The Kanye Lovefest Continues

Serious, one more Kanye entry, and I think we'll need to rename the site to reflect his ubiquitous presence. Like he said, "I am the greatest show on Earth." What can we do?

Anyway, the topic of this latest entry comes in the form of his SNL skit in which he plays on his recent tirades. That line about the champagne is one for the ages.



Oh yeah, and mad props to George Smoot, one of the co-recipients of the Nobel "Peace" Prize in Physics. Go Bears, yay-yay.

Me! Me! Me! Yay!

This was the last picture I took before this racist security toy cop ordered me to go put my camera in the car.

So the Foo Fighters decided to throw a party for the release of their brand new album (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace) by performing at a tiny, little venue (which just happened to be the same venue Enoch saw his beloved Rentals merely days before) and practically giving away tickets to those who showed an obsessive amount of fan spirit.

Apparently, I qualified.

Despite what the Rolling Stones calls a mediocre album with useless tracks mindlessly thrown into what appears to be lacking in theme, I think the new stuff rocks my socks off. The first single, the Pretender, is a good way to get people interested, but it's not my favorite. That would be Long Road to Ruin, which is on repeat more than United States of Electronica ever had a chance. And Let it Die is also a great track. Whenever I hear it, I think Dave actually wrote it for Kurt. Maybe? Could be? And Stranger Things Have Happened makes me happy, although I think it's intended to be a sad song...

Anyway, I was tempted to actually buy the CD since I enjoyed it so much but then realized I don't own a single Foo Fighters album. This lead me to go onto Amazon.com and get the Colour and the Shape album from a seller in Florida for $4.83. Used, I know, but I'm poor. I'm hoping the purchase goes through so that I can adequately feel that my presence at Monday's concert was not a fluke.

Okay, obviously, I'm not the greatest at writing a well structured review so just listen to it and end up loving it, too.

Return of the Rentals, Take 3

I was fortunate enough to hear about Rentals' final show of the current tour at the Henry Fonda (after my previous Rentals post, mind you) and scored tickets for the lovefest last night. And what a lovefest it was.

Well, first things first. Opening band Copeland kinda blew. To be fair though, a couple members couldn't make it due to family issues, and the band soldiered on with an acoustic set rather than cancel. That said, you know it's pretty bad when this exchange goes on:
"I hope they play a cover."
"Of whom?"
"Anybody."

On to the main show. I was really hoping the Rentals would open the way they've been doing throughout the tour, with the 2046 strings intro and "Move On," but they just came out and rocked the house. They played all the hits, including "Friends of P," "Waiting," "Barcelona," and a bombass version "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams," with Rachel Haden, Lauren Chipman & Sara Radle all sharing vocals. Magnificent.

And, for the record, they did eventually play "Move On," to start the encore. Although sans 2046, it was still the highlight of the show for me. Anyway, since I didn't take any pictures and it'll be a couple of days before any bootlegs possibly begin rolling out, here's their intro from Chicago with all that great crap I've been harping about:

The Uber-Celebrity Come Live

They forced me, kicking and screaming, whining and moaning, grabbing and jabbing... into the Staples Center to watch none other than the New King of Pop shake it like it hurt.

Yes. I saw Justin Timberlake last night at his opening Future/Sex/Lovesound show. My company insisted that we enjoy our lives and comped the whole endeavor. Can't complain about that.

I'll be honest. I like Justin Timberlake. Given I could probably kick his ass in a bar fight fairly easily, he could probably choreograph a whole kung-fu scene if he had the time.

It was an impressive show with tons of lasers, scantily clad women, and enough crotch gyrating to last me a lifetime. The best part, though, was the surprise performance by Kanye West. He must have heard that I didn't like his album and wanted to prove that he was a worthy artist. He did just that. He even pointed at me and said, "I love you, too."

Anyway, I think that musical artists all have levels. I always respected the ones who kept their concerts to smaller venues. Weezer at the Warfield. Green Day at Slim's. Common and Talib Kweli at the House of Blues. But some people aren't merely musical artists. They're celebrities and sometimes, uber-celebrities. Their shows are extravaganzas with lights, moving objects, and multiple giant screens. And honestly, it wouldn't be as great in any other way.

So fine. I admit it. Big arena concerts can be worth it, but not unless you can perform in that special way that keeps 20,000 people engaged like JT and Kanye did. I can't say the same for Good Charlotte, who opened for him. They should stick to impregnating anorexic heiresses.

The Mars Army Cover Kanye...

listen

Chamillionaire FTW

Ultimate Victory comes out on Tuesday. So apparently, this album was due out back in March, but was pushed back. It's a good thing, too. If it had come out on schedule, I probably would have totally passed over this gem. Seriously, the first time I heard of Chamillionaire, I literally laughed out loud. I thought it was a joke. A millionaire chameleon? And he raps?

Well, my attitude started to change after catching the music video for the album's first single, "Hip Hop Police". Interesting lyrics, dope beat, and clever video production made a follow-up the least I could do for the Chamillionaire. And now, after listening to the album, I gotta say that I'm sorry for having slept on dude for so long. This millionaire has got some skills. Ultimate Victory is the shit.

And the winner is...

In light of Jerome's previously posted Gorilla vs. Bear (see Sept. 4), I'd have to say that the original competition shouldn't really have been Kanye vs. 50 since... well... I can't think of how to put it without being called judgmental... Fuck it. 50 has no talent.

So this past weekend, I got my grubby paws onto two great albums. Kanye's Graduation and Talib Kweli's Ear Drum. I gave the prior a spin and thought... this is exactly as I expected. Lots of samples, a few slow beats, and a dare I say overused mantra of materialistic addiction? It's a good album if you have no other albums to listen to in the car.

But the real winner was clearly the latter. I've been to Talib shows. I've heard his other albums. But for some reason, I still needed proof that he was, in fact, a lyrical genius. Well, this album apparently serves that purpose. The messages are strong, he touches upon family, politics, media, and social conflict... and all on a smooth beat. There was a point when while listening, I thought... what the fuck is this, he sounds like Kanye right here... and low and behold, the song was featuring the overdone kid. (It's the part where he's talking about Silicon Susie. I know, right?)

Anyway, if you guys like Kanye's album, that's fine. Like it. Love it. Sleep with it under your pillow. Everyone's entitled to his own opinion... even it's wrong. HA!

Return of the Rentals, Take 2

For those of you who don't remember the Rentals, they were that fun, power pop supergroup that used a lot of the Moog in the mid to late 90's. They received minimal radio airtime but did gain a modest amount of exposure via Matt Sharp's Weezer and Rachel Haden's That Dog connections.

After dropping off the face of the earth during the early part of this decade, the band decided to tour again last summer, and after hearing rave reviews, I'm pretty damn pissed at myself for not getting tickets.

However, I was able to procure the audio for their Denver set, and let me just say that they do indeed sound freaking magnificent. Two personal highlights include a faster version of "Move On" and their rendition of Weezer & Rachel Haden's b-side "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams," both of which I've included below for your pleasure.

So, in terms of music newsworthiness, the band's doing a residency on XMU every Tuesday in September, a new album's expected soon, and hopefully another tour's gonna follow.

Rentals - Move On (Denver live)

Rentals - I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams (Denver live)

Out there in Jupiter, y'all...

Meet Ronald Jenkees, youtube keyboard virtuoso / beatmaker...





http://www.ronaldjenkees.com/cd-store

Gorilla vs Bear: Tales of the American Dream?

Kanye or 50? Who's gonna outsell who? It's going down on 9/11 and aside from the record industry pulling a stripped down version of the East vs West beef that sparked sales in the late 90s (yea we all know how that one went down...), there's something else that's been intriguing me about this whole showdown.

What I can't help but notice is that, despite the seemingly different personas 50 and Ye come to represent: one of a gangsta and the other the baller by way of college dropout, when it comes down to it, both make music that seem to celebrate the American Dream.

Fiddy, in all his G-Unit/Glaceau glory, is about coming up in a world that doesn't give a shit about poor disenfranchised youth of color via any means necessary (ie moving keys, robbing fools). He's a hustler, he's a gangsta but he's made it. Look no further than his latest single "I Get Money" to understand what he's about. 50 has always been about playing into America's fear and fascination of Black males. It's almost like he's laughing "all the way to the bank" by owning his image and making millions from playing into a stereotype. Aggressive, hypersexual, criminal makes for some cool marketing. Essentially, we have Fiddy saying I've made it out by turning a negative thing into $$$.

In the other corner, Kanye. From the beginning, 'Ye has been about his whole "college is for suckas" shtick and how he's made it through the fire (or wire). His latest album, Graduation is all about the celebration and flossin you do once you've made it (Glory, Can't Tell Me Nothin, Flashing Lights come to mind). Where Fiddy puts forth a ghetto poor rags to riches story, Kanye comes at it from a middle class to riches perspective. Honestly how many kids in the hood are actually going to face the problem of dropping out of college, let alone apply to college? Like 50, Ye plays the role of the underdog that's made it. Both flaunt the fact that they made it despite the hate and adversity.

So is it me, or does this whole having two monumental pro American Dream Black figures drop on September 11th seem not so much like a coincidence? It's like some weird form of patriotism has swept popular black music. Discuss!

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