OFWGKTA+Adult Swim, Tha Carter IV

So Odd Future is getting their own show on Adult Swim. Anyone familiar with Tyler and Co’s antics have to admit that this could be a damned near perfect union. Seeing Tyler on the VMAs (along with the hilarious hordes of 15 year olds tweeting “who the hell is Tyler the Creator”)  gives me hope that this will be some shit worth watching.

Now for Tha Carter IV…easily my most anticipated release of the year, and I must say I’m a bit disappointed. Pitchfork gave it a 6-point-something I think, which was pretty spot on, though I have to wonder if it wouldn’t have been better received if “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “John (If I Die Today)” hadn’t been released as singles. That is to say, those are clearly the standout tracks, and if during my first listen to Tha Carter IV I was hearing those songs for the first time, my overall impression of the album might have been better. Weezy has some zingers in here for sure, but he seems to be stuck on rewording old ideas. One thing that made Tha Carter III so fantastic was..well…it was weird. Wayne’s raspy oddball lines in songs like “Dr. Carter,” “Mrs. Officer,” hell, even “Lollipop”…the first time I heard those, my initial reaction was “what the hell IS this?” But it was weird and glorious, and I couldn’t stop listening. LilTuneChi has some moments on the new album, but the line, “I’m rare like Mr. Clean with hair / No brake lights on my car-reer” is unfortunately better than anything on Tha Carter IV.

Review: Big Baz – The Blind Side

Big Baz
The Blind Side
Dynamik Productions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If anything, Big Baz’s latest mixtape, The Blind Side, is true to form. With a style and Southern drawl smacking of Bun B and Rick Ross, Baz sticks to the tried-and-true topics of authentic Southern rap—mainly money, cars and women—over samples provided by DJ Mr. Big.

Yet these elements alone do not a rap star make. What’s missing from The Blind Side is substance, a claim that may sound slightly ridiculous given the typical superficiality of lyrics in similar “trap music.” Yet listen to T.I., Gucci Mane, hell, even Waka Flocka, and you’ll notice that even in their mixtapes there are underlying narratives there, back stories that give their most absurd verses of self-adulation some credibility (or, at the very least, make a case for empathy).

To be fair, developing this narrative is a process that takes time, and there are glimmers of potential greatness in The Blind Side. For instance, “Basi Got” is a relatively graphic song about an encounter with a girl that’s, uh, sexual in nature, yet Baz is genuinely having fun with the verses, and it shows. Those moments of sincerity are so much more appealing than just rehashing tired old Deep-South-gangsta clichés, which unfortunately Baz is wont to do. In “The Cypher,” Baz even has the audacity to have an implied crowd cheer like the end of his “freestyle” verse wasn’t a recycled Lil Wayne line. Really?

Baz’s story is still being written, and while it could eventually culminate in hip-hop fame, it won’t happen with this mixtape. But he’s on the right track: he’s got the style down pat, but more importantly the attitude is there, and when it comes to establishing yourself in this genre, that’s half the battle.

John Granofsky

First published in Flagpole 27 July 2011: 13 pdf

New Feral Youth Jam

Congrats to Feral Youth, my bandmate and the best DJ in Athens. He just got engaged to longtime girlfriend Cole, popped the question over in Europe like a true playa. He also just dropped a fresh new track: Adele – Rolling in the Deep. I congratulate him for both. For those of you in Athens, go see him at the LOFT tomorrow night for rizzle. Listen via his Facebook page:

http://listn.to/FeralYouth

Also I am sorry to say Tha Carter IV got pushed back AGAIN to August aaaaarg come on liltunechi.

A Pulp-y Proposal

Congratulations to my good friends Shane and Michelle, who recently got engaged at Primavera Sound during the Pulp reunion show. The proposal was initiated by none other than Jarvis Cocker himself during Pulp’s set, and I still have to talk to Shane when he gets back about what wizarding powers he used to set that up. The story showed up in the Guardian too:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/may/29/pulp-comeback-concert-barcelona

So happy for the both of you!

 

Tha Carter IV Album Cover

Hahahah I just hope to God this is real. To me, this cover alone would be worth the price of the album. May 16th! Click for larger image.

Via youheardthatnew.com.

Pics: Twin Shadow, Pains of Being Pure At Heart

@ the Earl, Atlanta, GA, 4/5/2011. Click for larger images.

Twin Shadow:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pains:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much as I enjoyed Pains, I thought Twin Shadow absolutely dominated. I always love it when I go to shows and discover that my enjoyment of a band’s live show surpasses that of the their recorded material. And with an album as good as Forget, I didn’t know what to expect. But George Lewis Jr. and company brought an explosive energy to songs that on the album were a bit more subdued, and the result was goosebump-inducing. Needless to say I’ve gone back and revisited Forget a number of times since the show, reiterating this man’s genius to myself with every listen.

Review: Lumerians – Transmalinnia

The Lumerians
Transmalinnia
Knitting Factory

Transmalinnia, the debut full-length from Lumerians, is not for everyone. There are no radio singles here, nothing too hummable, and most tracks hover around the five-minute mark with several substantially longer. However, if hypno-drone space rock is your thing—say, Can meets Cave meets Black Moth Super Rainbow—thenTransmalinnia is something of a masterpiece.

Nearly half the tracks are instrumental, but each track has a distinct personality with complex texture and intricate layering courtesy of various percussive, electronic and stringed instruments. The swinging (yes, swinging) opener “Burning Mirrors” skips along hypnotically as octave bass notes and reverb-heavy vocals are broken up by sections of organ spazz-outs. “Black Tusk” has an improvised feel and features a mix of organs and percussion that brings to mind Miles Davis’ groundbreaking Bitches Brew. A few tracks later, “Calalini Rises” trudges along as sludge-worthy bass fuzz phases in and out behind lumbering drums and space noises that eventually give way to a tribal drum and percussion outro.

The album comes to a close with the mellow, washed-out “Gaussian Castles,” leaving you feeling as if you’re coming down off an epic, audible acid trip to a state of dreamy euphoria. The record is clearly meant to be experienced as a whole, and the sonic depth of each individual song rewards repeated listenings. So, go ahead, take the Transmalinnia trip over and over again. We won’t tell.

John Granofsky

First published in Flagpole 30 March 2011: 19 pdf

Review: Easter Island – Better Things

Easter Island
Better Things
Independent Release

The word “angst,” when used in record reviews, so often denotes whiny sentimentalism or unappealing pessimism. However, the late-’90s/early-’00s shoegaze angst of Better Things, the five-song EP by Athens’ own Easter Island, is nothing short of endearing. It brings to mind The Bends-era Radiohead meets Matt Pond PA, with some virtually Elliot-Smith-level lyrical sensitivity. Take “Better Things” for instance: single eighth-note guitar strumming behind lyrics like, “I’m right here/ I’m holding your drink/ You’re fixing your tights/ But you can’t see me.” Brand New, eat your heart out.

Fortunately the melancholy introspection in Better Things is never so thick as to smother the album’s overall good vibes. “Into Bedrooms,” with a piano intro and vulnerable vocals delivered by Ethan Payne, still maintains enough drive with its instrumentation swells and unique chord changes to bring to mind Thom Yorke and Keane comparisons. “Second Handers,” with the refrain, “She’ll destroy you/ She’ll want you/ All at once,” will take you back to those days in college when the drinking was excessive, relationships were shaky and immature, and yet somehow the pain of rejection—“You are a second hander/ Second rate at best,” sings Payne—made you feel alive. Easter Island is already working on its upcoming full length album, and it’s sure to be a beautiful depression.

John Granofsky

First published in Flagpole 16 March 2011: 14 pdf

Sweet Video of the Day.

“Golden Brown” by the Stranglers (1981) works on two levels. It’s about heroin and also about a girl. I had never seen the video for this song until today.

 

Review: Lubec – Nothing Is Enough

Lubec
Nothing is Enough
Acme Thunderer

Hailing from Richmond, VA, Lubec has dubbed its noisy, fuzz-drenched shoegaze as “sculpt-rock.” In its debut EP, Nothing Is Enough, Lubec has managed to capture something of the essence of Old Dominion’s underground house shows: the sound is abrasive and thick, distorted and lo-fi, yet bursting with spontaneity and a tinge of anarchy.

For instance, in “Your Magic Wand,” when Eddie Charlton sings “Believe me when I say I’m trying here,” a roaring guitar bursts in out of nowhere, virtually interrupting him mid-sentence and hitting the listener like a brick in the face. Later on in the song, you can briefly hear the crackle of cell phone static in someone’s speaker. Part of Lubec’s youthful charisma is that they clearly aren’t sugar-coating anything. The chatter of a party in “Cherry Adair” furthers the impression that the recording is coming straight out of a basement somewhere.

While über-hissy distorted guitar is the crux of Lubec’s sound, it positively overwhelms the mix more often than not, and at times it’s difficult to hear anything but. In “Gang Knife Battles,” for example, multiple vocal harmonies fight to be heard above the track’s overall white noise. That being said, Lubec is best when listeners just let themselves be enveloped in the mayhem without worrying about, say, the notes of a particular keyboard part or what Charlton is actually singing. In a dingy basement, surrounded by beers and friends, that’s not what’s important anyway.

John Granofsky

First published in Flagpole 23 Feb. 2011: 14 pdf