Skrillex/Clams Casino
Electronical Vistas
Skrillex: Bangarang (Owsla/Big Beat/Atlantic)
"The most hated man in dubstep" therefore isn't "in" dubstep at all, which allowing for a few wannabes is fine by the rest of us who aren't in dubstep, meaning 99 percent if not 99.99 percent of music consumers. If you're too smart or knowledgeable for this young goof and his damn Grammys that Robyn wouldn't have won anyway, by all means enjoy your cool. I'm not. But I know this much. This is a pop record because its shamelessly hedonistic barrage of proven dancefloor tricks will obviously be more fun at home than in a club, where it would blare forth at quadruple volume to young jerks who'd get just as excited about LMFAO. A MINUS
Clams Casino: Instrumental Mixtape (free download)
Reconstructed from tracks created for such real-life rappers as Lil B and Soulja Boy, New Jersey beatmaker Mike Volpe's comfortably disquieting illbient glitchbeat chillwave whatsis will grow on you if you give it a chance. And because it's designed to back into your space, providing the chance won't feel all that time-consuming, preoccupied as you'll be with something more engrossing while said time passes. The opening "Motivation" powers home enough hummed 'n' moaned gravitas to remind you it's there, and the closing "Cold War" caps the 40-minute album with a vocal sample that utters the title for once. In between you'll first pick up on "What You Doin'" and "Illest Alive," better known to you as the one in the middle and the one toward the end. Then slowly the rest will ooze into place via capillary action. A MINUSHope this old fogey 1969 talk didn't scare him off
I'm sure Japad is polishing his copies of A Salty Dog and The Original Delaney & Bonnie as we speak.
Too bad Dusty didn't do a whole album of Randy Newman covers
God, I'd love to hear her have a go at "I Want You To Hurt Like I Do". And "Pants"!
I don't think we're wrong about Whitney H. There may be a gospel root somewhere behnd modern pop singing's shouty default style, but there's something more to Mahalia Jackson than to WH - maybe it's "substance", as our host and John Piccarella once said about John Lennon's voice. It's the irreducible element which makes it art, I guess.
Low Cut Connie ripped shitlist up at Joe's Pub tonight. Adam came onstage at the toney joint wearing a black baseball cap with the words (pardon deceptive inversion) FCUKING CRAZY and we were off to the races. I thought the place might defeat them, but instead it brought out their best game. Supposedly Dave Marsh will be interviewing Adam between 10 and 12 Sunday on Sirius's E Street channel.
May I say F****, there is too much going on in this city... Anyway at least I agree with John Smallwood "Here comes the sun" rocks, as for the Abbey Road every song rocks but it definitely lacks unity !
I'm a little nervous that the best vocals I've heard in 1969 (so far) are by WHITE PEOPLE - but when that's Dusty Springfield and Charlie Rich - I don't feel so bad. Jerry Butler, Aretha and Otis - I'll get to you over the weekend.
As if most of you here didn't already know - "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs" is one incredible ballad.
about the blogger
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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