If you interested in buying any of the albums below, click on the album title to go to Amazon and the artist name to download it in iTunes. Also check out my original album reviews in the link under the album where for those I reviewed.
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
When I hear Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Spike Jonzes together I except something legendary, but this may not even be a top ten video of the year let alone of all time. But I have been thinking lately where exactly does the Otis Redding sample ranking in the all time rap samples category. I may have to start doing some research, look for a list sometime in the next five years.
Did someone not tell the Red Hot Chili Peppers that when you do a rooftop performance that it is supposed to end with the cops shutting you down? But that is a funky bassline from Flea but I cannot say the same for the new guitarist. Or Anthony Kiedis‘s mustache.
And the award for most random Supergroup award goes to SuperHeavy featuring Mick Jagger (in the pinkest suit that I do not think even Elton John could pull off), Dave Stewart, Damien Marley, Joss Stone, A.R. Rahman (you may know him better as the guy who did the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack). It was if Mick put his iPod on shuffle and decided to ask the first four people that popped up to come into the studio with him. Hopefully Eric Clapton does the same because I would love to hear his collaboration with Mandy Moore, Babyface, Q-Tip, and Willie Nelson.
Last week Cee-Lo had Urkel lip-syncing his words and this week Raphael Saadiq saw his Urkel and rasied him an Abed. Kimmy Gibler better get her agent on the phone.
Jay-Z and Kanye West first teamed up when West produced Jay’s Izzo off the original Blueprint album and the decade long partnership saw West produce at least one track on all of Jay’s albums since while Jay has jumped on multiple of Kanye’s songs. This included four songs recorded for West’s recent My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, two that made the album, two relegated to the free G.O.O.D. Friday downloads on Kanye’s website.
The duo parlayed that output with a new group The Thone and the appropriately titled Watch the Throne album. If you forget the album title, do not worry, Kanye mentions it in about every other song. The collaboration continues that pattern of both rappers embracing indie rock, Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), who was all over Fantasy contributes to one song on Throne. And it is also felt right off the bat with the menacing No Church in the Wild featuring an auto-tuned Frank Ocean, despite Jay declaring its death just two years ago. Ocean (no relation to Billy) also shows up for a heartfelt chorus on Made in America (which may or may not be a epilogue to West’s Who Will Survive in America that closed out his last album).
It is not all doom and gloom like their last solo albums; the duo goes old school, really old school, on Otis, which has less to do with the late singer than the pair trying to out-boast each other. Jay-Z starts things off by trying to convince us that he invented swag (a reanimated corpse of Frank Sinatra may have something to say about that) while Kanye thinks he is going to have a get out of hell free card because he performed Jesus Walks. Even with all that over the top braggadocios, the true star of the track remains the Otis Redding sample of Try a Little Tenderness that overshadows the two rappers and is automatically in the discussion of greatest use of a rap sample of all time. OF ALL TIME!!!
If Try a Little Tenderness is the best sample on the album, the weirdest goes to Will Ferrell, no, not Anchorman, or even Ricky Bobby, but (Expletive Deleted) in Paris lifts lines from the ice skating comedy Blades of Glory and Kanye places them over Dr. Dre style staccato beats. Really, the production is the all-star on the album. RZA flips Nina Simone’s Feeling Good into a haunting chorus on New Day. West and Q-Tip create some fuzzy drums out of the classic sample Apache from the Incredible Bongo Band for That’s My (Expletive Deleted) and is taken to another with a chorus from La Roux’s Elly Jackson. While Swizz Beats makes the most out of a weird “la la la” chant for Murder to Excellence. It is a shame the rapping does not live up to the production. Even the usually quoteworthy West seems to be overwhelmed to trade verses with his mentor Jay-Z who has been living mostly off of great production since his unretirement.
Back in 2006 someone asked me what I thought was the best song of the year was and I responded that Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy wasn’t just the best song of the year, but it was the greatest song of the decade. It was at that moment I thought about doing a Greatest Songs of the 00’s list and started a playlist that ended up with around 1400 songs four that I then widdled down to my favorite even thousand. If you have not done so yet, head over to The 1000 Greatest Songs of the 00’s for the complete list. Here is how the list broke down by the numbers. Now if excuss me, I need to get started on my list of the 1000 Greatest Songs of the 10's.
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
I though the ten degrees and a foot of snow were bad here in Northeast Ohio, but at least the snow hasn’t come indoors like Casa de Taylor Swift. Though I am not entirely sure what is going on with random dude walking across small town winter landscape.
I get the feeling the production crew just asked for three random situation and they came up with dude fighting in a room full of chalk, someone breaking dinnerware, a room full of glasses, and a drummer playing in a corner. To which the director goes, “not random enough.” “well how about adding miniature city going up in flames,” “brilliant, film it.” Ladies and gentlemen, ADELE’s latest video.
It looks like Kanye West was also a fan of The Walking Dead, and sadly, Twilight. And I wonder when someone is going to point out that Jay-Z just latches on to great beats and really hasn’t spit a great verse since his un-retirement.
Listening to DJ Earworm’s United State of Pop 2010 (Can’t Stop the Pop) I came to the realization that last year kind of sucked. But fret not, pop culture is looking up for 2011 because we need to party it up before the world ends next year (or so the Mayans and John Cusack would have us to believe). Here are eleven events to look forward to next year.
11. Detox – Dr. Dre: Sure we have been waiting for Detox to be released for most of the last decade, but a single, Kush, and accompanying video was released late last year singling that me may actually get the whole thing sometime in the next twelve months and as soon as February. But much like Chinese Democracy, I’ll believe it when I see it in iTunes. I’d suggest Dr. Pepper speed up the process by giving everyone a free can if Detox drops this year, but I still haven’t received my free promised when Axl Rose deliver his album on time (yes I am still bitter).
10. Lights Out: FX debuted the two best new shows of 2010 (Justified and Terriers) so hopes are high that their boxing drama will carry on that tradition. Lights Out premieres next Tuesday at 10:00.
9. The Avengers: No, not the movie that features all of the superheroes, that won’t be released until next year, but two members will get their own vehicles this year. Thor will be released in May while Captain America: The First Avenger is set to hit theaters in July. Now I am more of a DC guy, but I was never really was a fan of Green Lantern or of Ryan Reynolds for that matter and the trailer really didn’t get me excited. While the Thor trailer did pique my interest and I have a curiosity of how Captain America can translate to children of the 21st century because the goody two shoes acts didn’t work very well for the Superman reboot.
8. Watch the Throne – Kanye West and Jay-Z: If a drunken Kanye is to be believed, we can expect this collaboration next week, but I have a feeling we may have to wait a bit longer. Maybe next week we will just get another sneak peak (possibly a G.O.O.D. Friday track) to add to the already leaked, La Roux infused That’s My (Expletive Deleted).
7. Your Highness: Can the guys that made action movies hilarious with Pineapple Express do the same for a historical movie? The trailer looks like that will be a resounding yes. And Danny McBride, James Franco and director David Gordon Green will be joined by Natalie Portman in her first comedic role since, um, does the Walmart baby movie count? Your Highness arrives in theaters April 8.
6. 2012 Elections: Sure we will have to wait until November of next year to learn the results, but the primary campaigning will start any day night. And we may get the odd situation where the Tea Party and liberals will be rooting for the same candidate: Sarah Palin. She and none of the other Republican front runners have officially thrown their hats into the ring but also-rans Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul are likely to take on popular governors Haley Barbour (Mississippi), Mitch Daniels (Indiana), and Tim Pawlenty (of Minnesota who famously shaved off his mullet only not to get picked by McCain as his running mate). Oh and Donald Trump wants to run. Also registered Democrat and former the Rent Is Too Damn High Party candidate Jimmy McMillian has announced he will be seeking the Republican nomination. More interesting will be if any Democrat challenges Barack Obama. As much as the far right likes to label him a socialist, he has governed very far to the right than the liberals that elected him over Hilary Clinton had hoped for: he continued Bush’s foreign policy, and arguably has been more aggressive. And the much maligned health care reform looks like it was written more by insurance companies than a Kennedy, and looks a lot like the reforms that Romney enacted in Massachusetts and Bob Dole proposed in the nineties. No matter who runs, here’s hoping for a full stale of YouTube debates this year.
5. Falling Skies: Forget that his other sci-fi show hitting this year, Terra Nova that will be either in Fox’s death slot and / or canceled by 2012, the Steven Spielberg show to keep your eye out for this year is TNT’s Falling Skies. Sure Noah Wiley may make for the most unrealistic action hero since, I guess Adrian Brody in Predators wasn’t that long ago, but the promo makes the show look epic (even if it blew is load too early by letting us getting a good look at the invading aliens). Falling Skies is set to debut in June.
4. Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee pt. 1 was supposed to drop in 2009 but was delayed to Adam Yauch’s battle with cancer. MCA is doing better now and not only will we likely see part 1 this year; part 2 is actually scheduled to be released sometime this spring.
3. U2: Two Beastie Boys albums in one year don’t wet your pallet enough. How about the possibly of three U2 albums this year? First there is Songs of Ascent featuring songs from the No Line on the Horizon which was supposed to be released back in 2009 but keeps being pushed back. The band is also working with Danger Mouse for new songs which should be awesome and is slated to be out the first part of this year. They are also working on a dance album similar to the u2 Remixes of the 90’s which may also see the light of day this year.
2. Sucker Punch: How can Zach Snyder possibly outdo the testosterone awesomeness of 300 and Watchmen? Continue the comic book look to his films but switch out buff dudes for hot chicks. Snyder describes Sucker Punch as “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.” I can’t wait. You can expect the movie on March 25.
1. Friday Night Lights: The best show returns to terrestrial television sometime this summer (hopefully sooner).
- Fleet Foxes
- Raphael Saadiq
- The Civil Wars
- Adele
- The Black Keys
- Jay-Z & Kanye West
- Ryan Adams
- R.E.M.
- Beyoncé
- Meg & Dia
- Beastie Boys
- Rachael Yamagata
- Lupe Fiasco
- Blitzen Trapper
- The Roots
- Laura Jansen
- Childish Gambino
- Nicole Atkins
- Anthony Hamilton
- Dia Frampton
, or even 
, but (Expletive Deleted) in Paris lifts lines from the ice skating comedy 
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on my 
, and sadly, 
. And I wonder when someone is going to point out that Jay-Z just latches on to great beats and really hasn’t spit a great verse since his un-retirement.
would have us to believe). Here are eleven events to look forward to next year.
and 
do the same for a historical movie? The trailer looks like that will be a resounding yes. And Danny McBride, James Franco and director David Gordon Green will be joined by Natalie Portman in her first comedic role since, um, does the Walmart baby movie count? Your Highness arrives in theaters April 8.
wasn’t that long ago, but the promo makes the show look epic (even if it blew is load too early by letting us getting a good look at the invading aliens). Falling Skies is set to debut in June.
and 
? Continue the comic book look to his films but switch out buff dudes for hot chicks. Snyder describes Sucker Punch as “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.” I can’t wait. You can expect the movie on March 25.