Culture Greyhound

Probably the finest musical stocking stuffer this year as far as greatest hits collections go, Gorillaz have delivered a near-perfect package of their best songs. Every single from the group in their ten years of productivity is here, from the breakthrough “Clint Eastwood” to the iPad-created “Doncamatic.” My personal favorite treat is the Soulchild remix of “19-2000,” by far an improvement from the original and one of my favorite remixes from the last decade.

The collection is great at highlighting the mood shifts and subtleties from Damon Albarn and his crew masquerading as outlaw cartoon monkeys. It also serves as a reminder, in case one forgot, that Gorillaz quickly transformed from a gimmicky side project to a badass legendary entity. Add this one to your playlist for road trips and rowdy Friday nights. There’s nothing here that won’t make you grin from ear to ear.

Listen to Singles Collection 2001-2011 on Spotify.

It may seem a bit soon for this Akron duo to release a follow-up to the breakthrough album Brothers, but for those who have been following the Black Keys for years, we already know they like to keep busy. Their first three albums were dropped in the span of two years. The longest they’ve waited in between releases has been that amount of time. And while recent albums haven’t exactly packed the punch of early material, they’ve had moments of growth and sheer excellence along the way. Magic Potion was a critical darling. Attack and Release was a grand experiment. Brothers got them Grammys and Saturday Night Live guest spots and money. And now the Black Keys have returned with their most accessible work yet, this time produced in full by Danger Mouse.

There’s nothing new here, except for subtle growth. The duo has embraced their well-deserved fame and honed their trademark sound for a new legion of mainstream fans whilst keeping the hearts and minds of the longtime devotees. It’s the most focused Black Keys disc since Rubber Factory – it’s quick, powerful, and lacking any filler whatsoever. Perfect for an angry commute or a determined workout. “Lonely Boy” gets your booty shaking, “Gold On the Ceiling” gets your fist pumping, “Run Right Back” will compel you to challenge the mettle of your sound system. It hasn’t been that long, sure, but man it’s great to have these guys back.

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

32. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

Originally called Bleed American, but changed to a self-titled moniker due to the post-9/11 censorship mania, Jimmy Eat World’s breakthrough album is an undeniable power pop classic. Spawning four huge singles, including unavoidable hit “The Middle,” the album propelled the band into the mainstream almost overnight. Listening in retrospect, it’s easy to hear why: everything here is infectious from beginning to end. You’d have to be a robot to not find something you liked.

“A Praise Chorus” is a lovely nostalgic sendup to the 80’s, while “Sweetness” is a call-and-response shout-along made for arenas. “Hear You Me” is a somber tribute to Weezer fans Mykel and Carli, and “Authority Song,” quite possibly the best track on the album, pays homage to the old Mellancamp tune in name only. Overall, Bleed American is an easy pill to swallow, but by no means is it one you get tired of consuming repeatedly. Even after ten years, the melodies still click in a way the band has been unable to match since. Catchy, intelligent, precise, timeless.

Listen to Bleed American on Spotify.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Kendrick Lamar feat. Busta Rhymes – Rigamortus (Remix)
Escort – Makeover
The Dodos – So Cold
Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg – Young, Wild, and Free (feat. Bruno Mars)
A$AP Rocky – Peso (Star Slinger Refix)

Trailers for upcoming movies. Some are good, some not as much.

R.E.M. doesn’t exactly have a prolific career; after all, they were around for thirty years and gave us fifteen fair-to-classic albums in that time. Ryan Adams is prolific, Paul McCartney is VERY prolific, Bradford Cox is becoming prolific. R.E.M. are merely consistent…..speaking in terms of level of output. The sound of that output, however, has been anything BUT consistent. One listen to this career-spanning anthology will give you an idea of just how many curveballs the Athens-based group threw at their fans.

What’s remarkable about this compilation, now that the band is officially through and we can observe their legacy as a whole, is, even though it highlights the ups and downs of a legendary band’s career, the whole thing is GREAT. Like, really, really great. Even tracks from lackluster points (Up, Reveal, Around the Sun) sound appropriate, and remarkably sharp, in this context. And of course, the major hits are here, surrounded by strong tracks from incredible albums. I think it’s apparent everything R.E.M. put out up through New Adventures In Hi-Fi is just fantastic. With the exception of “A Month of Saturdays,” the new tracks are great examples of a band who have aged well and matured their songwriting to levels of sheer beauty.

Consider Part Lies a testament to the immense songwriting talent in R.E.M., a band that was great even when they had been better before. And consider Part Lies a musical reminder to all of us that we really don’t know what we have until it’s gone.

As a joke in class the other day, I offered up this gem in a discussion of the best movie soundtracks of all time. Okay, maybe it was only a half-joke; I mean, I know listening to it when you’re 25 certainly doesn’t have the same effect as hearing it for the first time when you’re 10. But I’ll be damned if the nostalgia bug doesn’t bite me pretty hard on some of these tracks.

How can you deny what is arguably R. Kelly’s best song, “I Believe I Can Fly?” How you gonna hate on Seal improving (yes, you read that right) Steve Miller Band’s classic “Fly Like an Eagle?” Remember the Quad City DJ’s? They had more than one hit! And this was the heyday of Coolio! Oh, 1996, how I love thee…..but by far the best moment in this compilation is the rap star basketball sendup “Hit ‘Em High.” B. Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man all lay down some pretty fantastic family-friendly rhymes about playing aggressive b-ball. D’Angelo follows the anthem with his soulful “I Found My Smile Again,” another highlight.

And then, well, I won’t say Monica ruins the whole thing, but god I hate “For You I Will.” So much. Salt N Pepa deliver an underrated jam, and Robin S. reminds us all of the mid-90’s Eurodance craze (which we’re apparently re-living in 2011.) Barry White and Chris Rock do a memorable “Basketball Jones” cover, which seemed funnier when I was an adolescent. After that it’s three songs featuring A-listers doing lackluster things (Jay Z and Biz Markie show up!…..with the Spin Doctors and…..who the hell is Changing Faces?). And then there’s the final song: “Buggin.'” A rap song from Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes crew. Another track I remember being a lot cooler in third grade, but whatever. If you can’t crack a smile at Bugs Bunny throwing down rhymes, you’ve lost your childhood completely. So turn up your bass, sit back, and recollect just how awesome this movie was. Was Bill Murray ever NOT cool?

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

33. MIA – Arular

There were two albums I purchased in high school while attending Dale Carnegie courses. Before going to class, I stopped by the ol’ CD store (remember those?) and snagged Weezer’s Make Believe and this, the debut LP from MIA. Needless to say, I was immensely impressed with one of them and the other, well, it got shelved. It seems now that MIA and Weezer might have more in common than we previously thought. Perhaps they both were destined to make two widely acclaimed works and then proceed to be hit or miss for all eternity. Only time will tell.

Still, we always have Arular, an album as exotic, engaging, and flat-out bizarre as its album cover reveals. From the horn hook of “Bucky Done Gun” to Maya’s still-infectious half-croon on “Galang,” the debut certainly is more minimalist and tribal than its sister album Kala, which was certainly a step forward in accessibility and Western dance music. The charm of Arular still remains, even though our protagonist later showed the world her lack of education on the actual political issues she was rapping about.

Listen to Arular on Spotify.