^Exile
Jay-Z & Kanye West, Watch The Throne
When I first heard Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaboration, Watch The Throne, a day or two after its release, my initial reaction was boredom. A few months later, my feelings are strikingly similar, with very few changes. In all, the record strikes me as two very good rappers telling the world how good they are. If this doesn't sound much different from any of Jay-Z or Kanye's previous output, consider this: instead of creating a fascinating blend of two distinct styles complete with distinctive production and cadence, Watch The Throne is, for the most part, a series of similar-sounding tracks made by a variety of producers, over which two of the greatest rappers in the world brag about how rich and awesome they are, seemingly not noticing any changes in the song they're rapping over or the overall flow of the album. Two notable exceptions are "Lift Off," which features Jay-Z's wife, Beyoncé, and "Otis," which "features" (a creative way of saying "heavily samples," a term also used for Marvin Gaye on the album’s last track) Otis Redding. Both tracks are distinguished by more personal production - instead of just being a Lex Luger beat with an ominous and repetitive loop over it, we get heavy, swirling synth sounds and thick beats reminiscent of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. West is at his swaggering best on "Lift Off," bending words with that distinctive voice and creatively using auto tune and melody. Jay-Z sounds good, too, but part of the reason this song is so good is that it sounds more like a Kanye track featuring Beyoncé and Jay-Z than a collaboration. That's in contrast to "Otis," which has catchy and energetic production complemented by the swaggering rhymes of the two rappers - it's the one point in the album where their boasting sounds both self-aware and true. "New watch alert," Jay-Z spits, and the idiocy of such a statement is there, as well as the awe that accompanies the offhand statement of such privilege as fact. West is in great form, his voice growling like it's 2006 again. These tracks are worth a lot - but they aren't worth the price of this entire, mostly empty album.
Mac Miller, Blue Slide Park
It's Miller time. Mac Miller, the young Pittsburgh rapper who's been putting out remarkably accomplished, and consistent, mixtapes for several years, has finally released an official album. The bad news? It's just like one of his mixtapes, and may even be a little more uneven than the mixtape he released just this month, I Love Life, Thank You, which featured guest artists Talib Kweli and Bun B. The good news? Much of Miller's appeal is his loyalty to his fan base, and releasing an album that's just like his mixtapes is one way of saying, "You loved my music before I was official, so why should I give you anything different?" For the most part, the formula works. There are some great tracks here, full of raised thumbs, weed, haters, and the love for fans (that's Miller summed up in a sentence). There are some not-that-amazing ones, too, but tunes like "Party On Fifth Ave.," "Smile Back," and "Man In The Hat" (a driving, building explosion of happy sound reminiscent of the intro track to Miller's Best Day Ever mixtape, released earlier this year) are totally worth it, and completely justify the release. I'll be looking forward to Miller's sophomore effort.
9th Wonder, The Wonder Years
Mac Miller appears on The Wonder Years, one of several guest appearances he's turned in this year, and his track - "That's Love," a beautifully produced love song - is one of the few bright spots on the album, one of the most disappointing records I've heard this year. The disc is inconsistent, some tracks delivering all the way through, others skirting actual substance and satisfaction. There's no real thread that you can follow as you listen, and the fact that almost every track has multiple guests can get pretty confusing pretty quickly. "Band Practice" and "Band Practice Pt. 2," both featuring Phonte (the latter with Median as well) are the best of the rest, their quiet grooves making them good companions for the Miller tune but also providing an unfortunate comparison with the rest of the album.
Exile, 4TRK MIND
If you haven't heard Exile's work with Blu (Below The Heavens) or Fashawn (Boy Meets World), you need to. Luckily, the producer has turned in a great starting place with 4TRK MIND, which features Blu and a full set of typically engaging and inventive Exile production. There are amazingly clipped and arranged samples ("4ever," which samples Martha and the Vandellas, stands out) and sly, funny raps ("Klepto" or "Younger Days"). This is smart, smart, rap, but it doesn't mind being rap - it's intelligent and ironic, but it never detaches itself from the music. Could there be anything better? Maybe there is, but I'm not looking. I'm listening to Exile instead.
The Cool Kids, When Fish Ride Bicycles
The first rapper I thought of when I heard "GMC," the second track on When Fish Ride Bicycles, was Casey Veggies. The whole disc reminds me of Sleeping In Class (reviewed in the last Roundup): drawling, rhythmic, monotonal raps that are almost hood and almost not; uneven production that's amazing at best and interesting at worst; and guests who gel well with the tracks and may (may) be a little better than the rappers they're accompanying. But whatever the flaws, the pros make this an engaging and creative album, a nice mix of influences and aspirations that keeps the listener on their toes. Highly, if warily, recommended.
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Amon Tobin, ISAM
What's the point of ISAM? Amon Tobin, one of the more creative electronic artists around today, has seemingly abandoned the principles of earlier records and made a meandering, unsatisfying disc. Any flashes of brilliance heard on ISAM are not only just that - flashes - but also seem to be heard through cheesecloth, or strained through a sieve. Nothing is presented alone, but is always accompanied by all the track's assorted flotsam and jetsam. Tobin, who in the past has never been afraid to let the quiet moment be quiet and the loud moments be loud, has apparently decided to mix them all together and on top of each other, and they stumble over their feet and trip and get lost, and the album gets lost, too, which is regrettable.
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Beyoncé, 4
If you love this album the first time you hear it, good for you. Put it on repeat and have a ball. If, the first time you listen to it, your impulse is to throw it away, or to save that one song and get rid of the rest, wait. Shelve the disc and come back in a few weeks, and see what you think. That's what I did, and I can now confidently say that this is not only a great album, but also an important one. Beyoncé, who seemed in danger of being eclipsed by the pop-culture presence of "Single Ladies," has created a diverse and well-thought-out record that builds on her previous accomplishments while making it clear that the artist will not be pigeonholed. Kanye West makes an appearance, and so does Michael Jackson, indirectly, through Beyoncé's voice on the driving, exhilarating "Love On Top." "Countdown" is a rushing, majestic tune that sweeps up everything in its path, while "End Of Time" is almost like its sequel, using the same cracking snare and marching tempo but adding a whole different texture. A pleasure of an album, if (for me) one that needed some patience.
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Simone Dinnerstein, Bach: A Strange Beauty
I am far from qualified to either praise or criticize classical recordings. I know next to nothing about the classical tradition or the technicalities and mechanics of the music. That doesn't mean, however, that I can't enjoy it when I hear it, and I can say without fear of stumbling that I enjoyed Bach: A Strange Beauty, by pianist Simone Dinnerstein, as much as anything else that came across my desk this year. The second movement of the Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, with its prominent bass accompaniment and lyrical, relaxed piano part, reminded me of Jason Moran playing Brahms, or of moment from the Billy Hart group with Ethan Iverson. Beautiful.
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