Monday, August 02, 2004
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glisten Acap' CD 4
Adam - One of the unwritten rules of spoken word is that you need a pretty cool voice to make it work. Tom Waits definitely fits that, and this one is a pleasure.
Kevin - I gotta say, I like Waits' ballads a lot more than his misguided attempts at beat poetry. (see also: "what's he building in there")
Spencer - I'm just as down with Waits as anybody else, but the Nighthawks-era shit sounds like pure artifice to me. He's seems to be trying too hard with his blacktop wino schtick here. Late night diner puns aside, this just isn't my cup of coffee.
I run entirely opposite to this line of thinking. I love me some Waits-y greasy spoon crooning just as much as his more theatrical work. I don't see anything any more artificial in Waits singing about g-strings and pasties than your average millionaire hip hop kid talking about how hard life is when you're broke.
Buy "Nighthawks at the Diner" from Amazon, for the nonacapella final cut.
As noted above, this is probably my favorite Waits album and the live performance of "Eggs and Sausage" is the high point for me. Clearly, your milage may vary.
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Read these Waits one-liners.
Tom is very well represented on the web. You can learn more at T.W. Supplement, T.W. Digest, Yesterday Is Here and the Salon interview; just for starters.
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Listen to some bootleg Waits audio.
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Look at these pics of Tom from photographer Marinko Matura.
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Adam - A lot of people talk about mixing the old school with the new school in hip hop, but this track sets the proper way to do it. Though when I think of "Story Rap" my mind inevitably turns to Paul Revere by the Beastie Boys. I did it with a whiffle ball bat too.
Spencer - After the Speakerboxxx/Love Below media deluge, I'm on a self-imposed Outkast fast so I'll keep my criticism short. Big Boi's verse sounds good but Dre's doesn't work too well without a beat. Thankfully, Slick Rick comes in to save the day & slays. The chorus ain't bad either.
Kevin - Here, stripping away the backing track simply reveals how cowardly and pathetic Slick Rick's misogyny is.
Kevin, please. Ike Turner and Rick James, maybe. But he's _SLICK RICK_, y'know?
Buy "Aquemeni" from Amazon, for the nonacapella/non-Slicked out version.
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Explore Outkast's official homepage at LaFace.
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Marvel at Andre's triumph as the world's sexiest vegetarian. So who's the sexiest omnivore?
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Wonder at the sad state of affairs that is the lawsuit brought by Rosa Park against Outkast. Sad.
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Read " 'Just Call Me Slick'; A Conversation with Slick Rick"
From his MIT visit. Seriously.
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spiffy
Radically revised blogroll offers almost forty new musicblogs. More on these shortly; go explore on your own for now.
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New post from yours truly over at Music 4 Robots. G'wan by for your bonus track of the day.
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It's my birthday ya'll. 29. No plans. No dates. No party. Somebody cheer me up, eh?
