Friday, February 03, 2006

Everything I wanted to know about the current state of Norweigan electronica/soul but was afraid to ask. Very cool updates, Marc. Am now trying to locate some Eivind Aarset mp3s....

'Licensed to Ill' probably makes more sense if you're in your mid-teens and you haven't heard a lot of sampling, or rap, and you're driving around the suburbs, looking for a party and hoping somebody can buy you beer, which is how I first experienced this album. Lines like, "A lotta BEER/a lotta GIRLS/and a lot of CURSIN'/22 automatic on my PERSON" can only be fully appreciated while accompanied by loud shouting that reflects the nervous bravado of a burgeoning youthful male ego; some 20 years on, I can imagine it's a little dated. I know the 'Boys have since distanced themselves from some of the more overtly misogynistic lyrics that have tarnished an otherwise energetic and impressive full length debut. Still like the Zeppelin guitar line from 'The Ocean' on 'She's Crafty' demonstrates how sampling can really work well, and 'No Sleep till Brooklyn', if beat-mixed into any RunDMC track from the same period, takes me back to those (sorry) high school days.

'Post' and 'Debut' are the two Bjork discs to own, in my opinion. Though she's had some interesting releases since then, those first two discs are seem to gell more as complete albums, and offer some really great songs like, "Hyperballad" and "Isobel". I can't think of any of her subsequent releases that contain songs that match these efforts.

"This is Hardcore" is a bit of a grower. I thought it was a little overwrought when I first heard it, especially compared with "Different Class", but found that I came to enjoy it more with time. Also think "Help the Aged" is one of their best.

Questions as we head into the weekend:

Are the Grammy Awards the worst piece of shit awards show ever? If a certain Canadian band wins this award, will this change your opinion in any way?

No comments: