Over the weekend, T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us” leaked onto the Internet, and the minds of bloggers everywhere imploded. The credits for “Swagger Like Us” read like a who’s who of mainstream rap — T.I. brings along Kanye West (who produced the song as well), Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne for guest verses. As if the song wasn’t marketable enough, “Swagger Like Us” also samples M.I.A’s red-hot Pineapple Express anthem, “Paper Planes.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up its promise — Kanye’s beat is mediocre at best, and none of the four verses are particularly memorable. Still, putting all that talent on one track makes for a great marketing strategy.
T.I. - "Swagga Like Us" (feat. Kanye West, Lil' Wayne & Jay-Z): (from Paper Trail; 2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiS9-yPvBnY
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/28/the-pulse-4/
28 August 2008
23 August 2008
Beck - Modern Guilt
Since entering the nation’s consciousness more than a decade ago with his super-hit “Loser,” Beck has built up a gloriously diverse resume. Following Mellow Gold (the album that birthed that first hit), his styles have veered sharply from the junkyard pop of Odelay to the sexed-up raves of Midnite Vultures to the heartsick lament of Sea Change. The man has been notoriously difficult to pin down, changing styles so often it’s become an inextricable part of his musical identity.
For the past several years, however, it seemed Beck was in a rut. His last two albums – Guero and The Information – were largely soulless rehashes of his past work. While they each had their moments, the reinvention that once characterized Beck’s work appeared to have fallen by the wayside.
Thankfully, Modern Guilt finds Beck getting back on track as he sheds his skin yet another time. This time around, he’s tried his hand at 1960s psychedelia, and in the process, written his first meaningful musical departure since the 2002 Sea Change.
To helm the production of his latest opus, Beck has called upon DJ Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse is an inspired choice. Between his day job in the soulful Gnarls Barkley and those infamous Jay-Z/Beatles mash-ups, it’s clear that Mouse is firmly rooted in the 1960s aesthetic. His knob-switching lends an authentically retro vibe to the project – with its dry production and psychedelic instrumentation, Modern Guilt practically begs to be played on vinyl.
Despite Danger Mouse’s influence, however, the album is Beck’s baby. Press releases indicate that Beck spent extraordinary hours in the studio while recording Modern Guilt, and his perfectionist devotion to the album shines through here. When Beck initially began writing material for Modern Guilt, he intended for the album to be an exercise in brevity with 10 2-minute songs. While this idea was eventually abandoned, Beck’s focus on minute detail is still evident – each of the songs here is intricate and concise, packing a greater punch for its succinctness.
Ironically then, the best song on Modern Guilt is its longest – advance single “Chemtrails” serves as the album’s thrilling peak (not to mention one of the greatest songs of Beck’s career). Beck’s lilting vocal melody hovers over echoing piano notes and a nimble bass line as he sings ominously of airborne chemicals and a sea full of drowning people. The song’s lethargic pace is undercut by guest Joey Waronker’s ferocious drum work – a surprisingly effective contrast that highlights the menace behind Beck’s lyrics, otherwise obscured by his weary delivery. “Chemtrails” makes full use of its nearly 5-minute runtime, slowly building up tension and then releasing it with an exhilarating false ending.
Beck performs "Chemtrails" live in Amsterdam; 7/1/08
Of course, there are several other fantastic songs to be found on Modern Guilt. Consider the old-school rave-up of “Gamma Ray”, the Spoon-esque groove of the title track and the soul-crushing closer “Volcano” – each is a masterful execution of Beck’s latest genre experiment (and a ton of fun to boot).
The album isn’t quite perfect — the middle section drags a bit, and the bass frequency is uncomfortably high in the mix – but all in all, it’s a great return to form from California’s musical chameleon. Even if Modern Guilt doesn’t quite recapture the ramshackle brilliance of Beck’s seminal work, it’s still one of his most consistently satisfying albums to date. Perhaps most importantly, it’ll get listeners excited about guessing his next direction again.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/23/becks-latest-effort-is-a-guiltless-pleasure/
For the past several years, however, it seemed Beck was in a rut. His last two albums – Guero and The Information – were largely soulless rehashes of his past work. While they each had their moments, the reinvention that once characterized Beck’s work appeared to have fallen by the wayside.
Thankfully, Modern Guilt finds Beck getting back on track as he sheds his skin yet another time. This time around, he’s tried his hand at 1960s psychedelia, and in the process, written his first meaningful musical departure since the 2002 Sea Change.
To helm the production of his latest opus, Beck has called upon DJ Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse is an inspired choice. Between his day job in the soulful Gnarls Barkley and those infamous Jay-Z/Beatles mash-ups, it’s clear that Mouse is firmly rooted in the 1960s aesthetic. His knob-switching lends an authentically retro vibe to the project – with its dry production and psychedelic instrumentation, Modern Guilt practically begs to be played on vinyl.
Despite Danger Mouse’s influence, however, the album is Beck’s baby. Press releases indicate that Beck spent extraordinary hours in the studio while recording Modern Guilt, and his perfectionist devotion to the album shines through here. When Beck initially began writing material for Modern Guilt, he intended for the album to be an exercise in brevity with 10 2-minute songs. While this idea was eventually abandoned, Beck’s focus on minute detail is still evident – each of the songs here is intricate and concise, packing a greater punch for its succinctness.
Ironically then, the best song on Modern Guilt is its longest – advance single “Chemtrails” serves as the album’s thrilling peak (not to mention one of the greatest songs of Beck’s career). Beck’s lilting vocal melody hovers over echoing piano notes and a nimble bass line as he sings ominously of airborne chemicals and a sea full of drowning people. The song’s lethargic pace is undercut by guest Joey Waronker’s ferocious drum work – a surprisingly effective contrast that highlights the menace behind Beck’s lyrics, otherwise obscured by his weary delivery. “Chemtrails” makes full use of its nearly 5-minute runtime, slowly building up tension and then releasing it with an exhilarating false ending.
Beck performs "Chemtrails" live in Amsterdam; 7/1/08
Of course, there are several other fantastic songs to be found on Modern Guilt. Consider the old-school rave-up of “Gamma Ray”, the Spoon-esque groove of the title track and the soul-crushing closer “Volcano” – each is a masterful execution of Beck’s latest genre experiment (and a ton of fun to boot).
The album isn’t quite perfect — the middle section drags a bit, and the bass frequency is uncomfortably high in the mix – but all in all, it’s a great return to form from California’s musical chameleon. Even if Modern Guilt doesn’t quite recapture the ramshackle brilliance of Beck’s seminal work, it’s still one of his most consistently satisfying albums to date. Perhaps most importantly, it’ll get listeners excited about guessing his next direction again.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/23/becks-latest-effort-is-a-guiltless-pleasure/
Nine Inch Nails come to Charlottesville
Industrial rock giants Nine Inch Nails recently extended a second leg for their Lights in the Sky tour, and Charlottesville’s own John Paul Jones Arena is one of the many venues on the agenda. The group, which is essentially the pet project of frontman Trent Reznor, is touring in support of its excellent recent albums (Reznor’s first since striking out on his own after breaking from Interscope) – the ambient Ghosts I-IV and traditional rocker The Slip. The group plans to incorporate these songs into a setlist fleshed out by old classics. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5 at the JPJ box office, with special student pricing available for a limited time.
Nine Inch Nails - "Closer": (from The Downward Spiral; 1994)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VAv8y2hHM
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/23/the-pulse-2/
Nine Inch Nails - "Closer": (from The Downward Spiral; 1994)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VAv8y2hHM
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/23/the-pulse-2/
12 August 2008
Kanye West - "Champion"
Kanye West - "Champion"
"Champion", one of the standout tracks from last year's Graduation, recently got video treatment. Who knew that a Kanye puppet would be so adorable?!
Jay-Z - "Jockin' Jay-Z" (prod. Kanye West)
A couple days ago, Jay-Z debuted a verse from "Jockin' Jay-Z" at Kanye's MSG show. Everybody lost their shit – it sounded like American Gangster really had revitalized the rap legend, and another great album was in the works.
But the studio cut, featuring notably less enthusiastic vocals than Hova's inaugural live performance, isn't quite as thrilling. Jay-Z has done much better with minimal beats before – check American Gangster's "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" for evidence – and his wordplay isn't nearly as clever as we saw on his last advance single, "Blue Magic." And let's be honest, that "'cause I like money bitch!" line is embarrassingly terrible (as is his awkward revival of the Oasis feud). His flow is decent, but Jay's performance lacks presence and energy (maybe his voice is simply too low in the mix). In any case, I hope this isn't an indicator of what to expect for The Blueprint 3.
Kanye fares a little better. While I do miss the sped-up soul of The College Dropout and Late Registration, the loose grind of "Jockin' Jay-Z" shows Kanye trying his hand at a new style of beat and, for the most part, succeeding. "Jockin' Jay-Z" is vaguely reminiscent of Black Star's "Definition", propelled by a frenetic, repetitive guitar hook and a stark drum beat. It's an exciting production, sure to get your blood pumping and your hands in the air. And, as we saw last Wednesday, it certainly packs a punch in an arena setting.
Still, I'm skeptical about the recent direction of Kanye's production. Kanye's strength has never been rhythm – he's much better with texture and layering. Lately, we've seen Kanye stripping down the layers of his music and going for a simpler approach, focusing less on sampling and more on synths. While I applaud his decision to branch out, I also wonder if he is compromising his greatest strengths. Sure, Graduation had a handful of jaw-dropping moments ("Flashing Lights", "I Wonder"), but those songs don't quite chalk up to his past masterpieces ("Slow Jamz", "The New Workout Plan", "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", "Gone", etc.).
All in all, "Jockin' Jay-Z" is fun but kind of soulless, which is disappointing when considering the incredible collaborations that Mr. West and Mr. Carter had on the original Blueprint. It's a decent song, to be sure, but hardly anything special. I really hope that the duo have another "Heart of the City" or "Izzo" up their sleeves, but after hearing "Jockin' Jay-Z", I wouldn't put money on it.
Live debut of "Jockin' Jay-Z" at MSG; 8/6/2008
But the studio cut, featuring notably less enthusiastic vocals than Hova's inaugural live performance, isn't quite as thrilling. Jay-Z has done much better with minimal beats before – check American Gangster's "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" for evidence – and his wordplay isn't nearly as clever as we saw on his last advance single, "Blue Magic." And let's be honest, that "'cause I like money bitch!" line is embarrassingly terrible (as is his awkward revival of the Oasis feud). His flow is decent, but Jay's performance lacks presence and energy (maybe his voice is simply too low in the mix). In any case, I hope this isn't an indicator of what to expect for The Blueprint 3.
Kanye fares a little better. While I do miss the sped-up soul of The College Dropout and Late Registration, the loose grind of "Jockin' Jay-Z" shows Kanye trying his hand at a new style of beat and, for the most part, succeeding. "Jockin' Jay-Z" is vaguely reminiscent of Black Star's "Definition", propelled by a frenetic, repetitive guitar hook and a stark drum beat. It's an exciting production, sure to get your blood pumping and your hands in the air. And, as we saw last Wednesday, it certainly packs a punch in an arena setting.
Still, I'm skeptical about the recent direction of Kanye's production. Kanye's strength has never been rhythm – he's much better with texture and layering. Lately, we've seen Kanye stripping down the layers of his music and going for a simpler approach, focusing less on sampling and more on synths. While I applaud his decision to branch out, I also wonder if he is compromising his greatest strengths. Sure, Graduation had a handful of jaw-dropping moments ("Flashing Lights", "I Wonder"), but those songs don't quite chalk up to his past masterpieces ("Slow Jamz", "The New Workout Plan", "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", "Gone", etc.).
All in all, "Jockin' Jay-Z" is fun but kind of soulless, which is disappointing when considering the incredible collaborations that Mr. West and Mr. Carter had on the original Blueprint. It's a decent song, to be sure, but hardly anything special. I really hope that the duo have another "Heart of the City" or "Izzo" up their sleeves, but after hearing "Jockin' Jay-Z", I wouldn't put money on it.
Live debut of "Jockin' Jay-Z" at MSG; 8/6/2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)