In no particular order, my favourite rap songs
Two Words - KanYe West ft. Mos Def and Freeway
Back when Kanye was at his best, not resorting to telling us how rich he is on every track.
Shook Ones Part II - Mobb Deep
Get Down - Nas
Oldie - OFWGKTA
All of Odd Future turns up on this track, and they all give their best. Lasts 10 minutes so it was bound to be my favourite song of theirs.
A Day At The Races - Jurassic 5 ft. Big Daddy Kane
Moment of Truth - Gangstarr
Mathematics - Mos Def
One Day At a Time - 2Pac ft. Eminem and Outlawz
Regulate - Warren G
He Got Game - Public Enemy
Great sample of "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield for the soundtrack of the film of the same name. Nice to see the video with a young Ray Allen
Friday 27 July 2012
Friday 20 July 2012
Bottom 10 songs - '12 (Part 2)
4. Dance Again - Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
Now if you read my last Bottom 10, these two were up at the top with that dreadful song "On the Floor", and it should've been custodial sentences all around, the programmers of the world work on a way to corrupt every digital version and all CDs and records buried in a deep hole and then laws passed to stop it ever happening again. The main problem I find with "Dance Again" is it commits the same crimes again. Notably, a spectacularly lacklustre chorus which just shoots holes in the idea that this is anything but contrived bunk to be released along witha greatest hits album. That's probably why Pitbull is wheeled in to talk nonsense for a minute, because they couldn't be bothered to have some creativity and use that time on J-Lo so she could try to fo somewhere with the song, or maybe it shows the lack of faith in her ability to carry as on on her own. What's worse is everything Pitbull says is just sounds ridiculous, it's perhaps as bad a guest appearance as you'll ever hear.
3. Princess of China - Rihanna ft. Coldplay...wait, what?
See what I did there? Rihanna ft. Coldplay, because it sounds more like a Rihanna song than a Coldplay song, by the video you get that impression aswell, and by listening to Mylo Xyloto you definitely get that impression. It's not that it doesn't fit on the album, but Chris Martin wrote this specifically with Rihanna in mind, and it's totally unnecessary, they've never needed to feature anyone on an album before and it ends up bringing down its tone; especially considering that in the story of the concept, this is where the main characters split up. Sure it transitions well musically as you'd expect from Coldplay, but the vocals are bland, they could've sung together for more than a few lines if they had to bring in Rihanna. Also they should've known better than to have at least a minute of generic la-laing and woah-ohing. After being really excited for Mylo Xyloto after "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" and the release of "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", I feel like a parent saying: I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed
2. International Love - Pitbull ft. Chris Brown
At first, I thought this was a Chris Brown song, turns out it's a Pitbull song that Chris Brown has to carry the dead weight. In fact is there any Pitbull song where he carries his own weight, it seems to be a resounding "no" when you look at his latest album and see EVERY song has a featured artist, it has "Give Me Everything" which I also thought was just a track he featured on. Moving on swiftly, what does the corny sounding phrase "international love" even mean? I doubt it means anything seeing as Pitbull raps (without any flow, as you'd expect) about being with different girls from different places and Chris Brown is singing about loving the someone wherever they are in the world, working the male and female markets there at once don't you think? Given the rapping in Spanish that comes out of nowhere Pitbull should have to go and make some reggaeton as a form of penance until he feels contrite enough never to do his stupid smirk again.
1. Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO
LMFAO, yes you could see this coming, after narrowly missing out last time with their vacuous garbage "Party Rock Anthem", they've exceeded themselves with an even more preposterous cut. What I think makes me slightly more apoplectic is that such a bawdy song is still a success. It's clear that LMFAO don't take themselves too seriously, which wouldn't be a problem except everyone else seems to. This is yet another song which falls apart in striking fashion when danced to and sung by the sort of slappers I mentioned in part 1. They still sing lackadaisically, they still depend on being backed up by some catchy dance music underneath and people being stupid enough to dig their puerile lyrics. And then there's the "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle", which epitomises LMFAO in one word as the sophomoric, substance lacking chumps that they are. I sentence them to make some interesting soul music seeing as they're only descended from Berry Gordy, the FOUNDER of Motown Records. And to explain what in blue hell "Party Rock" actually means.
Now if you read my last Bottom 10, these two were up at the top with that dreadful song "On the Floor", and it should've been custodial sentences all around, the programmers of the world work on a way to corrupt every digital version and all CDs and records buried in a deep hole and then laws passed to stop it ever happening again. The main problem I find with "Dance Again" is it commits the same crimes again. Notably, a spectacularly lacklustre chorus which just shoots holes in the idea that this is anything but contrived bunk to be released along witha greatest hits album. That's probably why Pitbull is wheeled in to talk nonsense for a minute, because they couldn't be bothered to have some creativity and use that time on J-Lo so she could try to fo somewhere with the song, or maybe it shows the lack of faith in her ability to carry as on on her own. What's worse is everything Pitbull says is just sounds ridiculous, it's perhaps as bad a guest appearance as you'll ever hear.
3. Princess of China - Rihanna ft. Coldplay...wait, what?
See what I did there? Rihanna ft. Coldplay, because it sounds more like a Rihanna song than a Coldplay song, by the video you get that impression aswell, and by listening to Mylo Xyloto you definitely get that impression. It's not that it doesn't fit on the album, but Chris Martin wrote this specifically with Rihanna in mind, and it's totally unnecessary, they've never needed to feature anyone on an album before and it ends up bringing down its tone; especially considering that in the story of the concept, this is where the main characters split up. Sure it transitions well musically as you'd expect from Coldplay, but the vocals are bland, they could've sung together for more than a few lines if they had to bring in Rihanna. Also they should've known better than to have at least a minute of generic la-laing and woah-ohing. After being really excited for Mylo Xyloto after "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" and the release of "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", I feel like a parent saying: I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed
2. International Love - Pitbull ft. Chris Brown
At first, I thought this was a Chris Brown song, turns out it's a Pitbull song that Chris Brown has to carry the dead weight. In fact is there any Pitbull song where he carries his own weight, it seems to be a resounding "no" when you look at his latest album and see EVERY song has a featured artist, it has "Give Me Everything" which I also thought was just a track he featured on. Moving on swiftly, what does the corny sounding phrase "international love" even mean? I doubt it means anything seeing as Pitbull raps (without any flow, as you'd expect) about being with different girls from different places and Chris Brown is singing about loving the someone wherever they are in the world, working the male and female markets there at once don't you think? Given the rapping in Spanish that comes out of nowhere Pitbull should have to go and make some reggaeton as a form of penance until he feels contrite enough never to do his stupid smirk again.
1. Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO
LMFAO, yes you could see this coming, after narrowly missing out last time with their vacuous garbage "Party Rock Anthem", they've exceeded themselves with an even more preposterous cut. What I think makes me slightly more apoplectic is that such a bawdy song is still a success. It's clear that LMFAO don't take themselves too seriously, which wouldn't be a problem except everyone else seems to. This is yet another song which falls apart in striking fashion when danced to and sung by the sort of slappers I mentioned in part 1. They still sing lackadaisically, they still depend on being backed up by some catchy dance music underneath and people being stupid enough to dig their puerile lyrics. And then there's the "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle", which epitomises LMFAO in one word as the sophomoric, substance lacking chumps that they are. I sentence them to make some interesting soul music seeing as they're only descended from Berry Gordy, the FOUNDER of Motown Records. And to explain what in blue hell "Party Rock" actually means.
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Bottom 10 songs - '12 (Part 1)
10. Down - 311
Sounds like a poor ripoff of Limp Bizkit, and yet this came years before Limp Bizkit were even popular. Says it all really, and no-one remembers them now; it's a surprise I've even heard of them not to mention they have a greatest hits album, who knew desultory rap rock could get you that far.
9. Mama Do the Hump - Rizzle Kicks
Rizzle Kicks just cannot write songs whatsoever, the chorus is devoid of any imagination, the backing track is completely tedious. Does anyone remember a really cringeworthy song that knocked around a few years back with two chavs talking to each other about dodgy girls called "Skets"? That's all I can hear when Rizzle Kicks rap, oh dear.
8. We Are Young - Fun
This song gives me a fairly good impression of what it'd be like to be dead, I don't understand how a song with nothing happening in it could be as pervasive as "We are Young". Moreover the chorus couldn't be more of a cliché coming from an indie band we've never heard of before: "We are young", "I can set the world on fire, we can burn brighter" screams of the naive, vague optimism that comes from a band that has high hopes but doesn't really know why, and will hopefully be never heard of again given this perfunctory effort. Just think, anyone heard Owl City recently?
7. Boyfriend - Justin Bieber
So, as has been said before Justin Bieber has hit puberty and now he has to rap to get by. Despite what you might think I had no problem with Bieber up to this point in his career because his music is not aimed at me, and I know that; it's aimed at teenage girls, so like Miley Cyrus or Rebecca Black, I don't dislike, I just don't care. But now he's 18, and that period of his career is fast running dry. Rapping about fondue and using the word "swag" relentlessly to the point you whisper "swaggie" makes not for passable songwriting, and with very little going on in the background you can't be so insipid on the vocals. What really makes me begin to feel cross is that he's demonstrated he can rap quite well actually. Don't believe me? Exhibit A
6. Wifey - Big Ang ft. Siobhan
Aside from having the most contrived chorus I think I've ever heard; just hearing the words "I wanna be your wifey for lifey" is enough to condemn this song. But it's not just that makes me feel uncomfortable, it's the fact that we have a woman singing about bringing her man coffee just the way he likes it and wanting to cook and clean. It sounds hideously backdated and makes me slightly splenetic because it plays to the kind of small-minded churl who still thinks sandwich and kitchen jokes are funny.
5. Dirty Talk - Wynter Gordon
And now to go way across to the other side of the spectrum of appealing to salacious momes by just hurling all subtlety out of the window in prompt fashion. I'm not even going to go into how bad the chorus sounds, or how bad the verse sounds, what's so egregious about this track is just how seedy it is; and I don't think you can understand how shockingly seedy I find it until you've seen numerous women; the kind that wear too much fake tan, live on council estates and have a proclivity to wind up on the Jeremy Kyle Show; sing this song in ropey bars and clubs. It's just sleazy to the highest degree to make a song listing all kinds of sexual terms and situations and your affinity for them, and what's worse it marks you out as either a total tart or as someone willing to degrade themselves to make a contrived song that appeals to the lowest common denominator. I'm not sure which is less attractive.
I'll be back soon to complete this list...
Sounds like a poor ripoff of Limp Bizkit, and yet this came years before Limp Bizkit were even popular. Says it all really, and no-one remembers them now; it's a surprise I've even heard of them not to mention they have a greatest hits album, who knew desultory rap rock could get you that far.
9. Mama Do the Hump - Rizzle Kicks
Rizzle Kicks just cannot write songs whatsoever, the chorus is devoid of any imagination, the backing track is completely tedious. Does anyone remember a really cringeworthy song that knocked around a few years back with two chavs talking to each other about dodgy girls called "Skets"? That's all I can hear when Rizzle Kicks rap, oh dear.
8. We Are Young - Fun
This song gives me a fairly good impression of what it'd be like to be dead, I don't understand how a song with nothing happening in it could be as pervasive as "We are Young". Moreover the chorus couldn't be more of a cliché coming from an indie band we've never heard of before: "We are young", "I can set the world on fire, we can burn brighter" screams of the naive, vague optimism that comes from a band that has high hopes but doesn't really know why, and will hopefully be never heard of again given this perfunctory effort. Just think, anyone heard Owl City recently?
7. Boyfriend - Justin Bieber
So, as has been said before Justin Bieber has hit puberty and now he has to rap to get by. Despite what you might think I had no problem with Bieber up to this point in his career because his music is not aimed at me, and I know that; it's aimed at teenage girls, so like Miley Cyrus or Rebecca Black, I don't dislike, I just don't care. But now he's 18, and that period of his career is fast running dry. Rapping about fondue and using the word "swag" relentlessly to the point you whisper "swaggie" makes not for passable songwriting, and with very little going on in the background you can't be so insipid on the vocals. What really makes me begin to feel cross is that he's demonstrated he can rap quite well actually. Don't believe me? Exhibit A
6. Wifey - Big Ang ft. Siobhan
Aside from having the most contrived chorus I think I've ever heard; just hearing the words "I wanna be your wifey for lifey" is enough to condemn this song. But it's not just that makes me feel uncomfortable, it's the fact that we have a woman singing about bringing her man coffee just the way he likes it and wanting to cook and clean. It sounds hideously backdated and makes me slightly splenetic because it plays to the kind of small-minded churl who still thinks sandwich and kitchen jokes are funny.
5. Dirty Talk - Wynter Gordon
And now to go way across to the other side of the spectrum of appealing to salacious momes by just hurling all subtlety out of the window in prompt fashion. I'm not even going to go into how bad the chorus sounds, or how bad the verse sounds, what's so egregious about this track is just how seedy it is; and I don't think you can understand how shockingly seedy I find it until you've seen numerous women; the kind that wear too much fake tan, live on council estates and have a proclivity to wind up on the Jeremy Kyle Show; sing this song in ropey bars and clubs. It's just sleazy to the highest degree to make a song listing all kinds of sexual terms and situations and your affinity for them, and what's worse it marks you out as either a total tart or as someone willing to degrade themselves to make a contrived song that appeals to the lowest common denominator. I'm not sure which is less attractive.
I'll be back soon to complete this list...
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Reviewing albums I got recently
Strangeland - Keane
First up is Keane's new LP, and it's...a Keane LP, nothing more, nothing less. Nothing to write home about in all honesty, except that overall this is way more upbeat than any of their previous albums. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad, what's frustrating is there's no real progress or innovation like there was from Perfect Symmetry or Night Train. It's pleasant, nonetheless there isn't too much that leaps out as being a great song, or makes you want to listen to the album again. The song I've chosen from it is "On The Road" which is the most distinct, a fun, quick number that best exemplifies the positive tone of the album as a whole.
Dummy - Portishead
Next is an album I had been wanting for a bit of a while, not unlike Strangeland it was what I expected from a full album of Portishead, however the highlights are much clearer. As a whole it stands together brilliantly as a 45 minute listen, like trip-hop's forerunner Blue Lines; it has hip-hop, dub and soul influence but sounds much more eerie, having a strange, desolate yet somehow comfortable feel. The stand out tracks are "It's a Fire", "Roads", "Biscuit" and the most famous song from the album "Glory Box". "It's a Fire" is a simple yet effective song, just using organ, bass, drums and vocals.
Graceland - Paul Simon
And now on to Graceland. This is a completely enjoyable listen, it has superb variety, an abundance of catchy riffs and intriguing, quirky lyrics. Along with the terrific songwriting you get from Paul Simon, there's a lot to be said for the huge African influence, showcasing Ladysmith Black Mambazo in "Homeless" and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes". Classic cuts such as "The Boy in the Bubble", "You Can Call Me Al" and the title track also feature. "I Know What I Know" is a good illustration of the South African influence alongside Simon's songwriting and catchy composition.
Morning Parade - Morning Parade
Morning Parade's self-titled debut album came out back in March and is a album that shows the quality and talent of the band, it's a real shame it hasn't been too well publicised. Granted, if you've been a Morning Parade fan for a while it will probably sound a little generic, as if not it's pushing the boundaries as much as it could. On the contrary, there's quite a bit of heart in it, particularly in the final two tracks: "Speechless" and "Born Alone". Moreover a lot of the album tracks sound like Indie music ought to sound at the moment, upbeat and well done, but not for the hell of it. "Under the Stars" stands head and shoulders above the rest of this LP and has been around much longer than it aswell, the perfect showcase of how good this band could be.
Neck Of The Woods - Silversun Pickups
After the first listen of Neck of the Woods, I was near enough ready to pencil this in as album of the year. It definitely feels like SSPU have tied together what they've excelled at all in one album, somehow combining the seemingly incongruous intensity of songs like "Panic Switch" with the laid back feel of songs like "Little Lovers So Polite" alongside brilliant instrumental work such as in "Waste It On". What's overwhelming is the consistency aswell, of 11 tracks, only 2 go as low as being average, at any rate they still fit in with the progression of the album. The conspicuous pace and flow of "Skin Graph", the buildup and breakthrough of "Simmer", the tension of "The Pit" and the punchy vocals of "Make Believe" are but a few highlights of this masterpiece, yes I would go that far! I leave you with what could be my favourite track, but then again I really struggle to decide, anyway here's the impactful ear-catching "Mean Spirits"
Watch this space because there's a few more posts in the pipeline, including another edition of songs I hate and my favourite instrumentals.
First up is Keane's new LP, and it's...a Keane LP, nothing more, nothing less. Nothing to write home about in all honesty, except that overall this is way more upbeat than any of their previous albums. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad, what's frustrating is there's no real progress or innovation like there was from Perfect Symmetry or Night Train. It's pleasant, nonetheless there isn't too much that leaps out as being a great song, or makes you want to listen to the album again. The song I've chosen from it is "On The Road" which is the most distinct, a fun, quick number that best exemplifies the positive tone of the album as a whole.
Dummy - Portishead
Next is an album I had been wanting for a bit of a while, not unlike Strangeland it was what I expected from a full album of Portishead, however the highlights are much clearer. As a whole it stands together brilliantly as a 45 minute listen, like trip-hop's forerunner Blue Lines; it has hip-hop, dub and soul influence but sounds much more eerie, having a strange, desolate yet somehow comfortable feel. The stand out tracks are "It's a Fire", "Roads", "Biscuit" and the most famous song from the album "Glory Box". "It's a Fire" is a simple yet effective song, just using organ, bass, drums and vocals.
Graceland - Paul Simon
And now on to Graceland. This is a completely enjoyable listen, it has superb variety, an abundance of catchy riffs and intriguing, quirky lyrics. Along with the terrific songwriting you get from Paul Simon, there's a lot to be said for the huge African influence, showcasing Ladysmith Black Mambazo in "Homeless" and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes". Classic cuts such as "The Boy in the Bubble", "You Can Call Me Al" and the title track also feature. "I Know What I Know" is a good illustration of the South African influence alongside Simon's songwriting and catchy composition.
Morning Parade - Morning Parade
Morning Parade's self-titled debut album came out back in March and is a album that shows the quality and talent of the band, it's a real shame it hasn't been too well publicised. Granted, if you've been a Morning Parade fan for a while it will probably sound a little generic, as if not it's pushing the boundaries as much as it could. On the contrary, there's quite a bit of heart in it, particularly in the final two tracks: "Speechless" and "Born Alone". Moreover a lot of the album tracks sound like Indie music ought to sound at the moment, upbeat and well done, but not for the hell of it. "Under the Stars" stands head and shoulders above the rest of this LP and has been around much longer than it aswell, the perfect showcase of how good this band could be.
Neck Of The Woods - Silversun Pickups
After the first listen of Neck of the Woods, I was near enough ready to pencil this in as album of the year. It definitely feels like SSPU have tied together what they've excelled at all in one album, somehow combining the seemingly incongruous intensity of songs like "Panic Switch" with the laid back feel of songs like "Little Lovers So Polite" alongside brilliant instrumental work such as in "Waste It On". What's overwhelming is the consistency aswell, of 11 tracks, only 2 go as low as being average, at any rate they still fit in with the progression of the album. The conspicuous pace and flow of "Skin Graph", the buildup and breakthrough of "Simmer", the tension of "The Pit" and the punchy vocals of "Make Believe" are but a few highlights of this masterpiece, yes I would go that far! I leave you with what could be my favourite track, but then again I really struggle to decide, anyway here's the impactful ear-catching "Mean Spirits"
Watch this space because there's a few more posts in the pipeline, including another edition of songs I hate and my favourite instrumentals.
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