Back In The Building
Your boy back on his hustle, like Dame, Puffy, and Russell...
- Kanye West
Your boy back in the building, yes I is!
OK, I know it's been a minute or two since I did this whole blogging thing, but like I warned y'all, life's thrown your boy a few curveballs over the last few weeks, and a few of 'em were of the 10-6, fallin' off a table variety, but I'm hangin' in there, foulin' 'em off, still battling. Basic life recap: This post is coming to you directly from my bedroom in Alexandria, VA. Still don't have a job, but I'm on the grind, hoping for a sprinkle of good look or two in the nearness.
Anywho... since I haven't done this in a minute, I'm just gonna run down a few things, scattershot style, that have been on my mind, and then hopefully we can get back to regular posting (and by regular, I hopefully mean more than one post every two weeks-- you'd think I was deliberately trying to destroy any traffic I have/had!).
-- Phil Jackson returns to the Lakers. Boy, I really wish someone gave me a cool $30 million to smoothe over a "psychological war," which is what Phil got to kiss and make up with Kobe. Nice scratch if you can get it, and I guess if you're gonna drive yourself crazy, $10 mil a year is a good price.
If I were Phil, I woulda thrown my hat into the ring as the Cavs coach. I mean, can you imagine a better player to run the triangle offense through than a still on the come up LeBron? LeBron not only has the same skill set as Kobe, but he actually likes to pass, something on which the triangle is predicated. If you resign Biz Z, you've got your poor mans Shaq, and you go get Michael Redd or Ray Allen, and you're in business. Maybe it's just because I'm a LeBron jock rider, but I've got to figure that nucleus is closer to winning a championship than the current Lakers team is.
Phil's definitely got quite a mission on his hands if he wants to pass Red and win his 10th title. But hey, it coulda been worse-- he could've taken the Knicks job. And, as much as I would've loved to have seen that, you can file that under "Career Suicide." (On a side note: I've seen some mock drafts which have the Knicks taking a PF, usually one from Europe. While I realize that the Knicks need all the help they can get, do we really need another PF? I mean, didn't Isiah trade for every power forward under the sun this year? Can we get a swingman or two, please? I'd pay to see Isiah's face when Nazr Mohammed wins a ring tonight in San Antonio and he realizes that he traded him for Malik Rose, a useful guy but one who would have gotten exactly zero crunch time burn for the Spurs in the playoffs).
--Record Industry Continues To Shoot Itself In The Foot.
What a brillaint idea! Never mind that mixtapes have promoted artists as diverse as 50 Cent and M.I.A. and helped them, ya know, actually sell records-- SHUT IT DOWN! I've talked about mixtapes before, so y'all know how I feel about them. I just can't believe that the record industry has been handed this golden grassroots marketing tool, and yet they feel they've got to shut it down. Just another classic case of the record industry scrambling and making the wrong move. Why am I not surprised in the least?
-- Various Music Ramblings
OK, so I know that it may be somewhat cliche for your humble blogger to mention this, and that every cool blogger is already up on thangz, but I've gotta say: That Dipset Memorial Day Mixtape is straight FIRE! Seriously, I don't know how many times I"ve bumped this the past two weeks, but it is absolutely ridiculous. There's so much niceness, I don't even know where to begin-- Cam'ron's "Get 'Em Daddy," Juelz with Fabolous "So What's It Gon Be," Juelz with Paul Wall "We Don't Give a Fuck," Juelz ripping "Wait (The Whisper Song)" on "See My Clip," new Jim Jones jumpoffs, this thing has everything.
I used to really not like the Dips, but slowly, they're becoming one of my favorite rap crews.
Related: Ok, so I know that alot of people have been jockin' the new Sleater-Kinney record for a minute now. But, as someone who's been down with the SK since Call The Doctor, at first I wasn't feeling The Woods. However, after several listens, I can now tell you: Expect The Woods to show up on my top records of the year list somewhere.
At first, I was definitely missing the old Sleater-Kinney grooves that had seemingly been replaced by the "sludge" or "drone" or some other rock critic type word that is featured on The Woods. It took me several listens to realize that the grooves are still there, they're just not as obvious before, and that the girls have indeed taken on a more rocking (dare I say "heavyy"?) sound. All you gotta do is listen to the beginning of "The Fox," with the rollicking drums and crunchy guitars, and you know that it's different, yet still so good.
Don't believe me? Listen to this lil live set and judge for yourself.
Quick Little Musical Thoughts Before I Bounce: "Old School Hollywood," by System Of A Down, might be the best commercial rock song to come out this year so far. If I was an executive at American Recordings (and oh, how I wish I was, if only because I'd get to kick it with Rick Rubin and his bison), I'd make this the next single and watch it absolutely blow the doors off radio. I mean, the grooves? The vicoder on the vocals? The awe-inspiring guitar crunch? Everytime I play this song (at obnoxious volume, obviously), my roommates fear that I'm gonna destroy our apartment (and they might be right). Hypnotize will also have a slot on my Year In Review list, that is if Hypnotize doesn't come out and blow it away (as the band swears it will).
And since we're on the topic of commercial rock monsters, I don't quite know how I feel about Out of Exile, the new one from Audioslave. On one hand, you've gotta be docked serious points for writing a song as cheesy as "Be Yourself," but on the other, you can't front on Tom Morello's guitar pyrotechnics. Maybe it's just that I miss Zack and the dynamic that Rage had, but there are definitely times that Chris Cornell just straight up annoys me on this album. I will say, though, that I can't seem to get the guitar solo of "Yesterday to Tomorrow" out of my head. It's not your usual bombastic Tom Morello airraid-siren-wailing-fire-raining-from-the-sky, but maybe that's why it appeals to me, because it's unexpected. It's also just straight up beautiful, and as I said, I just can't dislodge it from my head.
If anything, Out of Exile does alot to move the band away from the "Hey. that's a Rage track, with Chris Cornell singing instead of Zack rapping!" dynamic, and moves them towards a more cohesive sound, a more distinctive Audioslave sound, rather than simply "RATM+Soundgarden= Audioslave" equation, and that's definitely a good thing.
One Last Thing: Wanna hear a "a seminal throwaway B-side" from the Pixies? Of course you do. The best part is indeed Black Francis' moaning "Theme From Narc" throughout the song, as noted by Pher.
Alright kids, I gotta go find a job or something. But I'll be back, haunting your dreams and providing the soundtracks to your nightmares again in no time (I swear to God, no more two week lapses!). Show the kid some love in the comments.
- Kanye West
Your boy back in the building, yes I is!
OK, I know it's been a minute or two since I did this whole blogging thing, but like I warned y'all, life's thrown your boy a few curveballs over the last few weeks, and a few of 'em were of the 10-6, fallin' off a table variety, but I'm hangin' in there, foulin' 'em off, still battling. Basic life recap: This post is coming to you directly from my bedroom in Alexandria, VA. Still don't have a job, but I'm on the grind, hoping for a sprinkle of good look or two in the nearness.
Anywho... since I haven't done this in a minute, I'm just gonna run down a few things, scattershot style, that have been on my mind, and then hopefully we can get back to regular posting (and by regular, I hopefully mean more than one post every two weeks-- you'd think I was deliberately trying to destroy any traffic I have/had!).
-- Phil Jackson returns to the Lakers. Boy, I really wish someone gave me a cool $30 million to smoothe over a "psychological war," which is what Phil got to kiss and make up with Kobe. Nice scratch if you can get it, and I guess if you're gonna drive yourself crazy, $10 mil a year is a good price.
If I were Phil, I woulda thrown my hat into the ring as the Cavs coach. I mean, can you imagine a better player to run the triangle offense through than a still on the come up LeBron? LeBron not only has the same skill set as Kobe, but he actually likes to pass, something on which the triangle is predicated. If you resign Biz Z, you've got your poor mans Shaq, and you go get Michael Redd or Ray Allen, and you're in business. Maybe it's just because I'm a LeBron jock rider, but I've got to figure that nucleus is closer to winning a championship than the current Lakers team is.
Phil's definitely got quite a mission on his hands if he wants to pass Red and win his 10th title. But hey, it coulda been worse-- he could've taken the Knicks job. And, as much as I would've loved to have seen that, you can file that under "Career Suicide." (On a side note: I've seen some mock drafts which have the Knicks taking a PF, usually one from Europe. While I realize that the Knicks need all the help they can get, do we really need another PF? I mean, didn't Isiah trade for every power forward under the sun this year? Can we get a swingman or two, please? I'd pay to see Isiah's face when Nazr Mohammed wins a ring tonight in San Antonio and he realizes that he traded him for Malik Rose, a useful guy but one who would have gotten exactly zero crunch time burn for the Spurs in the playoffs).
--Record Industry Continues To Shoot Itself In The Foot.
What a brillaint idea! Never mind that mixtapes have promoted artists as diverse as 50 Cent and M.I.A. and helped them, ya know, actually sell records-- SHUT IT DOWN! I've talked about mixtapes before, so y'all know how I feel about them. I just can't believe that the record industry has been handed this golden grassroots marketing tool, and yet they feel they've got to shut it down. Just another classic case of the record industry scrambling and making the wrong move. Why am I not surprised in the least?
-- Various Music Ramblings
OK, so I know that it may be somewhat cliche for your humble blogger to mention this, and that every cool blogger is already up on thangz, but I've gotta say: That Dipset Memorial Day Mixtape is straight FIRE! Seriously, I don't know how many times I"ve bumped this the past two weeks, but it is absolutely ridiculous. There's so much niceness, I don't even know where to begin-- Cam'ron's "Get 'Em Daddy," Juelz with Fabolous "So What's It Gon Be," Juelz with Paul Wall "We Don't Give a Fuck," Juelz ripping "Wait (The Whisper Song)" on "See My Clip," new Jim Jones jumpoffs, this thing has everything.
I used to really not like the Dips, but slowly, they're becoming one of my favorite rap crews.
Related: Ok, so I know that alot of people have been jockin' the new Sleater-Kinney record for a minute now. But, as someone who's been down with the SK since Call The Doctor, at first I wasn't feeling The Woods. However, after several listens, I can now tell you: Expect The Woods to show up on my top records of the year list somewhere.
At first, I was definitely missing the old Sleater-Kinney grooves that had seemingly been replaced by the "sludge" or "drone" or some other rock critic type word that is featured on The Woods. It took me several listens to realize that the grooves are still there, they're just not as obvious before, and that the girls have indeed taken on a more rocking (dare I say "heavyy"?) sound. All you gotta do is listen to the beginning of "The Fox," with the rollicking drums and crunchy guitars, and you know that it's different, yet still so good.
Don't believe me? Listen to this lil live set and judge for yourself.
Quick Little Musical Thoughts Before I Bounce: "Old School Hollywood," by System Of A Down, might be the best commercial rock song to come out this year so far. If I was an executive at American Recordings (and oh, how I wish I was, if only because I'd get to kick it with Rick Rubin and his bison), I'd make this the next single and watch it absolutely blow the doors off radio. I mean, the grooves? The vicoder on the vocals? The awe-inspiring guitar crunch? Everytime I play this song (at obnoxious volume, obviously), my roommates fear that I'm gonna destroy our apartment (and they might be right). Hypnotize will also have a slot on my Year In Review list, that is if Hypnotize doesn't come out and blow it away (as the band swears it will).
And since we're on the topic of commercial rock monsters, I don't quite know how I feel about Out of Exile, the new one from Audioslave. On one hand, you've gotta be docked serious points for writing a song as cheesy as "Be Yourself," but on the other, you can't front on Tom Morello's guitar pyrotechnics. Maybe it's just that I miss Zack and the dynamic that Rage had, but there are definitely times that Chris Cornell just straight up annoys me on this album. I will say, though, that I can't seem to get the guitar solo of "Yesterday to Tomorrow" out of my head. It's not your usual bombastic Tom Morello airraid-siren-wailing-fire-raining-from-the-sky, but maybe that's why it appeals to me, because it's unexpected. It's also just straight up beautiful, and as I said, I just can't dislodge it from my head.
If anything, Out of Exile does alot to move the band away from the "Hey. that's a Rage track, with Chris Cornell singing instead of Zack rapping!" dynamic, and moves them towards a more cohesive sound, a more distinctive Audioslave sound, rather than simply "RATM+Soundgarden= Audioslave" equation, and that's definitely a good thing.
One Last Thing: Wanna hear a "a seminal throwaway B-side" from the Pixies? Of course you do. The best part is indeed Black Francis' moaning "Theme From Narc" throughout the song, as noted by Pher.
Alright kids, I gotta go find a job or something. But I'll be back, haunting your dreams and providing the soundtracks to your nightmares again in no time (I swear to God, no more two week lapses!). Show the kid some love in the comments.
posted by Black Charles at 12:59 PM
6 Comments:
Welcome back baby!!
I have waited long and hard to reacquaint myself with your brilliance! the workdays have been longer and the nights darker.
How I have missed you my lone rider...although id like to hear more about how you’re getting along in the Old Dominion State anything will do.
ps. ive been humming Carry Me Back to Old Virginia ever since you left!!
Any song from Mezmerize could be a single, but the world would be a hell of a lot cooler if Old School Hollywood Baseball was a grandslam single. Out of the two Rubin produced joints, Mezmerize is much more concentrated with pure raw goodness than Out of Exile. My favorite song on Out of Exile is "The Curse." The guitar solo reminds me of a highschool marching band at a parade though. Morello seems to be kickin it xylophone style or something there. But I just can't seem to (or ever want to) listen to the whole Audioslave album in one sitting like I want to with Mezmerize. I don't know how System is going to surpass this milestone... perhaps Hypnotize will be louder, longer, harder, and stronger. We can only hope.
It's good to see ya back up and runnin' dog. Peace.
P.S. Alper, have you read "3 Nights in August" or "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning?" I'm in the middle of the former and haven't found the latter yet. I'm interested to know what you think if you've checked 'em out.
Don't Eat the Fish -Doug Mientkiewicz
Ev-
I've read excerpts of "Ladies and Gentlemen" in VIBE magazine, it defintiely sounds interesting. I haven't heard anything about "3 Nights in August," what is it about? I am definitely looking to add "Ladies and Gentleman" to my ginormous pile of books to be read in the near future (subtle hint for anyone looking for apartment warming/moving/you're the coolest motherfucker I know gifts). If you want to do a lil' review of "3 Nights," lemme know and we can do a lil guest post jump off.
3 Nights is an in depth commentary on Tony LaRussa and the 2003 St. Louis Cards through the analysis of on 3 game series b/n the Cards and the Cubs in August (hence 3 Nights in August). I decided to pick it up because I saw that it was a collaboration between LaRussa and Buzz Bissenger, the guy who wrote Friday Night Lights (which was a huge success as a book before it became a pretty decent movie). There's mad drama because of the competition round that time of year, and I'm still young enough to remember the players and the season firsthand. I'll definitely be up for giving it a lil review. Most likely, I can find an internet cafe or something up in New England this week during the sailing trip...
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