MY TOP 15 OF THE FIRST QUARTER

We’re already more than three months into 2007 and a lot of good records out already. But like I said in a recent post, there just haven’t been that many exciting hip-hop and R&B releases, so I’ve been listening to tons of rock, which is unusual for me.

In terms of hip-hop, I do applaud the recent trend of free downloads. Stones Throw, in particular, came through with two nice freebies, the Talib Kweli/Madlib collaboration Liberation and the label sampler Chrome Children Vol. 2. Then, Def Jux did the same thing with their Definitive Swim compilation. I also downloaded mixtapes by underground faves Little Brother, Brooklyn emcee Hell Razah (Sunz of Man), and Detroit producer/rapper Black Milk. And I listened to veteran BK producer Domingo’s The Most Underrated and veteran BK rapper Sean Price’s Jesus Price Superstar. Finally, RZA’s Afro Samurai soundtrack was decent, as was Consequence’s Don’t Quit Your Day Job. But none of this stuff blew my mind.

In terms of R&B, everyone is raving about Amy Winehouse – rightfully so – but I’m not counting her Back in Black as an 07 album cause I was listening to the UK version through 06. And to be fair, there are a number of recent high-profile R&B releases that I haven’t heard yet (Macy Gray, Musiq Soulchild, Joss Stone).

So what have I been listening to?? A lot of funky rock, or disco punk, or whatever you want to call it – in particular, LCD Soundsystem and !!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk). I’m loving both of their new albums.

Speaking of funky, of course the new Antibalas is hot, too. But it’s a little more jazzy and subdued than I expected. Which is not at all a criticism – I’m glad that they’re stretching out into new territory beyond strictly Afrobeat.

Another genre-bender is k-os, who I think of as sort of a Canadian version of an Andre 3000 or Mos Def-type. There are some extraordinary songs on his new album, but his experimentalism and versatility sometimes fails him. And I definitely prefer him as a singer than an MC.

Finally, holding the #1 spot in my rotation at the moment is Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky, which I realize isn’t even out yet, so it shouldn’t count as a first-quarter release. But I have to mention it, cause it’s so damn pretty. I’ve enjoyed this band in the past, but the new record is not at all what I was expecting. It almost sounds like the Eagles, like some hazy 70s soft-rock. I know that sounds awful, but it totally works for me. And the guitar work here is excellent. Here’s the list....

Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
The Bees – Octopus
!!! – Myth Takes
Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
Antibalas – Security
k-os – Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Kweli & Madlib – Liberation mixtape
Various Artists – Chrome Children Vol. 2
Vieux Farka Toure – Vieux Farka Toure
Air – Pocket Symphony
Menomena – Friend or Foe
Consequence – Don’t Quit Your Day Job

It will be interesting to compare this to my year-end list to come. Of course, there are many exciting releases ahead – just in the next few months, I’ll be checking for Pharoahe Monch, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Arctic Monkeys, and more – but I suspect at least the first half of my list above will remain in my top albums of 2007.

REGGAE NOTES

Hi, y'all! Sorry to go AWOL, life gets crazy sometimes. But even though I haven’t been writing, I’ve still been listening to lots of biscuits. Lots of new reggae and dancehall, oddly enough. I say “oddly enough” because I tend to be drawn to reggae more in the summer months. But lately I’ve been catching up on all the recent collections like Strictly the Best Vol. 35 & 36, The Biggest Reggae One Drop Anthems, The Biggest Ragga Dancehall Anthems 2006, Reggae Gold 2006, and more.

It definitely seems like reggae has become much more popular in the States over the last few years. I recognize that this goes in phases – five or ten years ago Shaggy made a big splash here and fifteen years ago it was Shabba Ranks. But America's newfound fascination with reggae ever since Sean Paul came on the scene hasn’t really faded. Each year, there seems to be one huge crossover anthem. In 2006, it was Cham’s “Ghetto Story.” The year before that, Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock.” Nothing quite on that level yet in 07, although Hot 97 is playing the hell out of some unexpected songs like Buju Banton’s “Driver A” and Collie Buddz’ “Herbs Come Around.” Also, Stephen Marley’s “Traffic Jam” – a nice hip-hop influenced beat-box track with brother Damian – is getting a lot of spins. Stephen’s album comes out later this month, and it may well end up being the big reggae CD of the year, like Junior Gong's was in 05.

Maybe my perspective is skewed because hip-hop radio is more open to reggae in NYC than in other parts of the country. But I’ve been here over ten years, and it hasn’t always been this way. In addition to all of the songs above, it’s not uncommon to hear tracks like Richie Spice’s “Youths Dem Cold,” I-Wayne’s “Can’t Satisfy Her,” TOK’s “Footprints,” and more. Of course, most of these are fairly obvious hits, and the regular urban radio rotation barely even scratches the surface of modern reggae and dancehall -- with the exception of shows devoted to Caribbean music, like the ones hosted by Daved Levy or Bobby Konders. Still, it’s nice to get an occasional unexpected reggae fix in the afternoon.

And getting back to all those comps I’ve been listening to, there is definitely lots of good shit coming out of Jamaica (and elsewhere) these days. I love Dave Kelly’s Stage Show riddim, especially Spice & Pincher’s “Rude Boy Love.” I love everything I’ve heard recently from Bitty McLean, especially “Real Thing” and “Baby Tonight,” and apparently he is working on an album with Sly & Robbie due in the Fall.
As you can tell, my tastes tend toward Roots Reggae and Lovers Rock. I don’t really dance, so music that’s made exclusively for the club doesn’t hold much appeal. And I don’t have much tolerance for slack lyrics. But admittedly, I'm not at all imune to the charms of a good weed song, and I highly recommend “Sensi” by Gyptian, “Herbalist” by Alborosie, “Rolling” by Tony Curtis, and above all, “Ganja Farmer” by Marlon Asher, cause the lyrics crack me up…

Big stinkin helicopter flow through di air
what dem call it dem call it weedeater
dem never did there when me wa totin water
or when me did applying fertilizer
yet outta di sky dem spittin fire
and im a little youth man with a hot temper
me dig up me stinkin rocket launcher
and in a di air dispense the helicopter
me ya chant

Speaking of lyrics, another song I encountered in my recent reggae binge was the controversial “Gash Them and Light Them” by Chuck Fender. It’s a hot track, but as soon as I started listening closer, I was like “What the hell is this guy talking about?” It’s not what you think, not one of those awful gay-bashing songs. But it’s pretty weird: it’s an anti-crime, pro-vigilante anthem encouraging people to “gash” (cut, stab) and light (set fire to) those who are destroying the community…

A big man like you rip off a six-year-old baby. A big man like you pop off your gun and put nine 'pon a little old lady. A big man like you burn down a school and a talk 'bout you mad, sick, and crazy . . . Gash dem and light dem for all the negative vibes weh dem a bring. Gash dem and light dem! Mi come fi mash up and wreck up dem senseless killing.

Um, yeah, I’m not sure I follow this logic. He’s against all the senseless killing, but his answer is violent mob justice? I understand the Jamaican police are notoriously corrupt, but I still think this is a highly irresponsible message.

A lot of casual reggae listeners don’t pay much attention to lyrics. And I can understand that – it’s certainly hard for me as an outsider to follow the patois. But I do the best I can, because I’m fascinated by the words, particularly by how Jamaican artists’ lyrical concerns are both incredibly similar to and incredibly different than those of American rappers and R&B singers. To some extent, a love song is a love song, gangster music is gangster music. And, of course, a sizable percentage of reggae songs are actually covers of American hits. But sometimes I’ll hear a reggae tune, and it is virtually impossible for me to imagine a US equivalent.

For example, one of the tracks I’ve been listening to lately, Ras Shiloh’s “This Generation,” can only be described as a stodgy Cosby-esque dismissal of today’s youth. Check out some of the lyrics: Something about this generation, they’re not like us, they love to fuss . . . Something about this generation, their attitude stinks, they won’t get far. The only American song that I can think of that comes close to expressing this old-fart sentiment so unapologetically is the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds cut, “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times.”

What a strange song, eh? That’s what I love about reggae: While the standard criticism is that it all sounds alike, there's really a remarkable variety and a lot of appealing weirdness under the surface. It definitely feels good to be so engaged with this music again. And I hope to put up many more posts like this in upcoming months. The title of this blog, “Musical Biscuits,” is drawn from a Harder They Come reference, after all. And there are lots of exciting reggae releases this season to talk about: Turbulence’s Do Good, Anthony B’s Higher Meditation, Richie Spice’s In the Streets of Africa, Da’Ville’s On My Mind, Sizzla’s Children of Jah, and more.

Ps: Also worth checking out: Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood’s collection of his fave reggae tunes from the Trojan vaults, Johnny Greenwood Is The Controller.

INDIE ROCK SINGERS

I don't talk much about modern rock on this blog, but I've been listening to a lot of it lately as there have been a number of high-profile first-quarter releases and very little interesting hip-hop or R&B. What tends to keep me away from indie rock is not the music but the vocals. Take critical darlings Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I've been trying to get into their new album Some Loud Thunder, but the big obstacle to my enjoying it is frontman Alec Ounsworth, whose voice is often compared to David Byrne's. And the funny thing is that I've always been open to Byrne's unusual style. I'm a big Talking Heads fan, and I love that their art-funk sound (or whatever you want to call it) is such a recognizable reference point in so many of today's popular bands, from Franz Ferdinand to the Rapture. But of all the things to mimic in the Talking Heads aesthetic, wouldn't you rather draw from, say, the experimentalism of Chris Frantz's and Tina Weymouth's killer rhythm section, than from Byrne's strangled vocals, which are more of an acquired taste? I know, it's hard to separate these elements -- the Talking Heads were just great all around -- but my point is that it's a risky move to try to sound like Byrne. And Ounsworth's voice is like nails on a fucking chalkboard to me.

(I find Of Montreal's singer Kevin Barnes' voice quite goofy too, but it only ruins some of the songs for me. Their new album Hissing Fauna, You Are the Destroyer is still getting a suprising amount of spins, or rather, repetitions on my iPod.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those listeners who is totally hung up on technical skill when it comes to singing. I'll take Mick Jagger or Bob Dylan over Mariah Carey or Celine Dion any day. But I guess I just prefer a certain unironic, passionate delivery in my rock vocalists -- I like singers who go for it, regardless of their chops -- as opposed to people like Ounsworth who seem to me like they're deliberately making their voice sound weird and whiny just to be different. Let me give you some examples. Two new rock records that I am enjoying are !!!'s Myth Takes and LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver. Now, by any measure, !!!'s Nic Offer (pictured above) and LCD's James Murphy have terrible voices. They wouldn't make it past the first round of "American Idol." But their performances are compelling to me.

I'm also really digging Deerhoof's Friend Opportunity, and its appealing blend of noisy freak-outs and sweet, catchy melodies. Vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki doesn't really fit into either of my categories of singers described above. I can understand why some might find her sound gimmicky -- but she's an integral part of what I like about this band and this record.

Finally, let me just say that Damon Albarn's voice is fucking beautiful and so is this new album The Good, The Bad & The Queen. (Briefly: Albarn is the former singer for Blur & the Gorillaz, and this outfit is a supergroup made up of him, the Clash's Paul Simenon, the Verve's Simon Tong, and Afrobeat legend Tony Allen.) It took a long time for the Gorillaz' Demon Days to grow on me, but once it did it became one of my favorite records of 2005. The charms of TGTBATQ are even more subtle, but it is affecting me in the same gradual but profound way.

Ps: And I'm kinda liking some tracks on the Shins' Wincing the Night Away, but singer James Mercer's voice is more in the Brian Wilson/Alex Chilton tradition, which has never really been my bag.

LABEL NEWS

1.) In a recent post, I mentioned that San Francisco’s Ubiquity Records is one of those rare labels that only puts out good shit. If it says “Ubiquity” on the cover, it’s guaranteed quality. Not only do they promote talented, creative new artists, but they reissue classic soul, jazz, and funk from the 60s and 70s for their Luv N’ Haight division (named after the There’s a Riot Goin’ On song, of course).

Check out all the great stuff Ubiquity has on deck for 2007 (scroll about half way down their home page). I’m especially excited for Detroit producers Platinum Pied Pipers’ follow-up to their excellent 2005 debut Triple P and for a full-length (finally!) from LA-based producers Sa-Ra Creative Partners. For those who aren’t familiar with these names, think futuristic electro-funk. Other artists to check for on the roster include Ohmega Watts and Darondo.

2.) This is fairly old news, but it can’t hurt to remind folks that Stax – the legendary Memphis soul label (Otis, Sam & Dave, etc.) – has been reactivated and has a lot going on in 2007 as part of its 50th anniversary. They’ve signed Angie Stone and (re-signed) Isaac Hayes, and they’re planning on mining the archives and putting out assorted deluxe editions and the like, plus a 2-disc 50-song Stax anthology.

But first up, I believe, is an Earth, Wind & Fire tribute album featuring covers by Chaka Khan, Me’Shell N’degeocello, ?uestlove, and others. (A word of caution, however: tribute albums like this look great on paper, but they are notoriously hit-or-miss.)

SAY WHAT?? RECENT QUOTES IN MAGAZINES

1.) There’s a story in the latest Vibe (sorry, no link) about why the Native Tongues crew fell apart in the late 90s. The article is hard-to-follow and not very enlightening, especially considering the writer says he spent the past 3 years (!) interviewing everyone for the piece. But from what I can glean from the various quotes, the falling-out was basically the usual case of money and fame coming between family. It sounds like the beef began when the Jungle Brothers caught feelings after A Tribe Called Quest jumped ship to Rush Management. (DJ Red Alert was the original manager of both groups, and he was largely responsible for launching their careers.) Reading between the lines, the JBs were also probably envious of Tribe’s success with The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, both of which went platinum. It’s unclear to me where De La Soul fit in to all the drama, but apparently Posdnuos and Tip and Afrika – the three dominant figures in the three dominant Native Tongue acts – were always having creative and financial differences. Finally, if I’m reading this correctly, there was some conflict when the Black Sheep came out, because their silly but misogynistic vibe was at odds with the rest of the camp. Like I said, it’s all very confusing and the article just seems hastily assembled. These guys deserve better. Of course, I hold extremely warm and nostalgic feelings toward all of these artists, as I’m sure do many of my readers who are of the same age. Thankfully, by the end of the Vibe story, one gets the sense that for the most part the Native Tongues have put the problems of the past behind them and are all “cool again,” as Mike G of the Jungle Brothers puts it. But wait a minute. Check out what his partner Afrika has to say…

AFRIKA: I want everyone to know the truth about the Native Tongues. They have been trying to erase the Jungle Brothers out of the books, when I was the one that started the whole thing. This has been going on for years. There’s a reason we haven’t been able to do a Native Tongues reunion: It’s because there are house niggas and real niggas. The Jungle Brothers are real niggas. Maseo has always been good people and a real dude. But Q-Tip and Pos, I don’t know.

Daaamn! That’s some harsh shit. Now, who knows, maybe Afrika has a good reason to be so pissed off. But c’mon, both Tip and Posdnuous have pretty damn solid reputations. When have you ever heard anything bad about either of them? (Treach from Naughty by Nature was mad at Pos for a second until he realized he had misinterpreted one of De La’s lyrics as a diss.) Again, what do I know? This magazine certainly doesn’t give us the whole story. But the way I see it, there’s a reason that Tribe and De La are two of the most beloved hip-hop groups of all time and that Tip and Pos still rank on a lot of people’s lists of favorite MCs. Yes, the Jungle Brothers’ Straight Out the Jungle and Done By the Forces of Nature are classics and highly underrated, but then they took an L with J. Beez With the Remedy and they never recovered. They just became more and more irrelevant. Afrika seems to think they fell off because his Native Tongue fam sold him out. But couldn't it also be that he’s just not as nice on the mic as Tip or Pos? (Or Phife or Dres or Latifah or Monie or Chi Ali. Ouch!)

2.) The article about George Clinton in the latest GQ (again, sorry no link) is much more thorough and revealing than the Native Tongues piece. But damn if it doesn’t make George look pitiful. It was very sad to read…

What’s the longest, since you got into [crack], that you’ve gone without doing it?
“About two hours.” He laughs. “No. A week. Three days, four days, five days.”
And that’s been the past couple of decades?
“Yeah.”

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME SAD AT THE MOMENT...

1.) The INS/ICE continuing to fuck with Slick Rick. Check out the whole saga in this new Village Voice piece. I’m not suggesting he should get special treatment just because he’s “The Ruler.” But it’s obvious that deporting Ricky Walters makes no sense whatsoever. NY courts understand this and have judged in his favor numerous times over the past decade, but Florida has the strictest immigration laws in the country and it was in that state where he got into trouble. It now looks like the moment Rick feared – to quote one of my favorite tracks by him – is finally here. If the court rules against him, as is predicted, he’ll have to leave his wife, his family and friends, and everything he’s ever known (he came to NYC from the UK as a kid).

But as Julia Reischel, a reporter for the New Times Broward Palm-Beach, points out in this well-written and comprehensive article (which was picked up by the Voice), the upcoming legal battle has broader ramifications for immigration law in general. The gist of it is that Rick is being tried for the same offense twice. Double jeopardy, which is unconstitutional. But in our post-9/11 world, a whole different set of rules apply to immigration law.

Folks like Russell Simmons and Will Smith have stood up for Rick in the past, and he is going to need their help again. By bringing national attention to this story, perhaps we can’t alter the outcome of the trial but we can certainly shine some light on the issue of immigrants’ rights.

2.) Me missing the Amy Winehouse show at Joe’s Pub. The British soul singer had two sets at this intimate venue last night. I tried to buy tix (which were only $12!) a few days ago, but they were already sold out. Winehouse has a reputation for being fabulously drunk and sloppy at her shows, but folks on Okayplayer today were raving about her performance. She was backed by the Dap-Kings (damn!), who usually play with Sharon Jones – I’ve often praised them on this site. And I’m sure they brought a great, full sound, with their brass section and all. Apparently, it was a very “industry” crowd, with lots of music bigwigs in the house, including Jay-Z, Mos Def, Joss Stone, Nona Hendryx, Dr. John, Alice Smith, Citizen Cope, Tamar-Kali, and Mark Ronson, who produced much of her new album. Speaking of which, Back to Black is going to be released in the States this spring (it is currently #1 in the UK!) and I give it my highest recommendation. It was one of my favorite records last year, and if you don’t believe me, take it from ?uestlove, who ranked it at #2 in his list of top albums of 06. Winehouse performed almost the entire CD last night, and she even did a cover of Lauryn’s “Doo Wop (That Thing).” Aargh.
3.) Alice Coltrane’s passing. Seriously, when is it going to stop?
4.) This Chuck Klosterman book I’m reading, Killing Yourself to Live. Ugh, this was a dissapointing read. It's about his cross-country trip to the sites of dead rock stars, which is a cool premise. But there are just too many corny, self-indulgent passages about his love life, and all his cutesy pop culture references get tiresome. I guess I like Chuck better when he’s writing within some established parameters, such as a magazine interview. And don’t even get me started on that article he wrote for the New York Times magazine about Gnarls Barkley, which really pissed me off. Needless to say, Klosterman is much more on point when he sticks to what he knows, classic rock and modern/indie rock.

I do sometimes very much enjoy Klosterman’s writing. I admired a bunch of the pieces in his latest collection, Chuck Klosterman IV, especially his Spin interviews with Jeff Tweedy, Bono, Radiohead, and others. Oh, and there’s this hilarious conversation with Robert Plant, where Plant basically disses all heavy metal, even Black Sabbath, and says he regrets being considered in any way responsible for this genre of droning sludge that Zeppelin supposedly influenced. I found this quite interesting, because I’ve always felt there’s a liveliness, particularly in Zep’s rhythm section, that is completely different than Sabbath or other bands associated with metal. And I remember reading how Bonham and the boys were infatuated with James Brown and Motown, so I guess that makes sense. But I digress.

5.) Mos Def’s musical career arc. I’m not going to say anything more about this, it’s just too depressing.

6.) Mixtape DJs getting arrested. What!? This story is crazy. People like DJ Drama are totally legit. They're not bootlegging or making counterfeit CDs; they're giving the people what they want (exclusives, freestyles, etc.), and this is a practice that the artists and record companies support. So what's the problem? And why this sudden and extreme response from the RIAA?

7.) How safe and calculated Hillary Clinton’s every move is.

8.) The “surge.”

RIDIN' DIRTY IN THE WHITE HOUSE

This news item cracked me up. The Chicago Tribune reported that during a press conference on Tuesday about the Iraq speech that Bush gave last night, ABC's chief White House correspondent Martha Raddatz's cell phone went off -- and her ring tone was "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone. LOL!



Press secretary Tony Snow stopped his speech, looked at Raddatz, and said "Play that funky music, white girl!"