Edan--who is he? Where does he come from? How come I don't know anything about him? Is he really good or do I just like him for some ridiculously dumb reason. Track 13 of 2005's "The Beauty and the Beat" which is entitled "Promised Land" is the dopest track of the week. And why? Because of this:
I slapped a 40 oz
out of a young man's hand
and fed him lessons
of life to formulate a plan
I wore the Prime Meridian as a wristband!
I gave away my riches but still remained a rich man.
Two albums that have no history to me are Edan's "The Beauty and the Beat" and Diplo's "Florida." I don't have the energy to look them up really. Diplo I know is at least from somewhere in or around Philly. He is half of the mixtape master duo that likes to call themselves Hollertronix. (the other half is DJ Low Budget) Oh yeah and Diplo earned himself a namecheck from every big gun critic in the business (pretentious business anyway) by dating the one, the only, M.I.A., who, by the way, if you've been keeping score--EATS DOG DIRT DAILY. Don't even get me started! Don't EVEN GET ME STARTED! The ensuing tirade would just lead inevitably to the age-old discussion of opinion vs. seemingly factual evidence of certain artists SUCKING THE BIG ONE. I would like to quote some of my favorite musical critics on that debate tip, especially one IAN MATHERS of Stylus Magazine, but I have neither the time nor the energy.
Lately I haven't been floored by anything and I need to be floored. I was listening to the Arcade Fire and thinking of all the grandiose statements I've made in reference to "Funeral" in the past and realizing I was probably wrong but still feel as though most people don't give them a chance because they can't see past the hype. Hype can be legitimate, you know, they don't call it hype for nothin'. People gather 'round and get hype about a new record there's a reason for that. Sometimes that hype is inflated by many varying factors like musical trends at the time, venue trends, city trends, culture trends in general or whathaveyou. In my OPINION, however, there's unfounded hype and founded hype. (If founded is even a word) In the Arcade Fire's sense, I think the hype was again, inflated, especially by 40-somethings in the wine-tasting crowd, wanting something more than the regular WXPN fare. However, the hype was legit, the record is solid, and I still listen to it and get chills. The album is POP, it's a pop masterpiece. Melody, harmony, rhythm paired with heart-killing tip-toeing string sections at certain parts. AND THE GLOCKENSPIEL??? WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?
Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, but what I originally started saying was that I put down a lot of records because the hype gets overwhelming. People are buying the thing in Best Buy in droves and suddenly it loses its magic to me (see also: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). But that's an ill-made choice on my part, as "Funeral" is a fantastic pop masterpiece and so is CYHSY's self-titled. They are fun and great to listen to and make me want to dance and drive my car fast down an imaginary highway to Salt Lake City or a quaint farm town in France. I don't know! I like it and what's the problem with that! Of course, I am stating this more than a year after I used to pee my pants daily about the Arcade Fire. I remember that time and it was a great time, and it was, I believe, the last time I was absolutely floored by an album the first time I heard it. (I was also killed by CYHSY but for different reasons, really, more of a fun album then a I want the apocalypse now type of album.)
Anyway, where was I even going? Edan "The Beauty and the Beat" and Diplo "Florida" = two albums that are spinning like crazy in the varying players this week so hook it up. AND DON'T FORGET. TRACK 13 of Edan's crap. "Promised Land" is the name and it sounds like he rapped to a completely different track and then they took out that other track and filled it in with this other weird synthesized string track. And what are the lyrics about? They're awesome, I'm in 2001: A Space Odyssey's deleted scenes from the year 2221.
That was after the world tour
when I traveled through gravel
and battled matter at the earth's core
I did the show on a fireball
a pioneer
ran into the jungle and jetted
wearin' a lion's ear
i fought fear with the hammer Thor lent me
and tangled with the angel of death for four centuries
put a nameplate on the asteroid belt
and ran through the future with an android's help
that's when civilians were made of metal
He just has a true appreciation for good old-fashioned wordplay, so highly evolved it is poetry in the truest sense of the word. One drawback: He's from Boston. The Red Sox play there. VOMIT!!!! Okay so there's your homework, check out Edan and Diplo and get back to me. Right then. Stay velvet, friends.
PEACE.
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3 comments:
To comment some on your "rambling" part, I'll openly admit that hype may have played a factor in me not liking Clap Your Hands Say Yeah as much as I otherwise might have. But it's hard to tell, because when I think about why I don't particularly care for them, "so many people think they're awesome for some reason" isn't really one of the reasons. But since subconscious motives are, you know... subconscious, who knows?
Also, my eyes start to hurt when I read too much white text on a black background. I don't know if that's just me, but... yeah.
I don't know, in all seriousness, the only reason I gave Clap Your Hands a chance was because I read somewhere they were from Philly, when really I think only the lead singer, Alec Ounsworth, is from Philly. So, I was like "hometown pride" you know, and I listened to the record! And I was like wow this is GREAT! I wasn't like hey, stop the presses, this is amazing, everyone must hear this right now, because I think it's a very individual record. The fact that it has become so sanitized by the hype makes me ill. I don't even understand HOW it got so hyped up. Who started hyping it, and why? The album is NOT the type of album to write home about. I love it, but I'm saying it's just not floor me type material. Except in a very personal, individual sense. I am rambling again, but what I'm trying to say is--- HYPE SUCKS! And I'm trying to differentiate between actual love for an album and hypeinduced love (or hate, in your case) Alright- I'll think about changing blog colors for you, Tom.
You actually changed the colors. What a sweetheardt.
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