Snoop Dogg – Ego Trippin’ (2008)

Ego Trippin’, Snoop Dogg’s 1,979th album in as many years (dog years?) has the old fogie getting all hyphy with the kids and giving nods to New Jack Swing. He’s a Renaissance Man, that Dogg.

Never one to pay attention to details, Snoop offers up 21 tracks of extremely varying quality. If one has ever wondered about the long term effects of smoking way too much weed (and being as indulgent and careless as possible), this is Exhibit A.

But whatever to all that: you’re here to hear Snoop lazily drawl over West Coast production, and that’s exactly what he does – for better or worse.

So, yeah…isn’t “Sensual Seduction” the jam?

Between the gloriously-budget video and Snoop donning his best crooner voice, “Sensual Seduction” was a winner with the most basic of charms. I hoped that it hinted towards what Ego Trippin’ would sound like – exploito funk moves from a cannabis-stuffed tailpipe – but I’m disappointed to say it’s a one-off. (more…)

Following the blueprint laid down by Radiohead late last year, Nine Inch Nails have released Ghosts I-IV, a 4-disc instrumental album, without the (full) aid of a major label. A digital download gives you the first nine tracks free of charge; for $5 the entire set is yours. A deluxe version is available for the hefty price of $300, but let’s not go there just yet – how is the music?

Digesting a 4-disc instrumental set in one day, let alone in one sitting, is a tall order – but that’s what I’m here for, fair readers. I am here to hear – here, here.

Less ambient and more mid-90s cold wave soundtrack, Ghosts I-IV is a necessary departure from Trent Reznor’s angsty tendencies. This time around, all his gloom is distilled into instrumentals, which range from the burrs and twitches of NIN’s industrial flirtations (think The Fragile) to quick bursts of avant noise, albeit tame for the genre. Wolf Eyes this is not. (more…)

Beach House – Devotion (2008)

Kinda-sorta hypnotizing display of Mazzy Star dream pop for the winter lover’s crowd. A warm reverb swallows the LP, allowing the prettier melodies to keep afloat amongst the morass of gentle but typical songcraft. Weirdo Beardos like Gary Higgins spin pastoral cottage folk-pop far better than mousy, bookish types – and with more sincerity. One can assume much work was put into the overall aesthetic, which sounds how the cover looks – sparse, wooden and (artificially) lit-up.

Key tracks: “Heart of Chambers,” “Wedding Bell”

Download Devotion now.

Lupe Fiasco’s debut album Food and Liquor showcased the quick-witted rapper’s penchant for good vibes and G.O.O.D. beats, following in the footsteps of Chicago’s pride and joy, Common and Kanye West. His ambitious coupling of diverse subjects and long narratives (summarized with his heartfelt paean to skateboarding, “Kick, Push”) made for a well-rounded but exhausting listen (the nine-minute “Outro” was a miscalculation).

Being too eager to please all audiences may have stunted Food and Liquor ever so slightly, but not enough to consider it anything less than a good album by a promising artist. Now in 2007, The Cool is upon us.

After a poetry-slam intro and a forgettable, minute-long Akon-esque dirge The Cool picks up where Food and Liquor left off, with Fiasco’s witty wordplay and ever-changing flow dominating “Go Go Gadget Flow,” while “The Coolest” echoes latter-day Jay-Z over brooding synth-work. So far, so-so. (more…)

When the clock struck 12:00 this morning Radiohead fans clamored to their website and downloaded their new album In Rainbows in record numbers, causing the server to crash as expected. With a digital copy safe in my clutch I, at the same time as any music critic in my time zone (no promos for the big mags), will listen to the album.

Radiohead, without a label, have released an album where the consumer names the price (I paid $8), with all marketing done in a respectable fashion (read: no media schlepping).

Without further ado here’s the track-by-track review of In Rainbows:

“15 Step”

Right upon the first flurry of beatwork on “15 Step” its noticeable that Radiohead’s cold, terse electronics – paging Kid A – have been ditched for the brighter corners of IDM. Tinny drum machine beats (reminiscent of Autechre’s “Dael” from Tri Repetae – an opener as well) dart and shuffle around Thom Yorke, whose lyrics are far less oblique here than on past recordings (mentions of natural progression are abound). Nothing groundbreaking, but a cryptic listen nonetheless.

Pundits may call “15 Step” a slightly-too-light version of “Idioteque”; while the comparison to the most brittle of Radiohead’s tracks may not be far off the mark, it doesn’t do “15 Step” full justice. As a frayed, sunrise-type of opener the song succeeds. It would fit snugly into Hail to the Thief’s tracklisting, which can mean a number of things depending on your opinion of that album.

“Bodysnatchers”

The simplicity of “15 Step” rears its head on “Bodysnatchers,” a more colorful attempt at the midtempo chug-along. Distorted, multi-tracked guitar (courtesy of Jonny Greenwood) muddies up an otherwise by-numbers Radiohead affair, complete with a rambling Yorke and slippery bassline.

The ending coda teases the structure to a fine degree, echoing the frazzled and fried jangle of “Electioneering” from OK Computer. Satisfying but curiously lacking, to be honest. (more…)