Meet Me In Montauk

Song of the Day #1,304: ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ – Foster the People

Clay — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:03:07 +0000

Tied for tenth on Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop poll of 2011′s best songs is ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster the People.

I am far more aware of this song than I am familiar with it. I’ve read a lot about it, but I can’t say that I’ve heard it in its entirety more than once or twice. But that’s not a reflection on the song, which I find incredibly catchy.

‘Pumped Up Kicks’ has received most of its press due to its subject matter, and particularly how that subject matter juxtaposes with the light, indie-pop reggae feel of the music. Is it appropriate to tap your feet and whistle along to a tune about a disturbed kid who opens fire on his classmates?

Foster the People aren’t glamorizing the shooter (in fact, one band member has a cousin who survived the Columbine attacks and said he views the song as a vehicle to discuss teen violence) but they sure do make him swing.

Robert’s got a quick hand
He’ll look around the room, he won’t tell you his plan
He’s got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out of his mouth, he’s a cowboy kid
He found a six-shooter gun
In his dad’s closet with a box of fun things
I don’t even know what
But he’s coming for you, yeah he’s coming for you

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You’d better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet

Daddy works a long day
He’ll be coming home late and he’s coming home late
And he’s bringing me a surprise
‘Cause dinner’s in the kitchen and it’s packed in ice
I’ve waited for a long time
Yeah the slight of my hand is now a quick pull-trigger
I reason with my cigarette
And say, “your hair’s on fire, you must’ve lost your wits, yeah”

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You’d better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet

Run run run run
Ru-ru-ru-run run run
Ru-ru-ru-run run run run
Ru-ru-ru-run run run ru-run run

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You’d better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet

Song of the Day #1,303: ‘Bizness’ – tUnE-yArDs

Clay — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:03:04 +0000

Over the next two weeks I’ll feature the top ten songs on Village Voice’s annual Pazz & Jop poll that have not appeared on this blog already.

I love this poll because it appeals to my inner stats geek — the one who, when he had more time, used to aggregate my family members’ top ten movie lists into one master top ten list based on a complicated points system.

Pazz & Jop is the same thing done for music and on a much larger scale — 700 music lovers (mostly professional critics, I assume, though can it be that 700 people are employed as music critics in this economy?) ranked their favorite 2011 albums and songs and all those lists were combined into a master list of over 2,000 songs and 2,000 albums.

With a list that exhaustive, you’re bound to get interesting results. For example, I was happy to see that exactly one voter joined me in naming Brad Paisley’s ‘Working On a Tan’ as one of the year’s best songs. And more interesting, the same man chose Drake’s Take Care as his best album of the year, with Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaboration Watch the Throne in the fourth spot. Now there’s a man with eclectic taste.

Two of the top ten songs on this year’s poll have already appeared on this blog so I won’t feature them, though I will note them when the time comes. Instead I’ll start with the song that came in at #12, ‘Bizness’ by tUnE-yArDs.

I know nothing about tUnE-yArDs other than they choose to spell their band name in the most annoying fashion possible. But apparently they have struck quite a nerve because, while ‘Bizness’ is their highest-ranking song on this list, the record from which it came — whokill — placed at the #1 spot on the albums list.

That’s an impressive feat given the exhaustive nature of this poll, so it merits at least a little more investigation into tUnE-yArDs, which (I learn from Wikipedia) is a “music project” by New Englander Merrill Garbus.

‘Bizness’ is an interesting mix of fun and annoying. I hear a lot of creativity and passion in the song even as I’m eager for it to end. If it’s representative of the rest of Garbus’ album, I might have to steer clear. But I’ll admit, I’m curious.

If I represent the one that did this to you
Then can away the part that represents the thing that scarred you
I say, Get up, stand up, get up, stand up, get on it
Yessir, I am no longer who you thought this one would be

We end up around the mountain that I climb to lose you
I said, I said give me the business that business could work through,
I say, Ask me but all my wisdom departed
Tell me but all my wisdom departed
But help please at least answer me this,
Answer me, answer me

What’s the business, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

From a distance, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

I’m a victim, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

I’m addicted, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

If you just press your fingers down under my skin (Go on and do it)
Lift up, dig up, lift up, dig up and bleed for me
I say, I’ll bleed if you ask me
I’ll bleed if you ask me
That’s when, that’s when, he said no

What’s the business, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

From a distance, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

I’m a victim, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

I’m addicted, yeah
Don’t take my life away
Don’t take my life away

I’m addicted, yeah
From a distance, yeah
I’m a victim, yeah
What’s the business, yeah

I’m addicted, yeah

(instrumental)

What’s the business, yeah
What’s the business, yeah

Song of the Day #1,302: ‘Goodbye’ – Elton John

Clay — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:03:19 +0000

When a random dip into 10,515 songs turns up a track from Madman Across the Water, arguably Elton John’s best album, something is going right.

In addition to the apocalyptically awesome title track, this album features ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘Levon’ — that trio alone qualifies it for the pantheon. I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with the other six tracks, including today’s SOTD.

‘Goodbye,’ the album’s final track, is a gorgeous little song. Clocking in at just a minute and 49 seconds, it packs a lot of emotional power into a small package. John’s beautiful minor key piano balladry is supplemented perfectly by the string section orchestrated by Paul Buckmaster, whose work on the whole album is simply transcendent.

And now that it’s all over
The birds can nest again
I’ll only snow when the sun comes out
I’ll shine only when it starts to rain

And if you want a drink
Just squeeze my hand
And wine will flow into the land
And feed my lambs

For I am a mirror
I can reflect the moon
I will write songs for you
I’ll be your silver spoon

I’m sorry I took your time
I am the poem that doesn’t rhyme
Just turn back a page
I’ll waste away, I’ll waste away
I’ll waste away, I’ll waste away
I’ll waste away, I’ll waste away

Song of the Day #1,301: ‘Rocks’ – Ben Jelen

Clay — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:03:32 +0000

Random Weekends continue with a track from Ben Jelen’s 2004 debut album, Give it All Away. This is one of those records that you can find, without fail, in the $1.99 cutout bin of any shopping mall record store. No doubt that’s how it wound up in my shelf.

I don’t think I’ve ever listened to Give it All Away all the way through, or if I have it made too little an impression to stick with me even as a vague memory. Opening track ‘Come On’ was a minor hit but even that song doesn’t feel very familiar.

‘Rocks’ is the album’s second track, a piano-based ballad that’s produced to within an inch of its life. A review of Give it All Away on AllMusic.com criticizes the album for going too big too soon, suggesting that Jelen would have been better served by a more modest debut.

I see that point. This song is reaching for the rafters, aiming for a Coldplay vibe that feels too big for the moment. Sometimes it’s hard to like somebody who is trying so hard to be liked.

But I do detect some talent in the Scotland-born, U.S.-raised Jelen, who pretty much disappeared after this album made its brief splash. I’m glad he turned up in the cutout bin of my Random Weekends.

Strokes of dark, a brush of light,
I watch you bring your canvas into light.
Oh I know that’s how you see the world,
I know that you see anything you like.
But now I’m doubting me,
I know I shouldn’t be but
I’ve been down, I’ve been down

Cause it was love wasn’t it?
Well it’s killing me not having it.
It’s hard to not remember,
Forget it’s not the same,
When still you come and tell me
‘Sorry I came without an invitation
Just wanted to be loved.’

The last perfect thing,
You know that you bring me back to life.
On and on and on and on,
I think about you all day long,
I need you to be stronger.
Cause now I’m doubting me -
I know I shouldn’t be but
I’ve been down, I’ve been down

Cause it was love…

Yeah, I hear the sound,
And I know that you’ll be
Coming round – you know I’ll wait for you.

Oh love, it’s killing me not having it.
I need you to
Be stronger, don’t wanna hear the sound,
’cause rocks upon my window mean that you’re coming round.
And how could I resist when I think you’re still in love.
How can I move on when I wanna be in love with you.

Song of the Day #1,300: ‘Stan’ – Eminem

Clay — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:03:35 +0000

The first rap album that became essential listening for me was Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP. Before that I enjoyed and appreciated certain rap songs but had never heard a complete rap album that held my interest.

But the Marshall Mathers LP, which exploded into the cultural consciousness amid cries of outrage and arguments over censorship and freedom of expression, was a fully formed masterpiece of anger, pain and dark humor.

I don’t mean to suggest that this Eminem record was the first great rap album. No doubt it followed (and borrowed from) a long line of masterful records. But this was when I became a legitimate fan of a rap artist.

It’s a funny analogy, but for me Eminem is to rap what Brad Paisley would later become to country music — an artist I love and will follow to the far reaches of his career despite otherwise not buying into his genre.

If the Marshall Mathers LP was the album that crashed through the rap barrier, ‘Stan’ was the song on that album that made the most immediate impact. Making use of a hauntingly effective Dido sample, Eminem inhabits the mind of a deranged fan who doesn’t get that his idol is “just clowning” when he raps about violence and self-mutilation.

[Chorus: Dido]
My tea’s gone cold I’m wondering why I..
got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window..
and I can’t see at all
And even if I could it’ll all be gray,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me, that it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad..

[1st Chorus: volume gradually grows over raindrop background]
[2nd Chorus: full volume with beat right after "thunder" noise]

[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Slim, I wrote but you still ain’t callin
I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not-a got ‘em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin
Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot ‘em
but anyways; fuck it, what’s been up? Man how’s your daughter?
My girlfriend’s pregnant too, I’m bout to be a father
If I have a daughter, guess what I’ma call her?
I’ma name her Bonnie
I read about your Uncle Ronnie too I’m sorry
I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn’t want him
I know you probably hear this everyday, but I’m your biggest fan
I even got the underground shit that you did with Skam
I got a room full of your posters and your pictures man
I like the shit you did with Rawkus too, that shit was fat
Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back,
just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan
This is Stan

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Slim, you still ain’t called or wrote, I hope you have a chance
I ain’t mad – I just think it’s FUCKED UP you don’t answer fans
If you didn’t wanna talk to me outside your concert
you didn’t have to, but you coulda signed an autograph for Matthew
That’s my little brother man, he’s only six years old
We waited in the blistering cold for you,
four hours and you just said, “No.”
That’s pretty shitty man – you’re like his fuckin idol
He wants to be just like you man, he likes you more than I do
I ain’t that mad though, I just don’t like bein lied to
Remember when we met in Denver – you said if I’d write you
you would write back – see I’m just like you in a way
I never knew my father neither;
he used to always cheat on my mom and beat her
I can relate to what you’re saying in your songs
so when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put ‘em on
cause I don’t really got shit else so that shit helps when I’m depressed
I even got a tattoo of your name across the chest
Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds
It’s like adrenaline, the pain is such a sudden rush for me
See everything you say is real, and I respect you cause you tell it
My girlfriend’s jealous cause I talk about you 24/7
But she don’t know you like I know you Slim, no one does
She don’t know what it was like for people like us growin up
You gotta call me man, I’ll be the biggest fan you’ll ever lose
Sincerely yours, Stan — P.S.
We should be together too

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Mister-I’m-Too-Good-To-Call-Or-Write-My-Fans,
this’ll be the last package I ever send your ass
It’s been six months and still no word – I don’t deserve it?
I know you got my last two letters;
I wrote the addresses on ‘em perfect
So this is my cassette I’m sending you, I hope you hear it
I’m in the car right now, I’m doing 90 on the freeway
Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?
You know the song by Phil Collins, “In the Air of the Night”
about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drowning
but didn’t, then Phil saw it all, then at a a show he found him?
That’s kinda how this is, you coulda rescued me from drowning
Now it’s too late – I’m on a 1000 downers now, I’m drowsy
and all I wanted was a lousy letter or a call
I hope you know I ripped +ALL+ of your pictures off the wall
I love you Slim, we coulda been together, think about it
You ruined it now, I hope you can’t sleep and you dream about it
And when you dream I hope you can’t sleep and you SCREAM about it
I hope your conscience EATS AT YOU and you can’t BREATHE without me
See Slim; [*screaming*] Shut up bitch! I’m tryin to talk!
Hey Slim, that’s my girlfriend screamin in the trunk
but I didn’t slit her throat, I just tied her up, see I ain’t like you
cause if she suffocates she’ll suffer more, and then she’ll die too
Well, gotta go, I’m almost at the bridge now
Oh shit, I forgot, how’m I supposed to send this shit out?
[car tires squeal] [CRASH]
.. [brief silence] .. [LOUD splash]

[Chorus: Dido]

[Eminem]
Dear Stan, I meant to write you sooner but I just been busy
You said your girlfriend’s pregnant now, how far along is she?
Look, I’m really flattered you would call your daughter that
and here’s an autograph for your brother,
I wrote it on the Starter cap
I’m sorry I didn’t see you at the show, I musta missed you
Don’t think I did that shit intentionally just to diss you
But what’s this shit you said about you like to cut your wrists too?
I say that shit just clownin dogg,
c’mon – how fucked up is you?
You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counseling
to help your ass from bouncing off the walls when you get down some
And what’s this shit about us meant to be together?
That type of shit’ll make me not want us to meet each other
I really think you and your girlfriend need each other
or maybe you just need to treat her better
I hope you get to read this letter, I just hope it reaches you in time
before you hurt yourself, I think that you’ll be doin just fine
if you relax a little, I’m glad I inspire you but Stan
why are you so mad? Try to understand, that I do want you as a fan
I just don’t want you to do some crazy shit
I seen this one shit on the news a couple weeks ago that made me sick
Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge
and had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid
and in the car they found a tape, but they didn’t say who it was to
Come to think about, his name was.. it was you.

Song of the Day #1,299: ‘Final Hour’ – Lauryn Hill

Clay — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:03:18 +0000

I wanted to include a woman during this week on rap artists, so I did what every modern-day computer literate person does when seeking knowledge — I Googled it.

A search for “best female rapper” returns a lot of candidates, most of whom I’ve never heard of. Among those I do know, I found repeated references to Missy Elliot, Eve, Lil Kim and Queen Latifah. But the most mentioned and most lavishly praised of them all proved to be Lauryn Hill.

Hill made quite an impression over just a few years and just three studio albums (including two released with the Fugees). Her blend of gorgeous vocals, legitimate rhyming skills and prodigious songwriting talent made her a rare hip-hop triple threat.

If she had continued to release albums as rich and gorgeous as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she’d be a living legend. On the other hand, if she’d released one disappointing album after another over the past decade and a half, she’d be forgotten.

As it is, she’s one of popular music’s biggest mysteries, with vague hints of a second solo album coming and going year to year but no signs that it will really happen.

I treat this like my thesis
Well written topic
Broken down into pieces
I introduce then produce
Words so profuse
It’s abuse how I juice up this beat
Like I’m deuce
Two people both equal
Like I’m Gemini
Rather simeon
If I Jimmy on this lock I could pop it
You can’t stop it
Drop it
Your whole crew’s microscopic
Like particles while I make international articles
And on the cover
Don’t discuss the baby mother business
I been in this third LP you can’t tell me, I witness
First handed I’m candid
You can’t stand it
Respect demanded
And get flown around the planet
Rock Hard like granite or steel
People feel Lauryn Hill from New-Ark to Israel
And this is real
So I keep makin’ the street’s ballads
While you lookin’ for dressin’ to go with your tossed salad

You could get the money
You could get the power
But keep your eyes on the final hour (x2)

I’m about to change the focus
From the richest to the brokest
I wrote this opus
To reverse the hypnosis
Whoever’s closest
To the line’s gonna win it
You gonna fall tryin to ball
While my team win the pennant
I’m about to be in it
For a minute
Then run for senate
Make a slum lord be the tenant
Give his money to kids to spend it
And then amend it
Every law that ever prevented
Our survival since our arrival
Documented in the bible
Like Moses and Aaron
Things gon change, it’s apparent
And all the transparent gonna
Be seen through
Let God redeem you
Keep your deen true
You can get the green too
Watch out what you cling to
Observe how a queen do
And I remain calm readin’ the 73 Psalm
Cause wit all this on I got the world in palm

You could get the money
You could get the power
But keep your eyes on the final hour(x2)

Now I be breakin’ bread sippin Manichevitz wine
Pay no mind party like it’s 1999
But when it comes down to ground beef like Palestine
Say your rhymes, let’s see if that get you out your bind
Now I’m a get the mozzarella like a Rockerfeller
Still be in the church of Lalibela
Singing hymns a cappella
Whether posed in Maribella in Couture
Or collectin’ residuals from off the Score
I’m makin’ sure
I’m with the 144
I’ve been here before this ain’t a battle this is war
Word to Boonie
I make salaat like a Sunni
Get diplomatic immunity in every ghetto community
Had opportunity went from
Hoodshock to Hood-chic
But it ain’t what you cop
It’s about what you keep
And even if there are leaks
you can’t capsize this ship
Cause I baptize my lips every time I take a sip

You could get the money
You could get the power
But keep your eyes on the final hour

Song of the Day #1,298: ‘Fight the Power’ – Public Enemy

Clay — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:03:37 +0000

Public Enemy was the first rap group to catch my attention. That was thanks to their prominent role in Spike Lee’s classic 1989 film Do the Right Thing.

If you’ve seen the film, you no doubt remember the vibrant opening credits sequence, in which newcomer Rosie Perez danced solo to Public Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power’ against a colorfully lit stage backdrop of a city street. This song burst into my brain the same way the movie did.

Public Enemy was a fascinating template for the mix of politics and showmanship that exists in the best rap music. You had Chuck D, the learned and angry prophet, railing about injustice while his hype man, Flavor Flav, danced around like a halfwit court jester, shouting “Booyyeeee” and wearing clocks the size of dinner plates around his neck.

I remember reading a quote that Public Enemy’s 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back was the sound pouring out of every inner city car window that summer and, listening to the record, it did feel like more than just music. It was a statement, a manifesto, a promise that voices long silenced were finally being heard.

I was surprised to see that the band is still together, having released an album in 2007 and with plans to release another this year. They have certainly been overshadowed since the early 90s but they remain rap’s greatest pioneers in both sound and spirit.

1989 the number another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hittin’ your heart cause I know you got sould
(Brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if you’re missin’ y’all
Swingin’ while I’m singin’
Givin’ whatcha gettin’
Knowin’ what I know
While the Black bands sweatin’
And the rhythm rhymes rollin’
Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power

Chorus

As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you’ve realized the prides arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
from the heart
It’s a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothin’s strange
People, people we are the same
No we’re not the same
Cause we don’t know the game
What we need is awareness, we can’t get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
(Yo) bum rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say…
Fight the Power

Chorus

Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant shit to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother fuck him and John Wayne
Cause I’m Black and I’m proud
I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped
Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don’t worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, c’mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be

Song of the Day #1,297: ‘Hey Mama’ – Kanye West

Clay — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:03:35 +0000

Whether you love Kanye West or hate him — and I can see plenty of reasons to do both — it’s hard to deny that the man has immense talent and that he has done more to change the face of modern hip-hop than any of his peers.

Much has been written about the emergence of so-called emo rap, and Kanye has certainly done his part to introduce themes of heartbreak, romance, depression and self-doubt into his music and therefore into the broader conversation about what makes a good rap record. His tear-soaked 808s & Heartbreak is rap Blood On the Tracks and, whether or not it “works” in any traditional sense, it’s very existence is noteworthy.

But I’m more interested in Kanye’s contribution to the sound of modern rap. As both a producer and a recording artist he has incorporated pop and orchestral sounds into traditional rap in ingenious ways. Working with alternative musicians such as Jon Brion and Bon Iver, he has crossed cultural and racial divides in a quest to make prettier music.

[Chorus]
(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I’m so proud of you
Let me tell you what I’m about to do, (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool but, I promise you I’m goin back to school
I appreciate what you allowed for me
I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama)

[Verse 1]
I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I’m finna let it shine
I’m finna take yall back to them better times
I’m finna talk about my mama if yall don’t mind
I was three years old, when you and I moved to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fixed me up something that was good for my soul
Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl?
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike
And you would give anything in this world
Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn’t give me a curl
And you never put no man over me
And I love you for that mommy cant you see?
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy Imma love you till you don’t hurt no more
And when I’m older, you aint gotta work no more
And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn’t afford
See you’re, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that’s makin loot
A livin legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]
Forrest Gump mama said, life is like a box of chocolates
My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate
Somethin to fall back on, you could profit with
But still supported me when I did the opposite
Now I feel like it’s things I gotta get
Things I gotta do, just to prove to you
You was getting through, can the choir please
Give me a verse of “You, Are So Beautiful To Me”
Can’t you see, you’re like a book of poetry
Maya Angelou, Nicky Giovanni, turn one page and there’s my mommy
Come on mommy just dance wit me, let the whole world see your dancing feet
Now when I say Hey, yall say Mama, now everybody answer me (Hey Mama)

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
I guess it also depends tho, if my ends low
Second they get up you gon get that Benzo
Tint the windows, ride around the city and let ya friends know (Hey Mama)

[Verse 3]
Tell your job you gotta fake em out
Since you brought me in this world, let me take you out
To a restaurant, upper echelon
Imma get you a jag, whatever else you want
Just tell me what kind of S-Type Donda West like?
Tell me the perfect color so I make it just right
It don’t gotta be Mother’s Day, or your birthday
For me to just call and say (Hey Mama)

Song of the Day #1,296: ‘The Rooster’ – Outkast

Clay — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:03:41 +0000

If there’s one genre I’ve given short shrift over nearly 1,300 Songs of the Day, it’s rap. OK, heavy metal as well, but that’s never gonna happen.

But if I can dedicate a week to opera, surely I can dedicate a week to rap. So to paraphrase my mother, that’s what I’ll do.

Starting things off is a track from the Speakerboxxx half of Outkast’s smash 2003 release Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. That record, which won the Album of the Year Grammy and sold more than 5.5 million copies (of a double album), marked the peak of the band’s career. Their only subsequent release was the mostly ignored soundtrack album to a film they conceived, 2006′s Idlewild.

But Speakerboxxx/The Love Below shows Big Boi and André 3000 at their most creative and funky. The album is actually two solo albums pckaged together, with Big Boi delivering the more traditional southern rap on Speakerboxxx and André 3000 freaking out all over the place on The Love Below.

At first I was more intrigued by André 3000′s contribution, which features the huge hit ‘Hey Ya’ and plenty of oddball Prince-esque (Prince-ish?) funk detours. But over time I found myself gravitating more toward Big Boi’s beat-tastic work on Speakerboxxx. It’s a little bit harder, I think, to play things straight and still come up with something fresh and exciting.

‘The Rooster’ is a fine example. Big Boi raps about his family problems over a frenetic horn loop that revs up the verses and grounds the chorus. He’s working with the basic tricks of the trade but delivering something special.

[Verse 1:] Ok, I start out all alone
`Cause my baby mama left me
Now there’s nobody at home
Beginning to feel like Ms. Jackson done got cloned!
Well it’s some real shit and I’m lving it through this song!
A moving vehicle took my family
As I slept out on the sofa in the Boom Boom Room
I woke up very upset!
I throw the covers back and peek out of the draperies
My daughter, my baby, my baby mama all escaping me!
In the wind, she was my friend
Like Princess Di before she died
Therefore we tried and tried again
But in the end you pay attention to the pluses
But the minuses behind make it seem like you can’t win!

[Hook:] Throw your neck out! Throw your back out! [4x]

[Verse 2:] Round two, a single parent, what is Big to do?
Throw a parrty? Not hardly!! i’m trying to stay up outta that womb!!
Or that p-u-s-s uss! I said uss!
Luther Vandross couldn’t make a home out of this house that we smooshed
Smashed, pushed to the limit! Smash and turned it timid!
Hell everyone was suffering, the house was feeling wicked hell
The cat got sold, the dog got old, the food got cold!
Both of our tempers were on swolle
For the most most part you fuss, fight, fart!
You build it up to break it down and now take it from the start
Repeatedly leading a path that only ends in a clash
Of two stubborn minds, grown folks blind to the sign!

[Hook]

[Verse 3:] K-O, knocked out by technicality
The love has kissed the canvas
Now the whole family is mad at me
My daughter don’t want me at her PTA meetings
And then my son he can’t talk, when I change him he’s peeing
I think he’s pissed!
I can’t dismiss the matter of the fact because he saw you and me argue
Now the energy is coming back
Set an example, a positive pattern, keep life on track
But I’m married to the music and committed to the wax, tapes, CDS
Baby please, you make me want to scream!
You’re on my team starting first string so why are we arguing?
[Repeat]

[Hook]

Song of the Day #1,295: ‘Winter in the Hamptons (Live)’ – Josh Rouse

Clay — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:03:16 +0000

Josh Rouse, today’s randomly selected artist, has a career that is perfectly tailored to the Internet age. He has a small but devoted following who he is able to reach through studio releases as well as independent and Web-only product.

Twenty years ago, artists like Rouse who weren’t big enough names to garner much media attention were pretty much out of luck. But today, through social media, fan sites and music sharing services, they can have a legitimate career doing something they love.

Today’s track is an example of one of those opportunities only the Internet can provide.

Rouse released an EP titled Summertime through the website NoiseTrade, a site that allows artists to upload music and fans to download it absolutely free. Each download includes an optional tip jar, where fans can show their appreciation in whatever amount they choose (NoiseTrade keeps 20% of the tip jar money in order to cover costs and presumably make some small profit).

The Summertime EP included a handful of previously released tracks, a couple of new ones and live performances of a bunch of fan favorites, including ‘Winter in the Hamptons’ recorded live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. This is one of my favorite Rouse songs (so much so that it was my 17th Song of the Day).

Here we go, singing our songs with our soul
The winter has gone, where do we belong
We have stayed too long

Friday night, we’re so uptight we get stoned
Sit in the Hamptons, it is too cold
We have stayed too long

Spring is finally here and we’re so well dressed
It’s a talent and it’s our style
So put on your hat because the forecast is rain clouds

Never know, Americans seem such a bore
Embarrassed and still we are hanging on
We have stayed too long

And we’ll fly, take a trip, see the Euro sites
Our money is gone, where do we belong
We have stayed too long

Sick of living here, we’re such a mess
Cause the government, they’re all liars
So put on your hat because the forecast is rain clouds