one lonely beastie I be...
I've heard Fiona Apple's name more times than I can count, but still I had no idea what to expect from this. I suppose I don't tend to listen to "singer-songwriter" music much... Her voice is very impressive, though. If nothing else, I'll remember that. And the lyrics are fun, with all their 'scorned-lover' sass.
Also, the bass on Criminal is very good. Actually, I like a lot of the bass lines here. But I've never heard of any of the credited bassists...
I've noticed previously that my ears have an incredibly difficult time latching on to songs consisting of only a lead instrument and vocals. Some of the tracks on this album, like Never Is A Promise, make that effect very obvious. Certainly they're awfully pretty in the moment, but then the song closes and I've already forgotten every second of it. Give me a rhythm section, please. (...Yes, I recognize that this is a personal failing of mine.)
Ah, and Carrion has this very cool jazzy, or perhaps bossa-nova vibe... I think if there'd been more of that prior, this album might have truly struck a chord. Great closer, still.
Not a taste-changer, but I did have a good time with it. Favorite tracks: Sleep To Dream, Criminal, Carrion.
This may come as a surprise to some, but there was a period of my life where my musical diet was almost exclusively composed of hip-hop. Mostly West Coast, 90s artists, such as N.W.A. and 2pac, though plenty from the East, too.
During that time, I never really listened to De La Soul. A friend linked me their later album, "De La Soul is Dead", and I put it on and only remember it washing over me without leaving a trace. I was a fan of other Native Tongues members, Black Sheep and A Tribe Called Quest, but for whatever reason, De La didn't quite land for me at the time.
I think I have some idea of why now — even among that circle, they have a very 'laid back' sound, and their delivery is often austere and straightforward. My ears tend to want for something punchy to latch onto, like a very lush and active beat, or a particularly striking voice or rapping style, or lyrics either transgressive or simply angry enough as to be hard to ignore... and I do find myself having to maintain an active focus to stay engaged here, at times.
Actually, listening to the final track, the original version of Plug Tunin', I find it much tighter than anything else on the record, and extremely catchy. It feels a lot more 'classic', like something from five years before this album came out, or perhaps even older... Maybe this is something of an 'unhappy middle' for my tastes.
But... it's impossible to deny the smoothness of the flow here, the quality of the production... it's really a very fun album. If a bit long.
I think that Posdnuos is my oshi.
Favorite tracks: Ghetto Thang, Eye Know, Tread Water, Plug Tunin' (Original 12" Version)
Now this... this is more my speed.
The real star of the show here, for me, are the Bomb Squad's beats. The drums are so aggressive and punchy, the samples so discordant and haphazard, yet so unbelievably catchy...
This all is not to diminish Chuck and Flav, however. Chuck's voice is so commanding and attention-grabbing, and his rhymes really hook into one's ears. And Flav is just fun. I wish that I had a Flava Flav of my own, hyping me up...
I will say though - as fun to listen to as it is, as a full album, this does blend together a little. Their sound, great though it may be, doesn't change as much as my attention would like across the 60-minute runtime... sadly, I can't give this the coveted five stars, especially when "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" exists and has many more memorable cuts.
Favorite tracks: Burn Hollywood Burn, Revolutionary Generation, Fight The Power
When I hear "the Temptations," I think of their classic ballad My Girl, specifically as a didactic example of the major pentatonic scale in use. That's about all I knew about them until now. I hadn't the faintest idea that they'd kept going into the 70s and had a progressive soul/funk phase. Actually, they never broke up! They're still playing to this day, though only one original member is still alive.
I'm realizing, lately, that the 'repetitiveness' of progressive music is something of a backdoor to my normally... let's say dopamine-starved approach to musical appreciation. Hammering on a single idea for several minutes, even if it's relatively slow and contemplative, seems to make it much more likely to land for me. So I enjoyed this album. Admittedly, it being only a half hour long is probably biasing me in its favor.
Also, the basslines on this are really good. But that's Motown for you, isn't it? Apparently, James Jamerson himself played on this record, but no one knows which songs he was on.
Favorite tracks: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, Do Your Thing
Yes, I think I will be giving this album five stars. It feels silly to imagine doing anything else as I (re-)listen to it.
The guitar work across this whole record is simply sublime. Hasn't aged a day, sound-wise. The first two songs are a ridiculous one-two punch, but it doesn't let up after that. Even the slower tracks are hard for me (me!) to tune out.
I'm not sure that I have much else to say. It is simply that good.
Favorite tracks: So Young, Animal Nitrate, Sleeping Pills, Metal Mickey
