Nick Recommends: Live.Love.A$AP – A$AP Rocky

October 31, 2011 1 Comment

While New York rapper A$AP Rocky isn’t the best lyrically – although he has his moments – his voice in combination with the hypnotic beats he raps over makes for a fairly interesting, unique sound.  He recently received a three million dollar major label deal with RCA, and is steadily gaining hype through internet message boards and blogs (he was even interviewed by Pitchfork and is going on tour with Drake).  His latest release, Live.Love.A$AP, features production from Clams Casino (who most notably produced beats for internet rap star Lil B) and guest appearances from many different members of Rocky’s “A$AP Crew”.

Live.Love.A$AP seems to have similar themes in common with other rappers, including the objectification of women and drug/alcohol intake.  While this isn’t something I participate in or necessarily relate to (and Rocky seems like a good dude from what I’ve read), the way the musical aspects of the mixtape work make it enjoyable to listen to and vibe out to.  “Palace” starts out the tape with a triumphant vocal synth/heavy drum background, and it really sets the tone for the rest of the release.  “Keep It G” is another standout track that features Rocky rapping over a boom-clap beat and a meandering sax line.

One complaint I have about the release is the sound quality of some of the backing tracks.  While the beats itself are all fairly interesting, some of the songs suffer from a bad sound quality – notably “Bass” which seems to get a little too much static during the louder portions.  But since it’s a free release and a mixtape, not really a full-fledged album, it’s definitely excusable.  In fact, most releases like this have the same problem, so it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment.

Overall, Live.Love.A$AP is a decent listen, and it shows a lot of promise.  Listen to or download it here.

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Records of the Week 10/22/11: Three Great Albums From 2011

October 22, 2011 Leave a Comment

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Mirror Traffic

As of now, Mirror Traffic is my favorite album of 2011.  Singer/guitarist Stephen Malkmus’ first album post-Pavement reunion (and latest in a long string of awesome solo albums) is a more focused work than some of his past efforts, which makes it a great listening experience.  While it features some of Malkmus’ trademark sillyness (Senator has the line “I know what the senator wants is a blowjob”) Mirror Traffic is a little more personal.  “Share the Red” is one of his most emotional tracks, where he contemplates being “40 with a kid, living on the grid.”  It also features few of the catchiest Jicks songs, “Forever 28″ and “Stick Figures In Love”.  “Forever 28″ has one of the most memorable vocal melodies on the album in between electric guitar freakouts while “Stick Figures” moves along at a brisk pace fueled by an infectious guitar line.  It doesn’t hurt that the album was produced by Beck, who seems to have a great handle on making Malkmus sound his best.

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Movie Review: Drive

September 19, 2011 Leave a Comment

The plot of Nicolas Winding Refn’s first major Hollywood film, Drive, isn’t exactly anything new.  The main character, simply known as “The Driver”, has a day job as a Los Angeles stunt driver.  By night, he drives getaway cars for anyone willing to pay.  But unlike films with similar storylines, Drive has depth.  It manages to separate itselfs from typical action/driving films in a way that is wholly unique.  The plot of the movie takes on an almost mythological, fucked-up fairy tale quality, making it one of the most interesting, original cinematic works of the past few years.

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Records of the Week: 9/3/11

September 3, 2011 Leave a Comment

Various Artists – Inglourious Basterds Soundtrack

Quentin Tarantino is the master of selecting music for his films.  He seems to be a huge music fan, as many of the songs he selects are fairly unknown.  And he’s a master at creating the right atmosphere with his selections.  The soundtrack for Inglourious Basterds is a great example.  Whether it’s an Ennio Morricone classic or an obscure David Bowie song, everything fits in well in the film context.  The problem with most soundtracks of this type – compilations with no original music made for the film – is that often they won’t seem as a cohesive of a listen.  But this soundtrack flows together quite well, despite the varying musical genres found on it.  But like other soundtracks, it’s much more memorable after seeing the film and learning the context in which each song is played.  One of the biggest treasures on the soundtrack is Morricone’s “Un Amico”, one of the composer’s more emotional tracks.  It seems full of longing, and it fits well with the scene it accompanies – the death of two important characters.

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Album Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You

August 29, 2011 2 Comments

Of the most popular rock acts of the past twenty years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are no stranger to lineup changes.  Throughout the bands 28 year history, they’ve had a singer, a bass player, three drummers, and nine guitarists.  The band’s most consistent lineup – vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante – were together for ten straight years before Frusciante left the band for the second time in 2009.  While the band split up amicably, there was some question of the band’s will to go on.  Frusciante was a principle songwriter during his time in the band, and he was a huge part of the band’s biggest hits (which included “Under the Bridge”, “Californication”, and “By the Way”).  He played a huge role in moving the Chili Peppers from their early funk/punk style to a more melodic, accessible sound.

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Album Review: Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne

August 9, 2011 1 Comment

While formulating a personal opinion on a piece of art – whether it be music, film, literature, etc – expectations are everything.

When Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in November 2010, critics praised its excellent instrumentation, interesting subject matter, and grand ambitions.  It is one of the more interesting, unique albums in the history of hip-hop, and it clearly contained some of West’s best work.  When he announced his collaboration with Jay-Z, his long time friend and mentor, it was hard not to expect the same thing.  With Kanye’s production skills and the combined rapping skills of the two, how could an album with two of rap’s greatest (and most popular) not at least equal West’s previous album?  Then “H.A.M” was released in January 2011 to mixed reviews.  While critics praised it’s symphonic nature and gloating lyrics, it was not as special or interesting as anything from West’s Fantasy.

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Records of the Week: 7/29/11

July 29, 2011 1 Comment

Stephen Malkmus – Stephen Malkmus

While Stephen Malkmus’ work with Pavement mostly leaned towards the loud, noisy, and distorted brand of rock, 1999′s Terror Twilight – the bands penultimate album – was a sparse, more melodic affair.  Twilight is subtle in a way that every other Pavement album is not.  Many have attributed this style change to the growing control of Stephen Malkmus, who was reportedly getting fed up with the group around this time.  After hearing his first solo record (which is self-titled) it’s easy to see how people came to that conclusion.  Stephen Malkmus is arguably the singer’s most poppy album.  But while Terror Twilight’s songs meandered on a little too long, or simply never hit the mark, this album is for the most part an interesting, easy listen.  “Jenny & The Ess-Dog”, a love story about the two characters named in the title, is one of Malkmus’ most pleasant songs.  “Vague Space”‘s falsetto chorus – despite it’s short length – is one of the best parts of the album.  And even the more eclectic songs, like the ridiculously infectious “Troubbble” and the catchy “Phantasies” both work well.  If you haven’t discovered Malkmus’ work beyond Pavement, definitely give this album a few listens.

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Album Review: Meg and Dia’s Cocoon

July 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

Surprisingly, I owe this review to a TV singing competition.  Specifically, NBC’s The Voice.

I’ve never really enjoyed or even occasionally watched singing or talent shows like America’s Got Talent or American Idol.  Shows like that always felt a little contrived atmospherically to me, and kind of fake.  And I never fell in love with any of the singers.  So when I randomly decided to watch The Voice, I was surprised at the level of talent on the show.  The show’s four “coaches” also seemed much more genuine than the judges on American Idol.  I started tuning into the show regularly in order to see if my favorite singers moved on.

One singer in particular struck me as being great.  Dia Frampton had a unique voice and a personality, especially for the type of show The Voice was.  I was surprised when I looked her up online after her audition and found out she was from the band Meg & Dia (Meg Frampton is her sister), who I had heard of a few times before.  While Dia didn’t end up winning the show, she made it all the way to the end and was only narrowly beat out.  But her voice was so enjoyable to me that I checked out her and her sister’s music.  Cocoon was the first album I listened to.

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Records of the Week: 6/27/11

June 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

that dog. – Totally Crushed Out

That Dog (not going to stylize it to that dog. repeatedly because it looks weird in text) is one of the best kept secrets of the nineties.  The group was around from 91-97 and released three records before splitting up.  The band has moved on to solo projects, although they recently – and quite surprisingly – announced two reunion shows in Los Angeles.  I’m actually attending one of those shows, so expect a review and possibly a video afterwards.  Totally Crushed Out is an excellent listen.  It’s full of crunchy guitars, catchy pop melodies, and beautiful three part harmonies.  My favorite song is the opener, “Ms. Wrong,” which might be one of the catchiest things I have heard in a while.  There’s also the single, “He’s Kissing Christian”, which received a moderate amount of airplay on MTV upon its release.  The lyrics on the album may seem a little corny to some, but I think they’re endearing and charming and fit well with the musical style.  If you’re a fan of nineties alt-rock, check this album out.

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Movie Review: X-Men First Class

June 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

It’s often hard to decide where the line between a good and bad comic book movie is actually drawn.  And sometimes it even depends solely on the viewer to decide what they want out of a film based on a comic.  Is a movie of that type supposed to focus more on action?  Or should it focus more on the “super” characters that are so beloved and their development?  The past few years have shown that a combination is necessary to create a truly great work of cinema.  While comic book movies work with almost non-stop action from start to finish, a different, more human side should also be shown.  It helps provide an interesting contrast and helps with emotional investment.  It’s the difference between a movie like Fantastic Four – which was decent, but very shallow – and The Dark Knight, a fairly deep film that was almost a crime drama as well as a super hero flick.

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