Go! Team (!)

So, the new Go! Team apparently comes out nowish. I've been listening to it for awhile and it's more of the same as the first album, though showing some obvious changes as a result of becoming a touring band instead of Ian Parton + a recroder in his bedroom. But yeah, fast paced songs that sound like action tv show theme songs? Check. Songs that somehow sound like that + being a ballad? Check. Song with rapping by Chuck D? Check!

So, yeah you should probably check it out. Here's the video for the first single:

Hey also, a remix of paper planes

Which has a great verse by Bun B (and a not bad one by Rich Boy)

http://www.mediafire.com/?9t2legyfswn

I mean, the beat/chorus on this song is what's great anyway (and if you haven't heard it, you really need to...definitely one of the standout songs on Kala), so putting some better verses in between them seems like a pretty obvious improvement without sacrificing much.

Bat For Lashes - Whats a Girl To Do

Hey, it's got an awesome/creepy video (kind of like a music video version of Donnie Darko [complete with people in animal masks on bikes doing synced jumps] but in a good way), awesome/creepy sounding vocals (spoken on the verses, no less), and that always great drum beat from "Be My Baby"...Check it out (and I really want to get the rest of this album)

Been out for awhile (2006 apparently), but I haven't really been hearing about it, so check it out:

Jens Lekman

This song's been around for awhile, but it's also the single of Jens's new album coming out in a couple weeks. If you haven't heard it, you need to (i also need to figure out a way to upload tracks so I don't always have to use youtube)

Dragonette

Sydney sent me this song (she found it on a Kitsune comp) and it's super catchy



From wikipedia:

Martina's [the lead singer] father is Greg Sorbara, Ontario's Liberal Finance Minister. Of his daughter's current musical project he has said "I'm still deeply in love with her work as a solo artist. Her Dragonette stuff is driven a little bit by the market. It's part of the raciness of current pop culture. My own view is, it's just a phase. She's a really solid, rooted young woman and she's in a business that has phases to it. There was a time back in her early singing career when she was performing on guitars she had handcrafted herself. She made them from scratch. And she was performing in clothes she had sewn herself. She's got an enormous amount of creative energy. Sometimes it scares me because she's so talented"

Canada is weird.

She's also apparently married to some dude in the band.

Kanye is an asshole: an essay in videos

Last year at the MTV European VMA's, Kanye last best video to Justice

Here's how he reacted:



I'd like to particularly point out the "I've never seen your video"

This year, Kanye lost again, this time at the American VMA's and to Rhianna. However, Justice was also up again. Check out their video:


Here's how Kanye reacted to his loss this time:


And, here is the video for Kanye's new single:

Electrelane

Couple months old but whatever, seems like people I know haven't been listening to it.

No Shouts, No Calls is awesome. You probably need to listen to it. I'll admit I'm not familiar with their previous three albums, but I'm given to understand this one has some pretty significant differences. This one is pretty much indie-pop-rock. Most tracks are four member, guitar, bass, drums, vocals rock. They're fun.

They're also just plain interesting to listen to. I can't remember the last time I just wanted to listen to an album over and over to catch every instrumental line, every lyric. The guitars are just a joy to listen to, cutting in and out, moving around each other. On most songs the drums just provide this consistent driving force that keeps things moving. The vocals are warbling and haunting, striking this emotional chord, which I haven't found myself saying about an album in awhile (Okkervil River excepted).

Stand out tracks:

After the Call - (Unfortunately, the only link I can find for this one is only half the song, and it has some idiot with his dog or something....whatever, the song's awesome) Starts of slow as can be, nothing but mournful vocals, subdued guitar, and rhythmic drums. Then about a minute in, the drums pick up and the guitar goes crazy. Probably my favorite track on the album.

Saturday - Great piano line holds the whole thing together

Cut and Run - Most atypical song on the album. Ukulele strumming throughout and much more typical pop song structure with super plainly sung, earnest lyrics.

What's the deal with Kanye?

And why does it seem like everyone except me is so excited about Graduation?

For the past 7 years, Kanye has been one of the most distinctive and consistently enjoyable producers in rap today, possibly my favorite in fact. The tracks that he's produced on other rapper's albums have been some of my favorites on those albums (obviously "Izzo H.O.V.A." and "Takeover" are fantastic, though I also love both tracks he did on Cam'ron's Purple Haze ("Get Down" and "Dipset Forever")). And, yeah, both of his albums today have been at least good.

On the other hand, everything he's released recently has been shit. Have you listened to this stuff? His most recent mixtape, Can't Tell Me Nothing (which is supposed to build hype for Graduation) features some of the just plain worst rap songs I've heard this year, particularly considering that this is not some kind of bootleg release. First to receive attention off this mixtape was his remix to "Throw Some D's" which changed the subject material to breast implants. I guess kind of funny in concept but fucking painful to listen to in execution. Ditto for the idea to sample PB&J for "Young Folks." Why would he go for such a daring sample choice only to make such a painful song out of it?

Next we've had the first two singles off Graduation, Can't Tell Me Nothing and Stronger. The first suffers from boring production, but has mediocre (even by Kanye Standards) rapping. The second has a theoretically interesting choice in sample, but some of the worst rapping I have ever heard come out of Kanye's mouth. Here is a link to the lyrics. Find a clever line. Just one? YOU WON'T BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY.

O and the rest of that mixtape? Not particularly interesting. A bunch of tracks my second and third string rappers, a couple Kanye freestyles (he's not a great lyricist to begin with...what is he doing freestyling?), a couple decent Kanye beats, one Common song (non-exclusive) that's ok but boring, and one song (one song!) that I actually think is pretty good ("Us Placers" which samples Thom Yorke and has good verses by Lupe and Pharrell (?!), though Kanye's is only ok). Basically it's pretty forgettable, regardless of what Stylus might have you believe.

So, I'm just left scratching my head wondering why people are so excited about this album and why it's in a position to challenge 50 for album sales, a challenge which Kanye says he wants. (Though I was reading a report earlier that Graduation, convenient, "isn't done yet"). Anyone have any answers?

Maybe I'll be wrong and the album tracks on this album will be great, but I really doubt it.

UGK

Ok, here's something easier to write about: you need to listen to UGK's new album. Pimp C and Bun B are simply very talented at what they do, which is deliver well written raps about dealing drugs, having cars, having sex with women, and repping the South.

Based on this album I'd say they're probably the third best southern rappers around today in terms of lyricism and delivery (behind lil wayne and outkast and arbitrarily excluding clipse). Also, they've been around since the late 80's and are somehow still this talented/relevant. I've thought long and hard about this and can't name a single other rapper who comes even close to this amount of longevity and continued talent (closest I can think is Nas, i guess, but I've never been the biggest Nas fan).

The best moment on the whole album might be the first two verses on International Player's Anthem. The first is Andre's guest verse which manages to be both charming and lyrical clever, delivered with his slow talk-rap delivery, referencing both UFO's, chiropractors, and Gladys Knight over a soul sample and horns. "Keep your heart". Then that beat kicks in. And Pimp C statess " My bitch a choosey lover, never fuck without a rubber" following it with boasts about his cars, drugs, and so on. If it weren't delivered with such a fucking great flow it might be an awkward transition, but he pulls it off. It's just an absolute joy just to hear.

And it continues to be on song after song. And Bun B is obviously no slouch either.

Anyway, check it out, particularly International Player's Anthem, Game Belongs to Me, Quit Hatin' the South, and Cocaine (which gives a history lesson in that substance as well as featuring another favorite of mine Rick Ross).

A History of Violence

So, I finally got to watch this movie, which, like a lot of movies, I've been meaning to see forever.

I guess I should probably try not to spoil things when I write about movies.

Anyway, the basic plot of the movie is guy has a family. Mob types start harassing his family because they at least say that he's some sort of mob type. People shoot things.

What was so distinctive about this movie was just the way that it was structured. Even though it was only 1.5 hours long, it somehow managed to build and resolve conflict at least 3 times over the course of the movie, with each of these conflicts having it's own feel.

Anyway, movie better executed than this post!

Am I a blogger yet?

and do i get to join the "blogosphere"?

Anyway, hey, this is mags and I have lots of free time, so, on Sydney's suggestion I started a blog. I think I'm going to actually try and post things on it in a non-livejournal-y way. I'd say what I'm going to write about, but it'll probably be mostly things that just pop into my head (but the interesting things! promise!).

Anyway, right now I'm thinking what would be a good idea is to write about music I listen to, movies I see, comics I read, maybe books I read (though I always think that people will find the books I read boring. On the other hand, when I tell people about them they at least seem interested, so maybe I will?).

Anyway, yeah! I'm going to make another post before I go to bed, cause there's stuff to talk about! Maybe someone will even read it?