should be the standard for rating a great "Ave Maria") renders me speechless every time with the power of a lion winding down to a whisper. As much as Groban deserves the credit, so does the producer of this gem. Truly inspiring.


This. Is. Truth.

The Queen Reclaimed

I tried.

Let me just start out with that phrase. I tried to think of a million reasons why I shouldn't like this album. She is a puppet. She can't really sing. She doesn't really have any real influence over her sound other than picking the men that make it happen. She doesn't even naturally own that head of hair that she is sporting. But...

This shit is crunchy, loud, and the best stuff she's put out since 2003's In the Zone. From the outset, you can already hear the difference between Blackout and Circus. Her vocals in "Womanizer" sound forceful and resoundingly clear. And if you read my review, I found the construction of that song absolutely amazing even though it was produced by industry newbies, The Outsyders. I find it no coincidence that it was the first single to top the Billboard Top 100 since "Baby, Hit Me One More Time" almost a decade previously.

She is realizing that she can't do this alone. And with the myriad of top-notch producers, she reinforces that statement fullboard. Dr. Luke, who also crafted "Toxic," is here for the searing, pop/electro/deathly-infectious pop smash "Circus." The bass-heavy diddy begs to played at full blast and while it feels that Britney has never moved away from her home base (at least lyrics-wise), it feels oddly different. These are the type singles that harken classic hits from ultra-divas Madonna and Miss Janet.

The highlights from this album reside in the two singles, "If You Seek Amy (sound it out and spell it out)," "Shattered Glass," "Unusual You," and "Lace and Leather." If there is one fault in this album is that Guy Sigsworth's immense talent was wasted on two of the three Britney ballads. The curse of her montonous voice is that her ballads really depend on the production for range since she has virtually none. Although she has had some successful songs in that category, "Out From Under" and "My Baby" fall dramatically short. She will forever be cast into the up-beat dance realm and I think that is fine with her. It should be. The major genre move to electro-pop/synth isn't just coordinating with the industry, but also helps mask the one true flaw in her game: her voice.

The one ballad that worked for me was "Unusual You." Also probably the most pure electronica-style song on the album, the breathy gasps combined with the brooding, aggressive drum track really shows a different side of Britney. The piano plots the structural outline of the song much like a pre-Vida Coldplay. More than anything, these producers definitely creating a higher form of artistic expression for Britney's usual thoughts on sex, boys, and relationships.

Throughout her successful career, this may be her best album to date musically. While it isn't revolutionary, it is a remarkable collection of infectious, energy-fueled pop hits that will undoubtedly prove their worth in 2009. She self-identifies herself as the Queen of Pop now claiming maturity. Time will only tell if she can escape the depression, mental fatigue, and drugs, but if this album is any forecaster -- she may have just turned the corner we were all waiting for.


Best Tracks - "Circus", "Womanizer", "Shattered Glass", "Unusual You", and "Lace and Leather"


7.5/10


This. Is. Truth.

The Best Producer Alive?

Alright. Alright.

No matter how hard it is for me to say this, Kanye did it again.

Wait, before you call me a jockrider and a flip-flopper by me saying he did it again, I mean that he was able to convey and achieve what he wanted to do with this album musically. I still dislike "Love Lockdown." I still think his lyrics (which are notoriously known for being simple and gimmicky) are sub-par. But let's get one thing straight.

THIS IS A POP ALBUM.

There is no hip hop. There is no rap. Yes, this might be a pop album written from the perspective of a hustler, but isn't that the point? This type of music has been done before by distorting voice, using synth and echo (Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap etc). But never has it been so dramatic, infusing disco and African-rhythms. He has some of the best rappers on the Earth in Jeezy and Wayne come in and buy into it. But most of all, he is able to paint a picture with this album. His lyrics don't necessarily have to be that great, because it feels like he's just talking to us on this record and because singing is such an emotional mode of communication, he wanted us to hear every single word this time round. And we do...but more about pacing later.

We've all played pariah to the bevy of emotional altercations and situations Kanye has gone through this year. He lives his life in front of cameras and perhaps he knows thats why we could understand this record. In many Kanye tries to make this album sound as sparse and shallow as possible, but the sonic layerings end up pretty complex starting with the anthem-like "Say You Will." This song almost gives you feeling of a dirge-type setting with the choir singing over the simple drum pattern over the fx effects giving the resonance of rain falling in a pitter patter pattern.

This can act as a positive and then as a negative for the track, "Robocop." Robocop is bloated as fuck and it frustrates me. This could have been a great song, but what makes this album great is the suble balance between vocal track and instrumental track. His voice is already weak and during some of the softer moments, it plays to his advantage because the fragility works for him. Him trying to sing over Robotic sounds mixed with the robust synths and strings just doesn't work at all. The instrumental is interesting, but the vocal track is a waste. Plus it sounds like something out of Hans Christian Anderson's B-sides and Kanye rambles about nothing towards the end. "Stop, Drop, Roll, Pop/Bitch I'm cold/I, take that go/Throw that bow/Oh, that was slow, that can go/That you know, took em' to the back, you know/Back in the flo' and went back in the door/back in the door."

As odd as Robocop seems to be in the album, some of the pacing and order is a bit intriguing. One of the standout tracks, "Amazing" featuring Young Jeezy almost divides itself in half as Kanye sings one of the more celebratory, Kanye-ish tracks on the album. The second half features a lively, entertaining Jeezy and adds a decent sprinkle of swagger (over his trademark sample, "yeah" that was manipulated to make him sound more like the Cookie Monster than himself) to the track as a whole. It's "amazing" that these tracks can sound so good even though he sounds more like Kermit than Kanye at points. Also embedded in this track are these avian/animal cries that seems to be peppered through the album as a whole. Consciously this might not do anything, but subconsciously it definitely adds to this natural, organic theme of heartbreak steadily taking hold from begining to end. Heartbreak is so ethereal and penetrating that the wild screams of animals are the screams that is ringing in his head from his heart and soul. My theory on this album is that he is trying to create a soundscape for his soul and thoughts. And everything incorporated in these songs are the manifestation of everything he feels inside. His success in doing it are the reasons I think he is the best producer alive right now.

This urban, toe-tapping, thumper-of-a-track flows into the 80s, disco-y track "Paranoid" feat. Mr. Hudson. This is definitely the club banger of the album. It definitely harkens a weird mix between Michael Jackson's Thriller/ABBA's Dancing Queen/John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever/M83's Saturdays = Youth. Its melody is so infectious I had to play the track at least four times before I could move on.

Anyways, this album is nothing special lyrically, but the production value on over half the tracks are genius. "Welcome to Heartbreak" beautifully uses piano, cello, and synth drums to create this brooding, urban banger while the strings turn "See You In My Nightmares" into a lush, stylished arena-sized pop ballad. The secret factor to the success of this album will go to the drum effect he uses throughout this album. Partway through I was expecting to hear Nick Cannon yell "Drumline." Chalk it up to the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine. The shit is classic. This is used especially well in the album's last track, "Coldest Winter," as it turns this tribute to his mother into a forceful, pop hit that really ends the album in a bittersweet moment. Mr. West can do a lot, but it may be too much to convert hip-hop heads towards his corner on this one, but he converted me.

"I'm a monster
I'm a maven
I know this world a changin'
Never gave in
Never gave up
I'm the only thing I'm afraid of." - Kanye in Amazing...

8.0/10

Best Tracks - Say You Will, Amazing, Paranoid, Coldest Winter


This. Is. Truth.

It Was All In the Name...

I have this strange, quirky habit of wanting to write reviews with a two-minute window right before work. But knowing my apathetic nature, I deem it necessary to write something than not at all.

It was all in a name. I decided to add The Oregon Donors' new album Somethings to my music library partly because they included Oregon in the title, though hailing from Washington. Even though it has a muddy, lo-fi resonance, I found myself intrigued and interested in their sound. Resting between Radiohead (when it was just a rock band) and At the Drive-In, their alternative approach fueled by lead singer, Christopher Rabbit's (weird) knack of moaning his way through a track becomes enjoyable and worthy of any college-rock loving, he/she out there.

This was just my first run-through. As I explore it more heavily, I hope to have an even more insightful stance on the project.

Best Tracks: 3rd Lvl Wizard, Pocket Knife (Engraving in Bark)


This. Is. Truth.

808's and Heartbreak...

As the time nears that will undoubtedly make/break Kanye's legend in pop culture forever as maybe the most versatile hip-hop superstar of all time, he has released a press release addressing several topics. Now as someone who has disagreed with his artistic direction in his upcoming album, his words did certainly change my view of him and his project. Apparently continuing with the theme of his three albums, this one was slated to be called Good Ass Job when he lost his mother and fiancee. But I'll just let you read the transcript that I found on the HipHopDX.com website.

Kanye on the emotion behind his new album:

"I'm at a listening session in the UK playing my joint right now. I love listening sessions, because it feels like Christmas Day when the parents get to see their kids open up the gifts. I feel like I try to give the gift of music. This album is based off the devastation and the hurt that I’ve felt the past year. All the hurt that I’ve felt within the past year from all the losses that I’ve endured, have sort of settled me into being this fucking super-famous alien, where everywhere I go, somebody wants a fucking photograph…it’s hard when you not really a celebrity, but you’re just a real person that ended up being famous for your craft."

Kanye on using Auto-Tune and the title 808's & Heartbreak:

"What’s good is that this is therapeutic for me…it’s better than suicide to just keep on putting out music and art. I got a lot of backlash for the medium that I wanted to do this in. I created a thing I call ‘Heartbreak,’ that’s like a mixed drink. It’s Auto-Tune meets distortion, with a bit of delay on it and a whole bunch of fucked up life. And that’s what I call my ‘Heartbreak.’ And that’s what every record basically has.

"I’m delivering what I feel like is art, and that’s what I want to deliver from this point on. The records I’m doing right now might not have high hats and shit like everything else has. But when I go out and be listening to shit like Jimi Hendrix and The [Rolling] Stones and Lenny Kravitz, they wouldn’t play no Hip Hop records in the midst of that. I feel like niggas give up on trying to make music on the Quincy Jones level. On this record I’m trying to improve my craft and take it a level that no nigga ever made it to. No niggas are rocking 50,000 people and stadiums with 100,000 people 10 years after their records came out. Anybody that saw the tour knows my goal is to take it to a whole ‘nother level."

Kanye on the street's reaction to his latest music:

"Today, we’re about to drop one of the records everybody is talking about—'Amazin'' featuring Jeezy. I just wanted to make this call before Chris blasted it out to everybody. It’s definitely one of those joints in the club, it’s gonna go crazy—like we did with 'Swagger [Like Us],' like we did with 'Put On,' like we always do at this time, basically. This is what my job is. My job is to give y’all shit that have the model bitches runnin’ around going crazy—shit that has niggas bobbing their head crazy like 'Can’t Tell Me Nothin'.'

"Of course I always hit ‘em with a curve to start off with. Y’all know with that 'Heartless,' that’s straight nigga shit. The whole album is shit that 50 would rap over, but I’m trying to put them Phil Collins melodies when I rap to them. Even if I’m harmonizing, it’s still from a nigga perspective. I’m not making no ‘Girl You Know,’ this is the perfect melody…Nah, this is none of that. This is still 100 percent, rap perspective music with melody."

"I just came on the call to thank everyone for their support with 'Love Lockdown'. That shit sold over a million on iTunes thus far. Bitches love it, and niggas rock to what bitches dance to. This album is really for my art; it’s an art project. And I appreciate everybody. For the people who are like mad that I’m not rapping right now, thank you very much for allowing me to sit on this therapeutic couch and let this one off and get out what I need to get out."

Kanye on rumors of another album in June:

"It’s rumors of another album coming soon. I’m not gonna put that pressure on myself. I’m probably coming with another tour in June though. But, that’s where I’m at with my life right now. I really wanted to release this music, and I forced L.A. [Reid] to give me this release date. I was like, 'Don’t fuckin’ wait months and months to set it up. Just give people the music!' I’m constantly making music; we almost finished with Jay. Jay’s album is coming in February…There’s a new Wayne with special packaging that’s coming before this Christmas is out. We’ve got a new record on there together. So we still got a bunch of shit." album. We was almost finished before I even dropped my album.

Kanye on his new release date of November 24:

"The label moved it up to get more Thanksgiving sales. They told me to get on the call and tell y'all that I did it because of the fuckin' excitement, but I don't do that shit...you know what I'm saying? The label moved it up. They were trying to get more sales and shit. I'm excited about the album.

"Also, 'Robocop' is completely different on the album. 'Paranoid' is different. I did not leak those, and I did not leak the 'Heartless' video. Motherfuckers is leaking my shit. The only shit I leaked was 'Heartless' and 'Love Lockdown.' Them the only joints I actually put out. Basically, the label moved it up to get more sales and shit. If I get the sales, then cool. If I don't, then, hey...I'll have to bare the burden, because I've been a cocky motherfucker and talked my shit and all that. And the people would love to see me not sell...hey, it is what it is. That's the way life is, man. But hopefully I sell."

Kanye on working with Young Jeezy:

"We've been doing pretty good with the singles I'm dropping. We'll put this one out today, and hopefully get more sales because of it. It's got Jeezy on it. Jeezy came down to Hawaii with us. Every time I write a chorus or write any type of hook, I be like, 'Man what would Jeezy do.' Niggas have big bumper stickers with 'What would Jesus do?" but my shit is 'What would Jeezy do? What would he say on this record?' I make my shit straight white t-shirt ready at all given times. So, he came down and helped out. But he actually helped with other records. So it's records that's straight singing records that have Jeezy lines on it. And you'll feel that energy throughout the entire joint."

Kanye is the master publicist, but something in this did strike a tone within in me. He wants to make a heartbreak album and this is how he thinks heartbreak should sound musically. Can't fault him for trying to take a chance. There are still a couple of things that should be considered before we praise him for putting everything on the line for this new vision. This has been done before. This isn't new. This is more 80s disco than Graduation was. His two lead songs are not good. "Lock Lockdown" and "Heartless" aren't great songs both lyrically and composition wise. And after hearing tracks, "The Coldest Winter," "Robocop," and "Tell Everybody That You Know" this will be his least accomplished record in terms of lyrics in his catalog. Just simply dreadful actually, but I'm starting to get his angsty, moody art after hearing the song "Tell Everybody That You Know" feat. Lil Wayne and "Anytime" feat. Kid Cudi. This WILL NOT be his greatest work to date, but I at least accept it as viable art after hearing more tracks. Yes, I did hear these tracks after I wrote the post last night, so my hope for his piece of work is a bit higher than hours prior.

This. Is. Truth.

My Life...

...and here lies the beautiful idea that used to be a current, useful blog designed to be informative and entertaining...

Oh, before I finish that tacky, irreverent eulogy, maybe I'll use this time to update you on the reasons I haven't been able to update this site as much as I want to. I currently picked up another job at a music licensing company called Rumblefish, Inc. Yes, your man is living the dream trying to sell Indie, licensed music to different television/film/video game/Internet productions that need sonic branding or licensed music.

My first impression? These people are too fucking cool to comprise a serious company. Then, I realized it was because they are all musicians. They all have bands and side projects and shit. So when I decided to stick up for Creed today in the office, you can imagine the backlash I received. Not that I haven't been fighting that headwind all my life. But alas, I won't put you through that argument again. I will refer you to the blog I wrote about two months ago. Read It. Learn It. Fall under its pragmatic voice.

Alright, but on a positive note. I have only picked more bands to digest into my "internal catalog." My favorite that I have picked up from around the office is the Eagle Seagull which I mentioned in passing in my last blog. I have no idea if they have released a full album yet. I have the EP entitled, "I Hate EP's." Granted it's an Indie band doing their best imitation of what a good Indie band should sound like, but it's a rather good imitation to their credit. Think the Killers without all the good parts (i.e. the glam, heavy-synth sound). The reason I like them is their honest transitions. To illustrate and convey the most sincere parts of their songs they often transition to acoustic guitar punctuated with stoccato punches on the keyboard. In "I'm Sorry But I'm Beginning to Hate Your Face" the song goes through about three transformations with the end exploring every inch of sonic space with Carrie's violin leading the assault.

Eagle Seagull is nothing you haven't heard before, but the fact that they are everything you like in other bands, the pickup may be worth it.

My boss mentioned to me earlier this week, to some jokey effect, that I may be stuck in the 90s musically because I mistaked The Hold Steady for The Counting Crows (an honest mistake if you ask me). And then I thought about it. Aren't we all a byproduct of that momentous time we first found ourselves introduced to the beautiful siren that is music? I mean yes, Creed, Alanis Morrissette, Jewel, Britney, Nirvana were my mainstays back when. And to be honest, the fact that I have found listening to the amount of good music that I do now seems to be somewhat of a miracle. Growing up in the teenie pop-bopper movement could have seriously destroyed any appreciation for a well-crafted, delicate hook that isn't punctuated by "Yeah!" It could have destroyed any appreciation for a song that isn't composed in a verse/chorus/verse/bridge/chorusx2 pattern. And while the 90s definitely had a sound and a face from the rebirth of college rock/alt-grunge bands to the boy band craze, this decade feels oddly aimless.

Music tends to imitate its environment and the reason pop was perhaps more fluff than ever perhaps indebted itself to the fact that our economy was thriving and bubblegum anthems resonated well within our spirit. This decade has a much different persona economically and spiritually than the one of the last. Artists are multi-dimensional and with the onslaught of the Internet PR has had to redefine how to carefully craft an artist's image. Transparency has never been greater and I am waiting for a face or ideology to emerge as a symbol for this decade. Maybe Kanye? Maybe commercial rap? Eminem/50...Aftermath Records? Maybe the Killers? Maybe Jack White and the White Stripes/Raconteurs? Honestly, this will be hard to determine because the Internet has made music so widespread that even the top selling artists are finding it hard to separate themselves as juggernauts and impervious to downfall.

Anyways to wrap this up I'm going to finish with some liner notes on what I think is hot and not.

HOT:

Devotchka. Period. I'm proud that I saw them before "How It Ends" ended up as the song for the new Gears of War videogame that just came out. They are amazing live and amazing as a band. Go. Get. It. From playing bars in Eugene to being featured in an international campaign for one of the biggest videogames of the year. Cool.

Q-tip. His new album, "The Renaissance" is first played in the morning and last at night and I will hopefully be writing that review soon.

Europe's "The Final Countdown." From GOB dancing enthusiastically around the stage in his magician get-up to sports arenas at halftime...I will never get enough of this 1986 smash hit.


NOT:

Kanye West: As the time draws nearer and I am hearing more of his singles for the upcoming album, I am seeing how dire he is need of a dropoff. He really believes he can do whatever he wants and we HAVE to like it. I do not and I do not. I have never heard anyone sound so off tune while using an autotuner.

Chinese Democracy: Any album that takes longer than a decade to produce isn't worth the wait. We have been waiting and waiting for this Guns N' Roses albums and they sound nothing like Guns N' Roses! If their lead single has any bearing on what the album will sound like, they are going down the road that Metallica went down. A clean, polished, and generic rock album that isn't worthy to carry the brand name that they spend tireless years creating.

The argument whether hip hop is/isn't dead: It isn't dead. It never will be. Shut the fuck up.


This. Is. Truth.