March, 2010

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Day 157: O.C. – Word…Life (1994)

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

The mid 90’s Hip Hop scene was an era dominated by the New York artists. From Nas to Jay-Z, AZ to O.C., Jeru the Damaja to Organized Konfusion, Wu-Tang to Biggie, Big L, Gang Starr and Masta Ace [2] there was no doubt how the music, which spawned in the same area, still functioned as the heart of the being we call Hip Hop. Although Nas’ “Illmatic” has taken the shine from many lost gems that were released around the same time, there are dozens of classic N.Y. tapes to be discovered. One of these is the magnificent “Word…Life” by Crooklyn’ Dodger, O.C. from 1994.

It really is quite amazing how world-wide culture sprung out from two enormous speakers mounted on a low-rider, with a DJ in the car named Kool Herc. Driving around the Bronx banging out the rawest form of Hip Hop, he started something great, something unique and something completely original. What defined the New York Hip Hop scene during the 90’s was this focused and hard headed quest to find the purest form of the culture, that pounding bass that had first gotten people out into the streets. Many releases during those mid years are among some of my favorites because that was a time where the culture felt more alive through music than ever.

What “Word…Life” is to that era is a time capsule. Ranging over everything you could desire from a hardcore East Coast rap album, you’ll get jazzy tunes with light snares, raw and biting bass lines, dusted and gritty old samples over vicious drum patterns, and of course sharp lyricism and self reflecting street poetry. O.C. delivers all of this with his debut release. From the very beginning we are taken into the world of O.C. on a laid back jazz tune he flows effortlessly, rhyming “Get your ears ready for creative control/Cause no one’s gonna tell me how to sell out my soul”. Buckwild, the Bronx born beat wizard, takes a hand in the majority of the album’s production and his love for bass driven beats keeps the album tied together with a tight little string. After the intro we are handed three songs where the beats could make any loving Hip Hop fans heart melt, “Word…Life”, “O-Zone” and especially “Born 2 Live” are the essence of a perfect combination of a talented MC backed up by a maybe even more talented producer. The album is a fifty/fifty of jazzy beats and hardcore East-Coast tunes, “Time’s Up”, “Constables”, “Mo Main Topic” and “Let it Slide” are all vivid street tales told with complex rhymes and sharp delivery. Along with AZ and Nas’ debut albums, O.C. has made a blueprint of what a proper East-Coast gangster album should sound like. O.C. might be slept on by the majority, but nevertheless he has proved with this album (along with his next “Jewelz”) that he’s a force to be aware of and most of all – a damn good rapper.

Definitely being an MC that’s been overlooked by the mass, O.C. holds a throne of his own and like any other place in music, most of the really talented and gifted artists never make it above water, but luckily they stay alive way down below where the bass is pumping louder and clearer than any other spot on the planet.

by Oskar

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Day 156: Wire – Pink Flag (1977)

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

In 1977, Pink Flag came along at a time when British punk had already seen its primary and formative movements. All of the attention was still clinging to the Sex Pistols, but Wire, fellow English wiseasses, came out with Pink Flag not even two months after the Pistols’ debut. Johnny Rotten and company may have had the popularity, and perhaps Pink Flag didn’t sell many copies, but Wire’s debut made a far grander statement than the Pistols’ proper debut. While the Sex Pistols were making punk rock fashionable in England and beyond, Wire was taking punk and completely deconstructing it. The result is an incredibly minimalist and semi-ironic take on punk rock, which served to inspire and influence just as vastly as any UK punk band comfortably situated in the seedy ‘70s limelight.

Pink Flag is an interesting case for a punk album. Perhaps it’s because it cannot be simply categorized as “punk,” which is the dilemma many music critics and enthusiasts encountered upon its release in ‘77. “Is it punk? Is it post-punk? Is it art rock? Is it hard rock?” It was all of those things and more, which we quickly realize as the album rapidly unfolds across 21 tracks. Some tracks are deeply meditative and structured with art rock leanings, such as the opening “Reuters,” which announces itself (and the album) as a decidedly atypical punk affair, with a pulsing bassline and a sludgy guitar hook that strays outside of the canonical punk rhythms, culminating in the band eerily chanting “Rape!” at the end of the song. The title track also touts rolling, pounding drums that open the song, starting small, sonically, and ending with a resonance that demands your attention as the guitars finally kick in, and “Strange” ends in a head-scratching array of squeaks and instrumentation that makes the song sound like it could have been found on an early progressive rock album. However, don’t be fooled into thinking Wire overdosed on the art rock—the album is riddled with short, energetic bursts of punk, such as “Field Day for the Sundays,” which clocks in at only 28 seconds. The average song length is a little over a minute, which goes to show the proportion of punk ADHD-addled thoughts to mature and complete, focused musings. (Spoiler: punk wins.)

While bands like the Sex Pistols were working on turning hard rock upside down, vandalizing it, and just generally punkifying it, Wire were trying to do the same thing to punk rock itself. For the majority of the songs, especially the ones with a punk slant, the most minimalist approach was employed: drums, bass, guitar, raw emotion, and unpolished production. It was almost a caricature of punk, and during punk’s make-it-or-break-it hour, nothing could have made a bolder statement—not even something as controversial as the Pistols’ declaration of anarchy in the UK. It was even bolder to pepper the album with downright catchy pop songs with hooks that could have played quite nicely on pop radio, such as “Feeling Called Love” or “Ex-Lion Tamer.”

Indeed, even lyrically, the wily gentlemen follow suit with their bravado. “Three Girl Rhumba” deals with slightly sexualized lyrics typical of the more hard rock and glam scenes at the time, while “Reuters” and “Ex-Lion Tamer” were contemplative sociological observations, with the latter cynically instructing, “Stay glued to your TV set!” Of course, there’s the typical “stick it to the man” fare in “Mr. Suit,” which is almost certainly tongue-in-cheek. Pink Flag’s lyrical themes mirror its musical variety, which makes it an even more difficult album to categorize. The fact that Wire’s intent ever needed to be questioned or contemplated says quite a bit about them, ideologically. Who needs three chords and mohawks when you’ve got an album that ventures outside of punk’s already clearly defined boundaries? That’s truly punk rock.

by Arika

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Day 155: David Bowie – Station To Station (1976)

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

The whole world has long been a sucker for a mega pop star with an ability to straddle a number of personalities on their journey through the many key facets of the pop music landscape, bringing glitz and glamour to the recorded album and live arena alike. That sort of aura and mystery adds a whole layer to music, like a bubble within which creative force can be both sustained and transmitted outwards. Anyway, Gaga will tell you exactly who she learnt her stuff from and will feel no hesitation to do so. David Bowie belongs on modern music Mt. Rushmore, a place secured with one of the longest runs of great to classic albums in the history of that period, largely through the 1970s.

At only six tracks, “Station To Station” may appear lean on paper, but it’s a very well-developed effort that saw Bowie enter his ‘Thin White Duke’ phase, one of his most controversial, and frankly his most sinister, which is saying quite a lot. The twisted nature of that character is well reflected in the mood of the album, which never reaches the heights of immense successes both past and future but which feels like something is bubbling immediately under its surface, without that entity ever arriving to permeate the record’s mellowness. The title track and opener harks back to the multi-part evolving tracks such as “Cygnet Committee” and “The Width Of A Circle” from Bowie’s earliest albums, as it makes use of measured repetition to gradually escalate, but not towards any sort of joyous climax.

That opener features one of the all-time great lyrics in the form of “it’s not the side effects of the cocaine, I’m thinking that it must be love.” Such a barbed dig from Bowie is made all the more effective in hindsight, given that this is a record he claims not to remember creating, hardly a surprise given the chronicles of his abuse of said drug at that point. It would certainly appear to be a core factor behind “TVC 15,” an almost totally opaque and vaguely futuristic ditty about a killer television, which has an impossible jive and wonderfully upbeat hook for a track so topically unpleasant. Much of the album sounds dank without it ever being an insult, with “Stay” offering up some of the tinniest, coldest funk on record, its guitars dripping with a melancholy that still boasts an optimism of sorts. “Wild Is The Wind” is so hazily and soothingly pleasant as to close the album by seemingly floating off into the wind itself.

It’s not all subdued to the extent of paranoia, with “Golden Years” being the odd one out. It has a genuine funk-tastic riff to it, meaning you are missing out if you’ve never strutted down a busy street with it in your ears. All the same, “Station To Station” is, for the most part, a transitional record between Bowie’s entire previous 70s work and the imminent Berlin trilogy, where the unease and iciness of this album were channelled to not only greater effect, but with expert, genre-birthing results. Bowie apparently lacked the awareness and vision to pull off the job on “Station To Station” for a certain reason, but these are still Bowie creations, and thus six tracks that have been pored over like so many others in his canon.

by Michael

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Day 154: Jazzanova – In Between (2002)

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

This album can really only be described as an explosion of different sounds. Jazzanova uses everything between freshly layered piano loops, precisely patterned jazz drums, eerily sampled vocals, and electronically synthesized melodies to piece together some of the most captivating arrangements I have ever heard. This record is a powerful demonstration of how much genius can be conjured if a few masterful composers are given carte-blanche to do whatever the heck they want. And what a display it is, as one that can shatter the very pillars of certainty that support your musical foundation.

The collective is most comparable to The Avalanches in terms of technique, except that they do not create music almost exclusively through samples. Although it is hard to tell by the way they choose to execute their compositions by including many unpredictable breaks, cuts, and twists in their songs and because of this varied approach to the craft, you can tell that each song is not subjected to the same formula. You may get a track that has only a few lyrics repeated robotically like a Funk sample or you may get a fairly thorough lyrical performance with plenty of abstract messages to pick out. Furthermore, they may choose to mess with you and have repeated lyrics in the first half of the song, and just when you think that there is nothing more to the song you are blessed with some fine Jazz singing.

“LOVE and You & I” is a mind bending arrangement that may have you scratching your head on first listen, deep in contemplation on the second, and completely in love with it on the third. The way this nearly 8 minute track starts off lets you know you are about to experience something of epic proportions. This is a perfect introduction into their world as it allows you to see just the sheer degree to which they feel necessary to mold and shape a song into fruition. You are treated to an awesome beat break that has them using marimba’s and horns in ways you can’t imagine. As if this song isn’t any indication of what’s to follow, each song on this record is a meal on its own.

The ghost-like vocals flow into the second track “No Use” which is a more fleshed out lyrical performance that speaks of deep regrets and how to deal with them. The tempo drastically changes on the following track which is more of a Hip-Hop flavored offering with rapper Capitol A trying to keep up with the groups frantic beat. The tempo takes on many forms before even a third of the album is through. By the middle of the album you may think you are ready for any kind of surprises, that is until “Another New Day” comes in with its Jazz-House mixed with Downbeat production that sounds like a movie score. Another surprise for me was finding out that the Neo-Soul crooning on “Soon” was not that of Steve Spacek, which I was willing to bet anything on, but instead of a singer by the name of Victer Duplaix, a very talented singer in his own right.

“Dance The Dance” is a very easy track to like for me. If you let the groove build enough you will find it very satisfying due to its unique makeup. I particularly like Claas Brieler’s vocalization on this song as its got this wise old man feel especially when taken in context with the lyrics. Lines like “we can make a dream come true in the space of now” are hard enough to pull off but he does it gracefully while giving the song a transcendent feel.

I can talk about this album for far too long, and I have no doubt that anyone can take something off “In Between” to cherish. Staying true to their formula Jazzanova would later redefine themselves and craft an album called “Of All The Things” that melded their Acid-Jazz with Soul and RnB, which is a stellar offering as well. Whether they are in between the space that connects musical boundaries or they choose to embrace the sound of all those things, Jazzanova are truly one of the most innovative acts of the last decade.

by Abid

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Day 153: Madlib – Beat Konducta Vol 1–2: Movie Scenes (2006)

Friday, March 19th, 2010

The “Beat Konducta” series has become one of the more essential works in Madlib’s extensive catalogue. Over the years, the “Beat Konducta” has taken us to far away lands and paid tribute to Madlib’s partner in crime, J Dilla. The first installment, however, acts as a soundtrack to a film that only exists in Madlib’s imagination. Released about a month after J Dilla’s “Donuts” album, “Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes” shares a few obvious similarities with that modern day masterpiece, such as the heavy use of soul samples by a pair of producers known for their diverse sampling sources. Madlib also pulls some funk, rock, jazz, and early electronic music out of the crates, making this a varied and eclectic listening experience, not unlike everything else in Madlib’s discography.

“Beat Konducta Vol 1-2″ opens with a Busta Rhymes monologue, before a cut up soul sample fades into the mix. “The Comeback” has a very Wu-Tang esque style, due to the track’s overall rawness and absence of Madlib’s own drum sounds. “The Payback” revolves around a sample of a well known James Brown track and features vintage drum machine sounds and various vocal samples to help carry it along. “Open” displays Madlib’s versatility with a bounce orientated track that wouldn’t be out of place on a mainstream hip hop album. Some of my other favorites include the off-kilter loops found on “The Rock”, the Black Ivory piano samples on “Understanding”, the hypnotic bump of “Third Ear” and “Whutkanido.” “Pyramids” would have to be my overall favorite beat, with its frantic drums, reflective samples and D’Angelo’s vocals for good measure.

Madlib’s catalogue may be a little overwhelming at first, but the “Beat Konducta” series is definitely one of the best places to dive into his work. ”Beat Konducta Vol 1-2″ wonderfully displays Madlib’s talent and ear for music, and is an essential album for anyone interested in instrumental hip hop.

by Kyle

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Day 152: The Sounds – Dying to Say This to You (2006)

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Just as the title suggests an eager attempt to say something, the album is in fact likewise insisting on what it attempts. The music has instant impact, because of the punchy and groovy sound provided by the distinctive drums and bass complimented by solid guitar riffs and an edgy female voice. This certainly has elements of 80’ies new wave, but instead of reusing the old tricks as on the bands debut album, “Living in America”, they simply reinvent it to something much more modern and mature. “Dying to Say This to You” is filled with energy and temperament that makes it very enjoyable.

When thinking of this album it feels very complete, because it has a very distinctive sound. You think 80’ies – but there’s actually more than just that. The Swedish band is great at putting together retro sounds with a modern vibe, which is perhaps caused by the rock solid voice of Maja Ivarsson. You can hear her intense and insisting voice that really helps to push the songs forward. She is a sort of eager rebellion when the catchy choruses are being delivered with a great force that drives the numbers in a fast-paced motion. The synthesizer is set to a mode called Depeche or the like which it gives it that special feel, like the surrounding chorus-pad and occasional blips on “Tony the Beat”. The bass certainly also has a prominent role, even though it often is as simple as a steady pulsing one, or an occasional octave synth-bass. The drums are almost self-explanatory; simple but effective straight forward rock drums with a touch of disco – great in combination with the tight guitar parts that compliment both the voice and the drums.

By listening to this album you could imagine what a concert with this band would be like: Danceable, catchy and filled with energy. “Dying to Say This to You” has a wonderful upbeat and fast paced vibe that makes it very danceable. Numbers like the opening “Song With A Mission” or “Painted By Numbers” are begging your feet to tap, and are great for rocking out on the dance floor. The Sounds brings great energy and vibe to the floor without anything fancy. You can sing along on the catchy hooks, jump to the rocking drums, tap your feet or in general: just enjoy this real and energetic music.

by Emil

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Day 151: Minnie Riperton – Perfect Angel (1974)

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Minnie Riperton’s “Perfect Angel” is perhaps the singer’s most popular album. It contains the song that characterizes her career for most people, “Lovin’ You,” an incredibly corny yet popular song that has aged particularly poorly. Unfortunately, people tend to view Minnie Riperton’s music as sort of a joke because of this song and do not recognize her work with the psychedelic soul group Rotary Connection or her other solo efforts besides her biggest hit (“Lovin’ You”). If you can put aside this one song and any biases you might have towards Minnie Riperton because of it and give this album a listen, soon after pressing play you will realize that not all of her songs are so painfully boring.

“Perfect Angel” starts with an electric guitar riff on the surprisingly rock-like “Reasons”. “Reasons” is actually somewhat edgy, or would certainly seem to be for anyone expecting more “Lovin’ You” out of the album. She revisits the style of “Reasons” on “Every Time He Comes Around” which is also obviously rock influenced. The albums does have its share of smoother cuts that are closer in sound to what a someone might expect to hear from a Minnnie Riperton album. Those songs include the title track “Perfect Angel” and the album’s best song “The Edge of A Dream.” The song is a very optimistic and meaningful tune written by Riperton and her husband Richard Rudolph in dedication of Martin Luther King Jr. The meaningful lyrics throughout “Perfect Angel” are in fact one of the album’s best qualities. The instrumentation is also impressive but in a way that is uncommon for soul music. There are no string arrangements or horn stabs like what was popular at the time. For the most part, Minnie Riperton’s vocals are backed by nothing much more than acoustic guitars, bass, piano and light drums. This allows for a focus on her voice which was truly one of the finest in music.

Something special about “Perfect Angel” is the cast which made it possible. The album features instrumentation in the form of drums, piano and harmonica from a mysterious “El Toro Negro,” was arranged by “Wonderlove” and produced by Scorbu Productions. All three of these names are code for Stevie Wonder. That’s right, Stevie Wonder played multiple instruments, including drums on “Reasons” where he plays an impressive shuffle accompanied by frequent drums fills, produced, and arranged on “Perfect Angel.” He also wrote two of the songs including the title track which he performed a stripped down version of on Soul Train after the tragic death of Minnie Ripertion. The genius who is Stevie Wonder contributed greatly to “Perfect Angel” and his influence is strongly present. Considering it was released in 1974 around the same time as a “Innervisions” it goes without saying the work he put into the album is nothing short of impressive. Stevie Wonder’s genius teamed with that Minnie Riperton, who is too brilliant despite her lack of recognition, created a meaningful album with that is a must have for the many Stevie Wonder fans as “Perfect Angel” is in my opinion his finest work besides his own.

by Phil

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Day 150: Gang Starr – Moment of Truth (1998)

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

As Hip Hop slowly evolved from the stripped down break-beats to the more focused drum patterns and sample based tracks we saw taking form in the late 80’s, DJ Premier showed up around the same time as the 90’s began. And over the past 20 years Premier has been acknowledged as one of the greatest Hip Hop producers of all time, maybe even the greatest. There’s a reason for this and “Moment of Truth” is the testament. Alongside Guru, the rapping half of the duo known as Gang Starr, they created history with a discography spanning over six classic albums, the duo has blessed us with beautiful musical arrangements, thought-provoking rhymes with that raw and a rugged underground sound that so many of us Hip Hop heads adore.

I’ve tried to come up with an adjective that could describe Premo’s musical engineering skills, but failed to do so. What this man created throughout his career is simply unmatched. Names such as Rakim, Nas, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Cormega, Big Daddy Kane, Jeru the Damaja, AZ, Biggie Smalls, Fat Joe, O.C., Mos Def, Big L and Common are just a small percentage of the artists he’s done wonders with and I can assure you that every time one of these rappers has teamed up with Premo they’ve reached a career high. With his trademark chorus scratching, he literally speaks to you through samples and even though he “only” gets the producer credits, he’s often more prominent on the track than the actual rapper. Leaning on his jazzy loops and trademark scratching, Premo has stuck to one formula over the past 20 years and it is quite an achievement to never have fallen into a monotonous sound, even when the blueprint is basically the same each time. But as stated in the opening lines of the album:

“We have certain formulas but we update ‘em with the times and everything ya know. So the rhyme style is elevated. The style of beats is elevated but it’s still Guru and Premier. And there’s always a message involved”

In Gang Starr our MC, the king of monotone rap, is called Keith Elam aka. Guru. Constantly updating the sound as they move along, Premo and Guru switch up the agenda once again after a 4 year hiatus since their last album, “Hard to Earn” from 1994. Guru is sharper, more awake and alive than ever on this disc, and not many rappers can stand through 20 tracks without switching up their flow and doing it without becoming boring or uninspired, but Guru has that ability. What Gang Starr as a group has pursued since their debut album is the holy grail of Hip Hop – realness. The art of staying true to themselves as artists and not compromising their sound to please the masses. From “You Know My Steez” to “In Memory Of…” it’s a tour de force through Hip Hop music’s utmost incredible formats. Guru reaches new heights with his newfound maturity and wisdom as he focused rhymes to us on “JFK 2 LAX”, “She Knows What She Wants”, “Moment of Truth”, “Above the Clouds” and “Betrayal”. The last two feature brilliant verses from the always on-point Inspectah Deck and Scarface who spit out a tragic story about a young ambitious b-ball player. “Work”, “You Know My Steez”, “Rep Grows Bigger”, “Royalty” and “The Militia” are all classic anthems with crushing battle rhymes, hard hitting drum patterns filled with scratches and looped samples of everything from Fleetwood Mac to LL Cool J.

Since he first showed up on the scene, Premier has been a vital force in Hip Hop music and an album like this only comes around once in a lifetime and you shouldn’t miss out. The musical aspect of “Moment of Truth” is so perfect and portrays every heart beat in Hip Hop culture. It’s actually hard to describe how good the beats are, or maybe it’s just me getting sentimental over the dopeness of DJ Premier’s work, but that can only be a good thing, since not many albums have got as many spins on my stereo as this one.