I’ve been a fan of Mark Ronson since I heard “Oooh Wee” a few years ago. That was a hall-of-fame hip-pop song that surprisingly few people are familiar with. Based on that song, I cherry-picked his first album, Here Comes the Fuzz, on iTunes. Later, I discovered he’d produced songs for Nikka Costa and Robbie Williams.
Suddenly, this spring, his work was everywhere. He’s responsible for the amazing sound of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and for lots of Lily Allen’s Alright, Still. Also, a pre-release track from this album was floating around. So I was excited to get my hands on this one.
I am not remotely disappointed. The sound Ronson settled on is similar to what we heard on Back to Black, but with a stronger hip-hop feel (even though only one track has any rapping). The result is a sharply rhythmic funk, with lots of horns and guest artists.
A cover of Radiohead’s “Just” is a standout track, as is Amy Winehouse’s contribution, “Valerie.” My personal favorite is the cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”, which features a filthy verse from the late, great ODB. “Old Man Dirt get under your skirt, fuck the pussy ‘til it’s orange like Ernie & Bert.” Nuff said.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
OK, this record has been out for a while, and I’m sure if you were going to buy it, you’ve bought it already. But if you’re an alternative rock fan that likes the direction rock has gone this decade and you haven’t bought this album, here’s a tip: you should probably buy this album.
While nearly every song has an element I dislike (a tempo change, an out-of-place chord, weird song structure), the songs are so alive and fresh it’s impossible not to like this record. I’ll admit, though, that I didn’t get it the first time through. If I concentrate on any one specific song, it’s underwhelming, but as a collection of songs, the Monkeys have produced an awesome document of life for drunken British twentysomethings circa late 2005.
I was also impressed with Alex Turner’s lyrics. He clearly enjoys writing and wordplay, which indicates to me that he’s got a lot to say. This bodes well for future Arctic Monkeys albums.
While nearly every song has an element I dislike (a tempo change, an out-of-place chord, weird song structure), the songs are so alive and fresh it’s impossible not to like this record. I’ll admit, though, that I didn’t get it the first time through. If I concentrate on any one specific song, it’s underwhelming, but as a collection of songs, the Monkeys have produced an awesome document of life for drunken British twentysomethings circa late 2005.
I was also impressed with Alex Turner’s lyrics. He clearly enjoys writing and wordplay, which indicates to me that he’s got a lot to say. This bodes well for future Arctic Monkeys albums.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Thicke – A Beautiful World
My desire to purchase this record can be traced to Blake Lewis’ performance of “When I Get You Alone” on American Idol a few months ago. He turned in a pretty credible version, but it was the song itself that really grabbed me.
First of all, the song is not based on Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, as Ryan Seacrest stated, but rather on Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven”. (Anyone as familiar with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as I am—and after all, it’s the most popular soundtrack in history (25 million records sold)—probably noticed that funky bassline immediately. SNF is also graced with the ominously funky “Night on Disco Mountain”.) I hadn’t thought of “A Fifth of Beethoven” in much too long, and I was intrigued that someone else had written a song over the top of it.
Second, Robin Thicke is the son of actor Alan Thicke (dad Jason Seaver from Growing Pains), a fact of which he seems very aware. The lyrics of “Get You Alone” seem to confirm as much: “…does she want me to make a vow? On…my father’s last name?” I just thought it was interesting, because when Blake sang it, that lyric became completely meaningless. Anyway…
I knew the album would have a couple of good songs, but I thought it would be pretty uneven. I was wrong. While there are one or two songs I skip, this is a remarkably consistent debut, especially for a rich white kid singing R&B sex jams. Besides “When I Get You Alone,” I was transfixed by the sunny chorus and odd melody of “Brand New Jones” and by the lurching, two-note thump of “She’s Gangsta.” “Oh Shooter,” “The Stupid Things,” “Suga Mama,” and “Lazy Bones” are all strong songs as well.
What’s most striking about Thicke is the sincerity and forthrightness he brings to these songs. Unlike, say, Har Mar Superstar (who I adore unconditionally), the “let’s-knock-boots” ballads and funky dance workouts don’t seem like a put-on. Psychologically, he refuses to acknowledge that no one will take him seriously singing this music. And you know what? Because he took it so seriously, people are taking him seriously. Food for thought.
First of all, the song is not based on Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, as Ryan Seacrest stated, but rather on Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven”. (Anyone as familiar with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as I am—and after all, it’s the most popular soundtrack in history (25 million records sold)—probably noticed that funky bassline immediately. SNF is also graced with the ominously funky “Night on Disco Mountain”.) I hadn’t thought of “A Fifth of Beethoven” in much too long, and I was intrigued that someone else had written a song over the top of it.
Second, Robin Thicke is the son of actor Alan Thicke (dad Jason Seaver from Growing Pains), a fact of which he seems very aware. The lyrics of “Get You Alone” seem to confirm as much: “…does she want me to make a vow? On…my father’s last name?” I just thought it was interesting, because when Blake sang it, that lyric became completely meaningless. Anyway…
I knew the album would have a couple of good songs, but I thought it would be pretty uneven. I was wrong. While there are one or two songs I skip, this is a remarkably consistent debut, especially for a rich white kid singing R&B sex jams. Besides “When I Get You Alone,” I was transfixed by the sunny chorus and odd melody of “Brand New Jones” and by the lurching, two-note thump of “She’s Gangsta.” “Oh Shooter,” “The Stupid Things,” “Suga Mama,” and “Lazy Bones” are all strong songs as well.
What’s most striking about Thicke is the sincerity and forthrightness he brings to these songs. Unlike, say, Har Mar Superstar (who I adore unconditionally), the “let’s-knock-boots” ballads and funky dance workouts don’t seem like a put-on. Psychologically, he refuses to acknowledge that no one will take him seriously singing this music. And you know what? Because he took it so seriously, people are taking him seriously. Food for thought.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Redman – Whut? Thee Album
Wow. Red got slept on. Known better today as an actor in and embarrassing stoner movie and TV show, it’s easy to forget Redman was a nasty rapper back in the day. His delivery is forceful and energetic, enough so that he reminds me of Busta Rhymes. But unlike Busta, he never seems like he’s shouting, and his enthusiasm never gets in the way of his diction.
I like to judge MCs in several categories:
Lyrical content (The substance of the lyrics. This includes punchlines.)
Rhyming ability (The accuracy and consistency of the rhymes.)
Flow (How the words and syllables fall on or off the beat.)
Charisma (How engrossing is the MC? This can be through lots of energy (Busta), authority (Rakim), or cool confidence (Jay-Z).)
Vocal Quality (The actual sound of the rapper’s voice, the only category they have very little control over. This is why I hate KRS-1.)
By these rubrics, Redman is one of the best MCs ever. There’s not one category he lags in. His voice sounds great, and it’s in a middle register that’s easy to decipher. He’s forceful and energetic, as I mentioned above, which makes me want to pay attention to what he’s saying. His flow is solid, frequently emphasizing the 2 and 4 beats of every measure. His rhyming is consistent, and his lyrics are about pot, sex, and violence. What’s not to like?
My favorite tracks are “How to Roll a Blunt” (which is exactly what it sounds like) and “Blow Your Mind.” There’s a bunch of filler on this record, but it’s really long for a rap album (21 songs), so that’s not such a big deal. I’d say 10 of them are worth your time, but even the so-so songs are laced with P-Funk samples and dirty jokes. This is a party record, so if you cut out half the songs, your party will be half as long. A better move would be to hit ‘play’ and get drunk.
I like to judge MCs in several categories:
Lyrical content (The substance of the lyrics. This includes punchlines.)
Rhyming ability (The accuracy and consistency of the rhymes.)
Flow (How the words and syllables fall on or off the beat.)
Charisma (How engrossing is the MC? This can be through lots of energy (Busta), authority (Rakim), or cool confidence (Jay-Z).)
Vocal Quality (The actual sound of the rapper’s voice, the only category they have very little control over. This is why I hate KRS-1.)
By these rubrics, Redman is one of the best MCs ever. There’s not one category he lags in. His voice sounds great, and it’s in a middle register that’s easy to decipher. He’s forceful and energetic, as I mentioned above, which makes me want to pay attention to what he’s saying. His flow is solid, frequently emphasizing the 2 and 4 beats of every measure. His rhyming is consistent, and his lyrics are about pot, sex, and violence. What’s not to like?
My favorite tracks are “How to Roll a Blunt” (which is exactly what it sounds like) and “Blow Your Mind.” There’s a bunch of filler on this record, but it’s really long for a rap album (21 songs), so that’s not such a big deal. I’d say 10 of them are worth your time, but even the so-so songs are laced with P-Funk samples and dirty jokes. This is a party record, so if you cut out half the songs, your party will be half as long. A better move would be to hit ‘play’ and get drunk.
Ratatat - Classics & Ratatat
I saw Ratatat at Coachella on the advice of my good friend Josh (from Tapes N Tapes), and I’m glad I did. It’s two guitarists and a keyboard wizard, and they make instrumental video game trance music for stoners. And it’s awesome.
The one knock on Ratatat is that their songs are remarkably samey: mid-tempo drum machine beats covered with layers of repeated guitar lines and synth arpeggios. Rinse. Repeat. The formula works pretty well, though, so I suppose I can’t fault these guys for sticking with it.
My favorite song on either album is “Seventeen Years” from 2004’s Ratatat. After listening to both albums, it’s sort of the distillation of their sound. The guitar parts are loud and pleasantly fuzzy. I could play this for just about anybody. It’s hard to pick out individual songs, though, because both records play really well as complete albums. It almost helps to think of them as symphonies with 10 or 12 movements apiece.
The one knock on Ratatat is that their songs are remarkably samey: mid-tempo drum machine beats covered with layers of repeated guitar lines and synth arpeggios. Rinse. Repeat. The formula works pretty well, though, so I suppose I can’t fault these guys for sticking with it.
My favorite song on either album is “Seventeen Years” from 2004’s Ratatat. After listening to both albums, it’s sort of the distillation of their sound. The guitar parts are loud and pleasantly fuzzy. I could play this for just about anybody. It’s hard to pick out individual songs, though, because both records play really well as complete albums. It almost helps to think of them as symphonies with 10 or 12 movements apiece.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True
I stumbled onto Elvis Costello only a few weeks ago. Until that point, I’d always assumed he was too punk, too experimental, or too idiosyncratic for my tastes. As it turns out, those labels can only be applied to his lyrics (if that). Musically, he’s a throwback, rearranging the first 20 years of rock history here into a dozen mostly terrific songs. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t find this record sooner.
The first song, “Welcome to the Working Week”, is a perfect way to open an album. It’s all handclaps and backup singers tucked behind an instantly catchy melody, and it’s over in 1 minute and 23 seconds. I’ve probably played this song 90 times since I bought the record a week ago. It’s so good, it prompted me to make an impromptu list of the best first tracks on debut albums. I came up with:
Guns N Roses – “Welcome to the Jungle” from Appetite for Destruction (obvious)
Boston – “More Than a Feeling” from Boston (undeniable)
Bloc Party – “Like Eating Glass” from Silent Alarm (anthemic)
Oasis – “Rock N Roll Star” from Definitely Maybe (audacious)
Weezer – “My Name is Jonas” from the blue album (nerdy)
Andrew W.K. – “It’s Time to Party” from I Get Wet (personal fave)
My buddy Kevin came up with a few more:
D’Angelo – “Brown Sugar” from Brown Sugar (freaky)
Interpol – “Untitled” from Turn on the Bright Lights (I’m not familiar with this one)
Massive Attack – “Safe from Harm” from Blue Lines (great)
U2 – “I Will Follow” from Boy (memorable)
“Working Week” belongs in this company.
Beyond the opening track, there’s plenty of good stuff here. “Alison”, “Less Than Zero”, and “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” were the singles I’d heard of before I bought the CD, and they’re as good as advertised. But “Sneaky Feelings” and “Blame it On Cain” are stellar songs as well.
Besides the songwriting, I’m most impressed with Costello’s voice. His phrasing and improvisation sound like someone who’d been performing for years, rather than someone recording his debut record on the cheap during weekends and holidays. “Sneaky Feelings”, for example, has no discernable melody. The verse is simply Costello vamping. The notes are different from verse to verse, and he alters the rhythm, too. The end result is a song that’s basically impossible to sing karaoke.
Perhaps it’s not a huge surprise that I liked this album, as praise for it is nearly universal. It’s just odd to me that such a good album wouldn’t be more popular. Why haven’t I heard “Less Than Zero” on the radio? Maybe I wouldn’t have avoided his work for so long.
The first song, “Welcome to the Working Week”, is a perfect way to open an album. It’s all handclaps and backup singers tucked behind an instantly catchy melody, and it’s over in 1 minute and 23 seconds. I’ve probably played this song 90 times since I bought the record a week ago. It’s so good, it prompted me to make an impromptu list of the best first tracks on debut albums. I came up with:
Guns N Roses – “Welcome to the Jungle” from Appetite for Destruction (obvious)
Boston – “More Than a Feeling” from Boston (undeniable)
Bloc Party – “Like Eating Glass” from Silent Alarm (anthemic)
Oasis – “Rock N Roll Star” from Definitely Maybe (audacious)
Weezer – “My Name is Jonas” from the blue album (nerdy)
Andrew W.K. – “It’s Time to Party” from I Get Wet (personal fave)
My buddy Kevin came up with a few more:
D’Angelo – “Brown Sugar” from Brown Sugar (freaky)
Interpol – “Untitled” from Turn on the Bright Lights (I’m not familiar with this one)
Massive Attack – “Safe from Harm” from Blue Lines (great)
U2 – “I Will Follow” from Boy (memorable)
“Working Week” belongs in this company.
Beyond the opening track, there’s plenty of good stuff here. “Alison”, “Less Than Zero”, and “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” were the singles I’d heard of before I bought the CD, and they’re as good as advertised. But “Sneaky Feelings” and “Blame it On Cain” are stellar songs as well.
Besides the songwriting, I’m most impressed with Costello’s voice. His phrasing and improvisation sound like someone who’d been performing for years, rather than someone recording his debut record on the cheap during weekends and holidays. “Sneaky Feelings”, for example, has no discernable melody. The verse is simply Costello vamping. The notes are different from verse to verse, and he alters the rhythm, too. The end result is a song that’s basically impossible to sing karaoke.
Perhaps it’s not a huge surprise that I liked this album, as praise for it is nearly universal. It’s just odd to me that such a good album wouldn’t be more popular. Why haven’t I heard “Less Than Zero” on the radio? Maybe I wouldn’t have avoided his work for so long.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
I’m not sure what I can say about her that hasn’t been said already. She’s the hot belle du jour, and with good reason. Her stunning Back to Black is my favorite album of the year so far.
I think I first read about her in LA Weekly. I grabbed “You Know I’m No Good” off of iTunes not too long after that, then played it to death. This was a mistake for 2 reasons. First of all, “You Know” doesn’t quite fit, production-wise, with the rest of the songs on the album. I’d place its style as early-1970’s Euro-lounge, while the rest of the album hails emphatically from the 1960’s. As such, I got the wrong impression of the rest of the album, and I waited a month or so before buying it. Secondly, I overplayed “You Know” so badly that I got sick of it. It might be the best song on the album, but I generally skip it now.
My new favorite song on the album is “Tears Dry On Their Own,” which starts with orchestration lifted wholesale from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. Not that I mind. The song sounds great, and I like that producer Mark Ronson took a stab at the Motown sound. I’m also wildly impressed with “Love Is A Losing Game,” a gorgeous ballad that never gets boring, probably because it isn’t as slow as Ronson makes you think it is.
But all credit really must go to Ms. Winehouse, who sings the fuck out of these songs. It’s hard to picture any other singer of today or yesterday singing the opening lines of “Me & Mr. Jones” (“What kind of fuckery is this? / You made me miss the Slick Rick gig”). Yet she makes it sounds harsh, funny, and authentic all at once. Awesome.
I think I first read about her in LA Weekly. I grabbed “You Know I’m No Good” off of iTunes not too long after that, then played it to death. This was a mistake for 2 reasons. First of all, “You Know” doesn’t quite fit, production-wise, with the rest of the songs on the album. I’d place its style as early-1970’s Euro-lounge, while the rest of the album hails emphatically from the 1960’s. As such, I got the wrong impression of the rest of the album, and I waited a month or so before buying it. Secondly, I overplayed “You Know” so badly that I got sick of it. It might be the best song on the album, but I generally skip it now.
My new favorite song on the album is “Tears Dry On Their Own,” which starts with orchestration lifted wholesale from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. Not that I mind. The song sounds great, and I like that producer Mark Ronson took a stab at the Motown sound. I’m also wildly impressed with “Love Is A Losing Game,” a gorgeous ballad that never gets boring, probably because it isn’t as slow as Ronson makes you think it is.
But all credit really must go to Ms. Winehouse, who sings the fuck out of these songs. It’s hard to picture any other singer of today or yesterday singing the opening lines of “Me & Mr. Jones” (“What kind of fuckery is this? / You made me miss the Slick Rick gig”). Yet she makes it sounds harsh, funny, and authentic all at once. Awesome.
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