- J. Baxter Graf in Wilco - Wilco (The Album) “wilco is rock ‘n’ roll” how horribly insulting and inadequate.
- Ron in Gear: ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox and Future Amps OK, my bad. I’m looking at the Lunchbox Mk II. The Mk I was indeed made from a lunchbox. The newer ones are not, however.
- Ron in Gear: ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox and Future Amps Ummm, y’all? It is NOT made from a lunchbox. Go to www.ztamplifiers.com com and check the specs; it’s framed out of...
Doug: joie
Joie: doug
Doug: JOIE
i am getting chills
straight up chills
Joie: well let me check them out then
Doug: the aussies are at it again, making me dance in my chair like crazy.
it’s like airborne toxic event for the more dance conscious
but his voice is a zillion times better and, at times, like that buckley duder…
jeff buckley
Joie: i have heard of this “buckley duder”
Doug: but it’s ULTRA triumphant stuff
CHILLS!!!!!!
Joie: it’s not like architecture in helsinki, is it?
because i tire of them
Doug: nope
not at all
there’s a huge new wave element in this Read more »
I don’t know if it’s a coincedence or not that Eminem and Busta Rhymes both released an album during the same week but there are definitely similarities between the two.
Both are veterans of the the late 90’s/early 2000’s hip hop scene getting a bit long in the tooth who have been on lengthy hiatuses from making albums. Both have larger than life, cartoon-like personas. Both have had their share of drama and bridge burning.
But in my book, Busta and his super fast flow has always been the superior rapper though Eminem (obviously) has gotten way more commercial and critical success.
Unfortunately, Busta’s eighth album “Back On My B.S.” won’t do much to change people’s minds. There are a few strong tracks here, but most of it is full of well, B.S.
The opening track “Wheel of Fortune” begins with a faux opera that shows that Busta is bringing more of his lighthearted brand of party rap, but from then on, every track that finds him back to his full-on old school tongue-twisting ways (”Don’t Believe ‘Em”) or ranting about tabloid gossip in an amusing way (”If You Don’t Know”), there’s a song like “Hustler’s Anthem ‘09” which features T-Pain in all of his now annoying Auto-Tune glory. Even worse is “Arab Money” a terrible song made worse by its racist overtones.
As is the trend with too many hip-hop albums, this one is overstuffed with guest stars – Mike Epps, Mary J. Blige, Common, Pharrell, Akon – you name it. Not to say it’s all bad, Lil Wayne and Jadakiss spice up “Respect My Conglomerate” - even if the lyrics make no sense at all. But after awhile it doesn’t even feel like a Busta Rhymes album, it might make more sense to call it - “Busta Rhymes Presents: Superstars of Rap.”
It’s too bad Busta is underutilized here and has chosen so many poor tracks because he’s destined to stay relatively low on the hip-hop radar compared to Slim Shady.
Wilco is not a rock ‘n roll band - Wilco is rock ’n roll. Aside from the fact that none of their members have died (that’s true, right?), they’ve pretty much covered the archetypal gamut: personal crises, line-up changes and drama (thanks, Jay). But that sounds like a Spinal Tap review, and would belie the fact that Wilco’s music is also ecumenical of the rock ‘n roll sound, or at least its roots.
That also goes for the new album Wilco (The Album), which sounds more ‘Wilco’ than anything Tweedy and Co. have done yet. And it’s their best album, no fooling. It may lack the steel guitars of AM, but it’s country roots are deep. It doesn’t rock anywhere as hard as, say, ‘I’m a Wheel’, but its strength is in its richness, not tempo or volume. Still, the ‘Wherewolves of London’-ish opener ‘Wilco (The Song)’ is a self-aware love letter to the fans with the chunk-chunk that will make it a pillar of upcoming live shows. Of course, always the impressionist, Tweedy’s uncomplicated, but surprising insights have seldom been better served than they are on ‘One Wing’. And ‘I Don’t Care’ sounds like an outtake from All Things Must Pass without ripping it off, much to the degree that Scorsese making reference to The Great Train Robbery hardly makes him guilty of plagiarism. Suffice it to say, George Harrison is still lying perfectly still in his grave.
But all this is just me babbling about the very cogent fact that this album is a classic. It’s that kind of record: you’ll hear it and want to grab the first Wilco fan you can find and talk about it over a beer or six. Circumlocutory or not, let it suffice to say, without further evidence, that you should buy this album when it formally comes up for sale, or if not buy it then just send Jeff Tweedy lots of money and nice things in the mail.
See, this is Tweedy in total control of his writing and singing gifts, and the band as masters of their respective fields. Of course, they know that they’re the best rock ‘n roll band right now, but they don’t waste time rubbing it is. Mostly. The Feist-Tweedy duet ‘You And I’ makes a too-cute joke about a couple’s words being m-mis-misconstrued, but it’s okay - it’s kinda funny. Of course, the album name and opening song title could only come from the Best Band in the Land, so okay if they want to lampoon themselves for being fuckin’ rock stars and idols. And they have the chops to avoid didacticism and self-parody… best be wearing your best shitkickers if you’re going to kick some shit, after all.
But this could go on for days… someone buy me a drink and let’s talk about the disc, save some paper here.
Chicago band “I Fight Dragons” proves that having a gimmick isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s easy to be initially skeptical considering the band uses the old school Nintendo video game system’s low-fi MIDI sounds to provide some of its music and they use old NES accessories like the Power Pad and the Power Glove during live shows, but this is anything but nerd-core with lame comic-book lyrics.
A listen to their new EP “Cool is Just a Number” reveals that IFD has a power-pop sensibility that recalls Weezer before they started sucking, and a bit of the electronic sounds of Postal Service mixed in. If you don’t believe me, check out this great video for their song “Money.” It’s got cool references to Super Mario Brothers, Pac-Man and Pole Position and the chorus has stuck in my head for the past three days.
I’d totally recommend checking out “Cool is Just a Number,” which is available for free on their website (when you sign-up for their newsletter). They’re also performing at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue, in Chicago on May 22nd at 7 p.m.
so i am kind of over big outdoor festivals, guys. yeah, i went to the first couple of lollapaloozas when it was still a traveling festival and caught some amazing live acts (like the beastie boys and jane’s addiction the first time around), but apparently now i’m old or something. i prefer to see bands in small dark bars where i can hear them clearly and oh, WATCH them play their instruments, as opposed to being hot and so far back in a mass of other sweaty people that i can’t even see the bands’ facial expressions, let alone hear the music for shit.
that being said, i am all about the pitchfork festival held here in chicago every summer - it’s easy to manage, easy to see who you want without having to print out a damn map and hike a mile to get there (cough*lollapalooza*cough), and, as much as i like to scoff at pitchfork for being pretentious, at least the people who attend their festival every year tend to be true music fans and thus less annoying than the crowd who shuffles in to see the dave matthews band at bonnaroo or something. come on, you know exactly what i mean.
anyway, i’m a little late to the party, but here’s the line-up for the 2009 pitchfork festival. let me just inform you that the last 4 bands on saturday evening are 4 of my very favourites. the pains of being pure at heart, yeasayer, beirut and the national? in order? on a beautiful chicago summer evening? um, YES PLEASE! so you know where i’ll be july 18th of this year. i might even have to break down and go sunday too, since the flaming lips are doing an all-request set, including random covers. how awesome is that?
