One of the more frustrating things about hip-hop heads*, specifically those old enough to remember the first two Golden Ages, is the general groupthink that no hip-hop album made today can possibly be as great as anything made during 88-96. This is just how it goes. Nostalgia is a motherfucker and no matter how dope […]
Indeed. As is any compilation that features the song from the clip above, which you may remember from the opening credits of the very excellent Ghost World. Thanks to crate-digger and ex-Stylus alum Todd Hutlock, I’ve been listening non-stop to Doob Doob O’ Rama Filmsongs of Bollywood for the past 24 hours. Recorded in the […]
| LA Times: Bun B-II Trill Review | May 22, 2008 |
No, the three and a half (out of four) stars that I tossed to II Trill does not mean that I have resolved to only rock 22 inch rims and sip syrup in my candy-colored Caddy. Nor does it mean this blog is about to turn into a Paul Wall, Lil Flip or Mike Jones […]
Regardless of what you think of their music, you’ve got to respect Wolf Parade. When Apologies to the Queen Mary dropped in late 2005 and every music journo prematurely slapped “next Arcade Fire” tags on them, they could’ve easily played the comparison to the hilt by touring relentlessly, making themselves available to everyone with a […]
| Black Mountain’s Stormy High | January 16, 2008 |
Los Angeles always seems strange in the rain. Jim Morrison once may have said something to that effect. Then again, Jim Morrison once declared himself the lizard king and was known to drink blood at wiccan ceremonies, so maybe he wasn’t the best best guy to take advice from. But he was right in this […]
| Burial-Untrue | November 28, 2007 |
About three weeks ago when I was in New York, Tal Rosenberg pretty much gushed non-stop about the Burial record’s brilliance. At the time, I didn’t even know that the London-based Dub Step producer had a new album coming out, which isn’t much of a surprise considering fewer than ten people know his actual identity, […]
| Free At Last: Mediocre At Best | November 18, 2007 |
I only received a few hundred words in the Times to review Free at Last, mainly because I couldn’t tell my editor in good faith that the record deserved more. I get why people have been buzzing on it. The first two leaked singles (“It’s Over”) and the Jay-Z collabo were nice. And sure, the […]
| Danny!-Danny is Dead! | October 25, 2007 |
Now that “Fiascogate” has crushed the dreams of the Okayplayer message board junkies who’d hoped to anoint him the rightful heir to the Native Tongues conscious rap throne, they’d be well served to redirect their dork-outs (like Buggin’ Out, but nerdier) towards 24-year old South Carolina MC, Danny!, a rapper/producer who reminds me of what […]
| Sunset Rubdown: Random Spirit Lover | October 16, 2007 |
I usually re-post my Stylus articles in their entirety here, but it feels wrong to to do so for this one, as seems to make a lot more sense over there. I told my editor, Todd Burns, it’s either one of the best things I’ve ever written for them or one of the worst. Hopefully, […]
Reading Crock Tock’s review of the Dark Star Orchestra show in San Francisco has gotten me in a Dead sort of mood. To get my fix before I see DSO this coming Saturday at the El Rey, I’ve been listening to The Dead’s Golden Gate Studio’s Autumn demos, recorded on November 3rd, 1965, in […]
