I Need More Cowbell!
It's been brought to my attention recently that there are murmurs of unrest in my readership, due in large part to my own failings as a blogger. Specifically, as you can see above, I promised to make this blog about - and I quote - "Music, Sports and Life." I have neglected to even broach the first of my purported subjects (barring the occasional lyrical reference) and seem to have included very little about Life, either. Since I have a separate blog devoted entirely to the NBA, I really have no excuse for spending so much of my time and space here on sports.
The onus of this topical (see definition 2a) failure is not solely upon my shoulders, K-bors. Yet it is in my power to make the necessary changes. As such, this will be the first in a forthcoming "What's in Kolsky's iPod" series of posts. I will heretofore attempt to continue said series on an approximately biweekly basis. Without further ado, I present...
What's in Kolsky's iPod??
Last week I added (legally, I assure you) two albums to my iPod. The first: The Strokes' First Impressions of Earth. On my first listen, I must admit I was pleased as punch. I had been disappointed with the Strokes' second effort, feeling that it was essentially just a repeat of the first album: zero musical growth, very little experimentation; just generally no progress. It was this, I believe, that led me to overzealously embrace First Impressions as something great - it is not. And yet, the components that caused my initial (if brief) love affair with the disc are indeed there: this album, though still undeniably a product of the band that made Is This It and Room on Fire, is a bit of a musical departure from the familiar ground of the Strokes' freshman and sophomore efforts. I'd say First Impressions is probably a three-out-of-five star album (maybe 3.5) but it is worth a listen just to hear where the Strokes are taking (or attempting to take) their sound.
For those of you that prefer hip-hop, check out the second album: Little Brother's The Minstrel Show. Though it may be giving them too much credit, I'll call Little Brother the De La Soul of the new millennium. These guys are having a lot of fun, and it shows. Producer 9th Wonder gets flack for sounding raw and "homemade", but I dig the sound. The beats definitely have a Native Tongues feel, and the lyrics - while largely just battle raps and cute tricks of phrase - don't fail to entertain. The one thing that puts them a cut below De La is that they take themselves a bit too seriously - it's awesome to make albums that have great beats and clever rhymes, and by all means you should enjoy yourself, but when you purport to be manufacturing biting social satire it poops on the party just a bit. Though the skits and interludes take shots at UPN (inventing UBN - U Black Niggas network) and pop artists like R Kelly (meet Percy Miracles, the album's R&B "guest") none of the songs really commit to the "Minstrel Show" concept, or even deal with serious issues at all. Nevertheless, it's a very enjoyable listen. Mark it four-out-of-five stars.
That's all for now... Stay cool, K-borhood...
The onus of this topical (see definition 2a) failure is not solely upon my shoulders, K-bors. Yet it is in my power to make the necessary changes. As such, this will be the first in a forthcoming "What's in Kolsky's iPod" series of posts. I will heretofore attempt to continue said series on an approximately biweekly basis. Without further ado, I present...
What's in Kolsky's iPod??
Last week I added (legally, I assure you) two albums to my iPod. The first: The Strokes' First Impressions of Earth. On my first listen, I must admit I was pleased as punch. I had been disappointed with the Strokes' second effort, feeling that it was essentially just a repeat of the first album: zero musical growth, very little experimentation; just generally no progress. It was this, I believe, that led me to overzealously embrace First Impressions as something great - it is not. And yet, the components that caused my initial (if brief) love affair with the disc are indeed there: this album, though still undeniably a product of the band that made Is This It and Room on Fire, is a bit of a musical departure from the familiar ground of the Strokes' freshman and sophomore efforts. I'd say First Impressions is probably a three-out-of-five star album (maybe 3.5) but it is worth a listen just to hear where the Strokes are taking (or attempting to take) their sound.
For those of you that prefer hip-hop, check out the second album: Little Brother's The Minstrel Show. Though it may be giving them too much credit, I'll call Little Brother the De La Soul of the new millennium. These guys are having a lot of fun, and it shows. Producer 9th Wonder gets flack for sounding raw and "homemade", but I dig the sound. The beats definitely have a Native Tongues feel, and the lyrics - while largely just battle raps and cute tricks of phrase - don't fail to entertain. The one thing that puts them a cut below De La is that they take themselves a bit too seriously - it's awesome to make albums that have great beats and clever rhymes, and by all means you should enjoy yourself, but when you purport to be manufacturing biting social satire it poops on the party just a bit. Though the skits and interludes take shots at UPN (inventing UBN - U Black Niggas network) and pop artists like R Kelly (meet Percy Miracles, the album's R&B "guest") none of the songs really commit to the "Minstrel Show" concept, or even deal with serious issues at all. Nevertheless, it's a very enjoyable listen. Mark it four-out-of-five stars.
That's all for now... Stay cool, K-borhood...
posted by Kolsky at 5:16 PM
2 Comments:
im glad your blog is experiencing personal growth
Jew is just bitter because he hasn't experienced growth in anything but his girth for a very long time.
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