Discover the Loaf: 2010

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Other vids

Sun Araw vids

Sun Araw - All Night Long (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zEirlvWttc
Deep Cover
http://vimeo.com/10472596
http://vimeo.com/11789728

67. Sun Araw - Heavy Deeds (2009)

Sun Araw is Cameron Stallones' group. He's a Texan relocated to Long Beach, CA, and has kept the cowboy and psyche traditions of Texas alive whilst also jamming laidback funk in LA. Stallones is also part of LA group Magic Lanterns.

Heavy Deeds was like 2nd or 3rd Sun Araw release and came at exactly the time we needed to hear the craziness of Sunburned, NNCK etc rationalised into the new psychedelic funk pop. Sun Araw has extended trance chants, bass loops, exotic swamp rock, 80's post vietnam sci-fi blues and R&B slow jamz, slopped and chewed. It's like as if Santana had joined the Ya Ho Wha 13, or War jamming with Royal Trux circa Dogs Of Love, or Stevie Wonder (cover star) choogeling it out with Grateful Dead.

This album contains the lysergic wah-wah trip Heavy Deeds, and the Spacemen 3 bass loop and organ drone of Hustle and Bustle, is this what it's like to be loved by an Afghan Hound? Album highlight The Message puts a cowboy clopping strum next to reverbed and echoed chants, like Ghost Riders in the Sky on ketamine. Album closer All Night Long is over 10mins of slowly building stadium clap bliss. Who knew they would go on to greater depths with On Patrol in 2010.

Sunday, 24 October 2010

Other stuff

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Vids

Date With The Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOL-lzVT5Jc
Pin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evMVTZgxyVk
Y Control (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yL3rze8ixo
Maps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIIxlgcuQRU

68. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell (2003)

Initially Yeah Yeah Yeahs comfortably slotted into the swathe of NYC post-punk art groups that came following the post millennial taste for back to basics garage led by The White Stripes/Detroit scene, The Strokes and the DFA/Rapture axis. Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase began by supporting their peers, pedaling a dancefloor friendly garage rock, namechecking the likes of Jon Spencer & Girls Against Boys. With their debut album Fever To Tell however the Yeahs showed an emotional and musical depth which belied their onstage beer spilling persona, with a tribal repetitive garage rock layered with electronic squall guitar and Karen O as charismatic frontwoman either Joan Jett, Suzy Q, PJ raunchy or Siouxsie, Slits, Janis downright dangerous, 'Let's do it to each other, like a sister and a brother'. As if this wasn't enough Karen O showed a devastatingly vunerable side on third single Maps, reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde somehow, and contender for single of 2003, all together now, 'Wait, they don't love you like I love you, Wait, they don't love you like I love you, Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaps'

Wednesday, 13 October 2010

Early Britpop

Pulp We Love Life vids

Sunrise - Live at Eden Project (Me & my wife were there!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XMcAH6qd3U
Cocaine Socialism (rarely heard)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b7DgOeMnW4
The Trees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvkiAw0ZIw4
Bad Cover Version
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x42bep_pulp-bad-cover-version_music

Pulp influences

Saturday, 9 October 2010

69. Pulp - We Love Life (2001)

Pulp's eighth and final album was a perfect end to one of the greatest pop groups of recent years. Pulp's career from 1978-02 followed majestic conceptual peaks and troughs, from post punk obscurity to discovering house music and injecting with glam, disco and Jarvis' British kitchen sink obsessions as viewed through the opulent gauze of Scott Walker and Serge Gainsborough. Generating the first Britpop wave with Suede, Auteurs and Blur, with the classic His ' N' Hers followed by the mainstream supernova of Different Class. Stardom, cocaine, Michael Jackson, Ali G, that funny pointy dance. Then the painful delayed comedown of This Is Hardcore. Where could Pulp go next, if anywhere?
We Love Life appeared after a long gestation and is an honest, more organic sounding, open hearted and ultimately positive Pulp, whilst keeping the usual dramas, clever lyrics and relationship failures intact, this is a proper grown up pop album, that can still be enjoyed as visceral fun.
The opening Weeds is a great metaphor for the underclasses, and speaks of their resilience and the fear, fascination and hatred felt toward them (travellers, gypsys, chavs etc...) reminds me of the travellers camps when Jarvis sings 'trying to get rid of us by planting trees and shrubs, but you still come to visit us when you fancy booze and drugs'. This track stands as one of the few with the nerve to tackle immigration (Robert Wyatt's A Forest being another).
Other standouts include the teenage murder ballad 'The Night that Minnie Timperley Died', the epic story/song of strange English suburbia and rivers 'Wickerman' which reminds me of a bloke my uncle knows who dons a diving costume and lies at the bottom of river as a way to relax. Imagine the people who have passed by the river bank or on boats with no idea that a man is lying on the river bed!
Bad Cover Version provides a list of artistic disappointments including the second half of Til the Band Comes In by Scott Walker, who incidentally produced the album, and a hilarious Band Aid themed video. Roadkill is a beautifully understated ballad by Pulp standards concerning the breakup of a relationship, David Gedge style. Perhaps best of all is the double A-Side tracks Sunrise/The Trees, Trees combines themes of love, decay and environment in a way few other pop acts would ever be able to, and Sunrise epically confirms the environmental/organic undertow of the final Pulp. Pulp left a body of work that makes narrative sense and seems satisfyingly rounded (until they reform).

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Bill Orcutt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gv9usGhOK4
Harry Pussy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU03SIHjMS8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVMjsbf3uRQ

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

70. Bill Orcutt - A New Way To Pay Old Debts (2009)

One of the most unexpected musical events of 2009 was the return after a 12 year break of guitar abuser Bill Orcutt. Originally from Miami noise rock group Harry Pussy (92-97). Harry Pussy took rock to the extreme like a louder, faster Melt Banana with added primal scream fem aggression, like a punk Yoko Ono from Adris Hoyos. The records released by Harry Pussy on Stiltbreeze in the 90's were very much ignored at the time (the debut was titled 'In an emergency you can shit on a Puerto Rican whore'), but now are name checked as influential by the free jazz/rock/noise scene of artists like Corsano, Sunburned, Hospitals, Sightings, Wolf Eyes etc.

Orcutt played electric guitar with four strings in Harry Pussy, and on his return played a four string acoustic, with some shouted accompaniment. Orcutt kept the no-wave, fire music influences and added the virtuosity of the blues and John Fahey, although ultimately Orcutt sounds like nobody but himself. On some tunes Orcutt makes his acoustic sound like a piano, he must use his fingers like hammers, on others he lets repeated blues riffs, like on Lighting Hopkins cover 'Sad News For Korea' sound urgent and distressed. The 2000's brought many Fahey soundalikes and a return to popularity of solo guitar music, nobody however has developed a style as original and shocking as Bill Orcutt.

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

London Ruffneck Jungle 92-94

Friday, 17 September 2010

71. The Bug - London Zoo (2008), King Midas Sound - Waiting For You (2009)

The Bug and King Midas Sound are both projects of Londoner Kevin Martin, who's work also with God, Techno Animal, Ice, Razor X and Curse of the Golden Vampire spans genres as diverse as reggae, grindcore, dub, techno, hip-hop, jazz, industrial and noise. Despite the wide array of influences, there is a theme of anger, darkness and sonic exploration throughout, and refreshingly the anger is often targeted outwards al la Public Enemy ('anger is an energy' - John Lydon), and the music never naval gazes or seems self pitying. This must take tremendous will considering the darkness at the heart of Kevin Martin's vision.

The Bug released Pressure LP in 2003, which was influential in the nascent Dubstep scene, Martin went on to co-host a London club with dubstepper Loefah. London Zoo built on Pressure's underground success by being more eclectic in the choice of vocalists, ragga and Grime vocals fill the LP with potential club bangers (albeit a pretty ruffneck club). Veteran UK dancehall DJ Tippa Irie contributes 'Angry', which suggests a industrialised Scare Dem Posse. 'Murder We' contains righteous but furious lyrical ragga backed by a production sounding like a sped up P.S.K. (Schooley D), or El-P filtered through the On-U-Sound classic 90's era. Grime MC Flowdan from Roll Deep, voices two massive tunes, Skeng (possibly the best single of 2008) and Jah War, that drop Flowdan deep into a heavy dubstep perfectly suited to his stentorian rhyme flow. Warrior Queen supplies another two headshots, with 'Insane' being literally quite mad, as it accuses all life (and possibly inanimate objects), including herself of not being the full ticket and updating The Pop Group for 2008. Finally Spaceape, best known for his rockstone dub poetry with Kode 9, delivers 'Fuckaz', continuing the rampant violence and aggression of the LP with the best use of swearing in a ragga tune since Goofy's 'Too Much Fuckery Agwan', now that you have to hear.

The following year brought King Midas Sound, a duo with Roger Robinson, a reggae vocalist Martin worked with on Pressure. Robinson supplies dub poetry on Pressure, but in Midas he sings in a hushed, wary tone (apparently heard accidentally by Martin off mic). Waiting For You can be seen as a negative image of London Zoo, with the energy and anger zapped or burnout, leaving a soundclash of zombies, or the sound of Ghost Town excavated post nuclear disaster, reels deteriorated by radiation. The whole LP uses the Burial/Bladerunner style, persistent storm effect. Nyabinji drums and fog horn bass add to the heavy mood, as Robinsons voice sounds sweet and vulnerable, mostly voicing lovelorn lyrical conceits, most reminiscent of Keith Hudson, another atypical reggae vocalist who sounded out of time and place when singing. The centerpiece is 'Earth A Killya', the only authoritative moment, voicing environmentally conscious mantras, and connecting with ancestral spiritual beliefs.

Friday, 10 September 2010

Bristol, Trip Hop and the NY Wu massive 1988-97

Thursday, 9 September 2010

Kanye West - Late Registration singles

Diamonds From Sierra Leone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92FCRmggNqQ
Gold Digger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY
Heard Em Say
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elVF7oG0pQs
Touch The Sky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkwQbuAGLj4
Drive Slow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWoUCDTfWqA

Kanye West - The College Dropout singles

Through The Wire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvb-1wjAtk4
Chaka Khan - Through The Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dmFl85jn7Q
Slow Jamz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrMrqBcv6Mk
All Falls Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kyWDhB_QeI
Jesus Walks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYF7H_fpc-g
The New Workout Plan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylT16QB6Uig
Spaceship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGM6N0qXeu4
Two Words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFOBx6j0l8

72. Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004) & Late Registration (2005)

Kanye West is important for changing the modern hip-hop song in both sound and attitude, he is also an interesting and conflicted modern superstar.

Citing influences spanning soul, indie, rock, classical, jazz, but especially the productions of the RZA for Wu-Tang, and the rappers ODB and Ghosface (who share a certain imbalance with Kanye) and the trip-hop of Bristol, especially the later orchestrated Portishead.

West first came to attention following his stellar work on Jay-Z's The Blueprint, especially Takeover, which along with his subsequent work seemed to be an exercise in how little you need to do, many tracks simply a soul song sped up and sampled (not seen since the heady days of 91-93 British 'Ardcore you know the score), this providing the entire track other than drum programs and lyrics, but still working brilliantly, like the audacity of those graffiti artists who just tag onto someone else's work and claim it as their own (albeit with inarguable style and grace), or the character prints by Andy Warhol. West has a untypical background for an accepted hip-hop artist, his parents were black professionals (and radicals), and West attended school in Atlanta, GA gaining good grades and a place at art college where he dropped out to pursue music. Following his production success for Jay-Z he wanted to become a rapper/producer, but was turned down by Roc-A-Fella due to his non hip-hop image, which still rankles some hardcore heads, what with his normal size trousers, exploratory subject matter, embrace of indie culture and speaking out against homophobia.

The first single Through The Wire was inspired by a car crash that resulted in Kanye having his jaw wired shut, thus providing the subject matter and vocal slur of the song, the music was an extended sample of Chaka Khan's Through The Fire, sped up. The College Dropout came next, and outdoes Jay-Z's 73rd position by Kanye's self-conscious, everyman, human persona, whilst still retaining a good dose of hip-hop arrogance, pretension, self-glorification. Contradictory but more interesting than the seemingly infallible glistening robot Jay-Z.

The last track on The College Dropout is Last Call, a 12min non rapped overlong acceptance speech for a non existent award, which most artists would have buried in the hope it would never be heard, containing such details as going with his mum to IKEA to buy a bed and putting it together. Always too much, but never enough.

Late Registration basks in the success of 2004, adding instrumental flourishes and orchestral grandiose arrangements to the formula. Containing the massive hit Goldigga (better in it's non explicit edited form, with the Broke, broke).

Kanye West raps political, personal and his ideas remain conceptually more interesting than 99.9% of music from other supposedly more challenging genres. Jay-Z used it, but perhaps Damien Hirsts diamond encrusted skull is more representative of Kanye West's art, at once hideously opulent and crushingly self-conscious, evidenced by all those public outbursts at award ceremonies and endless sincere apologies 'George Bush don't like black people', fallible and unpredictable, the diamond skull made flesh.

Monday, 6 September 2010

Jay-Z influences

How to create a Jay-Z song

The Doors - Five to One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DfG1SNydnc
David Bowie - Fame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfeaNKcffMk
Bobby Byrd - I'm Not to Blame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0UtffCL-Rs

Jay-Z Blueprint vids

Izzo (H.O.V.A)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh4gck89uj0
Girls, Girls, Girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUg7G3CPos0
Song Cry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5srnNrICJo
Takeover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETie6HowBaY
U Don't Know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FKqcsVds44

Jay-Z - Big Pimpin vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnoI7Be4VZk

73. Jay-Z - Big Pimpin' (2000), The Blueprint (2001)

Prior to the double whammy of Big Pimpin & The Blueprint you could be forgiven for thinking that Jay-Z was tired. Massive sales & entrepreneurial activities were pursued whilst the musics synth led Puffy style and ever more sentimental cash cow hits, from sampling Anne (which only a Hip-Hop act could get away with), to the unforgivable Oliver sampling Anything, failed to provide a way forward.

However it would be foolish to write off a hardcore hustler, especially one with such impeccable taste.

Jay-Z seemingly worked towards hip-hop success since birth, from the Macy projects, surrounded by hip-hop culture, annoying siblings with drumming on tables and blasting beatboxes, guesting as a youth with local rap talent, including a stint as a member of Big Daddy Kane's crew. Beginning with a tongue twisting flow, popular at the time with Busta Rhymes' Lords Of The Underground and Das Efx. Eventually refining his skills through many guest spots and posse cuts. 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt set out Jay's black capitalist chic with Black Republicans, a Hop-Hop folk trope which had been building for some time, the gist of which is that capitalism and gangsterism have more than superficial similarities, and carried to it's logical conclusion, there should be no reason that regardless of institutionalised racism black ghetto dwellers can get rich, famous and payback, by following rigid street/capitalist codes, because that is how the world is ruled anyway right?

Musically this resulted in a hands off approach to killing people (unlike say the Geto Boys or Big L), brand name obsession and an inability to show emotion outside of music, because emotion is like bad for business, whereas emotion in music is like good for business. This apparent cynical and mercenary approach was held up like a badge of honour by Jay-Z, and with the self confidence came more assured rhyming flow, relaxed, logical and cold enunciation of a man who knows he's right.

Jay-Z's best period was at the turn of the century, firstly with UGK and Timbaland, Jay used indian flute sampling, syncopated beats and sounded completely at ease over them, this was a period when mainstream hip-hop production was as futuristic as anything found in British IDM electronica, as producers atomised soul to produce rhythms seemingly from hiccups, pings, exotic instruments (R Kelly made a beat from the sound of a tap dripping around this time).

The Blueprint added to this by utilising new producer Kanye West who revolutionised hip-hop, by retreating from synth led production, and returned to samples. However, unlike stuttering RZA beats, he used lengthy soul samples, gives the music an epic and lush soulful feel, unlike previous hip-hop. Jay himself rose to the challenge with great concepts (Song Cry), and brutal battle raps, Takeover slays Mobb Deep's Prodigy and Nas with the career topping third verse. Although Jay's rhymes don't stand up to close scrutiny the drama cannot be denied. This album won grammys and sold 450,000 in USA first week despite being released on 9/11.

There is a fine balancing act in Jay-Z's art, having an mercenary business attitude works when people like your work, and so far his taste and talent for finding the best beats (Puffy, Neptunes, Timerland, Kanye), guesting on the biggest hits (Riannah, Beyonce, Alicia Keys), and picking (and winning) the crucial battles (Nas, Glastonbury), has not failed him yet. However there is a danger that he may become the mainstream (hello Coldplay) rapper it's safe to like and lose the confrontation and drama of his best work. The other bigger danger is that he stops highlighting the inherent criminality of capitalism (intentionally or not) and becomes simply a mercenary capitalist. Jay-Z is the king of New York, and the archetypal post 9/11 NY rapper. He could learn a lot from looking at the careers of former King of New York, Frank Sinatra.

Monday, 23 August 2010

Autechre's Complexity Techno

Dropp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWGUnrIiOoI
Gantz Graf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyJfHU4GoOQ
plyThon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acuwRHIWL_o
VI Scosce Poise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vovFgAaGXKI

Friday, 20 August 2010

Brian Wilson - Surf's Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDy3kcZfpEY

Endless Summer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU0x2hLgbis

Fennesz vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLKzqKdF9Zc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPKq2zMbVnU
Fennesz & Sparklehorse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl2Bs0b6GqA
Fennesz & Ruichi Sakamoto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3917K3i5Qw

74. Fennesz - Endless Summer/ Plays EP (2001)

When Austrian electronic musician Christian Fennesz released these records at the turn of the millennium the effect on electronica was revolutionary and spread into other areas of music most obviously folk and indie, largely responsible for spawning the folktronica and glitch genre (of which I proudly own no records, not to mention the Ghost Box/Hypnagogic axis). The innovation of Fennesz was to digitally deconstruct the analogue sounds of strummed guitar and pop melodies, especially the melodic, summertime haze of The Beach Boys, and 60's pop. This deconstruction with it's MBV like hidden melodies, white noise and digital glitch expands upon the work of MBV, Branca, and Sonic Youth as well as acknowledging, but retreating from the increasingly complex techno of Aphex and Autechre (Autechre's Confeld on Warp in 1999 is possibly the most complex techno LP ever and has to be heard to be not believed!).

Plays came first and apparently mirrors the construction and pitch of the so called cover versions, Don't Talk Put Your Head On My Shoulder and Paint It Black, they conjure half remembered memories of summers gone.

Endless Summer is not only the name of a Beach Boys comp, but is also a documentary of a film following the surfing exploits of some 60's beach bums, which strangely I used to watch as a kid inbetween reruns of Lassie and Scooby Doo. The cover of endless summer feature stills from that very film.

Saturday, 24 July 2010

More Grunge

Proto grunge

Harvey Milk vids

Death Goes To The Winner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIZbQlyQMvg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B1sNCQPYYo
A Maelstrom Of Bad Decisions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_srYNt2eyo8

75. Harvey Milk - Life ...The Best Game In Town (2009)

Harvey Milk are a rock/metal/noise/grunge group formed in Athens, Georgia in the early 90's. Named after California's first openly gay politician who was murdered in 1978. Sonically speaking Harvey Milk combine slow heavy downtuned riffing with boogie and pop nous alternately, plus a touch of loud/quiet grunge form.

Vocalist Wharton Tiers has a phenomenal range of howls, whispers and soul craziness, whilst never appearing more than psychotically depressed. All this despite a grim satirical and self-deprecating humor similar to other grungers (see Nirvana's piss taking In Bloom, in which the targets of the piss taking remained oblivious and took the single to No.1), also Tiers has called this record 'the bands worst album' and the liner notes contain apathetic notes such as to the track Barn Burner 'Creston wrote this shit couldn't sing on it due to lack of interest' and After All I've Done 'another mighty turd I contributed, It's about nothing, fuck this jam'.

Joe Preston, traveller of Thrones, Earth, Melvins, High on Fire and Sunn o))) joined for this record adding further dirge, scuzz, metal and Bi-Polar disorder. The opening track Death goes to the winner, twists lyrics from Waiting for the man and Day in the Life 'Woke up got out of bed, raised a gun up to my head'.

Despite the obvious influences, Black Sabbath, Metal, Led Zep, ZZ Top, the group also profess a love of Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Swans and REM.

The cover is also worth mentioning, as one of my personal favorites containing a sombrero and an Iron Maiden patch pinned to a wall, the gatefold them reveals a filthy bedroom strewn with records, beer cans and other unidentified detritus, kinda appropriate.

Friday, 16 July 2010

Anthony Braxton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o0AYFRFX7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq23Jj7lW_E

The Legends of Alto Sax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLaoR4r7tfU

Wolf Eyes Vids

Wolf Eyes & Anthony Braxton - Black Vomit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUzctEOvsh4

76. Wolf Eyes & Anthony Braxton - Black Vomit (2006)

I'll investigate Wolf Eyes in greater detail in future posts, but for now an investigation of this noise meets free jazz toe-tapper.

Anthony Braxton is a post Coltrane/Dolphy free jazz musician who plays most types of saxophone, he stands apart from other jazz players by being a improviser, composer, and philosopher who has released well over 100 records, including the first ever solo sax record 'For Alto' in 1968. He is influenced not only by jazz, but by classical, musique concrete and conceptual artists. He has invented his own concept of music called 'Ghost Trance Music' which no one seems to understand, he is a professor of music at Wesleyan University in Conneticut, and his son is Tyondai Braxton of Battles!

Braxton was brave collaborating with Wolf Eyes, and he just about holds his own amidst the maelstrom, with well placed drones and blowing prior to the white noise climaxes.

This live meeting starts tentatively with echoed and delayed gongs, cymbals and ominous scrapings, before Braxton releases a demon drone and a torrent of squibbles. Contact miked heavy breathing surrounded by Rattlesnakes, analogue squelch and oscillating electric crackles. Test tone sax drones then introduce a robotic cow receiving deep root dental surgery without anaesthetic, this leads to the pay off shit storm, sounding like what it must be like behind a jet engine in full flight, then a stop into one of their trademark low freq boom boom noise assaults 'Stabbed in the Face' with added sax!

The next and final track is listed as Rationed Rot, although Braxton is given the choice onstage between several titles and without hesitation chooses Black Vomit (what happens when you have a partially digested blood in your stomach, most likely from a gastric ulcer), The tension in this track is unbearable, starting with a stalkers creep and inpatient bin lid banging, the merciful release seems to involve a mad villain screaming whilst his face is melted with hot oil, amidst a swarm of bees, Braxton may have left the building halfway through this song, it is unclear.

Ladies and gentleman, the fucking Wolf Eyes.

Friday, 2 July 2010

77. Hip-Hop Singles

A bit different this entry. Basically Hip-Hop albums during the 00's became overlong, bloated and in most cases difficult to listen to in one sitting. As the decade wore on, they were eclipsed by single tracks, mixtapes, MP3, not to mention being the genre most hit by illegal free downloads.
Therefore a list of the best hip-hop albums of the decade would look paltry compared to the 80's and 90's. However there were many great hip-hop singles throughout the decade and this entry will attempt to show many of the tracks not already included in album entries.

2000
The Beatnuts - No Escaping This (rappers who smile)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQC6l5t8Bik
Common - The Light (J Dilla produced)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_-qRcHAhzk
Ludacris - Southern Hospitality (Funny guy, in small doses)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QWQVm9J5DM
Mystical - Shake Ya Ass (post DMX shouty rap)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTcPb8sQnZs
Lil Jon - Bia Bia (The advent of Crunk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o
Three 6 Mafia - Sipping on some Syrup (Dirty south codeine influenced constipation rap)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De_PT1bKYNI

2001
Nas - Ether (great Jay-Z dis that was undermined by a shit album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tub7EoRBwO0
Z-Ro - Real Niggaz (Chopped & Screwed Texan psychedelia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TNMt69FFFE
Ludacris - Area Codes (Really no different to Benny Hill)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAEvB5Htwtk
Dilated Peoples - Worst comes to worst (True School)

2002
Cam'ron - Oh Boy (the Dipset effect, how fortunes change)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GvB9ySUJ3A
Scarface - Guess who's back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Q1H8CE4-A
Lil Wayne - Way of life (the birth of Wayne, cash money enterprises)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F2s5GoE0z0
Baby & Clipse - What happened to that boy (cold hearted Clipse, The Wire in audio)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX6rC1krGp0
Busta Rhymes - Pass the Courvoisier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAYXRtNxsGA

Nelly - Hot in here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-qN6TCY85c

R Kelly - Ignition remix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bCuYQmzgfE

Ludacris - Saturday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO9c5abCyZE

Noreaga - Nothing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wREDQfv8KOI

Snoop Dogg - Beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FE194VN6c4

From da chuuuch to the palace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPB6TUW4fM

2003

The Federation - Hyphy (The S.F. Hyphy movement begins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WThJyel5qVI

E-40 & Clipse - Quaterbackin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ogzk_wcmE

Big Boi - The way you move

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvYZpB_sTx4

Bonecrusher - Never Scared

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viJ5W-E3EJc

Juelz Santana - Dipset

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ozFTlcCXU

Killer Mike - ADIDAS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNd3ERifyZA

Timbaland & Magoo - Indian Flute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUL7OsH7v5s

Trick Daddy - In Da Wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeMP9DfamDg

2004

Jadakiss - Why? (Not much in the way of answers though)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-cpL--0AQA

Fabolous - Breathe (notice the cameo by the dude from The Wire)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6q9Vc1ZtQI

De La Soul & MF Doom - Rock Co. Kane Flow (Still bangin in the 04)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn5riAE98w4

Lil' Flip - Game Over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eau2mbqZXGk

Trae & Z-Ro - Live my life (inheritors of the Screw legacy, the real dirty south)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WYcc993SgI

Snoop Dogg - Drop it like it's hot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUVQei3nX4

The Game - How we do

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH34kMOjmQk

Terror Squad - Lean Back (finally a dance suitable for the obese)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajmI1P3r1w4

Usher - Yeah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiXbRBS5Z58

213 - Absolutely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aubSlmsQCJI

Turf Talk - The Slumper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpxDAK2ozzc

Trick Daddy - Sugar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vei8LFj40jw

Cam'ron - Down and out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjVGft5wqSc

Slim Thug - Three Kings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXE2LHZDgAE

T.I. - You know me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9H5_zDoBrU

Trick Daddy - Let's Go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXiIO2ML7Oo

2005

Rhymefest - Brand new

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-2KHxPsBEQ

Ciara - Oh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSYCI4K5qGM

Dangerdoom - The Mask

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQakz9-kvfI

Lil' Kim - Lighters Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8l_0N8lLWY

Chamillionaire - Ridin Dirty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtwJvgPJ9xw

Three 6 Mafia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH-1vTik8gE

The Game - Hate it or love it (Fiddys best moment)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuMBmK5uksg

2006

Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLgSiC13-s0

Trae - No Help (assholes by nature!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye9JGy4JAZ8

Mike Jones - Still Tippin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxapJFU3lik

T.I. - What you know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHVdgXOq9FM

Justin Timberlake - My Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRfIl2YnsyQ

Outkast - Hollywood Divorce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAih8DdisKY

Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrF4BJ1cwPE

2007-8

Jay-Z - Roc Boyz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Revmkhxu7dk

UGK & Outkast - International players anthem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGB1zMioFg8

Lil' Wayne - Dr. Carter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K688ZSwaGEQ

Elzhi - Motown 25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTqme7S9zAY

Lil' Wayne - A Millie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTF6N7EWzOA

2009

Erykah Badu - The Healer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuObEg9A2Ew

DJ Quik & Kurrupt - 9 x outta 10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvpP0ORcDMA

Jay Electronica - Exibit C

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrVO3pPDP4

Gucci Mane - Lemonade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Q4s_ZdvAQ

Final thoughts: every one of these videos could be parodied and ridiculed, but that makes me like them more in their own single minded way.

Thursday, 24 June 2010

Sublime Frequency vids

78. Radio Phnom Pehn (2005)

Sublime Frequencies is a record label based in Seattle, Washington which specialises in music and DVD releases of global musics, mainly from Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. All of the releases are worth acquiring for superb field research, experimentalism and refreshingly non middle class non-Womad like approach to documenting global sounds.

This release proposes to be a sampler of Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh's airwaves. However it is clearly third party mixed, produced, and contains no credits other than arbitrary track names, such as, Condoms and Condors (referencing sex tourism). Searching on Wikipedia revealed that Phnom Penh has a vibrant and unregulated radio which has flourished since the fall of the communist Khmer Rouge & Kampuchea genocides and subsequent immigration into and out of Cambodian.

So how real is it? Honestly... I don't really care if it sounds this good; strange dialects mixed with synths, guitars, old Cambodian classics remixed with cheap drum machines, sugary pop confection as addictive as any western pop, but less cynical and more joyous. This could be Southeast Asia's version of Mikey Dread's Africa Anthem.

Also recommended: Cambodian Cassette archives (Sublime Frequencies)

Saturday, 5 June 2010

Joanna Newsom vids

Peach, Plum, Pear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcHjAUhtSrk
Sawdust & Diamonds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koEIfaZAvkw
Emily pt. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8hT6niDtF4
Joanna Newson & Smog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Q2cMv3-fs

79. Joanna Newsom - Ys (2006)

I had kinda written off Joanna Newsom prior to the release of this album, as an irritatingly twee weird folk bandwagon jumper, and I preferred acts like Devandra Banhart and Espers. Oh, how that has changed, since Devandra has become some pinup new folk hippy, and Joanna has made the kind of artistic leap last seen when Scott Walker stopped mixing it with Lulu and sang 'Snap! the waiters animate, luxuriate like planets, hovering round the sun'.

In fairness Joanna Newsom was always made for this level of artistry, taught from a young age in rural California to play piano then progressively more complex harps by liberal tutors and family members, she must have found herself in an enviable position as a late teen who had underground, avant-garde and classical music knowledge, as well as the chops to perform and create equal to her peers. Initially her music was handed to Will Oldham at a gig, this got her signed to Drag City. Following the debut (which is worth hearing, espec Peach, Plum, Pear) she brought together an inspired cast to create Ys (pronounced Ees), produced by Van Dyke Parks who brought orchestration and his history of working with meandering song suites. Engineered by Steve Albini, who recorded Newsoms voice and harp with his usual unadorned raw clarity. Jim O'Rourke and Bill Callahan of Smog also assisted with the album in various mysterious ways.

Anyhoo, Ys contains five longform labyrinth ballads, like a mix of Grimms fairy tales, old weird american folk al la Harry Smith's anthology, some of the lengthier Bob Dylan poetry (Desolation, Sad Eyed Lady), and the strange esoteric England's hidden reverse of Current 93. All sung in Newsoms high wavery untrained voice, and exuding a femininity that is addictive and alluring.

Precedents and influences for this music include Roy Harpers 'Stormcock', and The Incredible String Band.

The lyrics of Ys are incredible and would make 99.9% of current singer songwriters blush in shame. eg 'Scrape your knee, it is only skin, Makes the sound of violins'. ' A seagull weeps; 'so long' (Only Skin).

'and the articulation, in our elbows and knees, makes us buckle as we couple in endless increase' (Cosmia)

Emily, named after her sister, evokes childhood memories of sharing experiences and love with our siblings, and even contains astrological info on meteorites in the chorus!

Monkey and Bear appears a folk tale of performing animals one choosing freedom and the other more cynical animal mocking this, whilst admiring their foolhardy guts. The cost of freedom, the addiction of admiration and fame.

This album will only gain respect in the coming decades.