Delroy Wilson, one of the founding pioneers of the Reggae and Rocksteady styles, has sadly largely been forgotten in contemporary music history. The volatile singer got into the business at age 13, and left his mark in the single “Run Run,” one of the best jams of the era. Though originally recorded for longtime collaborative producer Clement Dodd, it was a late sixties re-working of the tune with producer Keith Hudson that perfected it. The song’s lyrics are simple threats, “you better run run…I’m gonna get you,” but they are backed by a world class 4/4 rocksteady beat, congos, and a horn section. Whether the song was a socially conscious threat to seek out injustice, or simply a warning to his enemies (which included another of the genre’s pioneers, Prince Buster) is up to interpretation (the most likely explanation is that Wilson was actually directing it towards the ladies he was going after). Whatever the reason behind it, it’s a classic, and one that shouldn’t be forgotten.
“Crack A Bottle” was first dropped on Big Mike & DJ Neptune’s 4th Quarter Pressure Part 2 mixtape last month as “Number 1,” but a few days ago a cleaned-up version of the track leaked, sans mixtape shout-outs.
Presuming that Relapse comes out before October, Shady is going to be 36 when it drops. Oh, how time passes… I remember when “My Name Is” was first getting heavy rotation, and I couldn’t help but think that Eminem was a passing gimmick. He was an angry white kid spitting aggressive, taboo-ridden lyrics in a time when aggressive white kids were getting behind white bands with aggressive lyrics. But not only has he outlasted the Fred Dursts of the world, he now plays the role of a generational elder, not too distant from the role Dre held when he first helped break Eminem… but hell, Shady passed that years ago when he broke 50 Cent. This year is going to be big for both men, with both Relapse and Detox (theme?) expected to finally see release. With this version of “Crack A Bottle” Shady changes tones between rapping his verses and those expected to be filled in by Dr. Dre on the final version… whose album it’ll end up appearing on, I don’t know (can someone enlighten me here?) - but it’s solid enough in its unfinished state to lead me to believe that Shady is going to bring some bounce to his lyrics this year.
Since “Crack A Bottle” is a completely unfinished track though, and will probably end up sounding far from the original, it’s a little out of line to judge it. I will say this however, if you’re listening to it and are really getting into the beat, it’s coming directly from Aesop Rock & Del The Funky Homosapien’s contribution to 2005’s Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture. If it’s been a while since you’ve revisited that album, or worse, if you’ve never heard the album at all - you’ve got to do something to change that. Aesop’s verse here is one of my favorites of his, and the beat explodes, generating far more energy than in Eminem’s track. This leads me to the believe that “Crack A Bottle” is just using it as a stand-in for something else, just as Shady stands in for Dre’s verses, because with the combined production talent of the two MCs, there’s no reason to dig so deep into someone else’s pockets.
Indie darlings Deerhunter, led by resident genius Bradford Cox, had quite an interesting 2008. After Cox took time away from the better-known Deerhunter to release his excellent Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel under the Atlas Sound moniker, Deerhunter came back into the spotlight in a big way. They finished their latest album, Microcastle, only to have it leaked almost instantly months before the intended release date. The band could have very easily been bitter and disavowed the record, but decided to instead add a bonus for the people who went out and bought the physical release of the album. This bonus came in the form of another amazing record, this time being Weird Era Cont. EP, which came with each copy of Microcastle when it was finally released. The bands’ spirit of giving continued recently when they recently released a mixtape cassette titled On Platts Eyott Island. Cox said that they made the tape in the style of an in studio performance using vintage gear and made the mix in honor of the late John Peel. (more)
I just heard that Minneapolis’s own Radio K will be recording a live broadcast with one of my favorite Austin bands SUNSET this spring at the SXSW Music Conference in the band’s hometown. I am not sure if Bill Baird’s project is still under the radar, totally hyped, or last year’s news. Regardless, they are good. They touch on influences from pretty much every decade since the 1960s but still sound remarkably fresh. In the same vein as Of Montreal (but sounding completely different) SUNSET produces experimental, art-pop that is still completely accessible to the unpretentious ear (i.e. hipsters don’t have to just pretend to like them). “When Perfect Flames Expire” sounds to me like Lou Reed woke up with a junkie hangover and drafted Andrew Bird, Zach Condon, and Nico to help him express his disgust. Of course the beauty of Sunset is that assessment is completely wrong because they don’t really sound like anyone else at all.
Local maniac Mark Mallman pulled out all the stops at his annual New Years Eve show at the Varsity Theater Wednesday night. Mallman, playing with members of the Melismatics and joined by various guests throughout the show, played his usual highly energetic set to a raucous and well lubricated crowd. If you never have had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Mallman live, his theatrics include, but are not limited to: straddling (read: humping) the keyboard, performing fellatio on the microphone, standing on his keyboard stool and crawling around on the stage wailing into the microphone. He supplemented his upbeat piano rockers with some great covers that the crowd really ate up, including “Kids” by MGMT, “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire and “Cut Your Hair” by Pavement. (more)
Back in 1968 the “Bob Dylan of Brazil,” Caetano Veloso released one of his finest works on the first of his many self titled LP’s. Though largely ignored outside of South America at the time, Veloso eventually came to be regarded worldwide as one of the greatest and most influential musicians of the century (though in the U.S. he still isn’t perhaps as widely known as he should be). The single “Tropicalia” is a great example of how Veloso was able to fuse Bossa Nova, Rock and Roll, and Bahian folk tunes, almost single-handedly creating a new genre of music that heavily influenced artists from David Byrne to Devendra Banhart. While so called “World Music,” sometimes has a lame reputation in the Indie music world (best epitomized by Tim Robbins’ character in High Fidelity), it should be realized that there is a lot of music out there, past and present, that really fucking rocks. This isn’t the Putomayo “Global Celebration” stuff playing at your local handmade craft shop, this is shit that will make you sweat.
Eclipse Records is holding a CD release party for MC Harv tonight - the bill also features Yakub and Megacat. Additionally, tonight will be the first time that El Guante and Big Cats! perform together… here’s a quick word from El Guante:
This will be the first show where me and producer Big Cats will be playing together, backed by a great band (including members of Dragons Power Up). He’s worked with Sage Francis, Jolie Holland and others, and you’re going to hear a lot more about the stuff me and him have been putting together this year. As a music writer myself, I know you can’t trust what an artist says about his/her own work… but man, the music we’re making is WILD, unlike anything anyone in town is doing, and this show will be the first step in something very cool.
In addition to being a singer-songwriter and one-time aspiring actress, Anya Marina is a radio DJ in San Diego, California. It would make sense then that Marina’s forthcoming release, Slow & Steady Seduction Phase II, reflects the great range of exposure to culture she’s had in her life. The album sways between styles using Marina’s voice to accentuate the sounds around it rather than becoming the focal point of any particular song. To some degree Marina sounds like a young smoker - a few thousand packs in, with a foggy rasp, seductively embracing each song with everything she has. Touching again on the subject of Marina being a radio DJ though, I don’t think it’s wrong to believe that she’s keen to a lot of modern rock, especially so considering her current role with the rock-based KBZT. With that, it’s hard to believe that Marina hasn’t heard Bloc Party’s “The Prayer,” a song that starts off with a beat that almost identically reflects that of her “Two Left Feet.” Not to put down her publicized features in MTV’s The Real World and Grey’s Anatomy, but despite any connotation those programs might suggest, her album is surprisingly vibrant and well-rounded… if you can look past the whole “my songs might not be completely original” thing.
I have been revisiting The Zombies’ fantastic debut LP, Begin Here lately and recently learned that it was re-issued in 2001 as German import that featured a bunch of bonus tracks that never made the record. After a careful listen, one of the tracks in particular is sticking with me, “I Must Move,” a quick two minute take on the old blues idea of being a rolling stone. While the lyrics are relatively simple and repetitive they fit in perfectly with the haunting melody sung as wistfully as ever by Colin Blunstone with Rod Argent’s delicate echo. Why this track was unreleased for so long is beyond me, as it is and exemplary representation of The Zombies’ talent for psychedelic harmonies. It’s always nice to find a new favorite from an old favorite, and this case is no exception. Why Wes Anderson hasn’t yet used it in a film soundtrack is beyond me.
