Review: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks- Mirror Traffic

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Review: Jay-Z and Kanye West- Watch the Throne

Part of the reason I like to stay up after midnight is to read Pitchfork.com. Shortly after midnight, they usually post their reviews of the latest albums. Last year I remember refreshing my page and seeing them give Kanye's latest a perfect score. Was it as really good as "Kid A" or "Soft Bulletin" or "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" or hell, even "Source Tags and Codes"? No it wasn't. But the chances Kanye took were worthy of any praise it was receiving. It was a hip hop album we hadn't heard yet, there were King Crimson samples, nine minute songs with auto-tune solo's, a unnecessary Chris Rock appearance, oh and lyrically, Kanye couldn't be touched. So here we are, a rap superstar at the top of his game, with no place else to go.

Something funny happened though, he buddied back up with the elder statesman in Jay-Z. Hova is fresh off of what was probably his worst album, he headlined Bonnaroo and Coachella, scored a number one hit, and yet seemed unsatisfied. So now the best rapper of all time teams up with the most polarizing artist in the world. So usually these things are supposed to suck. Jigga isn't a stranger to these collaboration albums, he did some clunkers with R. Kelly which ended in a disastrous tour with Kelly being maced. Hell, I was skeptical, considering the lead single "HAM" sucked (thankfully it's on the deluxe edition), I set myself low. I should've known better.

What works with "Watch the Throne" is that it's two artists in their prime, just having fun. Yes, they're flossing their gifts in a dire economic climate, but damned if I can't get a kick out of it. Latest single "Otis" uses a sample by Mr. Redding and is the running for the song of the year. The two giants trade back and forth like a couple of kids arguing who had the best summer to a backing track of "Try a Little Tenderness", it's a fucking broment on an album, the type of broment you and your BFF have when you realize how awesome it is to know someone who can keep up with your lifestyle.

Nearly every song features bars being traded, "Niggas in Paris" samples the underrated Will Ferrell comedy "Blades of Glory" to a Yeezy beat and well, it's about flaunting. Album highlight and opener "No Church in the Wild" starts with an eerie line sung by Frank Ocean from OFWGKTA and gets darker and better from there. Ocean guests on two tracks here and his stock will probably rise considering this will be a hit album, and his collective has been taking the internet by storm.

There are some clunkers though, "Lift Off" features a cheesy chorus from Beyonce and has a beat and lyrics akin to a Lonely Island parody, it's nearly laughable, especially coming off of the tremendous opener. Closer "Why I Love You" is pure cheese that may or may not be a hit single and features the nerve shattering Mr. Hudson who guested on probably the worst Jay-Z song ever. I won't even mention it here to spare you. But what it lacks in trying to be serious, it makes up for being fun.

Both Yeezy and Jigga are at their best when they're being themselves and having some fun. It's easy to tell when they try to hard, but when they forget everything and want to one up each other, we as fans win. While I'm sure there's tons of money to be had in a sequel, I can't help but think where they go from here. Can this rejuvenate Jay-Z and help him forget about aging and wanting to stay relevant? Can Kanye keep up the pace he's set for himself since he picked up a mic? Time will tell, but if I may be a little cheesy here, this album proves that nobody is even close to usurping the throne.

**** 1/2 out of *****


-bro sport

Concert Review- Decemberists at Stubbs, Austin TX 8/8/2011

I've seen The Decemberists three times on this current tour, and I've yet to be disappointed. Most of it's because the music is good and the song selection is safe, but partly because Colin Meloy is a very underrated front man. Need proof? Go to a show and try not coming back with a smile on your face. Meloy plays the hell out of his guitar, he sings his little heart out, and for a guy who writes some pretty grim tunes, he's pretty damn hilarious. But even this being a third show for me, it was special in it's own way. Jenny Conlee, the longtime multi-instrumentalist for the band, made a rare appearance with the band after being diagnosed with breast cancer back in May. Her presence was felt and she's glue to a well made machine.

Opening with "Leslie Anne Levine" from "Castaways and Cutouts" was a great choice. It's a song, rarely played that kind of set the tone for the light hearted approach the band took for the evening. New tracks off the band's latest LP "The King is Dead" sounded great too, highlights being "Rox in the Box" and "All Arise!" in which I myself "two stepped" with a much older, attractive woman who sang the lyrics back at me. The show kind of put you in that mood to sing along with your fellow man...or woman.

The best portion of the show came from the only two cuts off of the underrated "Hazards of Love" album. The one-two punch of "Won't Wait for Love" and "Rake's Song" made for a headbangin' and fist pumpin' good time that displayed the fun of both the band and the crowd. While the album didn't get it's due on this show, the aforementioned tracks were among the best played on this whole tour. For an encore, you get "The Mariner's Revenge Song", I won't tell you anything to spoil it for you, but it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself since it's probably the cheesiest, sweetest, most fun you can have at a show with songs involving death, killing children, political change, and lost love.

Not once was I bored, even opening act Caitlin Rose, with her pretty face and country songs had me tapping my feet. The Decemberists are one of the premier bands right now that we have in the states. Pretentious? Yes. Melancholy? Without a doubt! But good lord, these Portlandians know how to have a good time. In the face of a serious situation within a band member's health, you wouldn't be able to tell if they were going through turmoil or not. Like a live band should be, they just want to have fun.


-bro sport

Concert Review- Arctic Monkeys at Stubbs, Austin TX 8/2/2011

So I keep wondering to myself, where are the great rock bands? Surely there are better bands than Arctic Monkeys, but let's be honest, how many pure rock bands do we have that are consistently good? Arctic Monkeys have been tearing a hole in England for the past decade but have suffered a bit in the states. Popular? Yes. But these guys are headlining stadiums in their homeland and they're playing clubs here. That being said, they're a live band that work in any venue, they're just that damn good at what they do.

Set opener "Library Pictures" off of this year's "Suck It and See" is a terrific way of displaying the band's talent, and probably their most underrated card is Alex Turner's delivery on his often sly and cryptic lyrics. He's a good singer, but the dark material of the Monkeys' last two albums has been enough put a little whoop ass into Turner's persona which was that of a Teddy Boy.

Oh but then we have Matt Helders. Helders is probably the best drummer out there period. Listening to him pound away on "Brianstorm" is something to see because you can't believe someone can actually go that fast and keep up with the band. "Crying Lightning" is also a spectacular showcase of his skill as well, the twists and turns in that song are enough as it, but Helders can keep it up and pound and not outshine the band, in fact he seems completely modest and comfortable on stage compared to the others.

The Austin crowd was perfect. The crowd had fun, knew most of the words, lost their shit to "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor", and largely appreciated the band as well as their fans back in the old country. New cuts like "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" sounded great and were played with an added jolt compared to their album counterparts. They're young, hip, and have made four good albums and rival The Strokes as the best pure rock and roll band of the past decade. It's a shame they're not as big in the states, but those of us in attendance on Tuesday will appreciate them either way.

-brosport

Grandpa Was A Lion - In A Dream

One of our YNFBs, Grandpa Was A Lion, have had a busy 2011. With a new album already out, the one-man band has just released a new EP. Archaic is a wonderful 5-song EP, that picks up where The Whalestoe Tapes left off. Enjoy the EP opener "In A Dream" below and pick up a copy of the Archaic EP here.

-brosephstalin

Video: Wooden Shjips - Black Smoke Rise

Wooden Shjips - Black Smoke Rise from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

"Black Smoke Rise" can be found on the band's latest album, West, out now on Thrill Jockey

-brosephstalin

Das Racist - Michael Jackson

After releasing two mixtapes, Brooklyn's Das Racist bring their unique brand of hip hop back to masses with a new album, Relax, due September 13, via Greenhead. You can stream the first single from the album, "Michael Jackson", below and pick up a copy of the song at iTunes. You should probably buy it. We highly suggest you do.

Michael Jackson

-brosephstalin