Tag Archives: Music

Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch The Throne

20 Aug

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne

Unsurprisingly, there are flashes of brilliance on Watch the Throne (what else would you expect when two of the biggest artists in their genre get together?), unfortunately the album is anything but consistent– relying far too heavily on the home run instead of doing more with less.

Release Date: August 8, 2011 (iTunes), August 12, 2011 (Physical Release)
Record Label: Def Jam
Rating: 82

The music video for “Otis” sums up Watch the Throne perfectly– like a Hollywood blockbuster, the emphasis is on style over substance. They picked the most venerable video director of all time (Spike Jonze) to film them take one of the most expensive vehicles produced (Maybach), chop it, and drive it around a set lot with random pyrotechnics thrown in for good measure. Combine that with a needlessly expensive sample of Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” and you get an idea that perhaps the larger-than-life envelope that Kanye West has always relied on has been pushed too far.

On a purely superficial level, there is a lot to enjoy about the album– West and Jay-Z are always reliable rappers, and with a revolving door of A-list producers, the beats and presentation are both top-notch, but there’s very little to draw you in, and the album consequentially feels a bit cold. That being said, there are flashes of supreme brilliance, especially in the second half of the album, as the opening “No Church in the Wild” is likely the best on the album and features a great guest spot from Frank Ocean. Likewise, the last thirty seconds of “Lift Off” is a fantastic afro-beat laden jam, and even makes Beyonce’s overreaching vocals tolerable. “Murder to Excellence” is a surprisingly poignant political piece, that may be one of the most fully realized socially conscious songs either artist has made. Similarly, “Made in America,” for all of its lyrical misgivings, is a truly tender-hearted piece as well.

As a whole, Watch the Throne is an interesting proposition– it’s not an all out failure the way Best of Both Worlds was, but while it may sonically shape the way of hip-hop to come, it doesn’t consistently deliver to make it as groundbreaking as it perhaps feels like it should be. If you can accept that, there’s a lot to enjoy throughout the album, just don’t expect anything more than over-the-top Hollywood popcorn thrills.

Jay-Z and Kanye West – “Otis”

Jay-Z and Kanye West – “No Church in the Wild”

The Rapture to Stream Upcoming Album Tonight

16 Aug
The Rapture - In The Grace of Your Love

The Rapture - In The Grace of Your Love

While the long-awaited follow-up to Pieces of the People We Love isn’t slated to come out until September 6, you can listen to it tonight in its entirety thanks to the Australian band’s listening party on Ustream tonight at 7:30pm Central. On top of that, the band will take questions for an hour via Twitter. It’s a pretty neat concept all in all, and it’ll be nice to see what The Rapture has up their sleeves for In the Grace of Your Love.

New Beirut – “East Harlem”

4 Jun

You may have heard this song previously if you’ve seen them live recently, but “East Harlem” is the new single from Beirut. A terrific single for the summer (in spite of what the album cover leads you to believe), “East Harlem” is an easy-going song with all the ornate arrangements one would expect from Zach Condon and company. Listen to the band’s latest below:

St. Vincent set to release new album September 13

4 Jun

Soon after hinting on Twitter that her new album would be coming soon, Strange Mercy has been announced with a September 12 release date on 4AD records. The album will be St. Vincent’s third and follows an impressive sophomore effort in Actor. Look for more details to come soon.

My Morning Jacket Circuital

31 May

Where Evil Urges faltered in creating an eccentric and larger-than-life world, Circuital crafts such an unassuming atmosphere, that by the time you realize it’s just as nutty as the last album, you’re hooked.

Release Date: May 31, 2011
Record Label: ATO
Rating: 90

If you haven’t figured it out by now, My Morning Jacket is a weird band with a wicked sense of humor. Not sardonic or apathetic like you would expect most rock bands to be, but just a genuinely weird self-aware bunch of guys that as much as they like to rock out are really all about pushing the oddity envelope. However, whereas before these (pardon the pun) evil urges were pushed into the background previously (“Into the Woods” from Z, “They Ran” from The Tennessee Fire), they came full frontal on both their last release and (possibly to the chagrin of many) on Circuital as well.

Before you write off their latest album, however, do know that it’s a better overall effort than Evil Urges. Surprisingly, the reason for that is possibly because Circuital doesn’t straddle the line the way Evil Urges did– where for every “Librarian” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream” you had a quintessential MMJ tune like “I’m Amazed”– instead the Kentucky-based band goes all out with reckless abandon.

It all begins with the strangely hypnotic “Victory Dance,” which builds on a deceivingly simplistic rhythm and evolves into a dark, but lovely, piece before leading into the gorgeous title track. Other highlights include the vulnerable “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” which could eclipse “Golden” as their most stunning track recorded. “Slow Slow Tune” and “Movin Away” are also both some of the better slower songs the band has recorded in quite a while.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the absurd “Outta My System” is likely to be this album’s “Highly Suspicious,” you’re either going to love it or hate it. The insanely theatrical “Holdin On to Black Metal,” however, endears itself with its larger than life scale, and a pitch-perfect understanding and execution of its concept.

Yes, Circuital is out there– it’s not really a concept album so much as it is an affirmation of My Morning Jacket going from an established southern rock band to something more otherworldly and at times, flat-out indescribable, but that’s a good thing. Unlike the frequently half-baked Evil Urges, My Morning Jacket takes the plunge here, and they come up smelling like roses.

My Morning Jacket – “Holdin On To Black Metal”

My Morning Jacket – “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)”

Coachella 2012 Will Extend to Two Weekends

31 May

It’s the festival that keeps on growing, and just when it seemed like it couldn’t get much bigger after selling out in a mere instant last year, Coachella has announced that next years festival will take place over two weekends. Yes, you’re reading that correctly, two separate weekends. The lineups will be the same, so you won’t miss anything, it’s just intended as a way for everyone to have a chance to go, which is pretty awesome on their part. Coachella weekend one will be April 13-15, 2012, while Coachella weekend two will be April 20-22, 2012.

Tyler, The Creator Goblin

14 May

Much like everything else out of the Odd Future camp, Goblin is not for everyone with its extremely dark and graphic subject matter. If you’re able to wander into this dark sonic space, however, you’re in for a truly special debut.

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Record Label: XL
Rating: 90

At this point, you either love the Odd Future crew or you hate them. Goblin isn’t going to change that, nor is that what Tyler, The Creator is trying to accomplish. Goblin, despite being a major label debut, is essentially a follow-up to his Bastard mixtape, even starting out with an intro track with his fake alter-ego psychologist that is helping Tyler sift through his emotions on the album.

“I’m not a f****** role model/I’m a 19-year old f****** emotional roller coaster with pipe dreams,” Tyler begins, following with the lines “okay you guys f****** caught me, I’m not a rapist or a serial killer, I lied.” From the onset, Tyler is immediately debunking, or attempting to anyway, much of the controversy surrounding Odd Future in general, but particularly him.

Even so, despite the semi-confessional lyrics on the opener and a number of other tracks, Tyler, The Creator easily switches to the highly gifted yet controversial lyricist that has garnered him both praise and disdain. It’s funny, its crude, and sometimes it’s just plain wrong, but for better or worse Goblin is the inner trappings of a 19-year old with an overly-active imagination, daddy issues and a decidedly sharp wit and dark sense of humor. Perhaps it’s only refreshing in that it’s so brutally honest (to a fault), but either way, Tyler, The Creator appears to not only be the appropriate face of OFWGKTA, but he’s a talented rapper and producer in his own right.

While tracks like “Radical” and to a lesser degree “Sandwitches” are slightly redundant, Goblins brightest moments come from tracks such as “Yonkers,” “Nightmare,” “Tron Cat,” and even pulling off a pop jam with reasonable swag in “She.” The production is always sharp at the minimum, and often times flat-out ridiculous (see “Transylvania”).

While it’s sure to resurrect much the seemingly never-ending debate as to whether or not the misogynistic and violent lyrics carry much weight for listeners or are instead recognized solely for shock value (and if that even makes a difference), Goblin is an abstract work of art, despite its faults.

Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers” (Radio Edit)

2011 Lollapalooza Lineup Announced

27 Apr

Lollapalooza’s lineup has finally been revealed, and if you’re expecting something entirely new and different for their 20th anniversary– well, you’re not really going to get it.

Headlining on the main stages will be Eminem (I wonder if he’ll show up in a Chrysler?), Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Muse. On Perry’s stage, headliners are Girl Talk, Pretty Lights and KiD CuDi. Tickets are going to run you $215 for the three-day passes, as early bird tickets have sold out. For more information, check out their website. To view the full lineup, click here.

tUnE-yArDs w h o k i l l

23 Apr

Merrill Garbus’ sophomore release is impressively cocksure, surprisingly cohesive, and most importantly catapults her into being one of the most important artists around right now.

Release Date: April 19, 2011
Record Label: 4AD
Rating: 100

When Garbus released her debut album Bird-Brains using nothing more than a handheld recorder and Audacity, it was apparent that the voice behind the lo-fi presentation was something worthwhile. What was unexpected however, is just how far Garbus would be able to push the envelope with her follow-up w h o k i l l.

Fortunately, 4AD seemed to pick-up Garbus’ immense talent and merely handed her the keys to a studio and left her to her own devices. The results are superlative to say the least. It’s polished, sure, but it’s also just as experimental (perhaps more so) than ever before. Working only with bassist Nate Brenner, w h o k i l l has a surprisingly full sound, packed with looped vocals, heavily layered African-influenced beats, and occasionally horns and other sampled noises.

Despite her wide range of influences, the most obvious of which is African music, what makes tUnE-yArDs so successful is that it’s never derivative. One can certainly point to TV on the Radio, perhaps Animal Collective, as contemporaries, but it’s never a paint-by-numbers affair.

Instead, if anything, the staggering integrity with which Garbus’ approaches her music reminds of Janelle Monáe’s impressive The ArchAndroid. Both display impeccable attention to detail, and are freewheeling as can be without ever losing focus. Last, but certainly not least, they are both incredibly strong female voices in complete and total control of their respective musical destinies.

While the whole album is impressive from beginning to end, its tracks such as the single “Bizness” or the bombastic “Gangsta” where Garbus flexes her genre-melding talents. Likewise, when she slows things down on the absolutely gorgeous “Powa” (which contains some of the best vocals you’ll hear this year), and “Doorstep” you see that even in her most exposed moments that Garbus is a formidable musician.

Already established as a talented live act, Garbus put her skills to work and finally had a budget to match her talents. The result is one of the best albums you’ll hear all year, one that should really put tUnE-yArDs on the map.

“Powa”

“Bizness”

Dave Matthews Band Caravan Coming to Chicago

7 Apr

Looks like there’s going to be a new festival in town this summer, as the Dave Matthews Band Caravan has added a Chicago stop to their list of destinations. Rather than downtown Grant Park, however, the caravan will be instead traveling to the South Shore area of Chicago where the US South Steel Works used to reside. It’ll be interesting to see if folks will be willing to pony up $195 to travel to the (relatively) far south side of Chicago, but in the meantime, the caravan boasts such acts as David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, Kid Cudi, The Flaming Lips (performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon), Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and of course, DMB themselves. While the price alone puts it squarely against Lollapalooza, the grandaddy of Chicago summer festivals, the lineup looks like it could very well be something of a Bonnaroo north, but with a more intimate setting.

For more information about the festival and ticket sales, check out the caravan website.

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