2008 Woodie Awards
Critical thinking: musical musings
Various Author
Issue date: 12/5/06 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 3 next >
Beats and Place
(Slam Jamz)
Public Enemy
Nearly 20 years have passed since Public Enemy became the first rap group to incorporate politics into hip hop.
On "Beats and Places," the band follows the tradition it established back in 1987, this
time setting their sights on the political and cultural turmoil that currently afflicts America. The album is composed of 15 unreleased Public Enemy tracks from the past seven years and features the type of dense production that was the band's calling card in the late 80s and 90s.
It may be a memorable sound for those who enjoy Spike Lee joints, but it lends to the
album a sound dated by today's hip-hop standards.
Lyrically, "Beats and Places" is more relevant than most hip-hop albums have been
since, well, Public Enemy's first album.
"Grand Theft Oil" features inventive sampling of George W.'s more ominous rhetoric,
while songs like "Air Conditioning" and "If I Gave You Soul (What Would You Do
with It?)" address the current cultural state of the Union.
An accompanying DVD features music videos chock-ablock with anti-Bush sentiment as well as a documentary on the origins of Public Enemy which, for any self-respecting fan,
should be well worth the purchase.
-Putney Swope
Song For Chrimas
(Asthmatic Kitty)
Sufian Steven
Deck the halls, light the tree, trim the turkey and tune the banjo. Santa Sufjan is coming to town.
In his latest release, "Songs for Christmas," Sufjan Stevens brings the best of his indie grassroots style, mixing a bit of Christmas cheer with fear and wrapping it all up in a single box set.
The set includes 5 EPs, each with a mix of traditional Christmas songs recorded Sufjanstyle and homegrown melodies like "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!"
Sufjan explains that each EP was originally recorded at home and sent out to family and friends during each Christmas season since 2000, with one break in 2004 while struggling over the production of his album "Illinois."
(Slam Jamz)
Public Enemy
Nearly 20 years have passed since Public Enemy became the first rap group to incorporate politics into hip hop.
On "Beats and Places," the band follows the tradition it established back in 1987, this
time setting their sights on the political and cultural turmoil that currently afflicts America. The album is composed of 15 unreleased Public Enemy tracks from the past seven years and features the type of dense production that was the band's calling card in the late 80s and 90s.
It may be a memorable sound for those who enjoy Spike Lee joints, but it lends to the
album a sound dated by today's hip-hop standards.
Lyrically, "Beats and Places" is more relevant than most hip-hop albums have been
since, well, Public Enemy's first album.
"Grand Theft Oil" features inventive sampling of George W.'s more ominous rhetoric,
while songs like "Air Conditioning" and "If I Gave You Soul (What Would You Do
with It?)" address the current cultural state of the Union.
An accompanying DVD features music videos chock-ablock with anti-Bush sentiment as well as a documentary on the origins of Public Enemy which, for any self-respecting fan,
should be well worth the purchase.
-Putney Swope
Song For Chrimas
(Asthmatic Kitty)
Sufian Steven
Deck the halls, light the tree, trim the turkey and tune the banjo. Santa Sufjan is coming to town.
In his latest release, "Songs for Christmas," Sufjan Stevens brings the best of his indie grassroots style, mixing a bit of Christmas cheer with fear and wrapping it all up in a single box set.
The set includes 5 EPs, each with a mix of traditional Christmas songs recorded Sufjanstyle and homegrown melodies like "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!"
Sufjan explains that each EP was originally recorded at home and sent out to family and friends during each Christmas season since 2000, with one break in 2004 while struggling over the production of his album "Illinois."
Be the first to comment on this story