Music Recommendation #4

2/27/11-3/5/11

Alright, music time is back on my priorities list and I'm getting some stuff from 1190 that I can share with you.  The first two albums I have for you this year are Paris Suit Yourself's "My Main Shitstain" and The Posies "Blood/Candy."

“My Main Shitstain” is the debut album from Paris Suit Yourself.  Paris Suit Yourself is a French-US collective rock band, the first ever rock band to be signed to Big Dada Recordings.  The combine aggressive, yet funny aesthetics and are a bit like a mix between Public Enemy and mid-period Bowie which is clear by their unique sound.  Lead singer Luvinsky Atche brings his French roots into the album on more than one occasion making for an interesting clash of rock instrumentals and French lyrics.  The album definitely has a unique feel to it: one minute it's very fast passed and has an almost Latin feel to it ("Craig Machinsky") and the next its very minimalist with only echoing lyrics and a slow, steady, repeating bass line ("Soliloque").  What is maybe most exciting about this album is the French lyrics.  While most listeners may not be able to understand what Atche is saying, the way in which he sings the lyrics convey a gradient of emotions ranging from excitation to anguish.  When I was first listening to this album, I almost thought it was going to be FCC clean, but PSY does an incredible job of slipping in uncleanliness in the most surprising ways.  Upon a second listen I realized that every single song has some sort of swear or vulgarity in it, which isn't to say that it's spewing them left in right, but that they're used strategically and almost secretively; you really have to listen to catch them.  Overall, Paris Suit Yourself's "My Main Shitstain" is a very unique and interesting album.  They creatively juxtapose various sounds and melodies without sounding sloppy and the album is definitely a fun listening experience.

“Blood/Candy” is The Posies’ seventh LP, coming from a band that first found its sound in 1988 with their debut album “Failure.”  The band has switched between various labels, but may have found home with Rykodisc, the same record label they released “Every Kind of Light” with in 2005.  Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow (both on guitar and vocals) are the only remaining members from the original Posies, but, thanks to Matt Harris (bass) and Darius “Take One” Minwalla (Drums) taking control of the rhythm section, managed to have a revitalizing comeback in 2001.  At first listen, "Blood/Candy" didn't seem much different than any other alternative rock/pop group, but as I listened to it a second time, I found myself digging it more and more.  What's awesome about The Posies is that their songs fluctuate in meaning.  One minute a song could pump you up and get your blood boiling, but that very same song could be very relaxing and calming in another circumstance.  It's noticeable that the vocals of Auer and Stringfellow are the backbone of the group.  More so than any of the instrumental melodies, the vocals convey the most most complexity and versatility throughout the entire album.  On another note, the album artwork has to be one of the coolest I've seen in a long time.  I would highly recommend snagging this album if you get a chance.  They started back in the late '80s, but have managed to keep their sound fresh and definitely give any contemporary alternative group a run for their money.  My top picks from the album are "Plastic Paperbacks Feat. Hugh Cornwell," "Notion 99," and "Cleopatra Street."

And thus concludes the first music recommendation post of 2011.  More will be coming in future weeks and lookout for other album reviews outside of what I get from the radio.  Currently I'm listening to Destroyer, Braids, and Radiohead, so watch for reviews for any and possibly all of those.  Thanks for reading!

Arcade Fire Winning Best Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards

Now, I originally contemplated writing a little bit about the Grammys, but decided against it.  However, after a friend of mine revealed to me the inane flood of bullshit spewing onto the internet about Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" (not The Suburb's "Arcade Fire") winning Album of the Year, I decided I should say a little bit about it.

Why everyone is mad

People are confused and as has been the case with history, people don't like to be confused.  No one likes the unknown; no one likes the unfamiliar; no one likes to think they don't know something about anything; no one likes someone they have never heard of winning an award that has a seemingly great deal of importance.  I can honestly say that I have been victim of this sort of ignorance.  A few years ago before I got into the movie scene, I never liked watching the Oscars because I had never seen any of the movies and I had only heard of some of the actors.  If I had ever actually seen one of the movies nominated, it never won, and god knows there isn't an Oscar for Best Comedic Performance, possibly the only award I would have appreciated.  However, this year I can satisfyingly say that I have seen nine out of ten of the Best Picture nominees and am eagerly looking forward to the Oscars.  The problem with the Grammys is that there is so much to cover: there's tons of genres, artists within those genres, and various produces, labels, etc.  For one award show to accurately pick out which albums were the best of a select year is neigh impossible.  

People were worried about Communism too and that tuned out not to be a big deal.

Communism: it's for free

The Grammys had a choice to make: either side with the main stream audience (a large percentage of the TV viewing population) or the large underground community of audiophiles who illegally steal billions of albums and songs from the music industry every year.  It's safe to say that they sided with the main stream audience.  With that being said, these people are unfamiliar with more obscure artists such as Arcade Fire, Esperanza Spalding (both winners from last night), and various others; I wouldn't be surprised if a good number of people said "Bob Dylan, who?" or "Mick Jagger, who?" when they were performing.  Therefore, when the artists they know don't win, they get confused and mad.  They say the Grammys were rigged; they ask how much The Suburbs paid for their album "Arcade Fire" to win; they ask whose d*** they sucked to best Gaga (in all honesty, I'm curious too; no one tops Katy Perry, let alone Lady Gaga).  People are mad because someone they have never heard of (who has an immense amount of musical talent) won something they see as important.  You'd be shocked if in this year's Super Bowl the '72 Dolphins won (Who the hell are the '72 Dolphins?!  I've never heard of them, so they can't be important).

Why everyone shouldn't be mad, but probably will be anyway

While it's clear that most of America has never heard of Arcade Fire (probably because they're from Canada), that doesn't mean that they aren't deserving of Album of the Year.  Okay, maybe who YOU wanted to win didn't win, but that doesn't mean they didn't deserve it.  Most of the people who are complaining think they know good music, and to them it may be good music.  I'm not going to sit here and say that the rest of the nominees aren't talented: everyone knows I love Eminem and to this day he's still one of my favorite rappers; I hadn't heard of Lady Antebellum before last night, but then again I don't listen to country, so I can't say much; no one can deny the creativity of Lady Gaga; and Katy Perry is "meh" musically, but I will say this, she's a great performer.  Arcade Fire had the unfortunate circumstance of being nominated into a huge category with several main stream giants and, although being a complete underdog, actually winning.

While I don't know about Lady Antebellum (although I'm sure they're big among country fans based on how much they won) Eminem, Gaga, and Perry have had numerous Billboard chart toppers.  Unfortunately, what people don't realize is that the Billboard charts don't count for actual ratings in terms of reviewers.  Billboard ranks its albums and songs based on radio play, record sales, and internet streaming play; in a nutshell, Billboard ranks its albums and songs based on popularity.  Whoever sells the most and gets the most air/internet time is going to have the #1 spot.  I can think of off hand a song by Eminem, Gaga, and Perry that was at #1 at some point in time in 2010.  All this means is that those artists are the ones people have heard of, those are the ones that people want to win.  Honestly, I was expecting Lady Antebellum to win with how it was sweeping what seemed like every applicable category.  I think that even if Antebellum won less people would be upset because they had already won three awards prior to the announcement for Album of the Year.  Unfortunately for Arcade Fire, they were an evidently no name band that hadn't won any awards that night (being nominated for only two others, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Alternative Music Album, losing to the Black Keys on both occasions) and I think it's safe to say that it was a shock to everyone that they won.  

What people need to realize is that just because Arcade Fire won doesn't mean the Grammys are rigged or that you should go on strike from the Grammys, if anything, the Grammys are the least credible major award show in terms of actually honoring their communities respective accomplishments.  For anyone that reads this and is baffled that Arcade Fire won, go to Metacritic and see how your favorite artist's last album did.  Then see how "The Suburbs" did.  Then see how many albums scored higher than both your favorite artist's and "The Suburbs;"  I promise you it will be a good number of albums.  There's a whole world of music out there and not one of us is able to scratch the surface.  Do yourself a favor and start listening to something that isn't played on the radio, I promise you that you'll find something you like whether it be rock, hip-hop, pop, or something else.  Just remember, just because who YOU wanted to win didn't win doesn't mean that who won wasn't deserving.  If anything, out of everyone at the Grammys, Arcade Fire was most deserving of Album of the Year and I for one am glad Taylor Swift didn't win two years in a row.

Congrats to Arcade Fire!  Win Butler: cut your hair.

Hey, it's 2011!

I'm Back!

I promise my month long hiatus wasn't due to laziness (not entirely at least).  This whole "future" business has slowly been creeping up on me and I enrolled myself in an LSAT class to get ready to go to law school, err whatever.  Thanks to Jeremy for snapping me back into a music groove.  To give you an idea of how little time I have to do things, I've reviewed one CD this year for 1190 and by this time last semester I'm pretty sure I had reviewed about five.  No bueno.  Just because that has been the case with 1190 though doesn't mean I haven't been picking up some new music on my own.  On the contrary (forgetting how much music I get when I go on a downloading binge) I have downloaded too much music.  Now, some of you may be saying that isn't possible, you can never have too much music.  It's possible when you download something and NEVER listen to it; I hate doing that.  I'm making my way through as much music as I can that I've snagged, but it's tough keeping up some times especially when a couple albums in particular ensnare me for days on end.  Over the past couple of weeks I have picked up Aloe Blacc, Iron & Wine, Cage the Elephant, Professor Green, The Decemberists, J. Cole, The Dears (1190), Cake, Yuck, and Zonoscope.  I've listened to maybe about three or four of those albums out of the ten in total.  Well, time to get on my horse and get to work!

First, I need to talk about the two albums that I haven't been able to stop listening to in the past week or so, the first being Aloe Blacc's Good Things.  Recently I've become infatuated with Conan O'Brien and a week and a half ago he exhibited Aloe Blacc, a tall, lanky, well dressed man with a silky voice.  While on the show I wasn't terribly impressed by Blacc's performance, I really liked his sound and style.  He definitely has a heavy jazz and blues background in his music and it shows throughout the entire album.  Some of the songs fall into a similar theme as a lot of the others, but others stand out in bright red bow ties among the mob of monotonous music.  Blacc's single "I Need a Dollar" may be the best song on the album, with an upbeat melody, but somber song content involving sorrow, alcoholism, unemployment, and, of course, the blues.  Blacc manages to juxtapose upbeat melodies with counter intuitive lyrics in several of his songs, "Loving You is Killing Me" being another standout favorite.  "Miss Fortune" (possibly my favorite track) has a decidedly darker tone than the rest of the album and the guitar scratching in the background is almost hypnotic.  While most of the album isn't terribly impressive or ground breaking, something about Blacc's voice keeps drawing me in; it's not the best, but it just sounds right.  Check him out here.

The other album that sucked me in is Professor Green's Alive Till I'm Dead.  I get bi-daily newsletters from this college info site that sends me updates about cool websites, events, stores, and the like.  A little while ago they told me about a website called We Are Hunted (possibly a Pandora challenger?).  The website essentially takes name drops of various artists from all over the web and tallies which ones are the most frequent.  You can look at the most popular songs, the most popular artists, and divide it up by genre along with several other options.  One night I was strolling around the Hip-Hop section and found Professor Green, a young, fiery UK rapper.  The rapper's subject matter at times is very reminiscent of Eminem and even his flow mimics Eminem's at times.  However, Green's album is aimed at more of a party crowd with the first three songs of the album having more dance oriented beats and more light hearted subject matter.  The rest of the album is much more rough and dark.  "Jungle" in particular has dark subject matter mixed with a heavily synthesized almost dubstep like beat.  "Monster" is maybe where listeners will hear Slim Shady the most, Green starting out by saying "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/ Saw a chick walk in with a big behind/ Now I'm stalking my victim out/ Unrecognizable 'cause I'm in disguise," although noticeably more tame.  While it's clear that Green has a little polishing up to do, he definitely has a strong start with his first LP (he's reached #2 on the UK charts).  I would definitely check him out if you're looking for someone fun and a little different to listen to.  Check him out here.

Alright, I got my feet moving and that post didn't take too long.  Maybe I'll get a more formal review for something up here in a bit, but until then I'll try to keep updating you with the stuff I'm listening to and hopefully after posting this I can pull myself away from Blacc and Green.  See you soon and thanks for reading!

Top 10 Albums of 2010

Quick note, I want to point out that I customized my title bar and am very pleased with it.  Everyone look at it.  You look at it?  Alright, moving on...

At first I didn't think I would actually do a Top 10.  I've gotten a lot of music this year and I haven't given all of it a really good listen.  However, over the past few days I've made an effort to listen to some albums that I've been meaning to get to.  With that being said, there's still a handful of albums I didn't listen to as much as I would have liked and those albums will not be on my Top 10 unfortunately.  Then, I almost didn't want to do it again because I found myself grinding my teeth and pulling my hair as to which albums would be in my Top 10.  I picked out twenty albums and narrowed it down from them, but even as I'm writing this, I'm trying to figure out which album will take the last spot in my Top 10 and I'm torn between three albums.  What's even harder is taking those albums and ranking them against one another.  Fortunately, I've managed to narrow it down and am proud to present my Top 10 albums of 2010.

First, I want to start off with a few honorable mentions that didn't make the list and I'm sad that they didn't:

• The Black Keys - Brothers
• The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
• Philip Selway - Familial
• Soft Circle - Shore Obsessed

10. Spoon - Transference

For anyone that knows me, it was hard for me to put Spoon in the tenth spot.  As much as I love them and as much as I would love to put them at #1, I just couldn't.  Fortunately for them, they still made the list and it isn't because I'm in love with them (in a completely platonic way, of course).  Spoon started out creating rock music with an incredible amount of experimentation and versatility.  In Transference, released early in 2010, they seem to have settled down into a comfort zone, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  While experimentation is almost completely absent, the band still manages to juxtapose their rock side and their soft side with songs such as "Got Nuffin" and "Good Night Laura" respectively.  Other songs play with awkward melodies such as "Written in Reverse" showing that the band may still be using a bit of implicit experimentation.

9. D-Sisive - Vaudeville

D-Sisive is my dark horse this year and Vaudeville is the only album to make it on the Top 10 from the radio station (not saying they gave me bad music, incredible music is just hard to come by).  Making the album after a bout with depression, D-Sisive blew the doors off with three full length albums and one EP.  He has a passion and drive for hip-hop like Jay-Z and a funny bone like Eminem.  Not only is his flow smooth and his voice unique, but he's versatile.  The amount of emotion in Vaudeville is incredible with several heart felt songs as well as bone crushing ones.  He also knows how to generate success, with certain tracks catering to a more main stream audience ("I Love a Girl") and others to a more independent one ("Ray Charles").  He's creative, smart, powerful and is definitely going to make a name for himself.  Who knew Canada could have a hip-hop movement?

8. The National - High Violet

I have some people that are going to be mad at me for this one.  Okay, maybe not mad, but... well, you know who you are.  High Violet is one of the albums that I didn't really get a chance to listen to it when it first came out.  The first time I heard it I was on a road trip and didn't really listen to it.  However, over the past couple of days, I've managed to really give it a solid listen and appreciate it.  While at times Matt Berninger's vocals might seem like a monotonous drone, what he's saying is deep and meaningful.  One lyric in particular caught me off guard in the song "Conversation 16" when he states "I was afraid, I'd eat your brains/ 'Cause I'm evil."  Once I heard that, I started the album over and really started concentrating on the lyrics.  The melodies do a good job of either mimicking Berninger's unique tone or contrasting it, both of which manage to work successfully for The National.  The most powerful blending of the two has to be in the song "Sorrow," especially when Berninger sings "Sorrow found me when I was young/ Sorrow waited, sorrow won."

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Again, this was an album that I didn't really give a good listen to until recently and was one of the albums I was pressed to put on the Top 10.  Arcade Fire has an incredible sound with their eight members and manage to make songs that are more like works of art.  While The Suburbs may not be their best album to date, it definitely manages to put a gold star on their repertoire of music.  Win Butler's vocals in "Rococo" are hypnotic and full of fervor as he makes slight alterations in the repeating of the song's title, ranging from shouting, to whining, to wailing.  The song is a masterpiece and definitely my favorite off of the album.  Furthermore, with a grand sized band comes a large scale sound and vision.  The Suburbs plays out like a story throughout, something no doubt planned out by the band with the last song echoing the opening track, "The Suburbs."

6. Cee-lo Green - The Lady Killer

Cee-lo almost burned me bad on this one.  Right before this came out, I downloaded one of his past albums and was blown away.  When I found out that The Lady Killer was nearing its release date, I lost my mind.  Unfortunately, at first, I was disappointed; The Lady Killer didn't have the same raw edge to it that Cee-lo Green is... the Soul Machine did.  Fortunately, as I continued to listen to the album, I realized that Cee-lo had a completely different approach to this album.  The Lady Killer features passion and sensuality instead of playful funk and sex.  "Bodies" is full of raw emotion and seduction, "I Want You" is a powerful love ballad, and "Bright Lights Bigger City" starts the album off with a funky search for love.  He still manages to have some more fun and sexy songs such as "Fuck You" (an unfortunate victim of Glee) and "Love Gun."  While Cee-lo isn't as playful and sexual as in his previous album, he's more mature and passionate, making The Lady Killer have a smooth, seducing sound. 

5. Atmosphere - To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP's

Alright, anyone who REALLY knows me knows that it was hard for me to put Atmosphere at number five.  However, I had to put them here because I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted them here because the album is actually great or because I'm in love with them (in a completely sexual way, of course).  While this album is technically titled as a collection of EP's, I am an avid listener of Atmosphere and never before have I ever heard any of these songs.  With that being said, To All My Friends captures each and every aspect of Atmosphere: their aggressive, down to reality side; their fun loving, well wishing side; their oddly cynical side; and their lyrically creative, story telling side.  Slug, the lead rapper of Atmosphere, has a way of telling stories that is seldom heard in the hip-hop world and To All My Friends is no exception.  In one song, Slug tells a story of deceptive friends, expressing regret, anger, and frustration in "The Loser Wins," where as in "Hope" he curiously wishes someone a good day in a sarcastic, almost arrogant tone.  Atmosphere's versatility and longevity still manages to amaze me and they easily make this list.

4. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

It almost pains me to put Kanye above Atmosphere, but I had to.  Kanye West definitely surprised me with his newest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy; I had almost gone on strike against the man until he released this thing.  West manages to breath life into his career with the song "POWER" which is an intense, dynamic, slightly narcissistic song with a heavy bass and infectious sound.  He also manages to show musical prowess concerning mood with "Monster" and "Runaway," songs that are almost complete opposites in terms of feeling and vibe.  "Monster" is aggressive and primal, with smooth, yet unrelenting verses coming from Rick Ross, Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj.  "Runaway" almost humbles West with his tribute to douche bags and is easily the high point of the album with the simple yet profound piano melody.  What strengthens this album, however, is West's incredible supporting cast with artists such as Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, Rick Ross, and John Legend all making an appearance.  While this may not be the strongest album in West's discography, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Family will always be remembered as a successful album that came out of a torrential downpour of bullshit and an ever present negative spotlight.

3. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

I'll be the first to admit that my favorite person from Outkast is Andre 3000.  I'll even say that Andre 3000 is one of my favorite rappers and I wouldn't even consider Big Boi in that category.  Well, Sir Lucious Left Foot shut me up.  This album, while highly anticipated, came out of no where for me.  While the production quality of the album is shocking, what is more surprising is Big Boi's new found musical versatility.  I always took him as the more aggressive, gangster like of the duo, but songs such as "The Train Part II (Sir Lucious Left Foot Save The Day)" and "Hustle Blood" (easily one of the best songs off of the album) show that he too has an emotional side to rival that of Andre 3000's.  "Shutterbug" and "Tangerine" are reminiscent of "The Way You Move" from Outkast's Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below and show that Big Boi still knows how to get a crowd going, in particular the women.  However many times I listen to "Shutterbug" I will never get sick of it; Big Boi's flow is as sick as ever in his homage to memories and good times.  "Tangerine" is sexy, smooth, and dark with the ever present tribal drum beat and guitar line, with an occasional appearance from the tambourine (an element echoed in the lyrics).  "Shutterbug" will go down as a viral club hit and "Hustle Blood" shouldn't be forgotten as the album's most surprising and successful song, coming together to make an incredibly versatile solo album for Big Boi.

2. Foals - Total Life Forever

People will be confused by this pick, most likely because not many people have heard of them.  I've even second guessed putting them here because of that fact.  However, whenever Total Life Forever comes on, I can't stop listening.  Every track stands out in my mind when I listen to it and while earlier this year I said I only picked them as a top album contender because I really like them, that no longer holds true.  Foals manage to create an interesting sound in Total Life Forever that can't really be pinned down.  They parallel bands like Friendly Fires at times with their more upbeat, staccato infested songs and high pitched vocals ("Blue Blood"), but other times they sound like Ratatat, utilizing a more floating, ambient, synthesized melody ("Alabaster").  At first glance, nothing about Total Life Forever seems incredibly ground breaking or even new, but the way they layer their sound and contrast certain timbres and sounds is without doubt fascinating both technically and musically.  Some people may disagree with me about this pick and may not even enjoy them as much as I do, but in my opinion, Foals is on the upswing and creates a complex, yet pleasant masterpiece with Total Life Forever.

1. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

The ArchAndroid is an album that has received high praise from me and just about everyone this year.  It has received stellar reviews from critics and everyone I know who has listened to it has loved it.  I almost forgot how great this album was, but when I saw Janelle Monae open up for Of Montreal, I remembered how much I not only loved this album, but how much I loved her.  Janelle Monae is an entertainer to say the least and she loves doing what she does.  While this isn't straight from the horses mouth, I have a feeling that she not only does what she does because she loves it, but because she is constantly striving to change what music is.  Monae has an incredible voice and can without doubt belt, such as in "Come Alive (War Of The Roses)", but has a decent rap flow that can be seen in "Dance Or Die" and "Tightrope."  She's not only enchanting, but at times confusing and I sometimes struggle to understand how the same quirky, weird, sexual person I heard in "Wondaland" is the same elegant, smoky siren in "BaBopBye Ya."  While I haven't managed to listen to her past works, I understand they're extraordinary and I plan to listen to them immediately.  Monae is not only exciting on her album, but she is an incredible performer.  Never before have I been to a concert where I liked the opening band more than I liked the headliner.  Without question, I will see Janelle Monae when she tours through Colorado on her own.  She's sexy, fun, quirky, aggressive, smooth, smoky, rough, weird, inspired, passionate, intelligent, funky, and soulful and Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid is easily my number one album of 2010.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

"I think I just fell in love with a porn star"

Kanye West's newest release, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, has been receiving stellar reviews so far, averaging a Metacritic score of 92.  The album so far has been most well known by its two singles "POWER," featured with The Social Network, and "Runaway," a song West introduced at the 2010 VMAs.  Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't really like Kanye West that much.  I liked "College Dropout" and "Late Registration" wasn't all that bad.  However, when West released "Graduation," I lost interest; I didn't even attempt to touch "808s & Heartbreak."  West only made the situation worse for himself after the whole Taylor Swift debacle and at that point he had lost any sense of credibility he may have had with me.  Upon the release of his new album, however, as I was watching the high reviews pile up, I figured that I might as well give it a listen and see what all the hype was about.  In all honesty, "POWER" was enough for me to give the album a shot.

To start off, it would be insulting NOT to say that this is easily one of Kanye West's best albums.  It's not just because of the production value, it's not just because of the stellar guest appearances, but mostly it's because of the versatility of the album.  The first thing that impressed me most was the surprisingly "gansta" sounding track, "Monster."  From the get go it has a hard, heavy pounding bass to it, with a little bit of grunge.  The raps are tough and powerful and the featuring artists (Rick Ross, Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj) all do a great job with their respective verses, reiterating the raw, ruthless feel of the song.  Other stand outs on the album include one of the albums singles "Runaway" as well as "All of the Lights," "Hell of a Life," and "Blame Game."  "Runaway" is an anthem to douche bags and other assholes.  The overall feeling of the song is great and the chorus is infectious.  The only problem with the song is it's about four minutes too long.  "All of the Lights," featuring Drake and Rihanna, is your typical pop song, but has a catchy hook and a relatively interesting, funky beat.  "Hell of a Life," has more of a rock feel and a steady synthesized beat that gives you sort of a rough feel.  It's also one of the most vulgar songs with lyrics like "I think I just feel in love with a porn star" and "Make your knees shake, make a priest faint/ Make a nun cum, make her creamate," yes, "creamate;"  Not to mention the hook: "No more drugs for me/ Pussy and religion is all I need."  "Blame  Game" is easily the most sentimental song on the album, in large part because of the voice and piano stylings of featured artist John Legend.

Unfortunately, as can be expected, where the album has a wide array of colorful moods and feelings, it also exhibits the undeniable arrogance and pretentiousness of Kanye West as well.  Like in much of his other albums, West exudes an air of greatness which he has to tell you about.  To tack onto that, after a surprise concert during which Kanye performed his entire album, he took ten minutes at the end of the show to both speak his mind about George W. Bush's recent interview, as well as to somewhat retract his apology to Taylor Swift stating that "If I wasn't drunk I would have stayed on stage longer."  As much as I want to like this album, it's hard to do with Kanye West glorifying himself every chance he gets.  During his rant, he even went so far as to say "I never thought I'd say this: I want to thank the magazines for perfect scores across the board," which is far from the truth.  While West did receive perfect scores from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, as well as others, he received lower marks from other reviewers as well (Note: Metacritic isn't showing the various critic scores at this point, but once I get them, I'll put the lower scores up).  While My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is still getting incredibly high reviews, it is far from, as Mr. West puts it, "perfect."  

Kanye West's new album is arguably his best to date.  Because of the versatility in mood, as well as a stellar cast of guest appearances (Jay-Z, Pusha T, and John Legend being my favorites), and solid production quality, West has succeeded in making a likely early contender for next year's Grammy Awards (the album didn't make the cut off date this year).  Unfortunately, West, as always, has to add that little spice of self-obsessiveness and pretentiousness.  Maybe one of these days he'll come out with an album that doesn't include his outlandish tabloid persona, but that's not in the foreseeable future.  Take a listen here.

Music Recommendation #3

11/21/10-11/27/10

Look at me getting two of these posts in back-to-back weeks!  Okay, so it's the 29th.  Shut up.  As most of you know, this past week was Thanksgiving, so I didn't get any music from the radio station.  Fortunately, I took it upon myself to get some music of my own accord.  One of the albums was inspired by an addiction and another by stupid catchy music bullshit.

My addiction: vidja game (aka video games).  The first album I want to talk about is the Fallout: New Vegas OST.  Now, for anyone who has ever played any of the Fallout games (or any game in the past 4 or 5 years) knows that in-game music is a big deal.  Fallout 3, Bioshock 1 and 2, Grand Theft Auto, Halo, and several others are known for having various licensed, independent, or orchestral scores.  Video game music has become a big deal and Obsidian is no ignant foo'.  Not only did Fallout 3 have an awesome soundtrack (featuring Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots, and Ella Fitzgerald among several others), but New Vegas possibly has a better soundtrack with artists such as Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra, just to name a few.  This music not only provides for an incredibly unique in-game mood, but also makes for an awesome OST.  The Fallout: New Vegas OST has a great number of tracks from the early '50s across several different genres and has a monster line-up with twenty-seven tracks.  I would definitely give the OST a listen even if you haven't played the game.  If you're interested in playing the game, check out my review for the game on my other blog, here.  Unfortunately, they're not selling it on Amazon, so I can't give you a sample of it, but if you really want it, let me know.

The second album I want to talk about will be the first album I've talked about so far in these "recommendations" that I absolutely want you to stay away from.  No joke.  Promise me.  Now, I'm sure several of you have heard of the song "Like A G6" (for those of you that haven't, turn on the radio, it will be on).  The track is on "Free Wired," an album released by Far East Movement.  I'll be the first to admit that the song isn't half bad and is damn catchy; if I hear it in the car I'm going all crunk and junk.  However, while "Like a G6" might be decent, the rest of the album is shit save for maybe two songs, which isn't much of a saving grace for the ten song album.  Also, note that I said "save for two songs" are not shit.  They are a couple steps above it, which is still nothing close to good.  I will listen to these songs for a couple of weeks, probably put them on a party play list, and then never ever touch them again.  The album is devoid of any sort of creativity and the depth of the lyrics stops at drunk girls, heartbreak, and hopeless romance.  In essence, Far East Movement is a generation late on the boy band movement with a dash of hip-hop.  What's more disappointing is that these guys are HUGE sellouts.  From what I've seen from various forums, these guys were great before they signed; after that all they were was foo-foo poppy bullshit.  I'm not kidding either, some people are seriously pissed about them signing to a big label: "Sold.fuck.ing.out.  That's what they did."  One positive thing about "Like a G6" is that it's led to a number of parodies, this one being my favorite.  Take a listen here.

On to music news for this upcoming week.  Justine Bieber (there is no typo) is unfortunately coming out with another album, "My Worlds Acoustic," which is, surprise surprise, a Walmart Exclusive *throws up*.  In better news, some chick named Jazmine Sullivan has an album that is getting surprisingly high reviews for a female vocalist in her genre (R&B, Pop/Rock), which may force me to listen to it.  God knows I might, the last time I did that I stumbled upon the lovely Janelle Monae.  Flo Rida is also coming out with another album, as is Soulja Boy, and both will most likely flop.  There's some really awesome stuff coming up next week, which I'm more than giddy about (I'm being serious about that too), but I'll save that for next week's post.  Let me know if you've come across any good music and stay tuned for a review of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" which is coming... RIGHT NOW!  And by "RIGHT NOW," I mean tomorrow.

Music Recommendation #2

11/14/10-11/20/10

Alright, time for another week of bringing you some new music and telling you what's going on in the world.  Sorry nothing was brought up last week, but I didn't get any new stuff, so... there ya go.  We're going to start off with what I got from the radio station.

The first album I got was a sampler of Orange Juice's "Coals to Newcastle."  The album is comprised of songs picked out across the epic seven disc (6 CDs & 1 DVD) set, which contains the band's complete discography.  The band played at the start of the '80s in Europe and presaged the coming of The Smiths and kickstarted a renaissance in Scottish pop music.  The compilation is being released under Domino Recording Company (US Division) and you can find the monster CD pack on Amazon.  Overall, Orange Juice is a fun band to listen to.  They're very up beat, very poppy, and VERY '80s.  The sampler I got only has 18 tracks, but the overall bundle consists of a DVD from a live performance and 124 individual tracks among the six CDs.  Orange Juice has a really good sound and is pretty versatile when it  comes to switching it up a bit.  "Rip it Up" is fast and up tempo, where as "Scaremonger" is slower and more swanky.  One thing every track has in it is the typical heavily synthesized '80s keyboard.  I'm not a huge fan of this sort of music, but I did enjoy the album a fair amount.  If you're interested in the epic album, take a listen here; if not, I'm sure you can find the sampler somewhere, which would be a lot easier on the pocket book.

The second album I got was Soft Circle's "Shore Obsessed."  This album has got to be one of the best album's I've gotten from the radio station so far; definitely in the Top 3, at least.  Soft Circle is a New York based band started up by Hisham Bharoocha and later joined by Ben Vida.  Bharoocha is known for using looped guitar riffs and repeated vocal sounds to create a trance like type of music.  "Shore Obsessed" is the third album released from Soft Circle, the second album released this year (2010), and the first album released under the duo.  The opening track to the album, "First Time," starts out with a repeated vocal track accompanied by a running base line which lead into some gentle guitar licks.  The overall feeling is similar to what you would find with Foals, but is a bit more hypnotic.  The song is light and energetic and has an overall calming feel to it.  However, what was more impressive for me from the album was how quickly the band can shift gears.  "Nerve of People" has a much darker, industrial feel to it.  The beat is heavy and metallic, the chant in the background is almost demonic, and the vocals are lamentations of society.  The feeling is much different from that of the opening track and almost reminds me of a NIN hybrid.  "Reaper," possibly my favorite track on the album, mixes the sounds of "First Time" and "Nerve of People" into an intense, fast moving, rhythmic song.  The sound is dynamic and hard hitting with the repetition on bass and keyboard.  I would definitely check out Soft Circle if you're looking for something new to listen to, they know how to rock.  Take a listen to them here.

Now, onto some stuff you can look forward to in the music world.  Kanye West is releasing his newest album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and is already receiving rave reviews, averaging a Metacritic score of 100 over seven reviewers.  In other hip-hop news, Nelly recently released his album "5.0" which is receiving decent reviews and already has a single, "Just A Dream," sitting at #5 on Billboard's Top 100 Singles.  Unfortunately, Billboard isn't much to go off of seeing as how Susan Boyle's new album, "The Gift," is currently sitting at the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Albums.  Two things we can ALL look forward to in the upcoming week are the release of Ke$ha's (pronounced: Kay-ee-dollar-sign-haha) new EP "Cannibal" and My Chemical Romance's new album "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys" (Please don't think I'm serious).  Although, I will say, My Chemical Romance's new album is receiving positive reviews so far.  Alright, now that we have that out of the way, I will do my absolute best to keep you updated with new music I'm getting from the radio station and new music coming your way.  Thanks for reading, see you soon with a review for Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."