Monday, December 29, 2003
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Damn, I can't sleep...
And it looks like whoever dreams up the early morning television schedules is deliberately trying to fuck with my head. One minute I'm watching a program called The Theory of Everything, it was about Quantum Theory mainly - and it made perfect sense to. Unfortunatly I then made the mistake of switching over to watch something called Boohbah which has now thrown up all sorts of questions about the nature of reality.
I think they're going for an even more surreal Teletubbies vibe, but at least with the Teletubbies you knew where you were: there was the little red one who seemed to spend all his time racing around on his scooter, the obviously gay one with the handbag (the one who liked his 'Big Hugs' just a little too much), erm, and the other two. This Boohbah thing is on another level, I get the impression the Boards of Canada or cLOUDDEAD would love to do a soundtrack to it.
Or maybe I just need to get some sleep?
And it looks like whoever dreams up the early morning television schedules is deliberately trying to fuck with my head. One minute I'm watching a program called The Theory of Everything, it was about Quantum Theory mainly - and it made perfect sense to. Unfortunatly I then made the mistake of switching over to watch something called Boohbah which has now thrown up all sorts of questions about the nature of reality.
I think they're going for an even more surreal Teletubbies vibe, but at least with the Teletubbies you knew where you were: there was the little red one who seemed to spend all his time racing around on his scooter, the obviously gay one with the handbag (the one who liked his 'Big Hugs' just a little too much), erm, and the other two. This Boohbah thing is on another level, I get the impression the Boards of Canada or cLOUDDEAD would love to do a soundtrack to it.
Or maybe I just need to get some sleep?
late comers...
Netmage 04
Another freebie from my Wire subscription - nothing that interesting to report, the usual ambient-esque glitchy electro nonsense. Probably best listened to when not entirely conscious.
Diamanda Galas - La Serpenta Canta
Ms Galas has always been someone I've been aware of, but I've never actually heard any of her stuff. I remember when I lived in Coventry and spent much of my time in a record shop called Spinadisc (now there was a shop! *sigh* happy days) always seeing a few of her discs in the EBM/Industrial section, but I was always too nervous to buy any of them. Anyway, this year she has released two double CD's, this is the quote lighter unquote one, both have been getting very good reviews. Now how scary could this be? Take one fairly stern, but kind of intriguing goth "mom", add a piano and a few blues songs. Nothing too troubling, until she opens her mouth! My god, that is what I call a voice! She can go from Screaming Jay Hawkins to operatic without breaking a sweat, she can do some perfect deep south blues wailing on tracks like "At the Dark End of the Street", but will then makes the classic "I'm so lonely I could cry" sound like it's being sung by something truly demonic. Her piano playing is pretty good too...
Netmage 04
Another freebie from my Wire subscription - nothing that interesting to report, the usual ambient-esque glitchy electro nonsense. Probably best listened to when not entirely conscious.
Diamanda Galas - La Serpenta Canta
Ms Galas has always been someone I've been aware of, but I've never actually heard any of her stuff. I remember when I lived in Coventry and spent much of my time in a record shop called Spinadisc (now there was a shop! *sigh* happy days) always seeing a few of her discs in the EBM/Industrial section, but I was always too nervous to buy any of them. Anyway, this year she has released two double CD's, this is the quote lighter unquote one, both have been getting very good reviews. Now how scary could this be? Take one fairly stern, but kind of intriguing goth "mom", add a piano and a few blues songs. Nothing too troubling, until she opens her mouth! My god, that is what I call a voice! She can go from Screaming Jay Hawkins to operatic without breaking a sweat, she can do some perfect deep south blues wailing on tracks like "At the Dark End of the Street", but will then makes the classic "I'm so lonely I could cry" sound like it's being sung by something truly demonic. Her piano playing is pretty good too...
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Friday, December 19, 2003
Well, I got two out of Pitchforks top ten albums of the year, and eleven out of the top fifty - does that make me hip?
Oh, and since it is apparently the season to be jolly: Merry Christmas.
Oh, and since it is apparently the season to be jolly: Merry Christmas.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Right you are, I think I've worked out my ten albums of the year. The process has been a fairly tortuous one, I started out with all the CDs I've aquired over the year; anything not released in 2002 was discounted, as we're some fairly obvious reissues and compilations (Sonic Youth's Dirty special edition and the Bad Brains compilation were particularly painful to discard), which left me with about 40 CDs. From these I've chosen the ones I consider to be the most complete works, all killer and no filler! So, without further delay, here they are (in no particular order):
Broken Social Scene
You Forgot it in People
This one came out of nowhere, a Canadian collective releases possibly one of the strongest indie pop albums ever. Stars and Sons has one of the greatest bass lines I've ever heard and the way it kind of restarts about half way through can only be described as joyous; Cause = Time could be a lost Dinosaur Jr classic. The other songs aren't too shabby either!
The Bug
Pressure
I was nervous about this one, Kevin Martin - one half of the mighty Techno Animal - doing a ragga album? Not the sort of music I'm familiar with really. Thankfully he pulled it off, injecting just the right amount of fear and dread without losing the 'riddim', aided and abetted by some heavy weight vocal courtesy of the likes of Toastie Taylor and Daddy Freddy.
Kid606
Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You
Fuck it! I'm a fan. Admittedly it's not perfect, but I think it's as close as you can get to compiling all of his diverse styles onto one disc. Full on dance floor fillers, ruff'n'ready digital ragga, chilled out reflective moments, and some good old fashioned noise. There's more musical ideas on this one disc than most artists come up with over there whole careers.
Four Tet
Rounds
At the time, I believe this was descibed as folktronica. Crap descriptions aside, this was one of the most complete albums I've heard this year working better as a whole rather than it's individual parts.
Hymie's Basement
Hymie's Basement
Another surprise. Andrew Broder otherwise known as Fog, and Jonathan Wolf otherwise known as Why?, both from the Anticon collective, each released mighty fine solo albums this year - but I thought this collaboration between the pair of them was slightly better than each solo effort. Difficult to descibe, it seems to have been recorded really quickly - everything sounds like it's been barely rehearsed, lyrics made up on the spot... it's released on Warp's hip hop label, but it isn't hip-hop - it's basically a really good pop album.
Prefuse 73
Extinguished: Outtakes
In theory this should not be better than the album which provides all the material, but some how it is. Prefuse 73 normally makes music by cutting up other peoples music, here he cut's his own up to create an amazingly intricate musical collage. It's helped by it's brevity, I just really liked it - everything about it sounds and feels right.
Black Eyes
Black Eyes
Re-inventing Washington D.C. hardcore sound by using two drummers, two vocalists and two bass players. Rythmn and space are the main draws, helped by some amazing guitar playing - I loved the way that the guitarist uses his screaming as almost an extra element to the noise coming out of his guitar, sometimes it's hard to tell where the screaming ends and the wailing on his axe begins (sorry about that, that was almost a terrible pun - but somehow worse)
The Twilight Singers
Blackberry Belle
Like on old pair of shoes, this just fit's so well. Greg Dulli returns with what sounds like a lost Afghan Whigs album in places, more soul than most groups have in there collective little fingers. Top stuff, extra marks for the collaboration with Mark Lanegan, which is one of the finest country influenced blues jam you'll ever here.
Themselves
Live
This year has been the one where I discovered the Anticon crew, they seem to produce Hip-Hop so left of centre half of the time it's not even hip-hop. This is almost traditional, in that there are beats, and there is rapping but not like you've ever heard. Apparently the beats are programmed live (god knows how!), and some of Dose-Ones' vocal gymnastics defy belief. Even though most of the songs have already appeared on last year's The No-Music there's a sufficient twist to get this release into my list.
Mogwai
Happy Songs for Happy People
Seeing Mogwai live at Glastonbury was one of my defining musical moments. I'll alway's remember standing in a field as the sunshine came out to dry us all off from the morning rain watching stunned as they gave the crowd absolutely no mercy and plowed through there 'difficult' tribute to a jewish prayer, My Father, My King. I think this album is the finest they've recorded, consistantly appealing, downright beautiful in places.
...anyway there you go, it will be interesting to see how many of these appear in other websites albums of the year. I'll be paying particular attention to tomorrows list on Pitchfork.
Broken Social Scene
You Forgot it in People
This one came out of nowhere, a Canadian collective releases possibly one of the strongest indie pop albums ever. Stars and Sons has one of the greatest bass lines I've ever heard and the way it kind of restarts about half way through can only be described as joyous; Cause = Time could be a lost Dinosaur Jr classic. The other songs aren't too shabby either!
The Bug
Pressure
I was nervous about this one, Kevin Martin - one half of the mighty Techno Animal - doing a ragga album? Not the sort of music I'm familiar with really. Thankfully he pulled it off, injecting just the right amount of fear and dread without losing the 'riddim', aided and abetted by some heavy weight vocal courtesy of the likes of Toastie Taylor and Daddy Freddy.
Kid606
Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You
Fuck it! I'm a fan. Admittedly it's not perfect, but I think it's as close as you can get to compiling all of his diverse styles onto one disc. Full on dance floor fillers, ruff'n'ready digital ragga, chilled out reflective moments, and some good old fashioned noise. There's more musical ideas on this one disc than most artists come up with over there whole careers.
Four Tet
Rounds
At the time, I believe this was descibed as folktronica. Crap descriptions aside, this was one of the most complete albums I've heard this year working better as a whole rather than it's individual parts.
Hymie's Basement
Hymie's Basement
Another surprise. Andrew Broder otherwise known as Fog, and Jonathan Wolf otherwise known as Why?, both from the Anticon collective, each released mighty fine solo albums this year - but I thought this collaboration between the pair of them was slightly better than each solo effort. Difficult to descibe, it seems to have been recorded really quickly - everything sounds like it's been barely rehearsed, lyrics made up on the spot... it's released on Warp's hip hop label, but it isn't hip-hop - it's basically a really good pop album.
Prefuse 73
Extinguished: Outtakes
In theory this should not be better than the album which provides all the material, but some how it is. Prefuse 73 normally makes music by cutting up other peoples music, here he cut's his own up to create an amazingly intricate musical collage. It's helped by it's brevity, I just really liked it - everything about it sounds and feels right.
Black Eyes
Black Eyes
Re-inventing Washington D.C. hardcore sound by using two drummers, two vocalists and two bass players. Rythmn and space are the main draws, helped by some amazing guitar playing - I loved the way that the guitarist uses his screaming as almost an extra element to the noise coming out of his guitar, sometimes it's hard to tell where the screaming ends and the wailing on his axe begins (sorry about that, that was almost a terrible pun - but somehow worse)
The Twilight Singers
Blackberry Belle
Like on old pair of shoes, this just fit's so well. Greg Dulli returns with what sounds like a lost Afghan Whigs album in places, more soul than most groups have in there collective little fingers. Top stuff, extra marks for the collaboration with Mark Lanegan, which is one of the finest country influenced blues jam you'll ever here.
Themselves
Live
This year has been the one where I discovered the Anticon crew, they seem to produce Hip-Hop so left of centre half of the time it's not even hip-hop. This is almost traditional, in that there are beats, and there is rapping but not like you've ever heard. Apparently the beats are programmed live (god knows how!), and some of Dose-Ones' vocal gymnastics defy belief. Even though most of the songs have already appeared on last year's The No-Music there's a sufficient twist to get this release into my list.
Mogwai
Happy Songs for Happy People
Seeing Mogwai live at Glastonbury was one of my defining musical moments. I'll alway's remember standing in a field as the sunshine came out to dry us all off from the morning rain watching stunned as they gave the crowd absolutely no mercy and plowed through there 'difficult' tribute to a jewish prayer, My Father, My King. I think this album is the finest they've recorded, consistantly appealing, downright beautiful in places.
...anyway there you go, it will be interesting to see how many of these appear in other websites albums of the year. I'll be paying particular attention to tomorrows list on Pitchfork.
Pitchfork: Top 50 Singles of 2003: "33: Tatu
'Not Gonna Get Us'
[Polydor]
This could be 2003's greatest love song: a cinematic gem reminding us that tragedy was as much an element of great girl-group music as romance. Our heroes' belief that their love can create a utopia 'beyond the clouds over the mountains' is suggestive of 'Go West', except hightailing it over the Siberian hinterlands isn't as romantic as driving toward the warm California sun. Fittingly then, 'Not Gonna Get Us''s sharp trance-pop cuts and bleeds, mirroring the severity of its consequences. When paired with Tatu's striking vocal performances-- one sweetly optimistic and the other fiercely determined-- and the noble naivete of teenage invincibility, the duo have crafted the perfect exit music (to their own film). --Scott Plagenhoef"
...see, I was right, Tatu are good.
'Not Gonna Get Us'
[Polydor]
This could be 2003's greatest love song: a cinematic gem reminding us that tragedy was as much an element of great girl-group music as romance. Our heroes' belief that their love can create a utopia 'beyond the clouds over the mountains' is suggestive of 'Go West', except hightailing it over the Siberian hinterlands isn't as romantic as driving toward the warm California sun. Fittingly then, 'Not Gonna Get Us''s sharp trance-pop cuts and bleeds, mirroring the severity of its consequences. When paired with Tatu's striking vocal performances-- one sweetly optimistic and the other fiercely determined-- and the noble naivete of teenage invincibility, the duo have crafted the perfect exit music (to their own film). --Scott Plagenhoef"
...see, I was right, Tatu are good.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Saddam Hussein the fashion icon? or Saddam Hussein the crappy Star Wars character?
I feel the need to comment on the whole Saddam Hussein's shebang, since I did make a bit of a stance at the beginning of the Iraq "War" with the protest song of the day feature, but apathy has been winning. However I think I've got over it now, and I'm in the mood to don my Devil's Advocate outfit and write a few words which may annoy some people...
So, Saddam Hussein... Yes I know he's an evil fuck and the world would have been a better place if he'd been drowned at birth, but the thing is, I'm pretty sure no-one has invented a pre-cognition machine yet, and anyone who claims to have advance knowledge of future events is lying - so the whole drowning him at birth was never an option.
He's now going to get a trial and obviously be executed, but let's be honest will the world be a better place? What's going to be left after he's gone? The country, which could quite possibly be the cradle of civilisation, being carved up and sold to the highest bidder - as long as they are American; probably a few more terrorists - I give it a week after he get's executed before someone claiming to be one of "Saddams' Martyrs" blows himself up along with many other innocent people; and you can pretty much guarantee that Bush Boy is going to walk the 2004 presidential elections. I just can't see the world being a better place after he's gone (I'm talking about Saddam, not Bush here).
"But what would you do about him?", I hear the world cry. Well my fantasy solution would involve a bucket of water, a ticket to Iraq and a time machine; realistically? fuck knows! I'm a very bored and apathetic computer programmer, I'm no politician/statesman/warmonger, it's up to them to come up with a solution.
And that concludes today's rant, on a completely unrelated note it has come to my attention that Little Gamers are going to start selling these after Christmas, which is handy - I need somewhere to keep my pr0n ^^
I feel the need to comment on the whole Saddam Hussein's shebang, since I did make a bit of a stance at the beginning of the Iraq "War" with the protest song of the day feature, but apathy has been winning. However I think I've got over it now, and I'm in the mood to don my Devil's Advocate outfit and write a few words which may annoy some people...
So, Saddam Hussein... Yes I know he's an evil fuck and the world would have been a better place if he'd been drowned at birth, but the thing is, I'm pretty sure no-one has invented a pre-cognition machine yet, and anyone who claims to have advance knowledge of future events is lying - so the whole drowning him at birth was never an option.
He's now going to get a trial and obviously be executed, but let's be honest will the world be a better place? What's going to be left after he's gone? The country, which could quite possibly be the cradle of civilisation, being carved up and sold to the highest bidder - as long as they are American; probably a few more terrorists - I give it a week after he get's executed before someone claiming to be one of "Saddams' Martyrs" blows himself up along with many other innocent people; and you can pretty much guarantee that Bush Boy is going to walk the 2004 presidential elections. I just can't see the world being a better place after he's gone (I'm talking about Saddam, not Bush here).
"But what would you do about him?", I hear the world cry. Well my fantasy solution would involve a bucket of water, a ticket to Iraq and a time machine; realistically? fuck knows! I'm a very bored and apathetic computer programmer, I'm no politician/statesman/warmonger, it's up to them to come up with a solution.
And that concludes today's rant, on a completely unrelated note it has come to my attention that Little Gamers are going to start selling these after Christmas, which is handy - I need somewhere to keep my pr0n ^^
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Sigh...
Boards of Canada - In a beautiful place out in the country
I get the impression from the comments on the front page that buying 160-odd CDs in the space of a year may seem a bit excessive to some. To be brutally honest, I really don't think it is - if anything I don't think it's enough, I've always got this feeling that there is a massive amount of music out there (whereever 'there' is...internet, record shops, hanging around street corners) that I haven't listened to, but would still put half of my collection to shame. This EP from the Boards of Canada, released in the year 2000, is a case in point - 3 maybe even 4 years old and still sounds fresh and new. I've always quite liked there music, but never been fanatical about them, but this is great, pretty stereotypical stuff: sweeping analogue keyboard sounds, lethargic hip-hop-esque beats, spooky childrens voices, and deceptively creepy tunes - but it all just comes together so well.
Boards of Canada - In a beautiful place out in the country
I get the impression from the comments on the front page that buying 160-odd CDs in the space of a year may seem a bit excessive to some. To be brutally honest, I really don't think it is - if anything I don't think it's enough, I've always got this feeling that there is a massive amount of music out there (whereever 'there' is...internet, record shops, hanging around street corners) that I haven't listened to, but would still put half of my collection to shame. This EP from the Boards of Canada, released in the year 2000, is a case in point - 3 maybe even 4 years old and still sounds fresh and new. I've always quite liked there music, but never been fanatical about them, but this is great, pretty stereotypical stuff: sweeping analogue keyboard sounds, lethargic hip-hop-esque beats, spooky childrens voices, and deceptively creepy tunes - but it all just comes together so well.
Monday, December 15, 2003
This is frightening, the complete list of CD's I've acquired over the year:
164 165 CD's (16/12/03 - BOC EP turned up today) - OK some were free, some are singles, but then again one is a 7CD box set, So I reckon that averages out to 164 full length albums - just over 3 a week. That's not quite an addiction, I hope.
Next step, pick a top 10...
!!! - !!! !!! - Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard 2 many DJ's - As heard on radio soulwax pt.2 A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step Aesop Rock - Bazooka Tooth AFX - Smojphace EP Alice Coltrane - Universal Conciousness Amon Tobin - Verbal Remixes and Collaborations Antipop vs Matthew Shipp Aphex Twin - 26 Mixes For Cash Autechre - Draft 7.30 Bad Brains - Banned in DC: Bad Brain's Greatest Riffs Badawi - Soldier of Midian Beans - Tomorrow Right Now Black Eyes - Black Eyes Boards of Canada - Twoism Boards of Canada - In a beautiful place out in the country Boom Bip - Seed to Sun Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People Cex - Being Ridden Instrumentals Cex - Maryland Mansions cLOUDDEAD Coldplay - The Scientist Dan Greenpeace & DJ Yoda - Unthugged Dangermouse & Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life Das Capital - The Songwriting Genius Of Luke Haines And The Auteurs David S. Ware Quartet - Freedom Suite Derek Bailey - Ballards Desert Sessions 9 & 10 Diverse - One a.m. Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner DJ BrokenWindow - Parallel Universe #1 DJ Scud - Ambush! DJ Shadow - Mashin' On the Motorway DJ Spooky - Dubtometry DJ Spooky featuring Killah Priest DJ Yoda - How to Cut & Paste 80's Edition Dose One - The Pelt Electric Company - It's Hard To Be A Baby Evenesence - Fallen Faultline - Your Love Means Everything Four Tet - Rounds Gemma Hayes - Night on My Side Gold Chains - EP Gold Chains - Straight From Your Radio Gold Chains - Young Miss America Gonzales - Z Grand Theft Auto Vice City Boxset Gus Gus - Attention Henri Pousseur - 4 parabolic mixes Hexstatic - Listen & Learn Hymie's Basement - Hymie's Basement Isis - Oceanic Jah Wobble & Deep Space - Five Beat Jay-Z - The Black Album | Jay-Z - The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse Kevin Drumm & Lasse Marhaug - Frozen by Blizzard Winds Kid Koala - Basin Street Blues Kid Koala - Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs Kid606 - Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You Kid606 - The Illness Killing Joke - Killing Joke Korn - Take A Look In The Mirror LFO - Freak Linkin Park - Meteora Main - Transiency Manic Street Preachers - Forever Delayed Marilyn Manson - The Golden Age of The Grotesque Martina Topley-Bird - Quixotic Massive Attack - Butterfly Caught Matmos - The Civil War Matthew Shipp - Equilibrium Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam Metallica - St Anger Minor Threat - First Demo Tape Missy Elliot - This Is Not A Test! Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People Morphine - The Best of Morphine Mr Scruff & Seaming - Beyond Mu - Afro Finger and Gel Muggs - Dust Murs - The Beginning Of The End Muse - Absolution Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Nocturama Non-Prophets - Hope Noxagt - Turning It Down Since 2001 Numbers - Death Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Painkiller - Talisman Peaches - Fatherfucker Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches Phil Ranelin - Remixes Philip Jeck - Host Philip Jeck - Stoke Prefuse 73 - Extinguished Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf Radiohead - Hail to the Thief RJD2 - The Horror RJD2 - Your face or your kneecaps S.A.Smash - Smashy Trashy Sage Francis - Personal Journals Scorn - Plan B Sk/um - I Pagu Fallsins Sonic Youth - Dirty (Deluxe Edition) Sonic Youth - Murray Street Sophia - De Nachten Soul Position - 8 million stories Soundmurder - Wired for Sound Spring Heel Jack - Live Spring Heel Jack - Oddities | Susumu Yokota - The Boy and The Tree System Of A Down - Steal This Album! t.A.T.u. - 200km/h in the wrong lane Tes - x2 The Angels Of Light - Everything Is Good Here/Please Come Home The Bug - Pressure The Bug featuring Cutty Ranks - Gun Disease The Bug vs The Rootsman feat. Daddy Freddy / DJ /Rupture The Cinematic Orchestra - Man With A Movie Camera The Curse Of The Golden Vampire - Mass Destruction The Distillers - Coral Fang The Herbaliser - Solid Steel The Mad Capsule Markets - 010 The Matthew Herbert Big Band - Goodbye Swingtime The Powerpuff Girls - Heroes & Villains The Ravonettes - Chain Gang of Love The Ravonettes - Whip It On The Soft Pink Truth - Do You Party? The Twilight Singers - Blackberry Belle The White Stripes - Elephant Themselves - Live Themselves - The No Music Themselves - The No Music of Aiffs Tori Amos - Tales of a LIbrarian U.N.K.L.E. - Never, Never, Land Unklesounds - Big Brother Is Watching Unklesounds - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Beats Various - ~Scape Showcase Various - After Dark Part 01 Various - Branches & Routes Various - Club Transmediale 03 Various - Domino 03 Various - Kill Bill Vol.1 Various - Lexoleum Various - Marke B 03 Various - MDZ.03 Various - Nice Up The Dance Various - Open Up And Say... Various - Paws Across America Various - Playlist Dance & Urban Various - Raster-Noton.Archiv 1 Various - Rough Trade Shops - Counter Culture 2002 Various - The Big Bash Various - The Revenge Of The Robots Various - The Wild Bunch - Story Of A Sound System Various - The Wire 20 Years 1982 - 2002 Various - The Wire Tipper 10 Various - Thirsty Ear Presents: Blue Series Sampler Various - Undercover Cuts Various - Warpmart1 Why? - Oaklandazulasylum Why? - The Early Whitney EP Wings of Desire Soundtrack Yabby You - Jesus Dread 1972~1977 |
Next step, pick a top 10...
I lied, there's still more...
Diverse - One a.m.
You wait for age for one RJD2 produced hip-hop CD to come along, and two come along at once. OK, there is some help from Prefuse 73 and Madlib, but essentially it's RJD2 on the beats. As such I can't help but compare it with the Soul Position album, so how does it stand? Well, erm in second place basically - I can't quite put my finger on it, but I guess the main thing is Diverse's delivery and rhymes just don't appeal to me as much as Blueprint, and it almost seems that RJD2 has turned the funk down a notch or two. Madlib and Prefuse have some interesting backing tracks, but not quite interesting enough to lift it above the Soul Position... I'm making this sound like a terrible album, it's not - it's a damn fine Hip-Hop album, just maybe a little too workman-like?
Diverse - One a.m.
You wait for age for one RJD2 produced hip-hop CD to come along, and two come along at once. OK, there is some help from Prefuse 73 and Madlib, but essentially it's RJD2 on the beats. As such I can't help but compare it with the Soul Position album, so how does it stand? Well, erm in second place basically - I can't quite put my finger on it, but I guess the main thing is Diverse's delivery and rhymes just don't appeal to me as much as Blueprint, and it almost seems that RJD2 has turned the funk down a notch or two. Madlib and Prefuse have some interesting backing tracks, but not quite interesting enough to lift it above the Soul Position... I'm making this sound like a terrible album, it's not - it's a damn fine Hip-Hop album, just maybe a little too workman-like?
Friday, December 12, 2003
Thursday, December 11, 2003
One CD to come before the end of the year apparently...
Mu - Afro Finger and Gel
Album title of the year? Maybe not... Contender for album of the year? Again, maybe not - but it has "grower" written all over it and first impressions are positive. Basically what we have here is the kind of glitchy electronic music I like to think I'm a bit of a conisseur of, with English (spelling mistake intentional there) vocals. I'm loathe to use the term 'electroclash', but for once it's an appropriate term, but here the electro is clashing with just about everything: punk, bossa nova, a few classical flourishes. Very good stuff from a group and label (tigersushi, if your interested) that warrants further investigation
Cex - Maryland Mansions
If you've been paying attention to our boy Cex's website (which you haven't, but should), he's going through a bit of a NIN phase. This album shows, plenty of abrasive samples, introspective lyrics - the letter n of the title Maryland Mansions is even written backwards ala Nine Inch Nails. It's good, however there is a nagging feeling he can do much better - I hope he carries on making music, it would be a damn shame if someone with his obvious talents has to stop due to his financial/personal situation.
Soul Position - 8 million stories
Bit of a fib there since there are only 16 tracks, 17 if you count the hidden diss track - anyway, RJD2 on the wheels of steel (so obviously the beats are flawless) and Blueprint doing the rhymes who I have to say is a bit of an eye opener. Lyrically quite similar to Murs and Mr Lif since he is so damn real, his lyrics to 'Fuckajob' (a song about working in the I.T. industry) are scarily close to my current situation, consider the following line: "The best time of my career was at the start, I was doing extra hours, pouring out my little heart. Now it's hard for me to care knowing I'm just a resource on somebody's chart". Say's it all really...
Mu - Afro Finger and Gel
Album title of the year? Maybe not... Contender for album of the year? Again, maybe not - but it has "grower" written all over it and first impressions are positive. Basically what we have here is the kind of glitchy electronic music I like to think I'm a bit of a conisseur of, with English (spelling mistake intentional there) vocals. I'm loathe to use the term 'electroclash', but for once it's an appropriate term, but here the electro is clashing with just about everything: punk, bossa nova, a few classical flourishes. Very good stuff from a group and label (tigersushi, if your interested) that warrants further investigation
Cex - Maryland Mansions
If you've been paying attention to our boy Cex's website (which you haven't, but should), he's going through a bit of a NIN phase. This album shows, plenty of abrasive samples, introspective lyrics - the letter n of the title Maryland Mansions is even written backwards ala Nine Inch Nails. It's good, however there is a nagging feeling he can do much better - I hope he carries on making music, it would be a damn shame if someone with his obvious talents has to stop due to his financial/personal situation.
Soul Position - 8 million stories
Bit of a fib there since there are only 16 tracks, 17 if you count the hidden diss track - anyway, RJD2 on the wheels of steel (so obviously the beats are flawless) and Blueprint doing the rhymes who I have to say is a bit of an eye opener. Lyrically quite similar to Murs and Mr Lif since he is so damn real, his lyrics to 'Fuckajob' (a song about working in the I.T. industry) are scarily close to my current situation, consider the following line: "The best time of my career was at the start, I was doing extra hours, pouring out my little heart. Now it's hard for me to care knowing I'm just a resource on somebody's chart". Say's it all really...
Monday, December 8, 2003
Locked & Loaded Mo'fos!
Almost recovered from the weekend, there's some crap pictures of our christmas party here, but to be honest it's not worth the click really - I'm sure there will be some better ones on The Padgett's site soon (hint!). I'm so getting a decent camera phone in the new year.
Almost recovered from the weekend, there's some crap pictures of our christmas party here, but to be honest it's not worth the click really - I'm sure there will be some better ones on The Padgett's site soon (hint!). I'm so getting a decent camera phone in the new year.
Polyrhythmic Hardcore anyone?
Black Eyes - Black Eyes
OK, we're in Dischord territory here - fiercely experimental Hardcore, Ian Mackaye on production duty, two drummers like modern day Fugazi, two vocalists like Fugazi have always had... It's good, a little hard work at times since the guitarist has a way of screaming that makes it quite difficult to tell whether he is playing the guitar or singing, but well worth it.
Black Eyes - Black Eyes
OK, we're in Dischord territory here - fiercely experimental Hardcore, Ian Mackaye on production duty, two drummers like modern day Fugazi, two vocalists like Fugazi have always had... It's good, a little hard work at times since the guitarist has a way of screaming that makes it quite difficult to tell whether he is playing the guitar or singing, but well worth it.
Saturday, December 6, 2003
Thursday, December 4, 2003
Something for you to read in lieu of me actually finding anything interesting to write about: I give you Woebot, the website formerly known as T.W.A.N.B.O.C. Put's my adventures in record collecting to shame...
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