August 14th, 2008
Still waylaid by this mysterious illness, going on five days and counting. Not fishing for sympathy but it’s been a rather nasty combination of fatigue, aches, pains and weird red welts all over my legs (No Hives). My infinitely apathetic doctor couldn’t tell me much more than “you have a virus,” get some rest, drink some chicken soup, watch the rest of your Simpsons Season 9 on DVD.” Needless to say, last night the Beer Baron saved the day. Up yours Rex Banner.
My other primary diversions have been the haunted and hypnotic alchemy of Light in August and pre-WWII Delta hell-hound blues. The sort of stuff that reminds you as bad as it gets, it’s still pretty good. After all, I could be blogging under the stage name, Blind Jeffrey Weiss, an alias originally slated to be my pen name, but unfortunately previously taken by a popular Israeli Ophthalmological blogger. I’m no expert on the Blues but I know a little and hopefully you’ll enjoy the mix. It sounds right to me in the middle of this fierce August haze.
Passion of the Weiss Muxtape #9- The I’ve Either Got Mono Or I’m Just Really Bored Blues
Tracklisting After the Jump
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Muxtape | 9 Comments »
August 13th, 2008
From Sugar Hill to the Wild Pitch/4th & Broadway/Rap-A-Lot years to Fondle ‘Em and Rawkus, hip-hop was founded on a bedrock of great labels that you could generally trust whatever they released to be quality, save for the the 4th and Broadway-signed Stereo MC’s (though we can all admit to liking “Connected.”) Yet during the 00s, as major rap labels shelved almost everything that didn’t pander, few indies stepped in to bridge the gap, ironic considering during the same period Merge, Sub Pop or Matador became players due to the same Big 4 incompetence. But out of any rap label around, no one filled the void as well as Los Angeles’ Stones Throw Records.
Often absurdly maligned as “backpack rap,” or worse, ignored, Stones Throw’s record over the last decade can match and likely top any competition, with their stacked discography including everything from seminal underground classics (Donuts, Soundpieces: Da Antidote, Madvillainy) to eccentric, off-kilter R&B (Dudley Perkins, Aloe Blacc) to recent expansion into dusty vinyl excavations (pretty much anything on their Now-Again subsidiary). And largely beneath the rader, the label’s begun to broaden its boundaries beyond just underground, purist-oriented rap and re-issues, releasing afro-funk records (Karl Hector), electro-groove (James Pants) and now Koushik’s Out My Window, an excellent exercise in psychedelia rooted alternately in Dilla-like hip-hop instrumentalism and grainy 60s pop.
Drawing comparisons to 4Tet, Caribou, Dilla and Shadow, the Canadian-born, Vermont-based Koushik crafts something altogether new in his paring of B-Boy breaks to druggy guitar nods. Indeed, Out My Window is a dizzy, ethereal ride, one that suitably simulates what it’s like to spend an hour or two hovering over a stove, taking knife hits of lumps of black tar opium (ah, college).
Handling vocals himself rather than sampling or enlisting guests, Koushik’s voice floats alone, pale and ghostly, wriggling its way into the heart of each track. It’s the album as hazy swirl of dust, full of blissed-out guitars and scuffed-up drums. A very pretty, a very poignant bit of music that hearkens back a time when pop didn’t necessarily mean dumb. It’ll probably find its way onto my year-end Best Of list and far be it from me to shill for any record label, but it’s probably in all our best interest to support outfits like Stones Throw. The digital download is available now, with the actual album seeing release on September 30. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Download:
MP3: Koushik-”Lying in the Sun”
MP3: Koushik-”Bright and Shining”
Posted in Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | 7 Comments »
August 13th, 2008
Jay-Z never really had all that much to say. Of course, he’d occasionally throw in a “Song Cry,” or “Where You Have You Been,” to flex an often-veiled three-dimensionality and complexity, but for the most part Jay’s ouevre has been limited to slick boasts about how he has the most and/or best money, girls, drugs and guns. And for my money, no one in hip-hop history has done it better. Which is why a large part of me just wants to ignore, “Jockin’ Jay-Z,” the new Kanye West-produced single from The Blueprint 3. I mean there’s something almost silly about inveighing against one of your five favorite MC’s of all-time, dead or alive. (Along with BIG, Ghost, Andre 3 and of course, this guy.)
But fuck it, “Jockin’ Jay-Z,” is weak, a disconcertingly tepid exercise on auto-pilot, more stylistic kin to the limp Kingdom Come than the modestly great, thematically consistent, American Gangster. Since coming out of “retirement,” Jay’s alternated back and forth between greatness and mediocrity, with one “A Billi,” for every three “Hollywood’s.” It’s like watching a Hall of Fame boxer fight two years past the point he should’ve retired. When he connects, it’s with the knockdown velocity of a one-time great. When he swings and misses, all you can do is remember the highlight reel of past glories.
So now we’re going to get a Blueprint 3, a record that no one asked for but from the title we can infer that it’s Jay’s way of saying “Ok, look this time I mean business, but I don’t have any original ideas or themes to write about, so hey how ’bout another sequel?” Of course, the cheap champagne after-taste of Blueprint 2 isn’t all that far off, as Jay followed up his second-best record (Reasonable Doubt #1, obviously), with one of his worst, a scatter-shot affair with a few classic cuts like “Poppin’ Tags,” bookended by disastrous Lenny Kravitz-aided wankfests inevitably conceived during a night when the pair were chasing bulimic models at Butter. More troubling is that it seems to have no real reason for existing. After all, we’re still three years away from the original’s 10-year anniversary and not only does Jay lack beef with any of the current crop of rap’s finest, they’re all falling in line to worship at his Ferragamo-clad feet. Mmm…leathery. Which would lead one to assume that its raison d’ etre is owed more to fourth quarter board room bottom-lines than any burst of creative genius. Either that or Bleek nagged Jay-Z into doing it just to get a guest appearance.
Something Tells Me An Ether-like Retort Isn’t Forthcoming
There’s something inherently rote to “Jockin’ Jay-Z,” with the song staggering on for nearly four minutes of self-satisfied complacency. It’s not the fact that Jay’s still heavily in thrall to the “I’m Rich, Bitch” school of lyricism. After all, he practically invented that Big Willie shit. Yet as Joey pointed out yesterday, the lyrics feature “repetitive and lame swagger…with some really weak bars, ‘Why you still talking money shit, cuz I like money bitch. That’s the kind of rhyme that impresses the brain-cell deficient, like DJ Khaled.” In a flaccid bid to re-ignite the only controversy he’s been involved in in years, there’s a cursory mention of the beef with Noel “Oasis,” Gallagher over some idiotic remarks that the latter made over Jay playing Glastonbury.
Of course, mocking Noel Gallagher in the year 2008 is like ripping Robin Williams: you’re vaguely aware that they used to be great at an indeterminate point in the past but you can’t quite remember when and you’re pretty sure that it was because of cocaine anyhow. More importantly, Jay’s anger towards the Wonder-Washed Up feels muted, less lingering enmity than it is an excuse to fill in the rest of his 16. Indeed, after 10 albums, Jay sounds bereft of original material to discuss, but most distressingly, his punchlines are lethargic, his rhyme schemes lazy and predictable, his boasts uttered more with a yawn than a smirk.
Kanye’s beat is just okay, the snares explode, the Run DMC sample is cool but almost cloying, a nod to the retro-leaning 808 minimalism that might be in vogue today but plays to neither of ‘Ye or Jay’s strengths. Both men are maximalists at heart, needing soaring chipmunk soul squawks, regal horns and anthemic bombast to realize the full brunt of their over-sized personas. On “Jockin’ Jay-Z,” the beat’s emptiness falls in line with it’s lyrical content to make for a particularly hollow experience. Of course, it’s premature to write The Blueprint 3 off yet, especially when reportedly less than a half-dozen songs have been recorded. Yet judging from this track and Jay’s post un-retirement inconsistency, it doesn’t augur well. Five years ago, when he claimed to be leaving the game, a move that ostensibly cemented a practically flawless legacy, Jay asked us what more could he say. Stuff like this me leaves apt to answer, “nothing.”
Download:
MP3: Jay-Z-”Jockin’ Jay-Z”
Posted in Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | 39 Comments »
August 12th, 2008
Some righteous shit on a sweltering Tuesday night during these dog days. I spent an hour today reading Light in August and listening to this song on repeat. As Cee-Lo once put it,”just ended up being some food for my soul.”
From the impossibly recommended Goodbye Babylon
Download:
MP3: Blind Lemon Jefferson-”All I Want Is That True Religion”
Posted in Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | 2 Comments »
August 12th, 2008
You can read more of Scott Towler’s hateful screeds here. Expect upcoming posts on his loathing of puppy dogs, ice-cream and puppy-dog flavored ice cream.
We all remember the email forwards of that now-seemingly ancient epoch of the late 90s. Scrolling down to read some corny punchline originally sent by your dad’s boss about how Asian people suck at driving. It’d eat up 40% of the free space in your email memory, and for what? Something you were shocked that anyone found funny. Wow, the punchline is that Asian people can’t drive? Comic genius! You mean to tell me women are insecure about their weight? WHY DIDN’T ANYBODY TELL ME THIS SOONER? Luckily, somewhere around Sept 11, those emails seemed to stop coming. September 11, 2000. I’m not a total dick.
Meanwhile, our present is plagued by a whole new world of email forwards: web videos. And they annoy the shit out of me, every one of them. I know what you’re thinking…”Viral web video, or webisodes as they are called (much to my chagrin, thank you), have yet to hit their mark, asshole! They’re still in the early stages of legitimization, where the vast majority of the market is kids on youtube posting something they’re imitating from a film, TV show or music video. So ease off those nuts, you fucker.” But are they though? Should I? Because every time I open my email and see a link to a youtube video, there’s a 4 in 5 chance that I’m going to click delete without ever opening the link. They’ve become the forwards of tomorrow, today! Guess what, I’ve never seen 2 Girls and 1 Cup. I’ve never watched a video of a person watching 2 Girls 1 Cup (too meta for me). I hate the Star Wars kid. I’ve never seen chocolate rain fall in my neighborhood (if you have, please grab a bucket and call me, it sounds delicious). Sure, Pearl would be a MUCH better landlady than the one I have now, but that still doesn’t mean that 2 billion people should get that reference. And I want that head-turning gopher to get some better music than “Kill Bill Vol. Mediocre.”
One of South Park’s finest episodes occurred when they took on the subject of web video and turned it into a central plot line. For those of you who didn’t catch it, it intercut a story about the WGA (or Canada, as it were) striking due to low wages. In order to get the Canadians to return to work, they demand better payment, so the boys set out to raise money for them so their favorite programs would return. The easiest way to do so? The Internet! What followed was a dissection of web video at large, culminating in a brilliant scene that featured some of the web’s all-time most viewed videos fighting to the bloody death to see which was worthy of the award for the ‘Webs Best Video.’
Please don’t.
Maybe I’m re-iterating the same thesis as the South Park guys, but really, if I had to choose one video that’s ideal for the web, the choice is simple: none. Zero. Nunca. In fact, save for the handful of studio-run web video outlets, and the forthcoming SNL You Tube-style site, I’d argue that the best web videos out there are porn. Any kind. Ebony midget ballet dancer. 3 girls, no cup! Take that!
But the PG internet hasn’t become a place where writers and actors are finding a new home. And as we witness the erosion of the monopolistic mega-studios over the next 10 years, I can’t imagine that the volume will increase for them that much. After all, I’ve never had one person forward me a web video that had the words ‘written by’ in them, or ’starring.’ And I’ll wager you dollars to donuts that you won’t see Al Pacino doing a short for Funny Or Die.
I guess for me it all boils down to the fact that when I want to watch something, I use a TV or a movie theatre. The thought that someday I’ll be tuning into my little desktop monitor to watch the newest episode of Quarterlife makes me want to vomit out my insides and serve them to some macrobiotic at Urth Cafe. It makes me want to tell every un-funny person I’ve ever met that they, “really have a chance. You should take improv classes, you are so funny!” Hopefully this, like so many other passing whims in Hollywood, will fall by the wayside for the next new fad. But since it almost certainly won’t, I guess all we can hope for is an improvement in content, so I can actually sit through more than 15 seconds before wanting to end it all. Live from inside your computer, this is Great Scott, reporting.
Download:
MP3: The Replacements-”Seen Your Video”
MP3: 2ew Gunn Ciz ft. Esso-”Audio Video”
Posted in Great Scott | 4 Comments »
August 11th, 2008
Since Lovebug Starski, rap has been no stranger to terrible nomenclature. In fact, there’s probably a post waiting to be written about the worst handles in hip-hop history, with Malachi Da’ Nutcracker, Shaggy 2 Dope, and Yung Joc, sure-fire candidates for any top 10 list. Add Washington D.C.-based beatmaker, Damu the Fudgemunk to that litany, not least for his short-sighted decision to willfully saddle himself with a moniker more fit for a queer squirrel than the jazz-inspired, prodigiously talented producer that he is. Not that there’s anything wrong with gay rodents. After all, The Chipmunks were my favorite cartoon throughout the 80s and I always had my suspicions about Theodore.
But truthfully, I would’ve probably passed on Damu had it not been for his insistent championing by Dan Love, a dude who’s got a better feel for breaks than most orthopedic surgeons. And I’m happy I overlooked that woeful alias, because Overtime, Damu’s soulful, jazzy blend of of soot-covered drums, crackling vinyl hiss, and scenes stitched in from Office Space has kept me sane as I battle a fever brought on by 12 hours of Rocking the Bells.
If you want to know more about Damu, this interview at From Da’ Bricks comes highly recommended, as does the EP itself, with its beats composed in the vein of early Dilla, Low End Theory-era Tribe and Digable Planets. Plus, Damu’s giving away the entire thing away gratis. Proving that once again, the only way that I could be coerced to listen to a man named Fudgemunk would be because of the all-mighty power of free. Which I believe was the 11th Commandment that got left out when Moses ran out of granite.
Download:
MP3: Damu the Fudgemunk-”Summer 2004″
ZIP: Damu the Fudgemunk-Overtime EP (Left-Click)
Posted in Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | 5 Comments »
August 11th, 2008
Before I heard “Dirty Harry” during the Pharcyde’s set at Rock the Bells, I don’t even think I realized that Bootie Brown was the one supplying the guest raps. I’ve always considered The Gorillaz more of a singles band than anything and this is one of their best. Not sure what the status of a Pharcyde reunion album is at this point but after watching them absolutely kill it on Saturday, there’s definitely a part of me hoping they give it another shot, lest the group’s most prominent rapping turns not be relegated to cartoon rock bands.
While I’m in the habit of posting Gorillaz material, I may as well throw in “Bill Murray,” a dub-infused track from the band’s Feel Good Inc., a Japan-only EP. Sure, it’s not as good as Ghostbusters, but then again what is?
Download:
MP3: Gorillaz ft. Bootie Brown-”Dirty Harry”
MP3: Gorillaz-”Bill Murray”
Posted in Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | No Comments »
August 10th, 2008
I really can’t say enough good things about Rock the Bells. The line-up was great, the accommodations generous and comfortable, the crowd knowledgeable and passionate. Plus, everyone involved gets extra-props for ensuring that no one gave the Black Eyed Peas any love during their “Hey, Don’t You Guys Remember That We Weren’t Always the Worst Rap Group on the Planet” nostalgia trip, made extra-ironic by the Peas performing their Behind the Front material, i.e. songs devoted to the notion that they would “never sell out” and always “keep it real.”
As I discuss in the Times article, Pharcyde, Tribe and Rae and Ghost were easily the day’s sonic highlights. However, Rock the Bells 2008 will be forever ingrained in my memory for the site of David “Bud Bundy” Faustino, owning the VIP room, rocking a fedora and a Dipset shirt. See photo here. Sadly, the 100 degree heat left me near heat-stroke, which meant that I stayed away from alcohol and thus was in no condition to inquire whether he would be willing to rap the first 16 bars of “Reppin’ Time,” for me. Perhaps next year. In the meantime, I suppose it’s just Byrd gang 4 life.
LA Times: Rock the Bells Review
Download:
MP3: A Tribe Called Quest-”Same Ol’ Thing”
MP3: Pharcyde-”Pork”
MP3: Ghostface ft. Raekwon & Fat Joe-”Clientele”
Posted in LA Times | 7 Comments »
August 10th, 2008
I don’t usually do the party flier thing but I know one of the people involved in this event’s promotion so…. Plus, Wallpaper are good people in my book for playing that show I put on a few months back with Knux and Clean Guns. And that Obama fellow ain’t too shabby either.
More info at the link below.
http://theprlabs.com/
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August 10th, 2008
Seems like the appropriate cut to play right now. One of the best Wu songs ever and perhaps my favorite of their videos.
R.I.P. Isaac Hayes (1942-2008).
Download:
MP3: Wu-Tang Clan ft. Isaac Hayes-”I Can’t Go To Sleep”
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