Thursday, July 28, 2005

First the June music

WOW! I received both June and July on the same day so there's a lot to cover here, Luckily I hate my job and I'll do anything to avoid working....

Aesop Rock - Fast Cars...
This is the shit, Holy Smokes is my personal favorite, it sounds like aes rizzle has slowed down his cadence a bit, but inflects much more. I can't decide if I like it better, but it sounds great.

Authority Zero
At least someone is still making good punk rock. These guys deserve more credit then they receive. If I would've heard this 8 or 9 years ago they would've jumped to one of my all time favorites. Blending ska rhythms with punk rock energy and overall good song writing with solid production, Andiamo is one of the best albums in this genre I've heard in awhile. Of course it's not ground breaking but it sounds and feels good. Oh, and Mexican Radio cover... Awesome!

Bebo & Cigala
Pretty good, reminds of Buena Vista Social Club for obvious reasons, but, of course, with less instruments and not as much energy. I dig the Piano though, I'm pretty keen for Latin Piano, that's right... keen.

Bloc Party
This is one of the best albums of 2005. I can't say enough good things about the drummer, it's rare that a drummer even makes a difference, but here the percussion shines through on every track. Banquet may be my favorite single of the year. Spend some time with this one, it fucking rocks!

C-Rays Waltz
The Oriental beat on "Showgun" is tighter than a nun's cunt. Overall pretty decent, I like the beats better than the rhymes, but only slightly.

The Clash
Classic. Especially as bands like Bloc Party and The Libertines revive the trademark Clash sounds and in the case of The Libertines the attitude as well.

Dead Boys
More classic punk. Lovely.

Dead Fucking Last
Speaking of Classic Punk. At what point does a band get put in this category. DFL, if not yet "classic", will undoubtedly one day be included in this self defying category.

Deviates
"Come with Me" is the best Pennywise song I've ever heard that Pennywise didn't write. The rest of the album is fairly solid punk rock, nothing jaw dropping, but good nonetheless.

Gang Starr
For the years I've heard a ton about Gang Starr but never checked them out for myself until now. It's amazing that they have been putting out albums since the late 80's. The Owners was released in 2003 and sounds as fresh as anything else that came out that year. Hip Hop longevity does not come easily, these fuckers are talented. I have the upmost respect for Premier and Guru.

Iggy and the Stooges
Another group that I've heard of for years and yet never heard (with the exception of a song in a movie or commercial). It's really good, I'm intrigued by Iggy Pop, I'd like to listen to more of his stuff. Reminds a bit of David Bowie but more punk. The song from Life Aquatic is flippin sweet. I don't know about Heroin though...

Jedi Mind Tricks
Put this shit on repeat. Dope beats, dope rhymes, all in all an incredible hip hop album. Highlights include: I against I (feat Planetary) and Speech Cobras (feat Mr. Lif).

Life Aquatic Soundtrack
Mark Mothersbaugh scored this film perfectly; his tracks compliment the dry humor throughout Steve Zissou's Life. Bowie and the Dead Boys keep Wes Anderson's ongoing British Rock theme to which Seu Jorge adds a beautiful Portuguese twist. If you haven't seen Life Aquatic yet, go rent it today.

Matisyahu
When I first heard of this guy I thought his name was Modest Yahoo, which totally changes things. He completely confuses me, which, I guess, is part of his charm. Reggae doesn't seem like a natural mix with Brooklyn and the Hasidic Jewish tradition, however Matisyahu somehow pulls it off. If you didn't know his history and ignored the lyrics you'd assume he lived on a tropical island. Someone needs to investigate what chemicals they're adding to the water in West Chester, PA, as they've now spawned two of the strangest public figures in popular culture today (and that doesn't include Don Vito).

MC Paul Barman
Fan-fucking-tastic!! This guy can flow, granted his lyrics are silly and sometimes nonsensical but that's kinda the point. Barman is fantastically immature and playground quotable "Can I chime in? I'll still be rhymin, when I'm in your hymen." nice.

Millencollin
Not really much to say about Millencollin. Kingwood overall is good, but not great. No standout tracks.

Prefuse 73
Scott Herren one ups himself after releasing the incredible One Word Extinguisher. Sounds of Silence will be criticized for not being consistent by relying on guest MCs and artists too much. Fuck that noise. Silence proves that Prefuse 73 can not only create engaging instrumental hip-hop but also backup an MC with his trademark cuts and blips. The Aesop Rock track rips as does Ghostface and El-P. One of the best albums of 2005.

Saved by the Bell
yes!

Steel Pulse
Perfect summer music. Makes me wish I was sitting on a front porch drinking cold beers watching the world go by instead of sitting in my grey cubicle dungeon.

Nice work Tink, all are welcome additions to my Library.

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