admin
22 December 2023
Here\'s what\'s making love to our ears this month. Click on the artist\'s name to visit their website, and click on the title to buy it on Amazon.
![](\"http://tlchicken.com/db_images/8_4_ayatollah.jpg\")
AYATOLLAH - NOW PLAYING (Nature Sounds)
Man, I’ve been waving the Ayatollah flag all along. Hopefully, you’ll all join in. Especially after hearing Now Playing. It’s all him, all production. Your head’ll make mini-movies to each of the thirteen-plus tracks, or you’ll just dream about which MC would sound better over which tracks. And for the record: I want \"Kingston\" for my movie, or for a cut with Lateef and Mos Def.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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BEASTIE BOYS - SOLID GOLD HITS (Capitol Records)
I\'m officially old. Why? Because Capitol Records just released a fifteen-song \"best of\" disc to help celebrate the 24th anniversary of the Beastie Boys. Twenty-four years?!? Are you fucking kidding me?!? Christ. Well, enjoy classics from the entire Beastie catalogue-- including \"Hey Ladies\", \"Sabotage\", \"Brass Monkey\", and \"Intergalactic\", among others-- while I count the gray (and sparse) hairs on my head.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
![\"Beastie](\"http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif\"){kind=small}
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BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - AFRICA UNITE: THE SINGLES COLLECTION (Island Records)
One of the nicer, one-disc Marley compilations to come out in a while, Africa Unite captures some of the universal legend’s more popular singles. The bonuses come in the form of two remixes (Black Eyed Peas\' Will.I.Am’s remix of \"Africa Unite\" is the best thing he’s done since Behind The Front) and a brand-new tune. Yes, new. Built off of a newly discovered home recording, the studio-fattened version of \"Slogans\" proved Marley still had more of that revolutionary fire left to share.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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CANIBUS - HIP-HOP FOR SALE (Babygrande)
Admittedly, I haven’t listened to a Canibus album in a long time. But [producer] Nottz is the shit. And the tracks he produces for Canibus? Damn... they need to do a whole album together. And if they already have, they need to send it to me. As for the man himself, dude is a good fuckin’ MC. I can’t believe L.L. once tried to battle him.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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CHARLIE HUNTER, CHINNA SMITH, ERNEST RANGLIN - EARTH TONES (Breadfruit Music)
Most of you won’t appreciate the history that men like Ernest Ranglin and Earl \"Chinna\" Smith bring to every session they play. In fact, more of you will know the name \"Charlie Hunter\" than either of the aforementioned Jamaican legends. But this CD is a good way to see just how amazing it can be when three generations of guitarists get together to cover and collaborate with creativity as their only criteria.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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DAVU & EYAMME - THE SUN DO MOVE (Dove Ink)
This is one of those records where you hear a song and think you have their sound pegged. Then the next song comes on, and all you can do is throw your hands up and say, \"This is just fucking dope, plain and simple.\" Eyamme and Davu could make a career out of collaborating with one another, if every next step is as good as this.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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FRESHWATER COLLINS - THESE DAYS LATELY (Deserved Records)
You can tell that these guys have one hand in soul and the other in rock. It reminds me of motorcycle bar music. Not too hard, not too soft. Not too much Jack, and not too much Coke.
THE GRADE: B
- Eric Adkison
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KID CUT UP - IN THE MEANTIME 2 (No Request Sound/Record Breakers)
Backpackers and bling-a-lings! Let’s have a verbal cease-fire. There is something that can please both of your fickle asses. No, it’s not Kanye. It’s Kid Cut Up: one quarter of the mighty No Request sound crew, and one of the best DJs breathing. In The Meantime 2 puts his love of the culture on CD, combining everything from Jeru and Memphis Bleek to Dooley-O and 3rd Bass. Yes, 3rd Bass. Don’t deny them their dopeness.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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MYNT - STILL NOT SORRY (Ultra Records)
If you are ready to go back to your teens and rock out, get your hands on this album. It\'s crazy! No matter what you are doing, it will make you want to jump up and dance. Every song is an upbeat mix of pop and rock from the Eighties and Nineties, and it\'s all combined with the sounds of today.
THE GRADE: B
- Rachel Vogel
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ON ENSEMBLE - DUST AND SAND (On Ensemble)
\"Taiko\" means \"big drum in the land of the rising sun\", and On Ensemble’s Dust And Sand drumming lives up to the translation. Each song’s heart-thumping beat and rhythms will please the percussion world, and the East-meets-West blend of taiko, jazz, rock, and electronica will make Hello Kitty smile.
THE GRADE: B+
- Hellkat
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RICHIE HAWTIN - DE9: TRANSITIONS (Novamute)
I always liked Richie Hawtin\'s early stuff-- which he produced under the name \"Plastikman\"-- and this CD/DVD release is pretty closely related to that earlier work. Still, in my opinion, Hawtin\'s best work are his darker pieces. So while this third installment of DE9 is far from The Beach Boys, it\'s not as sneak-up-and-stab-you-in-the-night as I like. It\'s a solid disc with a lot of great tunes (\"Minimal Master\", \"The Hole\"), but it\'s just not his best outing.
THE GRADE: B-
- Wayne Chinsang
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SOULSTICE - NORTH BY NORTHWEST: SOLID GROUND (Wandering Soul Records)
If my math is correct, I’ve listened to almost 500 CDs this year. But I can only think of maybe three that encompass realness, sincerity, and heart. SoulStice rhymes like it\'s his native tongue, and North By Northwest is the first hip-hop album in a long time that gave me goose bumps during the entire first listen. Especially when \"SleepWalk\" kicks in. I keep that cut on repeat.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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STUNT ROCK - THIS IS STUNT ROCK: VOLUME 3 (Cock Rock Disco)
Pure punktronic, this is the marriage of heavy Eighties rock and breakbeat techno. Throw in an assload of samples of movie dialogue and obscure music references, and you\'ve got yourself a new hybrid genre. However, it\'s not flawless in that it sometimes suffers from the main ill of straightforward techno, which is a tendency to be a bit repetitive. If that factor can be lost on Stunt Rock\'s next outing, we could possibly be talking about a perfect album.
THE GRADE: B
- Wayne Chinsang
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TARANTULA A.D. - BOOK OF SAND (Kemado Records)
One of the most unique and well-thought-out albums of the year, Tarantula A.D. (T.A.D.) continues to amaze me. Mostly instrumental, T.A.D. pushes every genre boundary with this disc. It\'s jazz, rock, layered, and a gem. My only complaint would be that they throw in occasional (and unnecessary) vocals. Less would be more here, and it tends to hurt the music more than help it.
THE GRADE: A-
- Wayne Chinsang
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THE BUDOS BAND - THE BUDOS BAND (Daptone Records)
Ooo, baby. Fela Kuti meets Antibalas meets The J.B.\'s meets Sly and the Family Stone. So goddamn good, so funky, so nonstop, and so perfect for what I want to hear during my crazy day. Eleven pieces make up the whole that is The Budos Band, but they are so solid that what they create is just one thick mass of aural bliss. Definitely on my list for one of the best of the year. This disc won\'t be leaving my stereo anytime in the foreseeable future.
THE GRADE: A+
- Wayne Chinsang
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THE GRIS GRIS - FOR THE SEASON (Birdman Records)
Not bad, not totally-awesome great. There are some interesting things done with various beats and instruments, but the lyrics don’t blow you away. Still, it’s interesting enough to keep your attention for an entire listen.
THE GRADE: B-
- Fphatty Lamar
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THE GUNSHY - SOUL (Latest Flame Records)
Sometimes the beauty of sadness cannot be explained, it can only be treasured. The Gunshys\' Soul is not an album for people who prefer easy songs hand fed to them. It is music meant to be explored, realized, and appreciated for what it is: brutally sincere. This heartbreaking album mesmerizes the mind with stirring melodies, gripping lyrical prose, and rightly placed horns. The horns on \"Last Song\" are so moving that I have to admit that each time I hear it I’m tempted to stand, throw my arms in the air, and spin. And its lyrics could make a clown cry: \"Thank you for making me realize / These songs will be my life / And on the day I die / There\'ll be no reason to cry / Or wonder why / For I was made to preach / The haunted truths of those who will / Never be satisfied....\"
THE GRADE: A-
- Hellkat
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THE MARS VOLTA - SCAB DATES (LIVE) (Universal Records)
While we can debate about how \"live\" this album truly is, it nonetheless captures the power and experimental nature of The Mars Volta in a way that you would never hear without seeing them live.
THE GRADE: B+
- Night Watchman
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THE NEGATONES - THE NEGATONES (Skylab Records)
What are you doing?!? Put that away! It\'s so... big. Yeah, I dug the taste you gave me before with your five-song EP, Snacktronica. But this... new thing is just so large. So massive in size, huge in sound. Oh, stop teasing me with songs like \"The Escalator\" and \"Carbon Freeze\"! It won\'t work! Yes, of course I like them. Okay, I love them. But... oh, who am I kidding here? C\'mere, big boy, and give me a full dose of The Negatones. I need it, and I need it bad.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
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THE THIN MAN - GREASY HEART (Contraphonic Music)
I can’t tell if I should feel like I’m in an old tavern or a circus. Maybe I’m in a bar with a circus. Or, maybe I’m just drunk at the circus. Either way, I come out a winner (and drunk). And either way, Greasy Heart is the perfect soundtrack.
THE GRADE: B+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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THE VANDALS - SHINGO JAPANESE REMIX ALBUM (Kung Fu Records)
W-W-WHAT THE FUCK?!? Have The Vandals gone techno? No! Japanese DJ Shingo Asari is the creative genius who has remixed your favorite Vandals\' songs into dancey club tracks with easy-listening trumpets and excitable jungle beats. While this CD is still fun, I still think The Vandals are better heard with guitar and bass, not drum \'n\' bass.
THE GRADE: B-
- Eric Adkison
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TWO GALLANTS - LAS CRUCES JAIL 7\" (Saddle Creek Records)
I gave Two Gallants a lot of praise when their debut hit my stereo, but this brand-new 7\" is indicative of immense growth on the band’s part in a very positive direction. Singer/songwriter Adam Stephens’ voice has evolved nicely into a raw, soulful siren all its own, and the band\'s playing sounds more layered and rich than any band twice their size. The A-side title track starts you out quietly, in the middle of a windy, ghost-town desert, only to interrupt it with the musical equivalent of a full-throttle jailbreak rock \'n\' blues stomp. The B-side, \"Long Summer Day\", is a slightly tamer yang to the yin of \"Las Cruces\", with mellow acoustic guitar running underneath Stephens’ raw, rock growl.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
artid
3428
Old Image
8_4_listenheader.jpg
issue
vol 8 - issue 04 (dec 2005)
section
entertainmental