King Krule: King Krule EP - Album Review

King Krule
King Krule EP
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

The voice of 17 year old Archy Marshall, once known as Zoo Kid and now King Krule, is in direct contrast to his skinny frame and age, coming out of his mouth in a low growl, all world-weary and ragged, recalling the work of fellow troubadour Billy Bragg. Earlier this year, he blew me away with his single "Out Getting Ribs," which sounded like nothing else on the radio. Taking minimal instrumentation, a coiled, reverb heavy guitar, and overlaying it with his smoky vocals, he immediate became someone to watch. Despite the name change, the basic framework for his songs is still essentially the same, subtly adding touches of keyboards, bass, and 808 drum programming. There is a ramshackle nature to these songs, as if they were recorded on the fly, capturing all the mistakes, crackles and hisses. For someone so young, the lyrics are sadly bleak and uncompromising, showing the effects of social unrest and the economic downturn in the UK.

"Bleak Bake" shuffles over a dub beat and spikes of violins, he wonders why he even gets up in the morning, “Wouldn’t wake up this morning, believe me / This might be your only warning, and you’ll see.”



The most fully formed song on the EP, "The Noose of Jah City," has Marshall crooning over a simple backbeat and chiming guitars, imagining his own death as it were: "My body found, but my soul was left to drown/ Suffocated in concrete."



"Portrait In Black And Blue" begins with the classic line "Spastic gyrations in abbreviated bathing suits," and becomes a jazzy tour de force for Marshall.



At 13 minutes, the King Krule EP is enough to get you interested in a full-length, but just short of being fully satisfying. Two of the tracks, "36N63" and "Lead Existence" come off merely as sketches, which easily could have been removed from the EP or at least worked into something more substantial. I suppose they were included on this release in order to give more heft to the single "The Noose of Jah City," however, instead of highlighting the single, it obscures it. Marshall is very young though, and this release though not the opening salvo I was hoping for, is a bright indication that greater things are going to come from him.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Other Lives: Tamer Animals - Album Review

Other Lives
Tamer Animals
Rating: Grrrr

Channeling Ennio Morricone through a Radiohead filter, Oklahoma five-piece Other Lives creates futuristic dust bowl Americana, whose epic sweep is surprisingly intimate and emotional. Utilizing mostly traditional instrumentation, with the members shuffling between guitars, percussion, horns, and strings, Other Lives' sophomore album Tamer Animals is immediately familiar but also sounding not exactly of its time and place. Gone is the overly fussy production of their debut album, and in its stead, a more strategic focus. Not that Other Lives have gone minimal by any stretch of the imagination, the songs are stuffed with lush instrumentation and haunting harmonies.

Tracks like "For 12" marry galloping acoustic guitars with mourning strings straight out of Radiohead's "How To Disappear Completely." Leader Jesse Tabish's voice haunting and strange, singing of the search and quest for what could be family or the meaning of life, traveling so long that "... it feels like forever,
When your mind turns to fiction."



There is a cinematic feel to the tracks on the album, with lots of nice builds and sweeping drama. "Dust Bowl III" evokes its title well; you can almost see a barren landscape with dust and tumbleweeds blowing past.



The minor moments are also quite sublime. "Weather" is an atmospheric track with a particularly affecting vocal from Tabish. His voice aching with longing and resignation. The music moving from traditional sounds into a mid-song break filled with buzzing, ominous keyboards, segueing to a gorgeous bridge of ghostly harmonies.



Tamer Animals is best though when it ratchets up the sweep and drama. "As I Lay My Head Down" slides along a vaguely Spanish/flamenco beat, with haunting voices and strings rising and falling through the mix.



Title track "Tamer Animals" borrows from the majestic hurricane of artists like Florence + The Machine, all aching, lop-sided piano rolls, and booming percussion.



The album is not perfect; there are moments that don't seem to gel as perfectly as they should. "Old Statutes" suffers from a fussy arrangement, and is one of the few tracks where the harmonies come across dated. Closing instrumental "Heading East" feels out of place in the flow of the record, and would perhaps have better utilized as an intro or a bridge between the two halves of the record. "Desert," while suitably dreamy and cinematic, never seems to transcend its merely pleasant production.

Tamer Animals is a record that will haunt you for days. Snippets of melodies come rushing through my head, leaving a ache for more. There is a boldness to this record; the band knowing when to raise the drama, or settle back into mood and atmosphere.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Kelly Clarkson: Stronger - Album Review

Kelly Clarkson
Stronger
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Back on track after her left-turn album My December, which was actually not as far away from her signature style as her label led people to believe, Clarkson returns to what made her a star in the first place, an album chock full of big chorused, anthemic songs, touching on rock, pop, adult contemporary, and country. While this sounds like a recipe for music chart schizophrenia, the album is grounded by Clarkson's still lovely voice. And of course, it helps that Clarkson co-wrote 5 of the tracks, giving it a more personal slant than a pop star like Britney Spears or Rihanna. When Clarkson clicks with her co-writers, or picks the right song and collaborators, the music she creates is gold. It is only when the material is inferior that not even her large voice can make up for it.

For the first time in awhile, Clarkson's producers don't try to overwhelm her with fussy backing, letting her voice do the work. Clarkson shows her chops on the gorgeous mid-tempo ballad "Honestly," which has her knocking the chorus out of the park.



The fuzzy "Let Me Down" has Clarkson coming up against booming drums and power pop guitars, and winning handily.



Clarkson leans a little too heavily on "Since U Been Gone" style tracks, but even their familiarity seems more homey than lazy. "Stronger" is a girl power anthem, which Clarkson of course can sell in her sleep.



"I Forgive You" changes things up a little bit, blasting a Cars-like buzz of squalling keyboards and guitars.



Of course, this trajectory can also get her into trouble. "Einstein" is another kiss off track that lyrically is just silly.



The rest of the album is a nice mix of uptempo tracks like catchy first single "Mr. Know It All,"



slow-building "Dark Side," which again has a killer chorus,



and guitar rave-up "You Can't Win."



The album only falters when the material is not up to the challenge of Clarkson's voice. Too many standard Top 40 ballads and treacly pop fluff almost threaten to sink the ship. Not even Clarkson can overcome the saccharine "Breaking Your Own Heart," the end credits love theme like "Standing In Front of You," or the limp power pop of "You Love Me."

Sonically, Stronger is virtually a carbon-copy of her last release, All I Ever Wanted, and as such, lacks an individual voice, however, there are still enough catchy songs here for that quibble to be overlooked. Stronger is a slow builder, gradually increasing in strength, and shows that when Clarkson is at the top of her game, no one can belt out a killer chorus like her. For fans of great pop music, Stronger is a winner.

Rating Scale:Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

The Weeknd - The Knowing (Official Video) from xoxxxoooxo on Vimeo.

"The Knowing" is my favorite track on the The Weeknd's debut mixtape House of Balloons. Now, it finally gets an official video that gets the 4 star treatment. A futuristic battle of the sexes that is amazingly shot and produced.

Put Me To Sleep from Porcelain Raft on Vimeo.

Claustrophobic and hallucinogenic video from synth/dream pop act Porcelain Raft.

Gonjasufi - Demonchild from Hydroshare.tv on Vimeo.

Bizarre animated video from beat music artist Gonjasufi.



Amazing live performance from Bjork. She is now headlining Lollapalooza in Chile the weekend before Coachella so the rumors she is headlining are getting more and more credible. It has been well over 15 years since I have seen her live, so my excitement level is really getting high.



The music does nothing for me, but the video is just crazy, cute.



Hypnotic video from Brooklyn band Caveman.

Kate Bush: 50 Words For Snow - Album Review

Kate Bush
50 Words For Snow
Rating: Grrrr

Eccentric British art-rock goddess Kate Bush is never predictable, releasing music at her own pace and not following any trends. You are not going to hear any hip-hop rhythms or dubstep breaks in her tracks. 50 Words For Snow is only her second release of new material in over 17 years, and is a particularly odd concept album about snow. Each of the tracks touch in some form on snow, winter, and how human beings and nature interact with one another. It is a languorous album, with only 7 tracks, the shortest of which is just under 7 minutes, while the longest clocks in at almost a quarter of an hour. Bush is in no hurry to get to her destination, allowing the songs to breathe and choose their own path. Most of the tracks are composed of merely piano, and delicate backing instrumentation, and of course, Bush's dramatic voice. Only someone like Bush could create music this loopy and strange and make it come out haunting and moving, rather than silly and out of touch.

The album begins without even Bush singing. Her son takes over the reigns at the beginning, using a voice that is surprisingly Bush-like. "Snowflake" is ostensibly a track about a snowflake falling to earth, however, in Bush's capable hands, it transcends any literal interpretation. Bush's one line throughout the track "The world is so loud/Keep falling/I'll find you" transforms the song into a meditation on dreams.



"Lake Tahoe" moves into Scott Walker Drift territory, providing an almost operatic tale of a watery spirit who appears at the edge of the lake in winter searching for her dog. The song continues the albums themes of searching and longing. The almost 12 minute run time borrows from jazz, classical, opera, allowing the listener to be enveloped in the wintry mix of icy pianos and muted percussion.

Lake Tahoe (50 Words For Snow) Kate Bush by niekvdh

Probably the most accessible track on 50 Words For Snow, is album centerpiece "Wild Man," which adds the first noticeable beat and pop song structure. Well, the most structure a song about a yeti can be. Bush identifying with the monster: "I can hear your cry/Echoing 'round the mountainside/
You sound lonely."

Kate Bush - Wild Man by antirecords

Only Kate Bush could write a song about a seduction and sexual encounter with a snowman and have it become a metaphor for the temporal nature of all relationships. "Misty" is one of the many standout tracks on the album; the ghostly piano and minimal strings providing the perfect canvas for Bush's expressive voice, that only seems to get more substantive with age. But Bush is not afraid to allow others to take over the spotlight or collaborate with her equally. On the stunning "Snowed In At Wheeler Street," Bush is shockingly joined by Elton John, who provides one of his most genuinely beautiful vocal performances. Reigning in his usual over-emoting, John adds gravitas to the haunting tale of time and star crossed lovers who are always on the cusp of meeting, but are doomed to be apart.



The only real misstep on the album is the title track "50 Words For Snow," which is literally what the song is about. Using Stephen Fry reciting made up terms for snow, it wastes one of the more interesting musical directions on the record, a deep-seated Middle-Eastern groove, by not transcending the literal trappings of the song.

Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow by DJ Dan Buskirk

At this point in her career, Bush doesn't really have to prove anything to anyone, and can essentially record an album of the sound of grass growing and it would probably be a success. I respect that she takes her art seriously and does whatever she wants. Like Bjork, her most influential and groundbreaking days are likely behind her, but that doesn't prevent her from pushing her aesthetic in new directions. 50 Words For Snow is a most welcome return for Kate Bush, and we can only hope there is not such a long hiatus between this and her next release.

Rating Scale:
Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.
Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.
Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.
Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.
Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.
Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.
Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Rihanna: Talk That Talk - Album Review

Rihanna
Talk That Talk
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

It's interesting to find out that Rihanna has surpassed Madonna for most Top Ten singles in the shortest amount of time. When you compare Rihanna to other pop stars, she is curiously difficult to pinpoint. Unlike Madonna, she is not really known for changing her persona and musical style to make or comply with trends; unlike Whitney Houston, Xtina, and Mariah Carey, Rihanna doesn't have the powerhouse vocals; which means she falls more towards stars like Britney and Janet Jackson, who have passable voices but seem to know what the pulse of Top 40 radio is like. So far into her short career, Rihanna has barely made a misstep, always releasing a track that comes a part of the collective conscious. With her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk, nothing really has changed for Rihanna. It is a diverse collection of mostly upbeat dance tunes that technically has little to no originality in its collective bones, however, there is just something about Rihanna that always lifts what could be tiresome banality in lesser hands into pop gold.

First single "We Found Love" is a perfect example. It is standard house music fare, using pretty much boilerplate beats and synth chords, but there is such a lovely longing and resignation in Rihanna's voice when she sings "We found love in a hopeless place."



She gives just the right amount edge to the driving dance track "Where Have You Been" which plays like the psychotic cousin to Robyn's "Dancing On My Own," with Rihanna's desperation increasing over the course of the song.



Thankfully, Talk That Talk is a return to the more grounded Rihanna, and has little of the dark undercurrent found in her last two post-Chris Brown albums. That is not to say that Rihanna has given up her darker/kinkier side. She still flirts with a more ribald side. Bangladesh-produced track "Cockiness (Love It)" is a 3 minute come-on, imploring her prey to "suck my cockiness/lick my persuasion."



"Birthday Cake" is barely 80 seconds of high-octane seduction.



While "Watch N' Learn" basically provides Rihanna's blueprint for an evening of pleasure.



There are a few generic tracks that slow down the fun that Talk That Talk provides. The slightly country-esque "We All Want Love" sounds one note and bland, while "Farewell" leans far too heavily on a booming drum track to try and disguise the fact that the song is Diane Warren-lite. And lead track "You Da One," aside from a late in the game dubstep breakdown, is a strange attempt to remind fans of Rihanna's Caribbean roots.

Talk That Talk is more fun when Rihanna's producers put things together that shouldn't work. The xx sampling "Drunk On Love" takes what could be a fairly typical pop ballad and adds just the right amount of edge, working when on paper it should fail miserably. When Romy and Oliver's vocals enter the background it is pure pop perfection.



"Roc Me Out" adds a darker palette of synths that perfectly compliment Rihanna's delivery:



The title track with Jay Z is basically the two old friends having a laugh, Jay Z spitting out some of the silliest lines of his life, but is so laid back and fun, it coasts by on attitude alone.



Talk That Talk is just a strange pop album. Its disparate elements shouldn't work well together, but somehow, through sheer force of talent and will, it coalesces into a truly good record. Rihanna hasn't sounded so loose and free in a couple of years, and it is nice to see her moving past her problems and enjoying performing, which comes across loud and clear on this album.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Tycho: Dive - Album Review

Tycho
Dive
Rating: Grrrr

Scott Hanson, aka Tycho, is an electronic producer whose obvious touchstones are Boards of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss, and shoegaze artists like Slowdive. His third album Dive is a downtempo gem, full of lush synths, clean beats, and hauntingly atmospheric guitars. Dive is akin to recent releases from M83, Active Child, Neon Indian, and Washed Out, taking the influences of Chillwave and morphing them into some fresh and new. While there is not a lot of dense complexity in these tracks, Hanson keeps the mix perfectly aligned, never stuffing the tracks with extraneous elements, nor making them too minimal. Each track is about the glistening synths and driving rhythm, with no room for dubstep aggression, or IDM moodiness. Dive is the aural equivalent to a blanket on a cool fall evening.

Tracks like "Daydream" start deceptively on a note of pleasantly plucked acoustic guitars and synth tones. Gradually increasing in strength, adding driving bass and crisp beats which slowly morph into almost drum and bass like patterns, never stepping too hard over the line. The way the track drops out and returns is masterful, never allowing the listener to known precisely where the track is headed.



The all-build "Hours" moves along its four-to-the-floor beat picking up several strands of synth tones and guitar textures, knowing when to add more or drop them out. Hanson says just as much with the silences as he does when his melodies.



Hanson's tracks seem very readable at first. The first few bars of title-track "Dive" begin with a simple drum pattern and keyboard melody, adding with it the only time on the record a voice is heard. Over the next 8 minutes, however, the track changes like the tides, flowing in and rushing out, becoming more and more insistent.



"A Walk" moves from drifting ambiance to a fierce, rolling beat and deep bassline with washes of synths crashing overhead.



"Adrift" lives up to its name, losing the listener in a vast sea of clattering percussion and waves upon waves of lush synthesizers.



Things take a funkier turn on the all too short, stuttering "Epigram," losing itself in crisp beats and undulating bass.



"Elegy" tips over the scale slightly to more Windham Hill ambient territory and truly is the only misstep on the album.



Dive is an elegantly produced record that grows and grows upon each new listen. The songs have the quality of being timeless and classic, but don't feel dated in anyway. It is easy to lose yourself in these gorgeous tracks while the passing of time seems to stop. Hanson has simply created one of the best sounding electronic albums of the year.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Brrrrrr. Here are the videos of the week that are keeping me warm against the winter chill:



New video from The Big Pink. Not sure I like this more poppy sound they are going for, but it is a pretty good song.



MGMT's gorgeous cover of the Bauhaus track "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" gets an equally gorgeous animated video.



One of the best tracks off the debut album from WU LYF gets an interestingly suspenseful video.



Video from King Krule, the 17 year old singer-songwriter wunderkind from the UK. He is one to watch.



Hyesterically anachronistic video from the German industrial band. Directed by Jonas Ackerland.



One of the more beat heavy tracks on the new Drake cd.



Bizarre video from Los Campesinos!



Sounds like a dance act from the heyday of Factory records.

Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica - Album Review

Oneohtrix Point Never
Replica
Rating: Woof Daddy

What do you want from music? Do you want something to work out to, or something to fit into the background as just comfort noise? Do you want to be challenged, or do you want something predictable? With me, generally, I want something I haven't heard before, something that makes me want to go back again and again; though that's not to say just a simple, great melody won't pull me in. What I like about electronic artist Daniel Lopatin is that he is so restless, he has several different names he creates under, so that he has a persona for each style of music he is into. Whether it is 80s pop that he performs first under Games and then as Ford & Lopatin, or synth drone music under his main name, Oneohtrix Point Never. And none of his side projects are merely throwaways, each is performed expertly and with the same amount of enthusiasm. His work as Oneohtrix Point Never is by far the more challenging and experimental side of his personality. Replica is his fifth album under the name, and like his previous album Returnal, is slowly making the sounds more accessible. Moving away from pure drone soundscapes, touches of melody and sheer overwhelming beauty wash over these tracks. There is still that edge to them though, like they could break and fall apart at any moment. This tension is what makes this record so endlessly fascinating. Where on Returnal, Lopatin sometimes used harsh textures to pull you out of the reverie, they often came at the wrong points, which tended to break the tension and harmed the flow of the record. Here, these textures are incorporated within the tracks and the constant buzzing and white noise aspects maintains a better pace.

Replica has a lovely, analogue warmness that permeates the entire experience, as if a long lost Boards of Canada/AIR drone album had surfaced. But don't be put off by the word "drone," as this album transcends that genre more often than not. Using more samples and found sounds, Replica has a lived-in, antique feel that sounds like something you have heard in the corners of your mind your entire life, or recalling memories of film soundtracks from childhood you just can't place. On this record, I am partial to the glacial soundscapes he continually surprises with. "Submersible" and "Power of Persuasion" both echo towering, futuristic cityscapes from Bladerunner. "Power of Persuasion" practically aches with longing.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

"Remember" is a series of low, buzzing synth drones that slowly build and release under brief passages of noise and static.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

And by far the highlight of the album is the title track. "Replica" takes Lopatin's most simple piano melody and counterpoints it with blasts of analog synths. This dichotomy between the beautiful and harsh is elegantly rendered.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

And final track, "Explain," is a gorgeous homage to some of Eno's most wondrous ambient works; featuring lovely choruses of angelic synths.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

But what sets Replica apart from most drone albums, is the playfulness and whimsy within. A whole series of tracks are built upon seemingly disparate samples that shouldn't work together, but somehow find a way to transcend their gangliness. "Sleep Dealer" has clipped vocal samples from what sounds like an Electric Company sketch, breathing exercises, and lots of background drones and chirps.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

"Nassau" also creates a bouncy charm with sliced and diced syllables and found noises, evoking a street scene in a tropical location.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

"Up" is a brilliant combination of chugging rhythms, goofy vocal samples, and swirling electronics.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

But this all just the teaser for the most accomplished track, "Child Soldier," which takes the experimentalism to a new level, making it overtly political. Merging clattering percussion, militant vocal samples, children's sing-songs, and haunting, aching drones of synth strings, the track bursts with anger and beauty, evoking a child's point of view changing from starry eyed, to cynical and resigned.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

Replica is a challenging album, but not frustratingly so. Lopatin infuses these tracks with so many interesting nooks and crannies, it take multiple listens to hear everything that is going on within each track, and I am still finding new melodies and new sounds. I'm not going to say this is a record for everyone, I mean, it is a drone album, but for those with more adventurous tastes, Replica is one of the best albums of the year and well worth the investment.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Non-Sequiturs

Scott Caan, shirtless. Enough said.

Nothing wrong with two hot men standing around shirtless in kilts.

I want to rehabilitate him.

Such a beautiful explanation.

Such a hunky man.

Reminds me of a Tarkovsky set.

What the F was she thinking?

What the F was she thinking?

I wish I had more time to read.

If I wasn't able to listen to music at work, I would go insane.

I think I am only going to listen to Balearic pop all Winter.

I was fortunate to see Phantogram live on Sunday with my friend Dan. Aside from the ridiculously late start time, and one of the world's worst opening acts (Reptar - think Vampire Weekend meets Phish), it turned out to be one of the best live shows I have seen in awhile. Great light show, and played practically the perfect set list. Word to the wise though, don't buy tickets for will call for a show that is the same night as a major hip-hop show at the same venue.

Why do people post pictures of themselves kissing themselves in a mirror?

Apparently the motion sensing hall lights on our newly renovated office floor are extra sensitive, they keep going on and off like strobe lights around here.

I am not complaining about my job, I am very happy to have one, and for the most part my job is very enjoyable. However, I have to say that the planning for the floor renovation was not very thoughtful. While the associates and partners have the same layouts basically, they have made the staff attorneys, paralegals, and secretaries have more "open" layouts which for some reason is to provide us with more "light" but instead make us all work in a less private environment. It is a little frustrating.

Why are all the song lyrics websites preventing people from copying the lyrics now?

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"I'm not your nervous feeling
Each time we say goodnight
You picture buildings burning to the ground
From the basement in the street light

I'm not your drinking problem
A hole is in the sky
It's not your heart that you've you been thinking of
Just the feeling like you're going to die."

Phantogram
"Don't Move"

"Suck my cockiness
Lick my persuasion
Eat my words
And then swallow your pride down, down"

Rihanna
"Cockiness (Love It)"

"Revolving doors what have I done
Someone on the TV attempting love
Revolving doors what will I become
A redneck song

Paid up for a seven
But he only got an eight now, now
I feel that I'm paused by all the pills
I see no wrong, yeah

On a foggy day
Revolving doors in London to a foggy day in Boston
Revolving doors in London to a foggy day in Boston
I sit in a diner
And the Beatles play."

Gorillaz
"Revolving Doors"

"Shine a light through an open door,
Love and life I will divide.
Turn away 'cause I need you more,
Feel the heartbeat in my mind.

It's the way I'm feeling I just can't deny,
But I've gotta let it go.

We found love in a hopeless place"

Rihanna
"We Found Love"

"All of a sudden,
We find the cupboard's bare.
All of a sudden,
We find heaven's not there.
All of a sudden,
We find the sun's gone cold.
All of a sudden
We find we're more than old.
All of a sudden,
We find that we've lost love,
So please don't push or shove because,
It's too late,
It's too late,
In all your hurry you've accidentally locked the gate"

XTC
"All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)"

Appealing Things

Phantogram live
Rihanna sampling The xx and it actually working
Original flavor Doritos
Not having any plans for Thanksgiving
Knowing so many other amazing music geeks
Korallreven
Thisisnthappiness.com
Mexican food two nights this week

Annoying Things

Making really stupid decisions
Reptar
Whoo girls at concerts
Christmas music at Starbucks two weeks before Thanksgiving
Having to sit out from the gym for a second week because of a pulled deltoid

Drake: Take Care - Album Review

Drake
Take Care
Rating: Grrrr

Canadian rapper/singer Drake has said that he was upset with how his debut Thank Me Later came out, wishing it were more polished and deliberated over. Based on the high quality of that album, Drake must be an unforgiving perfectionist. His tracks are thoughtful, unlike most high-profile rappers, relentlessly pursuing new, fresh sounds, willing to skirt the fence between pop music and more experimental textures. And his verses and rhymes, while boastful at times, are also surprisingly self-depreciating and sincere. Take Care, the follow up, continues that trend, finding Drake still dealing with becoming successful, rich, and famous, enjoying the trappings of success, but wanting more. Drake is still utilizing producer Noah "40" Shebib, but finds room to use friends The Weeknd and Jamie xx for other tracks. While there are plenty of pounding, dancefloor beats on Take Care, the majority of the album is muted and minimal, focusing on mood and nuance.

The first track leaked from the album, "Marvin's Room" is a perfect example. Recorded in Marvin Gaye's Hollywood studio where he dissected his divorce from wife Anna Gordy, veering from regret, pain, bile, sadness, and spite. Drake similarly dissects a past relationship, turning to the ultimate drunk-dial fantasy, imploring his ex to "fuck that ni**a that you love so bad/I know you still think about the times we had/I say fuck that ni**a that you think you found/And since you picked up I know he's not around." But knowing he has lost her for good, his refrain of "I'm just saying you can do better/tell me have you heard that lately" becomes lonelier and lonelier as the track progresses.



Drake sings more than raps on Take Care, and while his range is fairly limited, his voice is silky and smooth and imbibes the songs with the right amount of sadness and pathos. The standout track "Doing It Wrong" has Drake lamenting the loss of a girl, but knowing he has to get away from her if he will ever heal, singing "so cry if you need/I can't stay to watch you/it would be the wrong thing to do." Drake enlists Stevie Wonder to end the track with a hauntingly sad harmonica solo.



"Shot For Me" lays Drake's velvet voice over skittering mid-tempo beats, telling off the woman who left him for another man.

Shot For Me - Drake by worldhiphopfirst

The most interesting tracks are those where he goes outside of the mainstream. His collaboration with Jamie xx and Rihanna on the title track is particularly successful. Jamie xx takes a sample from his own collaboration with the late Gil Scott-Heron and adds it to a light, moombahaton beat and dark, house piano chords.



And on "Crew Love" he takes a cue from The Weeknd, creating a track full of the paranoia and darkness associated with the Toronto R&B collective.



Drake is still game for his style of boasting, but looking at it from a distance, both loving it, appreciative of it, but curious as to why it is happening to him. A series of tracks shows Drake's increased confidence in his rap style. "Headlines" is a buzzy rap/sung track dissing the people who don't believe in him.



"Underground Kings" chronicles Drake's rise to the top, laying a lowkey flow to busy programmed beats and twinkling guitars.



"We'll Be Fine" is a hard hitting lament that fame is fleeting and Drake is going to enjoy it while he can.

Drake - We'll Be Fine by pashaivanov

"HYFR (Hell Ya Fuckin' Right)" has Drake dizzily rushing through the opening verses showing his improved flow.



Some of Drake's other collaborations are somewhat predictable, but don't suffer because of it. I love the bouncy, rapid-fire flow of "Make Me Proud" with a typically hyper-freaky rap from Nicki Minaj:



"The Real Her" is a gorgeous ballad, with stuttering beats and treated pianos, featuring lovely guest verses from Lil' Wayne and Andre 3000.

Drake Ft. Lil Wayne - The Real Her by LitoStarr

Take Care shows Drake with improved confidence in his rapping/singing, and being more focused with his music ideas. At 16 songs and 80 minutes, there is a bit of bloat to the record. The first half is such perfection that the back half has to suffer from it. Aside from that small issue, Take Care is one of the best records of the year, and for those looking for rap and R&B with something more substantial to it, this is the record to buy.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Phantogram: Nightlife - Album Review

Phantogram
Nightlife EP
Rating: Grrrr

After touring relentlessly for the past two years in support of their debut album Eyelid Movies, New York duo Phantogram (Sarah Bartel on vocals/keyboards and Josh Carter on vocals/guitars) have returned with the 6 track EP Nightlife. There is no drastic change to their trip-hop inspired electro-pop, which they have deemed "street beat, psych pop." Street beat is sort of an apropos name to describe their sound, as it easily could be a soundtrack to late night taxi rides in Manhattan; gritty, over-saturated, world-weary. While the sound has not changed much, what has changed is the focus and breadth of the tracks. No longer does it just feel like the work of two people. There are so many details lurking within these tracks, that are revealed slowly over multiple listens.

The sound drops out continuously on "Turning Into Stone," which then erupts back into pure moments of cinematic bliss. The keyboards and drums engaging each other to almost overtake the sardonic vocal of Carter. The songs here are not typical verse/chorus verse; changing things constantly, going where the track begs to be taken.



"Don't Move" is a true highlight of the EP, beginning with an amazing mix of clipped vocal and horn samples, buzzing synths, and dense programming, cutting out sharply to let Bartel's angelic vocals hit front and center, building the sounds back into the strong force it is. The track is a breathtaking display of taking a ton of elements and mixing them perfectly, never overwhelming the listener; knowing when to just drop everything out and let silence work.



Not every track is full of competing sounds, "16 Years" is classic Phantogram, skyscraping melodies and beautiful vocals, Carter's guitar buzzing in and out of the whirl of synths and drum machines.



Air raid sirens punctuate the throbbing, pulsating "A Dark Tunnel" which is the one track that shows a more brutal side to the band. Carter half screaming/shouting the lyrics, discordant percussion and synth stabs, until Bartel plays good cop to Carter's bad, adding her gorgeous vocals as a calming effect, before the noise hits the roof again. The track shows a definite Suicide influence, but marries it well within the Phantogram aesthetic.



"Nightlife" is a nice change of pace from the production onslaught. Lovely acoustic guitars provide the bed for Bartel's sweet, world weary sounding voice, slowly adding sparkling synths and glitchy drum programming and swirling horns.



"Make a Fist" is the only slight disappointment of the record, holding a little too closely to the Phantogram of Eyelid Movies, and sounding like a B-side that didn't make the original cut. But this EP shows that Phantogram are willing to improve on their sound and take small chances that in this case, work extremely well. They were able to focus on their strengths and put out a fabulous teaser for the second album, which now goes on the list for most anticipated sophomore album.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Moving on up....to the east side....to a deluxe apartment in the sky.....; well, not really, just moving my office back to the 22nd floor. Here are the videos that are taking me there:



Completely goofy, effects laden video from Friendly Fires.



Spacey, folky band that is going to be opening for Radiohead on their upcoming tour.



Fun, tongue in cheek video for the new Duran Duran single.



First video from the upcoming new album from The Roots.



One of the best tracks on the new Real Estate album, and the video has a bunch of adorable dogs!

Class Actress: Rapprocher - Album Review

Class Actress
Rapprocher
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Channeling equal parts early 80s Madonna, Nu Shooz, and Depeche Mode, Elizabeth Harper, aka Class Actress, brings her breathy, sultry vocals to a crowded market of synth pop purveyors but somehow stands out. She, along with fellow bandmate, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Mark Richardson, melt together slightly clunky, funky synths and percussion with hooky choruses and memorable melodies. The focus of course is always on Harper's voice which slinks and slides in and out of the verses like an animal on the hunt. The production work is stellar, Richardson never overshadowing Harper's voice, but not merely providing incidental music. It is a truly spectacular mix of music and voice.

The album contains a bevy of radio-ready singles that, in a perfect world, would be striking the top of the charts. "Weekend" bops along on a bouncy synth bass, and whispered synth lines, Harper's silky voice taking a huge bite out of the chorus.



"All The Saints" sounds like a long lost side project from a Prince protege; however, being more subtly sexual than his norm.



"Bienvenue" adds some grinding bass and sparkly synths to the mix, providing one of the most upbeat, driving tracks on the record.



"Love Me Like You Used To" is a lovely, midtempo number that erupts into a gorgeous chorus.



The album hits its stride though with the darker, more edgy tracks. "Need To Know" is sensual and dark, Harper's coy voice bouncing on a bed of intertwined synths.



"Missed" has icy synth stabs punctuate and add drama to the haunting track.



The album has a couple of missteps, but nothing that is a major problem. "Let Me In" seeks to end the album on a dramatic moment, with languid pacing and glacial synths, but ends up being a little more torpid. "Limousine" takes the 80s sound a little too close to the retro feel, and "Prove Me Wrong" suffers from a chorus and melody that just don't propel the song along. Aside from this, Rapprocher is a wonderful debut for this duo, and shows that their sound is fairly elastic, not pigeon-holing them into any one style. I can see them going darker or even poppier, and both sounds would work for them.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Gauntlet Hair: Gauntlet Hair - Album Review

Gauntlet Hair
Gauntlet Hair
Rating: Woof Daddy

Denver, Colorado art-punks Andy R. and Craig Nice are all about fractured noise. Their debut album takes heavily reverbed everything (vocals, guitars, drums, keyboards), and throws it all together, watching the various elements smash into each other, creating odd textures and sensations. Someone asked me to succinctly describe their sound and it was practically impossible. You hear snippets of Vini Reilly's pointillist guitar technique, Animal Collective's lurching, sonic experimentation, Sleigh Bell's cavernous beats, and all of the shoegaze bag of tricks. There are not a lot of stylistic changes over the course of the record; indeed, the nine tracks are all basically variations on a theme, which can be the album's curse and saving grace. Strangely, you can basically enter the album at any point and get the same impression from it. You will either fall in love with its spell, or be put off by the somewhat murky recording techniques. I have been entranced with this record from the moment I heard it. It is a record to get lost in.

The record veers wildly between guitar raveups and more textured slow numbers. The record bursts out of the gates immediately with five tracks full of roaring guitars and deep beats. Craig Nice uses a variety of acoustic and electronic drums/programming, giving the record and very alterna-Timbaland sound, and Andy R. ricochets between a tornado of guitar effects and more ambient washes of sound. "Keep Time" starts things off with yelping vocals, blisteringly loud guitars, and tinny drum machines, erupting into an unholy noise.



"Top Bunk" has a similar structure, but there is a lovely part where the noise drops out to the sounds of treated piano, and it is just so damn gorgeous.



In fact, my favorite moments on the record are the quieter moments. "Lights Out" is a wonderful, mid-tempo track with skittering percussion under an Andy Summers' like guitar pattern. "Showing" has some lovely, almost Caribbean rhythms, and a beautifully inscrutable vocal. The washes of guitar and the echoed voices are just like heaven.



"Shout In Tongues" uses more muted drum programming, keeping in time with the Animal Collective-evoking chanted lyrics.

Shout In Tongues (Mile Marker) by StealThisTrack

Of course, the majority of tracks are loud, abrasive and noisy; and catchy as hell. "Mop It Up" sounds like a cross between Sleigh Bells and the post-punk guitar effects of Chameleons UK.



"My Christ" burrows into a squalling shoegaze groove.



"Overkill" is practically an overkill of pummelling drum machines and nails on chalkboard guitar, and somehow, the band is able to keep it all reigned in.



Gauntlet Hair is not going to be racing up the Top 40 Charts anytime soon (though their first single was used in an ESPN special before); it is too arty, fractured and dense for such things. There is just something about this record I can't get out of my system. There are times when it just gets to be too much, but then I find myself just having to listen to it. I haven't had a record do that since the new Wild Beasts album. It is an adventurous and challenging debut album and hopefully is the beginning of a fascinating career.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Joker: The Vision - Album Review

Joker
The Vision
Rating: Jeez Lady

I seriously don't have a problem with an artist I like becoming popular, or moving to a more "pop" sound. As long as the music is good, I could care less. My problem comes from an artist forsaking everything that made them great in the first place, and making music that they think people want to hear, rather than making music from their heart. Over the past few years, Joker (aka Liam McLean) has released a handful of singles ("Digidesign," "Snake Eater," "Tron") that have pushed the boundaries of dubstep and bass music. There was an outcry from a lot of purists when he signed to 4AD that he would sellout, but the release of first single "The Vision (Let Me Breathe)" implied that these complaints were going to be baseless (no pun intended). The single was a slow building jam of 8 bit squonk and low-end bass that showcased the diva vocals of Jesse Ware.



Had Joker stuck with these instincts, he would have perhaps had one of the top albums of the year. Instead, The Vision is one of the most schizophrenic albums I've heard in awhile. For every banging track, he follows with a limp top of the charts pop fiasco. He lacks trust in himself, and made the album apparently by committee, as if there were notes to put a pop track here, put old track here to not upset the old fans, put this track here which should bridge the two. There is no real "vision" here, only a mishmash/hodgepodge of styles meant to appeal to the broadest spectrum of listeners, and ends up alienating them all.

Not that there aren't tracks to recommend. The aforementioned track with Jesse Ware is brilliant. "Slaughter House (ft. Silas)" is a slinky, dubstep track that has an impassioned vocal from Silas; but has the ironic result of being a track that compares the world of pop music to that of packaged meat, which is what most of the album is.



"My Trance Girl" is classic Joker, with ping-pong like synths and crisp programming underlying the deep basslines.



"The Milky Way" is a slippery grime/dubstep track, with sparkling synths, and a memorable melody.



And of course, the old single "Tron" would be a standout on any record. Its inclusion, however, is puzzling considering none of his other previous tracks are included.



But the rest of the album falters under too many no-name vocal collaborations that are more retro feeling than forward thinking. And quite frankly, several of the tracks are complete embarrassments. "On My Mind (ft. William Cartwright)" feels like a Tinie Tempah leftover crossed with the exact synth-line from Justin Timberlake's "My Love."



Two tracks with Buggsy, "Lost" and "Back in the Days," are forgettable grime tracks that would have been fresh back in 2008. And the instrumental track "Level 6 (Interlude)" practically sounds like 10 presets on a Target bought Casio keyboard. At least the closing track, "Electric Sea (ft. Jay Wilcox)" takes the album out on a better note; a pleasant piece of pop/rap that could have been a more interesting avenue for him to follow.



The Vision was one of my most highly anticipated albums of the year. Sadly, it falls far short of my expectations. Joker still has the chops to be a world class artist, however, he needs to have more focus, and make music for himself and not for some focus group. I don't feel this is Joker album. While there are hints and elements of him here, there is too much studio gloss and polish that has erased any trace of the real Joker.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Friday could not have gotten here sooner. Here are the latest videos that awakened my inner child:



Live video for the Bjork track "Thunderbolt." Love the wig!



The Joker album is a bit of a scattershot disappointment. While there are some great singles on it, the majority of tracks tend to try and sound like other artists. This track is almost too close to Justin Timberlake's "My Love."

Keep Time by Gauntlet Hair from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

Creepy cool video from thrashgaze (my own genre name) duo Guantlet Hair. Their debut album is being consistently played on my iPod. It is by turns thrilling and annoying, but refuses to be ignored.



More haunting, synth-drone from Oneohtrix Point Never.



Creepy weird video from electro act Glass Candy.



Visually intriguing video for the collaboration between Modeselektor and Thom Yorke.

Mondkopf: Rising Doom - Album Review

Mondkopf
Rising Doom
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Mondkopf, AKA Paul Régimbeau, the Paris-based electronic artist, released his first album in 2009, the well received Galaxy of Nowhere, and has become a go-to remixer for artists like Caribou, Black Devil Disco Club and Golden Filter. His second album Rising Doom is an eclectic, yet focused release drawing from everything from house, electro, industrial, and techno. It is a lush, dark affair sounding akin to a dance version of Massive Attack's Mezzanine, finding lots of dark corners to hide out in. The beats are heavy and dark, with raw synths buzzing and clanging in the background. Rising Doom works best when the tracks focus on the beats and not so well when detouring into more ambient territory. The flow of the album gets compromised by too many ill placed beatless instrumentals that threaten to undermine the album as a whole. But the tracks that work, and there are many, are so well produced and sculpted that, in the end, the album still is effective.

Rising Doom is one of the first electronic releases in awhile that doesn't seem indebted to the dubstep genre, focusing more on machine-like aspects cultivated from artists like Tri Repeate ++ era Autechre, Clark, and some of the beat music from Flying Lotus. Although the music is pretty heavy at times, there are lots of touches throughout the record that bring it back down to a human level. "Day of Anger" contains some lovely Satie-esque piano melodies that bookend the throbbing menace of the mid-section, with thumping percussion and buzz saw synth lines.



The twinkling keyboard patches of "Sweet Memories" lighten the load of the churning, lurching percussion and low end bass.



And the crackling, glitchy synths, and dirty programming of "The Song of Shadows" could become unbearably tense, but the mid-point of the song is broken up with a gorgeous passage of cor anglais and organ.



Some of the less beat-driven tracks, in an effort to create more variety for the album, seem to fall flat within the context of the other songs. "Moon's Throat" falters under a heavy handled throat gurgling vocal sample and LSD trip synth lines. And the closing pair of "My Heart Is Yours" and "Fossil Lights" attempt to end the album on a note of M83-like grandiosity, but the two tracks feel half-hearted at best, with the closing 8 minutes of "Fossil Lights" being all build with no real release.



The album would have worked better if he had continued making tracks in the vein of ""Beyond The Golden Valleys" whose cavernous drum beats and squeltchy synth lines are consistently engaging,



the bee-swarm industrial haze of the throbbing "Where The Gods Fall,"



or the pulsing Portishead meets Justice track "Deadwood."



Rising Son is an excellent sophomore release for the up and coming French producer. Unfortunately, he makes the mistake a lot of artists do on a second album which is making changes to their sound that go too far outside their comfort zone and end up straining their signature sound. I applaud the fact he wanted to push his sound, but wish he had left it to a couple of tracks, rather than half of them.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.