Robert Christgau's Music Criticism Blog - Expert Witness - MSN Music

Big Baby Gandhi

Smart Dumb Kid's Progress

By Xgau Apr 6, 2012 4:05AM

Big Baby Gandhi: Big Fucking Baby (free download)

Like his patron Heems, this Bangladeshi-American​ is from the part of Flushing "where the smart kids act dumb and the dumb kids act dumb." He just acts dumb in a smart way. You could say his lo-fi debut favors degraded rhythm samples and soprano voices, only from the boat-rocking "Been Around Ya Girl" to the deep-soul "Summertime Thing" to the Indian-children's-so​ng-plus-keyboard(???​)-loop "Woof Woof" you'd be missing a lot. The flow seems effortlessly idiomatic, only not South Asian idiomatic, whatever that would sound like besides Heems. The rhymes bespeak a brainy slacker with an analysis underway, only he's watched so much porn and heard so much hip-hop that he's dumber than need be about sex. Here he's all "she's chokin' just hopin' to provoke a nut," there he's telling her he was only kidding about that handjob. Figure by now he's here and there both. He is a kind of famous rapper, after all. A MINUS

 

Big Baby Gandhi: No1 2 Look Up 2 (free Greedhead mixtape)

"Terrorist with no turban/Lyricist with no sermon," he admits he'll be proud to graduate from college and with the help of two resourceful young beatmakers I never heard of cleans up his production like he's ready to go pro. But for all his "Get $$$," he hasn't quite managed it yet. He's still a kid getting his thoughts together one surprise rhyme at a time, weeding out enough sex and dope to make room for a holy Bollywood "Long Ass Intro," a law-abiding uncle who kept him out of the army, a joke he jacked from Fall Out Boy, and other evidence of grown manhood. A MINUS

 

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138Comments
Not. Milo. Miles.
Apr 7, 2012 12:30PM
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Some sci-fi and fantasy novels are actually quite good.



Heheh. I cite sci-fi fandom as the first modern nerds, though I am told radio crazies have at least as much claim. (For whatever reason, stamp collectors and suchlike don't count for me.)


I still worry that she [Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes] hasn't found what she wants to say yet (although the title song of the new album is promising).

Yeah, I wish the songs lived up to her delivery. And whole album's a little ... reflective .. for me. But it kicks high when it kicks and she is quite a vibrant Southern voice.

Ryan Maffei
Apr 7, 2012 12:16PM
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Well Jon, it's simply that your casual (and generic) Nicki writeoff and previously established radio-pop aversion made me curious as to how exactly your brain works. It is a broad and (intentionally) open-ended question. But hey, I genuinely appreciate that you responded.

So you like that supercutesy Magnetic Fields a lot, eh? Personally I'd prefer it had Roman Reloaded's abundant cleverness (rap half) and ebullient sharp edges (pop half). And that's coming from someone who would lick the bottom of Stephin Merritt's feet clean (if he wanted me to).
Jon LaFollette
Apr 7, 2012 12:03PM
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Jon, what are your three favorite albums of all time? 
Le sigh... I usually stay away from questions like this because they are so broad and open ended. But if I were to say what my three favorite records of all time are, I'd say

1) The Who - Quadrophenia
2) The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
3) The Beatles - Please Please Me

But as far as albums I've been listening to most recently, I'd say....

1) Kanye West - Late Registration
2) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
3) Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night

and as far as albums to come out this year?

1) Magnetic Fields - Love at the Bottom of the Sea
2) Imperial Teen - Feel the Sound
3) Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror

Sorry for such a long and strange answer. 
The Spirit of Alex Wilson
Apr 7, 2012 11:56AM
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I like how it's half and half! I think that, because it is so long, there may be a track or two, which doesn't mesh well, but, overall, I think it's a hit!

The whole 'd!ck in yo' face' thing is simple: It's funny, because she is a woman sticking a metaphorical dick in your face. She is trying to point out, perhaps, that women don't like dicks stuck in their faces/she just happened to find it funny, and ran with it. (Own interpretation.)
Ryan Maffei
Apr 7, 2012 11:54AM
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Jon, what are your three favorite albums of all time?

P.S. I'm sorry somebody ^ keeps thumbing you down.
Jon LaFollette
Apr 7, 2012 11:51AM
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LOL, it's hilarious, and it's meant to be; I think you are overthinking it!  
I know it's supposed to be funny, but it's just obnoxious. Although I will say the second half of the record is less spastic and less chaotic than the first. But still... how many generic dance songs with generic synth beats can you squeeze into a record? Not enough if you're Nicki Minaj. 
The Spirit of Alex Wilson
Apr 7, 2012 11:41AM
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'Anyone who doesn't laugh themselves silly, when she starts singing "put my dick in yo' face" is either taking life too seriously, or too willing to designate anything strange as "avant-garde" or "artistic."'

LOL, it's hilarious, and it's meant to be; I think you are overthinking it! Wink

'I just wanted to take this opportunity to say, that I find Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, to be one of the most grating pieces of music I've had the displeasure of listening to in quite some time.'

OK, that's your opinion. Mine is: It's the best album this year so far. Smile


So, what's the word of Amadou & Mariam: Folila? I think it's f'ing awesome, and I can't stop singing that track with Jake Shears in it! (Incidentally, I now know why they're called Scissor Sisters! Tongue out)

Ryan Maffei
Apr 7, 2012 11:32AM
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Anyone who doesn't laugh themselves silly when she starts singing "Put my dick in yo' face" is either taking life too seriously, or too willing to designate anything strange as "avant-garde" or "artistic."  
Right. Because it's a joke.
Jon LaFollette
Apr 7, 2012 11:08AM
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Sorry I've been away for a few weeks (although I don't think I was missed or that it really matters to me anyway), and I'm also sorry for missing any discussion on Nicki Minaj's new album, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I find Roman Reloaded  to be one of the most grating pieces of music I've had the displeasure of listening to in quite some time. Anyone who doesn't laugh themselves silly when she starts singing "Put my dick in yo' face" is either taking life too seriously, or too willing to designate anything strange as "avant-garde" or "artistic." 
Jason Gubbels
Apr 7, 2012 10:43AM
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There's this twisted little cult that wastes time fawning over deeply wretched novels
That's a little harsh, isn't it? Some sci-fi and fantasy novels are actually quite good.

;-)
JeffC77
Apr 7, 2012 8:51AM
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the title song of the new album is promising
The album is now streaming over at NPR. They're opening for Jack White here next month--show sold out in less than five mins.
Cam Patterson
Apr 7, 2012 8:34AM
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Great show at Cat's Cradle last night. Lee Bains III (I kid you not) and the Glory Fires opened up for Alabama Shakes, whose first album comes out this week. The Glory Fires were fun, promising, and derivative of everyone the Drive-By Truckers are derivative of. Mr. Bains has a voice and the bass player has a Kansas t-shirt.

The Shakes sold out the Cradle, and it was Exile in Plaidville there. Really, really packed. This band has the idea of tight down to a science. There were no solos at all during the show, just George Harrison/Steve Cropper-style guitar breaks and Booker T fills. Which left room for what the band does best, tension-and-release.​ And maybe tight to a fault-- when Britney was playing guitar (most of the time), she seemed too much in control of the band. When she put it down and got out in front, she was all preacher, and guess which I liked best. I still worry that she hasn't found what she wants to say yet (although the title song of the new album is promising). The crowd didn't care though. The band ran out of tunes 3 songs into the encore-- they could have come back twice more and the room would have stayed just as packed.

They are in NYC next week. Definitely worth checking out.
Not. Milo. Miles.
Apr 7, 2012 7:40AM
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y'all need to hear Kay Huntington before the world ends.


Like hell. (Yer a big Shaggs fan, I presume.) Hurry up and hear this terrible album -- all the wonderful music you haven't heard can wait. There's this twisted little cult that wastes time fawning over deeply wretched novels, but I've never understood why the corresponding music malady is so much more widespread.


I recently picked up a $1 LP called Glenn Miller's SHINDIG (1965), because of the odd Jack Lonshein cover art and the repulsive concept of the music. I will not, however, find out just how bad the album is. Life's too short.

GlenH444
Apr 7, 2012 6:03AM
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John S: I put No1 2 Look Up 2 in a dropbox here: http://goo.gl/OSbzK 
kevin john
Apr 6, 2012 10:43PM
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There was a 3rd place Tha Carter III argument? Ryan (or whoever), link me up please.

P. S. I have to figure out vinyl-to-mp3 soon because y'all need to hear Kay Huntington before the world ends. Has anyone else here heard it? Cam?
John Smallwood (jcsmall63)
Apr 6, 2012 9:42PM
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Still having problems with getting the second BBG, something about Mediafire and my computer. Last month I was unable to get the Heems mixtape from them either, Arrgh.
bradluen
Apr 6, 2012 9:40PM
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Tom Breihan at Stereogum points out that the production on No1 2 Look Up 2, like that on just about every mixtape out of Long Island these days, owes a ton to Def Jux - recall that El-P showed up on "Sit Down, Man". My resistance to modernism having evaporated, I like the sound more now than I did then, yet I wish that more independent hip hop beats were (to borrow a word from Xgau's 2005 Perceptionists column) luxuriant: especially in an era when just about every major label release is either reverbed into catatonia or a "B.M.F." clone Lex Luger made in twenty minutes. Exceptions: some of Watch the Throne, the new Nicki (which therefore isn't a hip hop album, but we'll get to that discussion).
Ñīçkÿ
Apr 6, 2012 8:11PM
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Accidentally ran into Gogol Bordello's 2002 Multi Kontra Culti Vs. Irony on Spotify. Not sure what it is--eleven really long songs... xgau never graded it. 

NOT SURE WHY. Holy shît is it a lot of fun to hear. 
Ryan Maffei
Apr 6, 2012 8:04PM
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R.A. Simms -- goo.gl/AZ5tG
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about the blogger

Robert Christgau

Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.

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