September 27, 2011

My apologies if the video seems a bit choppy, and for the late hour. Apparently my mic wanted to record sound much faster than my camera wanted to record video, so I had to adjust all that. Which sucked. Whatever... here's "Got Music?" for this week.

September 20, 2011

I am learning to make these shorter. That may or may not be related to the fact that I failed to do anything  productive on this front this week... bah.

Review: "Watch The Throne"

Okay, so sue me. I didn’t like "Watch The Throne." I thought it was over-produced and without insight. I think Jay-Z and Kanye West both can do better. There, I said it. Go ahead and hate me.

The truth is, I found this album very inaccessible. I claim no authority in the realm of rap and hip-hop, and I will not be trying to convince anyone that my knowledge thereof is extensive, but my head simply couldn’t grasp it. It may be true that I did not understand and appreciate this album for all that it was worth. But I submit that if one person found this music inaccessible, there must be other listeners in the same boat.

We’ll get to that. First we need to talk about the music itself. Because I didn’t like that part either.

The album begins with a driving, grooving riff. It’s catchy enough, it builds through two verses, and just when it seems the music will break out, climax, and leave everyone wowed, it does the opposite: it sinks into apathy. This is going to be something of a trend on this album. Jay-Z seems to begrudgingly keep up his end of the bargain, Kanye keeps his head above water (which was probably his end of the bargain), but that’s it. Nothing stands out, nothing pops, nothing makes me feel like playing the album twice. Through the majority of the album the music is flat and un-insightful.

Well, I think it is un-insightful. It’s actually difficult to tell at times, given the amount of extra-topical production. Songs like "Lift Off," "New Day" and "Made In America" are all great examples of music that tries too hard. Lesson of the day: music doesn’t have to be sonically complex to be good and expressive. And, frankly, unless you’re a 24-piece orchestra, it shouldn’t be. It’s the law of diminishing returns: there is a point where you’ve added too much. "Watch The Throne" goes beyond that point on nearly every track.

The album is not without decency. "Otis" is a musically solid song (mostly because of the Otis Redding sample, but I digress). "Gotta Have It" is, all things considered, a good song, although it would be better without the weird underlying chant. "New Day" is lyrically strong, but sonically abrasive (see above re: over-production). "Who Gon Stop Me" is a hard-hitting track with decent, meaningful lyrics. Again, the bulk of the intensity is due to a sample (Flux Pavillion’s "I Can’t Stop"), but the sample is taken tastefully, and the arrangement and production compliment both the sample and the lyrics sung over it.

Aside form these tracks, and select sections of a few others, I think this album is a bust. Kanye does not work hard enough to convince me that he is a musical person, and Jay-Z skirts around opportunities instead of seizing them. I am left disappointed by their unwillingness to connect with the audience or to put much musical thought into their work. For an album coming from such distinguished figures in the music sphere, I really expected more.

While reviewing an album, it is of course crucial to listen to each track thoroughly and critically. But it is equally important to evaluate the album as a whole, to seek out recurring issues and general strengths/weaknesses. With "Watch The Throne," the most irritating and consistent flaw is the sheer inaccessibility of the music. I attribute this to two facts.

Firstly, that the level of production (as discussed above) is so high as to inhibit the listener’s ability to comprehend the lyrics. At times it is physically difficult to hear what  the rappers are saying over the beats and music. And even when there is not physical interference of sound, the music is often so complex that it distracts from the words being sung and spoken. As rappers are artists of language more than of music, I find that this defeats the purpose of rap entirely. If I can’t tell/am distracted from what is being said, what reason is there for me to listen to rap music?

Secondly, that a plurality of the lyrics provide a commentary on race in society. This is most certainly one of the most pressing issues of the day, but there comes a point at which I stop feeling invested in what I’m hearing. The law of diminishing returns has once again afflicted WTT; after seven or eight songs that discuss the same topic, I lose interest. I think that it would be a much better strategy to write one or two really strong songs on the topic of race, and then use those as a starting point for opening up a broader discussion between artist and audience, and ultimately making tangible social progress. When so much of your album is devoted to a single theme, the likelihood of continued audience interest is diminished, as is the likelihood of said album receiving a good review from me.

"Watch The Throne" just doesn’t quite fit together. The songs don’t flow, the lyrics don’t inspire, the beats don’t hit hard and the music isn’t catchy. It’s evidence that a resume alone does not good music make. In the end, I find the album’s title very appropriate; we only need to watch the throne if the throne is going to be empty. Hope those kings hurry on back...

September 13, 2011

September 13, 2011 Preview...

In this Tuesday's "Got Music?", I will be reviewing Blind Pilot's new release. But if you just can't possibly wait until then, you can head over to Young Provocateurs and find my written review in the "music" section. YP is a really cool young-adult blog/web-magazine, and I'm really excited to get to write for them periodically. Check out the site, my review(s) (I have done one other review, linked on the "Links" page, and a few other pieces), and then come back over here Tuesday for "Got Music?"!

September 6, 2011 Addendum: Lindsey Buckingham

Sorry for not posting this yesterday, our campus internet was down for most of the day (and I had, you know, classes). Here are my thoughts on Lindsey Buckingham's new release "Seeds We Sow" (9/6/2011)...


This album was just fine. When I say that, I don't mean it was boring, lame or monotonous, nor do I mean it was exciting, adventurous or thrilling. It was none of those things. It was just fine.


The album's opening track (also the title track), "Seeds We Sow" is one of the better songs on the album. It's simple, with one guitar voice and one human voice. It's a perfectly good arrangement, and it works for the song. I can't help but think that as the song comes to a climax it might be benefitted by some strings or an organ or something. But whatever. It works.


After a strong opening track, you'd expect an album to either continue on a rise, or settle down a bit. This does neither. It just kind of continues as it was, decent songs in decent arrangements (the rest of the album does use more instruments than the first track). None of the songs were particularly interesting or inspiring, and I doubt whether any will achieve "hit" status.


The one exception might be "Rock Away Blind". This is the song the reminds us that Buckingham was once a core member of Fleetwood Mac. The skillful fingerpicking, familiar tenor singing, and minimalist arrangement come together in a way that works well. Or at least better than anywhere else on the album. 


Overall, Buckingham's album is absolutely adequate. It won't be given extended airtime, but it also won't be dismissed as garbage. "Seeds We Sow" earns a 6/10 from me. It should be noted that this album was entirely self-produced and released. I think that ended up being a mixed blessing; independence is always artistically beneficial, but it leaves more room for weakness. To quote Will Hermes of Rolling Stone, who reviewed the album as well, "Sometimes a man needs to go it alone, but sometimes it's good to bring your buds."


To read Hermes' review and to hear the title track, head over here. I don't always agree 100% with Rolling Stone, but I think they hit this particular nail squarely on the head.




In unrelated news, one of my good friends, Anthony Morones, has officially launched his blog/online portfolio. Go have a look. He has some really good art, and the blog features music reviews of things I don't necessarily cover (a lot of metal at the moment). We have been talking about potentially working together in the future on reviews and related stuff, so stay tuned to both blogs!


That's all for now, come back next Tuesday afternoon for "Got Music?".

September 6, 2011

Somehow it is September now... what...

Anyhow, videos have resumed. Tuesdays now. Here is this week's helping of news, reviews, and other stuff.