Sunday, January 29, 2012

Resolution Review



RESOLUTION
Lamb of God
2012
Epic, Roadrunner
Prod. by Josh Wilbur

Sometimes, it takes a reminder to realize that purely competent can sometimes feel pretty darn good. Lamb of God's most recent release is pretty much everything you could ask for from a metal album these days, and even if nothing is done spectacularly, it's all done well enough that it'll sell you on the whole ordeal quickly. The album is a high-octane release of strong guitar work, and the band behind them is tight enough that the experience is something of an aggressive treat.

That said, this album is almost entirely appealing to a niche. While an effort has been made to offer a couple moments with melodic vocals, it's largely a screaming affair one would associate with death metal, and the experience is an extremely technical and dour affair with a few moments of light material mixed in. While I usually am not a fan of screaming, this seemed neither especially good or especially grating, and I was able to ignore it within a few songs on the album. Those who are completely turned off by the direction metal has been on since about 1982 should almost definitely steer clear; however, even those who aren't major fans of the genre should find a song or two they'll enjoy.

The largest praise I can generate for the album is that it contains almost exclusively excellent guitar work. While little of it is actually memorable, every song is well performed, and it varies between more standard thrash metal fare, some intelligent, restrained solos, and some excellent acoustic material. The rhythm section performs admirably, too, though they are not the focus of the songs written here.

The songs themselves are certainly the weakest aspect of the album. They're all totally fine, but they're written to be technical showpieces and aggressive tracks rather than songs. Almost every song here will be excellent as part of a concert, but I could not name one I would ever choose to seek out before my personal favorite metal songs, which are all generally considered "classics" rather than more modern material. While I do describe these as technical showcases, however, I need to point out that they are definitely not progressive metal tracks; the technical ability here is a band-focused unity as opposed to the talent show contest experience one finds listening to a more traditional progressive rock band like Rush. As a result, I found something to enjoy with this album in its current mix, which allows for a great hit of bass drum on all of its tracks.

While I'm certainly no expert of the genre, I have always found myself intrigued, and Resolution has intrigued me to the point where I intend to seek out more Lamb of God material. For those unaccustomed to metal that don't actively hate screamed vocals, I suggest checking it out.

3/5
HIGHLIGHTS: "Straight For The Sun," "Desolation," "Barbarossa," "King Me"
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: "Guilty," "Cheated"
NEXT STOP: Kill ‘Em All, Metallica
AFTER THAT: Paranoid, Black Sabbath

Monday, January 23, 2012

Talk That Talk Review


TALK THAT TALK
Rihanna
2011
Def Jam, Roc Nation, SRP
Prod. by Rihanna, Carl Sturken, and Evan Rogers et. al


Rihanna's most recent effort reminds me why she's allowed to be on every song on the radio. If you aren't completely sick of hearing her voice, you really ought to check out Talk That Talk.

Reviewing Talk That Talk as a traditional album would be unfair. It's really a collection of singles that Rihanna will debut over the next year (or, if she takes cues from Katy Perry, over the next two years.) There's thematic consistency in that the songs are a collection of pop songs that express where Rihanna is emotionally right now. Namely, she's divided between being heartbroken about a failing romance and wanting to have sex with somebody. There's different subtexts and undertones that lead to a lot of the "wanting to have sex" songs possibly being about music, the industry, or drugs, but there's no inherent consistency between the artistic output on this album.

The reason Talk That Talk is cool is that, even more so than Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", I would be totally fine hearing just about every single one of these songs an absurd number of times on the radio. Rated R and Loud had a number of tracks I found were eventually overplayed; I can't imagine feeling that way about any of the songs off of Talk That Talk. While the lion's share of the best tracks are in the first half of the album, there are still plenty of highlights in the second half to speak of.

So, a quick song-by-song to explain the way this album flows. "You Da One" is a nice dance track with elements of Caribbean music blended in. It's a decent song to enter the album on, but it's certainly not been the track I've been clamoring to hear. The follow-up, "Where Have You Been," is a dubstep-laced treat that opens with a Johnny Cash quote; Rihanna's vocals on the track all feel like the best bits of another song cut up for a remix, and she allows even those lines to be cut up for some excellent bass-heavy sections. "We Found Love" (ft. Calvin Harris as a...producer? If he has vocals on the song, I haven't heard him) is the lead single from the album, and exposes the seedier, more addictive aspects of loves that should not be while still maintaining a very upbeat and pretty sensibility. The synth wind-up that occurs before each drop is pretty awesome. "Talk That Talk" is a track that has a strong Jay-Z verse on it, but is otherwise very much a pretty standard track.

I'd continue to go song-by-song for the rest of the album, but I think this pretty well explains the sense of the album. Another notable track is "Cockiness (Love It)", which, on first blush, is just a chance to lace ridiculous innuendo throughout a dance track. However, a lot of the production decisions on "Cockiness" are pretty fantastic, reminiscent of work by folks like Major Lazer. The follow-up to that, "Birthday Cake" is also notable because it's terrible. To enjoy "Birthday Cake", you better already think "Dance (Ass)" by Big Sean is hilariously bad, as "Birthday Cake" is unquestionably a parody that is not quite as funny as the original song.

It's also worth noting that there are a few songs that definitely don't sound like dance pop tracks. Occasionally, she delves into the "If I Were A Boy" territory lain out for the pop charts by Beyoncé, and Rihanna performs admirably. It's a reminder that this girl is a strong singer at both ends of her register, though the production on the song "Drunk On Love" veers towards traditional Linkin Park and Evanescence arrangements, which is mildly disappointing.

However, this album does close strong; "Farewell" is an absolute highlight, with intelligent vocal sensibilities and some interesting production notes. Rihanna also shines on the track, making full use of the new Beyoncé-stylings to create a full-blast goodbye sorrow track. The production is just large enough to support it, and Rihanna never overextends her voice to reach the plateaus she sets out for herself.

Again, if most of these songs are on the radio next year, I'll probably be seeking them out over whatever Ke$ha and everyone else put out. The only issue with this album is that most of the best songs from this album will undoubtedly be on the radio and in grocery stores everywhere. You will probably hear all the songs on the album even if you don't know it, and you may find that you're overexposed to one or two of them. If that's enough for you, skip the album and wait till everything's on the radio. But if you want an early peek, or if you enjoy Rihanna enough to hear a collection of strong songs beyond the traditional radio format, you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not pick up Talk That Talk.

4/5
HIGHLIGHTS: "Where Have You Been", "We Found Love", "Farewell"
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: "Birthday Cake", "Watch N' Learn"
NEXT STOP: Major Lazer, "Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do"
AFTER THAT: Drake, "Take Care"

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Hit Songs of 2011: A Retrospective

It's important for you to know I like pop music. Well, recently, I like pop music. The genre opened itself up to me in 2009, when I'd found myself disenchanted with modern rock, mostly because it was almost all supremely disappointing. I'd almost completely run my course with classic rock, too; I had to buy Zeppelin and Hendrix albums, sure, and there was still The Velvet Underground to check out, but I'd hit almost everything I cared about already.

Pop music offered something new in 2009; this is when Lady GaGa starts bringing dark themes into pop music, Beyoncé turns synth lines into shrill dance beats, and the Black Eyed Peas create the party smash "I Gotta Feeling" that has been copied time and time again ever since. 2009 offered some great pop music, and anyone at all interested in pop music was interested in seeing where these performers were headed.

Unfortunately, that changed in 2010 and 2011. Most of the best artists of 2009 turned in follow-ups that were disappointing. "Born This Way" was a smash, but effectively proved to anyone who disliked Lady GaGa that she was a one-trick pony. "The Beginning" CRUSHED The Black Eyed Peas, who had such an awful 2011 that they ended up taking some time apart towards the end of the year; the Peas are currently on hiatus. And I don't think I've heard more than a few songs from Beyoncé's latest album, but none of them took off like "Single Ladies" or "If I Were A Boy" had. Instead, the year 2011 was about new artists taking the reins, and most people seem to agree that they are less interesting than their predecessors. Still, there was plenty to notice in 2011, so I give you my Top Hits of 2011 list.

Now, any song on this list must actually have become a hit in 2011, and is based upon the year-end Billboard Top 100 chart. Also, I really need to have actually heard them; I didn't seek out the several Chris Brown songs on the list because I was permitted to avoid them. There will be some categories that include songs that didn't make the cut, but their descriptions will, at best, be brief.


The Top 5 Hit Songs of 2011:
1.“You And I” – Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa's "Born This Way" was ultimately a disappointing album; most of its songs were synth-pop rehashes of old material, whether said material was rehashed from Lady GaGa or Madonna scraps. Leave it to GaGa to suddenly change direction on the second-to-last song from the album, turning out a country-rock song with a beautiful chorus, intelligent lyrics, and a fun guitar solo from Brian May. I'd heard this song incomplete at a concert of hers in February, without the guitars or back-up vocals. I found it pleasant, but ultimately out-of-character. When I heard it again on the album, I instantly recognized it, and wanted to celebrate having heard the stripped-down version; the full-production run blew me away, with excellent callbacks to back-up vocals in the style of Boston, an excellent coda, and, overall, a supremely intelligent arrangement. I loved hearing this song, and none of the other hits in 2011 made me as elated as this track.

2.“We Found Love” – Rihanna

Rihanna was far overexposed this year, but leave it to her to outdo herself on her last hit of the year. "We Found Love" is a smart song, earnestly displaying the guilty adrenaline that comes from a romance that will never, ever work. The synth-crescendo that comes after the vocal hook is the most intelligent bit of production I've ever heard on a Rihanna track. In the end, "We Found Love" might actually top "Rude Boy" in my Rihanna library.

3.“All Of The Lights” – Kanye West

Okay, so somebody here's gonna try to call me out for giving something to Kanye West, and somebody else is gonna try to call me out for putting this song this low on the list. I love the dude's work. I really do. But "All Of The Lights" is easily my least favorite single from his album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", and it's still pretty  awesome. Every other single from the album he's released (except for "Lost in the World", I guess) works on its own; "All Of The Lights" is a somewhat bewildering take on black custody conflicts outside of the album's context. Its huge cast of vocalists can be excessive, and it's often confusing why he wrote vocal hooks for Fergie, Kid Cudi, and Rihanna when he had Tony Williams, Elton John, and Alicia Keys in the background. Even still, this song is the bass-banger of the year, and you haven't really heard this song until it's threatening to blow up your car. It's a smart song, but I recommend you hear it in the context of the original work rather than isolated on its own.

4.“Party Rock Anthem” – LMFAO

Okay, so this song is really stupid. I really wanted to hate it. Its lyrics? Kind of terrible. And any part of it that is sung is pretty unremarkable. But "Party Rock Anthem" is delivered with such enthusiasm that I can't actually bring myself to do anything but love it. Its bassline and its super-shrill synth hook are actually pretty awesome, too. It's just pure fun. But LMFAO? You managed to dodge several bullets on the rest of these lists, so don't think I love anything else you guys have put out.

5.“Blow” – Ke$ha

I actually didn't like this song when I first heard it. I found it annoying, loud, and too similar to everything else that was on the radio. Then, suddenly, the wave of acoustic pop entered, and Ke$ha's "Blow" became a breath of fresh air. I think it's the song's sense of menace and, ultimately, not giving a fuck whether you like it or not, that sells me on the track. In the end, I really enjoyed the blast of energy this song put forth. Hopefully Ke$ha's next effort isn't watered down (like Lady GaGa's.)

And that's my list of my top 5 favorite songs! You didn't think it would end there, did you? No, I would never make a post about pop music that was exclusively positive; I need something to eviscerate, and so I'm going to take that opportunity now. Here are the five worst hit songs of 2011.

The Top 5 Worst Hit Songs of 2011:
1. “Lighters” – Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars

What happened to you, Eminem? Something tells me that mentor stuff finally got to your head and you decided to be a good influence. Why, then, would you ever think it was a good idea to return to Bad Meets Evil and put out a "king of the rap game" record? You're not Bad or Evil in this game, you're just weak. I think the Bruno Mars hook should've been enough to tip off anyone that this song wasn't actually going to be at all fascinating. The internal logic of the song simply doesn't make sense, though; let's look at the four sections.
-1: Bruno Mars Chorus Hook: This hook is about living out your dreams of being famous. Okay, it fits the song title. I can hang with that, that's fine. There's a bit of implication in the way it's being sung that seeing the sky full of lighters is a new experience, but Bruno Mars isn't always a perfect lyricist. It's also done with love and brotherly affection, I guess, though it's still sung in the same "Bruno Mars wants to have sex with you" voice that he uses on the hooks for "Nothin' On You" and "Just The Way You Are", as opposed to his angry/whiny voice from "Grenade", his cheerful voice from "Marry You," or his laid back style from "The Lazy Song" or "Billionaire." A strange choice, but that's okay.
-2: Eminem Verse: Eminem is rapping about how he will always be "the illest in the game" and how the haters "gave [him] the strength" to keep rapping. Oh... okay? The internal logic doesn't make sense, because if he was really the rap king, why would he have so many haters? Eminem is super-pissed off on this verse, which is indicative of pretty much his entire new style, whether he's trying to be angry, funny, inspirational or sad. I say this in contrast to songs like "My Name Is" and "Without Me", which were fun, goofy, profane romps through his psyche. I think the biggest problem with this verse is that it really doesn't prove him the king at all; Jay-Z and Kanye put out "Otis" and "Niggas in Paris" to prove their lyrical dominance on Watch The Throne. "Lighters" sounds self-entitled, and doesn't have any great lines to boast. Also, there's a section where, if one were not paying attention, you might think he started angrily rapping "Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear."
-3: Royce da 5'9" Verse: ...I honestly really can't tell you what it's about. I think it's about how he had a hard time getting famous, but I'm not sure. It definitely has lines about his father telling him not to impulse buy when he finally has money, lines about how inspired he is by Eminem, and lines about how much easier it is to get women now that he's famous. It's disjointed, the jokes don't make a lot of sense, and the flow is, while more fitting than Eminem's, pretty standard and boring.
-4: Bruno Bridge: Full-on whiner voice here, this part is about how hard it is not being king and how it's worth it to keep fighting. The last line, though, implies that they're still fighting off critical perception, something that Eminem has already shaken off (or not, I'm not really sure.) It sounds awful, and that's the biggest problem.

Finally, I want to note that someone decided to let Bad Meets Evil rap over the backbeat to "Nothin' On You", which is musically almost identical and the rap fits WAAAAY better. The only track this year that has zero good ideas. A supreme disappointment.

2. “Someone Like You” – Adele

I'm not going to make any friends for having this on my list, am I? This song was originally going to take the #1 spot, but I decided to listen to it and to "Lighters" again, only to be shocked that I'd completely blocked every verse from the song out of my head. My problems with this song stem from the chorus, in which the damage to Adele's voice has already been dealt. Adele sought out throat surgery later this year because she damaged her voice belting all the time. This is sad, and I feel for the girl. That said, "Someone Like You" sounds like it was painful to sing due to serious throat nodules, and I can't understand why anybody would want to listen to that. The verses are actually very pretty, though, and it's sad to think that Adele might actually wreck her voice like Roger Daltrey and Neil Diamond have trying to hit high notes that are actually out of her range. I don't think this song would sound good sung by anyone, though, because that chorus has got to go.

3. “I Need A Doctor” – Dr. Dre ft. Eminem and Skylar Grey

I actually have separate problems between "I Need A Doctor" and "Lighters." Both are ostensibly collaborations between Eminem and other artists with a melodramatic, cloying hook. However, where "Lighters" is disjointed and has no internal logic, I get where "I Need A Doctor" comes from. This song exists to show the world how dramatically tragic it would be if Dr. Dre never contributed to the world again. The problem with this song, of course, is that it kind of proves that Dr. Dre has become just as melodramatic as Eminem, and that neither really need to exist anymore. These guys were at their best when they were having lots of fun or being very matter-of-fact. This song desperately attempts to reclaim the title of "Most Melodramatic Eminem Song" from "Love The Way You Lie", which already took the title from "Stan." The problem is that it succeeds and kind of sucks for it. Skylar Grey should not be allowed to perform vocal hooks for rap songs. This track is just too emo and pissed-off to make for an enjoyable listen. Basically, this song is functional, but it's just kind of bad. I'm happy to hear Detox has removed this track, as it signifies a different direction.

4. “The Lazy Song” – Bruno Mars

This song started out as kind of enjoyable. Now, I think it's impossible to find a fan of The Lazy Song, mostly because of overexposure. That said, a song about not wanting to do anything better be gorgeous and soulful like "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" or super-depressing like "I'm So Tired." This cheery and cheeky take on being lazy is just kind of annoying. I bet kids love it, though.

5. “The Edge Of Glory” – Lady GaGa

So, Lady GaGa, you get placed on both of my lists. I can't say I'm surprised. "The
Edge Of Glory" is easily the most commercial song of the year. It sounds like something that was made for Best Buy ads. It's hard to even criticize this song as anything other than "not really a song." It's so manufactured that it's unpleasant to listen to. If you need a parallel, imagine if "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae featured no real instruments and had an inexplicable Kenny G sax solo. That is Kenny G on that solo, right? [fact check] Nope, Clarence Clemons, which also makes sense. It's awful, and that's really what matters. The song's production is almost like a terrible mash-up, randomly switching between auto-tuned choral vocals at the intro to traditional GaGa synthwaves, orchestral back-ups, and pounding bass a lá "Born This Way." This song is either incomplete or just never had a soul to begin with, and I despise it. Unfortunately, this song directly follows "Yoü & I" on the album, so I don't recommend the new Lady GaGa album.

And those are my five worst hit songs of 2011! Now, let's take a look at some chart hits that were not allowed onto these lists for one reason or another.

Wish You Were Here: 5 Singles that didn't make the Top 100 that would've found a home on my Top 5 list.
“The One That Got Away” – Katy Perry: After the debacle that was "Last Friday Night", Katy Perry manages to put out what I hope is the last single from "Teenage Dream." That said, this is easily the best one since "Teenage Dream," and is just plain pleasant.
“Make Some Noise” – Beastie Boys: It's no shocker, really, that it didn't make it, but this song is just so much FUN.

“Otis” – Kanye West & Jay-Z: Man, I miss Kanye West having fun on the radio! The lyrics to this are brilliant, and it would've put some of the other guys on the radio in their place. Not necessarily my favorite song from Watch The Throne, but the one I'd like to hear on the radio the most.

 “Lonely Boy” – The Black Keys: Probably my favorite rock song of the year. The Black Keys need to break on through.
“Yonkers” – Tyler The Creator: I also miss Kanye West and Eminem saying some dark stuff on the radio. "Without Me", "The Real Slim Shady", "Gold Digger"...all stupid fun songs that were on the radio despite "dirty lyrics." And yes, the big reason I chose "Yonkers" above every other dark rap single of the year is because of the "stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus" line.

Happy To Have You Here Still: Songs that I'm glad are still on the charts in 2011, but technically entered in 2010.
“Animal”– Neon Trees
“More”- Usher
“Black & Yellow” – Wiz Khalifa
“What’s My Name” – Rihanna ft. Drake
“Fuck You” – Cee Lo Green

Dodged A Fuckin’ Bullet: Songs that I hate that are still on the charts in 2011, but technically entered in 2010.
“Jar of Hearts” – Christina Perri
“Coming Home” – Diddy – Dirty Money ft. Skylar Grey
“Tonight (I’m Fuckin’ You)” – Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris
“Grenade” – Bruno Mars
“If I Die Young” – The Band Perry

And now, I present to you a summary of the year in general, beyond the best and the worst. These are the best and worst trends of 2011 pop music, in no particular order.

Best Trends:
-Rappers On The Radio
This year, we saw a bunch of rappers getting radio time, and it was actually really awesome. Cool guys are getting remixed into other people's tracks, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West, and B.o.B. found their way into the Top 100, and, even as disappointed as I am in Eminem's efforts, they still found a way to make it into the Top 100. Even Pitbull, who is kind of a garbage-y rapper, found his way into the Top 100 multiple times. It led to a sense of variety on the pop radio stations, something desperately lacking in 2009 and 2010 when pop singers and R&B stars pretty exclusively ruled the charts. Well, and the Black Eyed Peas, but they were not a positive for hip-hop.
-Good Songs Getting Theirs, One Year Later
Even if Cee Lo Green and Animal didn't see great success in 2010, they found their way into the 2011 charts and ranked pretty highly. I support this trend because I don't suddenly get sick of every song after six months. That said, it's definitely a trend on notice; if I hear Grenade in a couple months, I might get really upset.
-Less Dance Pop
The dance overdrive of 2009 and 2010 is over. Now, we're getting hit country-rock songs out of Lady GaGa, funk-reggae guitar jams out of...well, everyone, and acoustic guitar and piano songs out of Adele, Bruno Mars, and Lil Wayne. Drake has Top 100 hits this year with his ballad-focused style. We're seeing a shift, and while the growing pains might be notable (damn you, Bruno Mars,) I think we'll see some real talent grow out of this trend soon.
-Rejection of Complete Garbage

"Judas" did not make the Top 100 list because it is unadulterated junk. If The Black Eyed Peas put out more than one single this year, nobody heard it because it was probably complete trash. People are becoming a bit more discerning in their pop music, and outside of "Lighters", I can at least find the logic or at least one good idea behind every song that became big this year. Also, we ran some real junk off the charts real quick, so congrats to that, America.
-More Intelligently-Written Music
People are learning why Lady GaGa made such a splash with "Just Dance," and why she grew so exponentially with "Bad Romance." It's better to write a slightly-dark introspective track with some intelligence to it than to simply put out a fun party jam with no thought whatsoever. A larger audience wants to be emotionally or intellectually challenged right now, and so it's becoming more sensible to release songs that aren't marketed on "the person performing it is so pretty." While most of the best songs written this way stayed on the albums that created them, the biggest failures of the year either fail because they swung for the fences and missed or because they were literally only created to make lots and lots of money. This continues from 2010, with "Need You Now" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" being intelligent tracks that went on to do gangbusters.

Worst Trends:
-More Acoustic Pop
Okay, so I know I said that less dance pop is a good thing and that acoustic pop is a necessary growing pain, but if it becomes the dominant form of pop music, expect me to tune right out of pop music. Too much credence is given towards something being  "pretty" in acoustic pop, and the lyrics are given far too much credit. The problem with acoustic pop is that people will tell you it's brilliant when it's actually kind of dumb; take "Jar of Hearts" for a prime example. While we'll get some gems out of the movement if it becomes the focus of pop music, we'll also get a lot of stinkers, and the style will be more repetitive and simple than even the most reductive arguments against synth pop. Hopefully, it remains a growing pain and we find something brand-new soon.
-Bruno Mars Still Has A Career
I can't stand this guy's voice or his work anymore. After "Nothin' On You", "Billionaire," and "Just The Way You Are", this guy's talent nosedived, and the rest of his work approaches nigh-unlistenable. The best use of this dude since then has been on "Young, Wild, and Free," where he sings along with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop, removing the traditional whine effect of his voice. I don't want to hear him anymore. Please go away, Bruno Mars, for my sake.

-The End of Bad-Ass Rap Radio
Again, this is something I've touched upon earlier, but their have been some really dope rap tracks that were at least kind of rebellious. Radio rap, however, has gone the way rock did after Nickelback appeared. The energy is gone because the rappers are being gentrified. It's disappointing, and no pop rap performance this year comes close to the stuff you'll hear on people's albums right now. Hopefully, Outkast's new album in 2012 will remind people how to do it right.
-Artists Bigger Than Jesus
Ultimately, anything I write here kind of doesn't matter, right? Those of you who love Lady GaGa and Adele will decry me, and those of you who are part of the Rihanna fan legion will pretty much ignore anything I say because you think I'm right because you think I agree with you that she's the best think to happen to pop radio since sliced bread. Katy Perry has managed to release seven #1 singles off Teenage Dream, and I can promise you that it's not because each and every one of those songs was "so good it needed to be #1." Right now, there are artists who can release literally anything they want and it will be praised by their fans because they are hopelessly devoted. Even rock music fandom allows for a larger sense of betrayal than what we're seeing in pop music right now. It's kind of terrifying. I'd complain that it doesn't let new artists onto the charts, but that's not true. It's just annoying to hear Rihanna on literally every track on the radio.
-Worse Performances
The songs on the radio have gotten better, but where are our performers? When the best four singers we have this year are Adele (who can't actually hit her high notes without destroying her voice,) Lady GaGa (who rarely challenges herself on her songs despite having an incredible range,) Bruno Mars (ugggggh,) and Beyoncé (who couldn't write a good song this year to save her life,) we have a problem. This isn't really a new problem, but we seriously need a new wave of strong performers. The fact that there hasn't been a straight pop singer as strong as Annie Lennox since her days of glory really ought to tell you something. There are always the ballad queens, of course; Celine Dion, Barbra Streissand and Whitney Houston were arguably stronger performers than Annie Lennox. Last year, we saw Usher come back to the forefront and put out some great songs. R. Kelly, too, has discussed putting out more chapters of "Trapped in the Closet." Hopefully, there'll be some impressive notes this year to capitalize on the vocal power absence of 2011.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE OH GOD PLEASE

That's gonna do it for my Hit Songs of 2011 list. I'll have a review of Rihanna's "Talk That Talk" later this week, but after that, I'll start keeping my eyes out for new stuff to write about in 2012. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all go and listen to some of the best stuff on this list.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

El Camino Review


EL CAMINO
The Black Keys
2011
Nonesuch
Prod. by Danger Mouse, The Black Keys

If you’re not familiar with The Black Keys, you probably ought to be. Their retro-garage inspiration almost exposes an alternate rock history; in The Black Keys' lexicon, The Rolling Stones beat The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival beat Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Doors beat Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin crushed Queen and Black Sabbath, and grunge never really caught on. This alternate history comes across as especially inspiring because The Black Keys’ records are filled with a lot more of the classic raw energy that rock music used to carry. Whether they're mucking up rock tracks on their album Thickfreakness or layering southern ballads with sweet, sticky sweat on Brothers, The Black Keys seem to be filled with the playfulness and unrefined creativity that really allows us to see some absolutely brilliant work.

El Camino is no exception, and that becomes clear extremely quickly. Here, The Black Keys seem to have taken a lot more inspiration from classic punk albums, with inspiration from The Ramones showing bright as day. The album was supposedly inspired by an inability to play some of the slower songs from Brothers on tour; as a result, aside from a couple tracks, El Camino is a largely uptempo album.

The pacing on El Camino is largely better than that of Brothers; El Camino certainly feels like an exercise in all-killer, no-filler, and that makes this new effort eminently listenable. Gone are swampy ballads, instrumentals, and other iconic highlights of Brothers; this is definitely a classic rock album that takes elements of punk to their logical evolutions. Some overproduction happens on a few of the tracks; notably, "Gold on the Ceiling" is an excellent ZZ-Top based blues track that is initially mired by an overly-insistent and shrill synth line. But ultimately, this is an example of smart songwriting, and many tracks are joyful reminders of days of yore. The Black Keys are excellent performers, too, and it shows through; they are simply a tightly-knit act. I quickly found myself singing along to the album’s highlights.

For some, one great track in particular might hit a little too close to their nostalgia. "Little Black Submarines" is a nearly-litigious "homage" to Zeppelin's epic "Stairway to Heaven." I expect it will be the conversational piece of the album, with "Lonely Boy" and "Dead And Gone" being far and away fan favorites. I'm almost positive that The Black Keys expect us to be in on the joke; it fits into the same track slot as "Howlin' For You," a song that prominently features a near-identical drum line to the iconic "Rock & Roll (Part 2)," and the extremes the joke is taken to make the track a great laugh for those willing to go along for the ride. The Black Keys also clearly based "Tighten Up" (the lead single from Brothers) off "Under My Thumb;" what I mean to say is that this is not a new practice. Those who have always found it entertaining will continue to enjoy the joke, while those who never found it to be an "in-joke" will probably be up in arms. As far as I know, however, this has always been the path rock songs have been based upon; surely it's written somewhere that Cream's "Strange Brew" is based upon a Buddy Guy song with the same structure, right?

Ultimately, though, this in-joke attitude does lead to some weaknesses in the album. Similar to their other albums, it becomes difficult often to describe what makes The Black Keys special without making reference to classic rock acts that, ultimately, are still a little bit better than The Black Keys. El Camino still stands out as a great album, but it's certainly no revelation for the genre. And while they have managed to avoid the filler that made its way onto Brothers, none of its songs from El Camino are as strong as the best from its predecessor, and they have still frontloaded El Camino with its best material. While it might be nice to see The Black Keys experiment more or restructure their albums, El Camino is more great work, and its uptempo pace makes it a fun listen top to bottom.

4/5
Highlights: "Lonely Boy", "Dead And Gone", "Little Black Submarines", "Sister"
Missed Opportunities: "Money Maker", "Hell Of A Season", "Stop Stop"
CATALOG CHOICE: Brothers, Thickfreakness
NEXT STOP: The Clash, "London Calling"
AFTER THAT: Led Zeppelin, "Led Zeppelin IV"

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Elephunk Review


ELEPHUNK
The Black Eyed Peas
2003
A&M Records
Produced by will.i.am., Apl.de.ap, Ron Fair
The Black Eyed Peas' Elephunk is a fine little album with a couple of awesome tracks that, ultimately, supersede the value of the rest of the album. While it opens strong with "Hands Up" and "Labor Day", they're ultimately not nearly the album's highlights, though they quickly express the style the album is going to maintain. Here, BEP is mostly influenced by jazz, with little of the bass & techno freakouts that currently define the group. The most obvious jazz connection is probably on the track "Smells Like Funk," where the hook quotes "Puttin' On The Ritz" without ever stepping out of line. The productions are generally very easy to listen to, but don't ever really go anywhere, often feeling like they need just one more step of elevation to become something great.

However, BEP's rapping abilities have seriously deteriorated over time. While few of the raps outside of hit singles "Let's Get Retarded/It Started" and "Where Is The Love?" are especially notable, the energy with which will.i.am. and Apl.de.ap deliver their verses is unmatched by their later work. Fergie's delivery here is easily comparable to that on My Humps and Fergalicious, but (luckily) she is used to minimal effect, ultimately earning less verses than Taboo. Taboo here also sounds completely unlike his modern work, with a low shout that ultimately brings an unnecessary anger to most of his tracks. It's not really distracting, but you'll find yourself wishing that the other two guys had more of the verses instead.

Personally, I found myself wishing for more out of Apl.de.ap. In my head, he somehow became the vanguard for the BEP I actually liked rather than the techno ravers they eventually became under will.i.am.'s complete control. For that reason, "The Apl Song" is probably the album's largest disappointment as the only track with Apl credited for production and is easily the largest non-event of the album. "Anxiety" follows it and is far more annoying thanks to a heavy inclusion of Papa Roach, and "The Boogie That Be" which precedes it is far more interesting, but "The Apl Song" never really goes anywhere and has Apl's least interesting verses on the album.

While most of the songs are entirely skippable easy-listening jams ("Sexy," "Latin Girls," and "Shut Up" are all pretty much disinteresting, lazy tracks) the best songs are absolute bangers, dumb lyrics with energetic production to back them up. While Elephunk certainly won't be a great way to blow out your new subwoofer, it's worth cranking loud to jam to the brass and guitar boogies they craft on this album. "The Boogie That Be" is an absolute hidden gem, but only it and the singles stand out as must-grabs. It's also worth noting that "Let's Get Retarded" has a far lower production value than "Let's Get It Started," and is a way, way better track!

3/5
-Highlights: "Let's Get Retarded", "The Boogie That Be", "Where Is The Love?"
-Missed Opportunities: "Latin Girls", "Sexy", "The Apl Song"
-CATALOG CHOICE?: I would suggest ignoring the rest of their work.
-NEXT STOP: The Beastie Boys, "Paul's Boutique"
-AFTER THAT: Earth Wind & Fire's "September"