There's a couple controversial, discussion-garnering songs currently up at Singles Jukebox, and chances are they'll occupy places of prominence all weekend. Brad Paisley: could be a racist! Katy Perry: definitely sux, and probably a racist! EMA: still need to listen, but she may be the best thing ever or she may suck. I don't THINK anyone's calling her a racist, though. Anyhow...
Le bien:
2Pac ft. Nate Dogg and others: All About U
Hearing Pac next to weaker MCs from the same milieu, you realize his greatness was a matter of focus and command. Those Outlawz guys go crazy, stringing assonances together, referring back to Nate’s hook, and in their desperation they end up rushing the beat. Pac, on the other hand, is in charge from the start. His swinging syncopations fit well on Death Row, but he doesn’t lay back here. He places every syllable precisely on its (off)beat, and the resulting verses flow with nonstop good humor and rhythmic interest. During Verse 1 he cracks open his flow at two key spots. On the word “TIPsy”, Pac packs a whole evening into a hesitation; whatever happened “last night”, its memory is the only thing that can break his concentration. And the pause in “life’s hell for a black… celebrity” shows that the pressure of speaking for his audience still weighs on his mind. Also, now I’m gonna go around singing Nate’s hook for a week.
[10]
...le mal:
Katy Perry ft. Kanye: E.T.
Wife: “I bet you think this is too monochromatic.” Me, staring skeptically at the TV: “Kind of — it’s more just dumb.” Wife: “I was talking about my outfit.” Me: “Oh, I meant the song. Yeah, that’s a little monochromatic.” She turns a scarf into a belt; fantastic. Katy: “EX. TRAterrestrial.” Wife, mocking: “EX. TRAterrestrial!” Me: “She’s like Alanis.” Kanye talks some shit about Mars, cars, bars, jars, alien sex, disrobing, and probing; I destroy my copy of College Dropout. Wife: “See, he turns into an alien at the end.” AS MUST WE ALL. To sum up, somewhere in this mess there’s a melodic line she likes, so I acknowledge that it is possible to derive pleasure from “E.T.” Some things transcend human understanding.
[0]
...et le mot juste:
Justin Bieber ft. Jaden Smith: Never Say Never
Bieber walks through fire and climbs towers and runs across the sea! I must have missed something — did he turn into some kind of cross between Jesus and KITT? That’d make for a bitchin’ 3-D movie. However inspiring his meteoric rise to overworked child laborer, this song is so obviously about said rise that it has absolutely no pretensions of speaking to regular kids’ regular powers and frustrations. Whatever; kids are scrappy, they’ll figure out how to use it. And anyway, I will never change the radio on this song until I hear Jaden say “push comes to shove” over nothing but a big old handclap beat.
[6]
Brad Paisley: Old Alabama [7]
Ronnie Dunn: Bleed Red [2]
Young the Giant: My Body [4]
Oh Land: Sun of a Gun [6]
Jamie Foxx ft. Drake: Fall For Your Type [6]
Gorilla Zoe ft. Lil' Jon: Twisted [2]
Foo Fighters: Rope [6]
Willow Smith: 21st Century Girl [5]
Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, & Nate Dogg: The Next Episode [8]
Dr. Dre ft. Nate, Snoop, & Daz: Deeez Nuuuuuuts [7]
Gil Scott-Heron ft. Jamie xx: I'll Take Care of You [7]
New Boyz ft. Cataracs & Dev: Back Seat [6]
Talay Riley: Sgt. Smash [6]
No comments:
Post a Comment