Last week was a busy week for me: there was homecoming dance to get ready for, there was homework, and there was sleep, which I needed. But I found time, I don’t know how, to listen to a lot of quality shizzle. Here’s what my ears loved:
September 16th
ATLiens – Outkast (1996)
As I was writing my article about Outkast, I realized I have yet to listen to ATLiens, the sophomore sandwich between Southernplayalisticadillakmuzik and Aquemini. Many people wouldn’t normally associate rap with beautiful sounds, but ATLiens is proof. It’s very jazzy, and the sounds were very ‘aquatic’ sounding if that made any sense. I went in expecting something very good, and disappointed I was not. As of today I would say it’s a solid 8/10 album, but additional listens might change that. Highlights include Elevators (Me & You), that song was especially pretty.
Idlewild – Outkast (2006)
Ten years after ATLiens and Outkast got more than ten times bigger. Idlewild came out at a time little after their peak, but it was still an album that was hotly anticipated, along with its film counterpart. In retrospect, many people say Idlewild is the worst album by the duo, and sadly, they’re right. It’s overstuffed, and lacks the chemistry that even the two halves of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below had. But that’s not to say it’s a bad album. It’s pretty solid, despite all the hate. The ragtime influence is really cool, and it’s hard not to get caught up in the funk, even if it’s to a lesser degree. I can see myself liking this album more with repeat listens, even if it’s only getting a 6.5/10 from me. I loved the Intro, and Peaches, those are album highlights for sure.
September 18th
All Eyez on Me – 2Pac (1996)
Another classic rap album from 1996. This was my first exposure to 2Pac (I know!), and you know what? He’s pretty good! He’s regarded like “Oh Tupac Shakur is the best of all time and rap is dead” and all that jazz, and though I disagree with both statements, I can see why people would say he was/still is number one. His diction is diverse, and he spits fire without sacrificing the understanding of his lyrics. And for an album that came from the nineties, it hardly sounds dated. Since it is a double album, it certainly overrunneth with songs, some better than others, so that’s why the classic All Eyez on Me gets a 9/10. Of course, I loved California Love, who doesn’t?
Be – Common (2005)
Common is an artist I really haven’t listened much to, besides some featured verses, but I really like his voice. With production almost entirely done by THE Kanye West, of course the album sounds good. With Common’s golden pipes and positive messages, the album is an all-around winner, a chicken-soup of rap if there ever was one. I’m giving it a 9/10, and album highlights include The Food and It’s Your World (Part 1 & 2).
September 19th
Fix You (single) – Coldplay (2006)
So I received this song in a playlist from a friend, and though I can talk about pretty much every song in the playlist, this single from Coldplay is the one that stood out most to me (because I already heard Radiohead’s Creep before). So people bash Coldplay a lot (raises hand), but that’s not to say I’m a hater. Their new album, Ghost Stories, was unfairly maligned, and Viva la Vida has got some great singles. Fix You, from X&Y (an album I haven’t heard), was a pleasant surprise… wait, the song is not really pleasant. It’s a reflection on a death and it does sound impossible pretty. The singing organ dominates the first two-thirds song, and even though the song is close to ten years old, it still sounds good. I later read that the band played the song live at Steve Jobs’ funeral, and I can’t believe the emotional feelings at the moment. (8.5/10)
September 22nd
An Awesome Wave – alt-J (∆) (2012)
In anticipation of Alt-J’s new album, This is All Yours, I decided to listen to his debut for the first time. I’ve heard songs from them before, like Tessellate, but I had never listened to the album before. So I did. And it’s pretty good (sorry for every note being so positive). Right from the intro, there’s a smokey, foreign song that sounds totally different than anything I’ve listened to, even though I know it is reinventing the wheel. Not all the songs are great (the interludes are obnoxious), but I definitely recommend the Intro and Tessellate… both will be present in playlists I make in the future. (7/10)
So all in all, it was a pretty good week of listening. And if you’ve got a blog, why don’t you comment with what good stuff you’ve heard? A recommendation never killed me.
Wu Chainz 