He drops his new shit/ It sounds like the best of

I've been going through the Pitchfork top 200 albums of the decade list recently, trying to listen to all of the albums that I own and are uploaded to my library. Just got done with #18, Kanye's Late Registration, which I hadn't listened to in eons. Dammm, so good, it totally vindicated it's status as Nick Holowka's favorite Kanye West album. No question it's choppy: starts well with all of the radio crossover stuff, Touch the Sky, Gold Digger, Drive Slow, etc., hits a really bad middle stretch with Roses and Bring Me Down, then closes immaculately. In particular, I'm talking about 'We Major' and 'Gone', the two best songs in Kanye's catalogue. Both are long and ridiculously over produced, and both feature show stopping guest spots, Nas on the former ("I heard the beat and I ain't know what to write/ First line, should it be about the hos or the ice?/Fo-fo's or black christ, both flows would be nice"), and Killa Cam on the latter ("You ever dealt with a dealer?/ Well here's the deal ma, we goin' to the dealer"). They also both boast fantastically triumphant vocal outros by Kanye that ride over ever-changing beats that make up very unconventionally structured rap songs. This sense of pop-ready adventure hasn't been touched since in rap music, which is what makes Late Registration a masterpiece in spite of all its flaws. As my brother has frequently pointed out, the album contains some of Kanye's worst verses, but I could just as easily argue it contains many of his best (see Gold Digger, Drive Slow, both versions of Diamonds). Plus, when you have as many good guest appearances as this album, the point becomes somewhat moot. But its the sense of studio experimentation which really separates this album from the pack. Nothing in pop music before or since sounds like it, and nothing in mainstream rap apart from the Outkast camp has ever been as adventurous. Being a pessimist when it comes to hip-hop, I'm inclined to think that it's going to stay that way.

mothafuckin' old school video of the day

Tonight's Da Night by Redman (c.1993)

Years ago I saw one of those BET Top 25 video countdowns being hosted by Redman and Method Man. Slotted in at #10 was the video for 'King of Rock' by Run-DMC, for which Redman made the ludacris comment, "This is actually my favorite video of all time. Black and white film, leather jackets, it don't get no more gully than that!" Later, when 'Throw Ya Gunz' by Onyx was declared #1, Method Man prefaced the selection by fondly reminiscing, "This came out back in the day when you could walk into da club in a hoodie and your big, dirty-ass boots on and not get shit." 

The comments, while providing a good laugh at the time, were actually quite insightful into the duo's overall creative process, in particular Redman's. In the video to 'Tonight's Da Night,' perhaps the quintessential Redman track, the aforementioned aesthetics dominate: filmed in black and white, the video pretty much consists of Red rolling around the Trenton, NJ hood in the dead of winter, and chilling on the project steps with his crew. Almost a proto-version of 'Ha,' before that particular genre of hip-hop music video rose to prominence. Nothing really happens in the video, but it's still enthralling, mainly because it lends legitimacy to Redman's ethos of keeping it real as summarized in the line "I never claim to be a big rap star because no matter who you are, you still catch a bullet scar." This mission statement was later confirmed in the classic Redman 'Cribs' episode in which he showed off his very real 2 story woodframe. The highlight of the video has to be when Red says the line "I'm not an addict, more like puff the magic/ Then pass it when I'm through cuz my crew gots to have it!" at which point there's a cut to a shot of red's whole crew standing out on the porch in full winter coats shouting the last 4 words of the line. The last verse, in which Red is inexplicably rapping with a wad of tissue stuck up one of his nostrels, is also classic. 

The truest lyrics in the whole song have to be the final lines of the last full verse, in which Redman declares "Niggas fucked up by letting me make an album/ (how come rudeboy?) To get on the mic and let my fuckin' style run!"

Life's Too Good?

Hmmm, this post almost feels like an excuse to put up the above picture, undoubtably one of my favorite album covers of all time. Because, really there isn't much substance to what I have to say today. I just happened to listen to Debut for the first time, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Historically, my appreciation for Bjork has had less to do with how much I enjoy listening to her music and more about her alluring otherworldly qualities.

My brother and I have debated the relative merit of Post vs Homogenic in the past, with me taking the side of the former. They are tremendously difficult to compare, and I may have to cede the argument to Tom because the first 6 songs on Homogenic are nearly perfect. One of those songs, '5 Years' is not only my favorite Bjork song, but one of my favorite songs of all time. But I have trouble relating to Homogenic, because the depth of emotional pain that it explores is beyond my current comprehension. In other words, I can't fully relate to the album, and I think I'll have to wait until the day my heart gets ground to a bloody pulp before I'll feel its full effect. Post is much more accessible in that regard, and its creative dance tracks ('Enjoy', 'I Miss You') along with the smattering of emotionally resonant ones ('Hyperballad,' 'Headphones') goes down more easily for me.

Although Debut is as different from these two albums as the are from one another, it makes sense in the context of their respective moods. The overall vibe of the songs is very positive and exciting. A young fresh-faced Bjork sounds like she's ready to explore the world and all of the adventures it has to offer (kind of ironic, considering she had been a mother for several years by the time this album came out). So many tracks jumped out at me, in particular 'Human Behavior,' 'Venus As A Boy,' 'There's More To Life Than This,' 'Big Time Sensuality,' 'Aeroplane,' and 'The Anchor Song.' I also like 'Violently Happy' for the counterbalance it provides. Only one listen, but I feel like I may have a new favorite Bjork album to argue about with my brother.

Favorite Judge: Mathis

Song of the Week: 'Dennehy' by Serengeti

I know I'm at least 3 years behind on this one, but damn, I can't stop listening. A friend played me this song about a week ago, and at first I thought it was a dumb novelty with a really good beat. Repeated listens have been incredibly rewarding, while the song has lost none of its hilarity. Having spent a little time in the Chi myself, and having of course seen the Bill Swersky's superfans SNL sketches a million times, I love this portrait of a Blue Collar Chicagoan. So many great lines, I can't even begin to do the song justice. And the production is killer. An all around fantastic song that should not be underestimated.

The band is called ...

Excited to see Cymbals Eat Guitars show at Brooklyn Bowl tonight. Cymbals Eat Guitars ... what a great band name. Not only does it basically describe their cacophonous sound, but its also evocative of tripping on drugs (not surprising considering their lyrics). It's also totally unique, and doesn't sound too awkward rolling off the tongue. One of my favorite band names of all time belongs to the Cymbals' musical forebears, Modest Mouse. Alliterative and self-deprecating, and paradoxically seems simultaneously totally unsuitable and absolutely perfect for the band. Coming up with a good band name is an art. I could go on at length on this topic, but in the interest of not wasting time, I'll cut right to the chase and get to the point of this post: ideas for band names. If I were to form a band, what would I call it. Hear are a few ideas I've been kicking around my head:

Cookies For Breakfast

This is one of my all-time favorites, for a couple of reasons. First of all, it references the old school commercials for Cookie Crisp cereal, back when the cereal's mascots were the policeman, the burglar, and his burglar dog. I think the line came from an incredulous remark by the policeman about the absurdity of eating something as unhealthy as cookies for breakfast. Which leads to the main reason I like this band name: what's wrong with starting your morning with something delicious and totally unwholesome?

The Bulimics

Actually, I'd be surprised if there aren't already a half-dozen hardcore bands that have already adopted this moniker. And why not: it's gleefully offensive, and evokes imagery of depravity and vomiting. Additionally, if you take the average punk rock band, I guarantee that at least half of the members will look like they have some sort of an eating disorder. 

The Hearts on Fire

If I were to form a band today, this would be the name I would choose, because it references so much music that I love. I'm not talking about the Cut Copy jam, but the greatest rock song of all time, 'This Heart's On Fire' by Wolf Parade. Equally as important is the connection to the legendary Portland power-punk band The Exploding Hearts, who's sole album Guitar Romantic, I love with all of my heart. And finally, this band name is reminiscent of the greatest song name from the last few years, 'Sex on Fire,' of course.

My baby wants me dead ...

Leaving Death By Audio last night after the Vivian Girls show, I overheard a bro say to another bro "That was definitely one of the better shows I've seen in a long time." As a musical experience, I can't say I entirely agree with that bro, but as an overall spectacle, last night's show probably was one of the most memorable rock show's I've ever been to.

I show up at DBA in southwest Williamsburg a little after 8:30 pm, and was lucky I found it because there were no signs or advertisements on the street to denote its existence. I just happened on a group of hipsters starting to line up outside an unmarked door on a squalid building, and followed my intuition in. Once inside, Todd P was there personally checking IDs and marking the wrists of 21 year olds in red pen. The interior to DBA was a classic DYI Williamsburg setup, and I think I overheard someone saying that the show would have to be shut down if the police showed up.  Just two dingy, medium sized rooms, one with a stage for the performances, and the other with a merch table, and a makeshift bar selling PBR in can form. 

The show kicked off around 9:15 with openers Best Fwends, who were pretty much as retarded as their band name. I won't waste time describing their act, but suffice it to say they must have sucked dick to get on the bill, even at such a crappy venue.

Thankfully, the second group, Real Estate (picture above), were fantastic. I'd heard some buzz about them, and I kind of expected the group to be the typical Woodsist-esque lo-fi bandwagoners that are popping up in droves these days. However, they really won me over with their convincing musicianship, and jammy sound that reminded me a little bit of Yo La Tengo. I struggled through their set a little bit because the room was completely packed, and I was soaking in my own sweat, but I definitely look forward to checking out more of their stuff. Their opening song, 'Green River,' kicked ass.

After Real Estate, I briefly left the sauna-like performance room, but returned in time to catch almost all of the set by The Beets from Jackson Heights. They played straight no-frills bratty garage rock reminiscent of the Nuggets sound and the first wave of punk rockers. As one might expect from a 'Doug' referencing band, their sound was entertainingly juvenile and energetic. However, their formula got stale a little quickly, although they did do a mean version of 'Mean Mister Mustard' towards the end of the set.

In between acts, I was shocked to find myself standing next to former MTV superstar VJ John Norris, who was yammering on to some random dude. He may have been drunk, because I caught the following, somewhat embarrassing, snatch of conversation from Mr. Norris, something to the effect of: "I'm at the point where I've learned to block out what other people say about me, like 'he doesn't act his age, or he doesn't look his age.' You know what I do when I hear that kind of stuff? I stick my fingers in my ears and start saying 'NA-NA-NA-NA-NA'!"

Finally, the Vivian Girls took the stage, and the crowd went bananas. They were super high energy, imploring the audience at regular intervals to dance and make noise, and constantly remarking on how much fun they were having. Of course, they looked great. Kickball Katy was all smiles and swagger, and Cassie Ramone looked like she's just staggered out of a meth-lab, but was still in delirious mid-float. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the show was terrible. A lot could probably be blamed on the rooms acoustics, and on poor mixing. Katy's and Frankie's vocals were too low, so the band lost a lot of their girl group charm. Also, Cassie's guitars were drowned in the bass and drums. The set was composed almost entirely of new songs, which was exciting, but also disappointing in that I missed out on many of my favorites, in particular 'Where Do You Run' and 'No'. However they did a great 'Tell the World' performance. The highlight of the night was the encore, when the Girls launched into a ferocious version of 'Damaged,' that slowly became unhinged as they all traded instruments. In the song's cacophanous conclusion, Cassie, now on bass, grabbed two mic stands and held them up to her face and cooed, with eyes closed , "My baby wants me dead/ He wants to put a bullet in my head/ Tell me why, o why, does my baby want me dead?" The band pounded on their instruments making as much noise and feedback as possible for another minute before ending their show. It was a great finish to a fun, sometimes strange night.

i'll tell the world

So, it looks like I'm going to the Vivian Girls show at Death By Audio tomorrow night. Right now it looks like I'll be rolling solo, which is cool, I'll be getting back to my Chicago-roots. 

Actually, to offset the loneliness of going to the show by myself, I plan to hookup with one of the Vivian Girls after the show. My preference would be the blonde (Cassie Ramone), but redhead Kickball Katy would be a close second. Compared to eating disorder-Cassie, Katy is pretty intimidating. She might be tough to handle. I'd settle for Frankie Rose (above, center) though if it came down to it. 

I haven't quite worked out a plan, I'm kinda new to this whole groupie thing. Maybe I'm supposed to hang around at the 'back door of the venue' after the show and wait for the band to come out. Or maybe I'm supposed to wander into their 'dressing room'? Do the Vivs already have other groupies? The though of competing against uber-hipster dudes for the affection of uber-hipster chicks frightens me, so I'll stop thinking about it. Instead, I'll move onto my next problem: how do I go about seducing a Vivian Girl? I could try coming on really strong and being hyper-flirtatious/stalkerish. Actually, I think I'll be really shy and coy around them (i.e. act my normal self) and bank on one of them misinterpreting my behavior as mysterious and inviting. I think my plan is pretty failproof. 

If everything goes smoothly, the Girls will right a song about me, preferably a retread of 'Going Insane' or 'Tell the World.' Hmmm, actually it would pretty cool if I was the inspiration for one of their heartbreak songs like 'Damaged', about getting ditched by a dude. Either way, I'll just assume any song about a dude on their next album is about me, unless it consists of them dissing the dude's sexual ability or penis size, ala-Lily Allen.

Damn, I can't wait. It's gonna be an awesome show ...