Culture Greyhound

R.E.M. doesn’t exactly have a prolific career; after all, they were around for thirty years and gave us fifteen fair-to-classic albums in that time. Ryan Adams is prolific, Paul McCartney is VERY prolific, Bradford Cox is becoming prolific. R.E.M. are merely consistent…..speaking in terms of level of output. The sound of that output, however, has been anything BUT consistent. One listen to this career-spanning anthology will give you an idea of just how many curveballs the Athens-based group threw at their fans.

What’s remarkable about this compilation, now that the band is officially through and we can observe their legacy as a whole, is, even though it highlights the ups and downs of a legendary band’s career, the whole thing is GREAT. Like, really, really great. Even tracks from lackluster points (Up, Reveal, Around the Sun) sound appropriate, and remarkably sharp, in this context. And of course, the major hits are here, surrounded by strong tracks from incredible albums. I think it’s apparent everything R.E.M. put out up through New Adventures In Hi-Fi is just fantastic. With the exception of “A Month of Saturdays,” the new tracks are great examples of a band who have aged well and matured their songwriting to levels of sheer beauty.

Consider Part Lies a testament to the immense songwriting talent in R.E.M., a band that was great even when they had been better before. And consider Part Lies a musical reminder to all of us that we really don’t know what we have until it’s gone.

As a joke in class the other day, I offered up this gem in a discussion of the best movie soundtracks of all time. Okay, maybe it was only a half-joke; I mean, I know listening to it when you’re 25 certainly doesn’t have the same effect as hearing it for the first time when you’re 10. But I’ll be damned if the nostalgia bug doesn’t bite me pretty hard on some of these tracks.

How can you deny what is arguably R. Kelly’s best song, “I Believe I Can Fly?” How you gonna hate on Seal improving (yes, you read that right) Steve Miller Band’s classic “Fly Like an Eagle?” Remember the Quad City DJ’s? They had more than one hit! And this was the heyday of Coolio! Oh, 1996, how I love thee…..but by far the best moment in this compilation is the rap star basketball sendup “Hit ‘Em High.” B. Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man all lay down some pretty fantastic family-friendly rhymes about playing aggressive b-ball. D’Angelo follows the anthem with his soulful “I Found My Smile Again,” another highlight.

And then, well, I won’t say Monica ruins the whole thing, but god I hate “For You I Will.” So much. Salt N Pepa deliver an underrated jam, and Robin S. reminds us all of the mid-90’s Eurodance craze (which we’re apparently re-living in 2011.) Barry White and Chris Rock do a memorable “Basketball Jones” cover, which seemed funnier when I was an adolescent. After that it’s three songs featuring A-listers doing lackluster things (Jay Z and Biz Markie show up!…..with the Spin Doctors and…..who the hell is Changing Faces?). And then there’s the final song: “Buggin.'” A rap song from Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes crew. Another track I remember being a lot cooler in third grade, but whatever. If you can’t crack a smile at Bugs Bunny throwing down rhymes, you’ve lost your childhood completely. So turn up your bass, sit back, and recollect just how awesome this movie was. Was Bill Murray ever NOT cool?

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

33. MIA – Arular

There were two albums I purchased in high school while attending Dale Carnegie courses. Before going to class, I stopped by the ol’ CD store (remember those?) and snagged Weezer’s Make Believe and this, the debut LP from MIA. Needless to say, I was immensely impressed with one of them and the other, well, it got shelved. It seems now that MIA and Weezer might have more in common than we previously thought. Perhaps they both were destined to make two widely acclaimed works and then proceed to be hit or miss for all eternity. Only time will tell.

Still, we always have Arular, an album as exotic, engaging, and flat-out bizarre as its album cover reveals. From the horn hook of “Bucky Done Gun” to Maya’s still-infectious half-croon on “Galang,” the debut certainly is more minimalist and tribal than its sister album Kala, which was certainly a step forward in accessibility and Western dance music. The charm of Arular still remains, even though our protagonist later showed the world her lack of education on the actual political issues she was rapping about.

Listen to Arular on Spotify.

Black Lips – “Raw Meat” from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Azealia Banks – 212
Gauntlet Hair – Mop It Up
Ryan Adams – Lucky Now
Skream – Anticipate (feat. Sam Frank)
Madden Brothers – Firetruck (Kreayshawn X Hollywood Holt)
Yuck – Milkshake

Missed the show, still pissed about it. Online ticketing is a joke, people who thought Dookie was cool in high school got in, while the rest of us, the superfans, were left in the cold to deal with scalpers pricing tickets like it was the fucking Super Bowl or something. But Green Day still rocks; here’s some videos to remind you of that fact.

Occupy Red 7? Continental Club? ACL Live? Apparently we’ll know at noon. Check here first.

Since Billie Joe tweeted earlier this week about a new secret show Thursday, fans have been running amok with speculation, including yours truly. And when someone spotted Billie Joe on a plane heading to Austin, and then Tre on 6th street, I got REALLY excited. Apparently some Green Day-related art has been posted on 6th, and so everyone I know is checking venue calendars and calling promoters. Shit is bananas right now.

It’s not official whether the show is in actually here in Austin tomorrow night, but you can bet I’ll be checking the Internet probably every ten minutes. Friends in moderately high places have speculated venues like Stubb’s, Emo’s East, East Side Drive In, and ACL Live. The last one is a good bet, in my opinion, since there’s a swanky new hotel just above it. But I honestly have no clue. When I do, you can bet I’ll be camping out to grab a spot. If I miss Green Day in a small venue in the ATX, I will never forgive myself.

In the meantime, here’s a taste of things to come.

Thank Me Later was a blast from beginning to end, but if that was the introduction, we can now safely assume Drake is just getting started. Take Care is long enough you can’t burn it on a blank CD, and the results are more moody and introspective than ever before.

Rap music nowadays usually divides the line between personal and decadent, tortured and boastful, and Drake’s got plenty of the former and very little of the latter. Don’t get me wrong, he’s bragging about his new fortunes, how he’s the hottest rapper in the game right now, etc. But his insecurities are laid bare for all to see; there’s no “Fancy” here to distract you from the sheer reality of how human this superstar is. On “Headlines” he laments how critics motivate him to progress musically, while boasting “the real is on the rise.”

Musically, the album is even more of a low-key affair than “Marvin’s Room” hinted a few months ago. With the exception of leaked tracks featuring Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross, Drake does a substantial amount of crooning; the Weeknd shows up more than once here to provide an ominous tone to Drake’s songs of self-questioning and heartbreak. Overall, Take Care is as bipolar and human as the human that made it. And in the 21st century making-it-rain/getting-personal hybrid of rap, this is probably the best it that it gets….and that’s pretty damn good.