Week 2: Listening to Seven Albums a Week and Reviewing Them (JAN 8–14)

50 Cent — Get Rich Or Die Tryin’

I wasn’t allowed to listen to much rap growing up in a Christian household, I certainly knew who 50 Cent was. The New York-bred rapper had the world in his palms for much of the 2000s. Many consider his debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, a classic hip-hop album. It’s a bit bloated, but the classic label is hard to argue considering the unforgettable hit songs on this thing. This was his first full-length introduction to the world, and everyone was prepared. 50 Cent had the right co-signs at the time. He signed to Eminem’s Shady Records and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath.

This album is bombastic. The beats are loud, and 50’s delivery is unshakeable, confident, and deliberate. I was familiar with hits like “In Da Club” and “Many Men,” so I was excited to listen for a deeper understanding of him as an artist. I found that “Heat” is a true gangsta rap anthem. He spits, “I’ve seen gangstas get religious when they start bleeding. Saying “Lord, Jesus help me” ’cause they ass leaking.” Cold-blooded and truthful lyrics like this are why 50 Cent is a respected name to this day.

50’s personality is infectious. “P.I.M.P.” may be the best song on here. The cut is a solid party record and has one of the best hooks. It’s built for riding around your neighborhood with winders down. “Like My Style,” proves to me that 50 is at his best when he speeds it up a little. The song has a nice flare. “Poor Lil Rich” may be the funniest track on here. The inflection of nigga on the hook had me audibly laughing.

The beats may be the best thing about this album. 50 Cent was a bit spoiled by having Dr. Dre and Eminem as executive producers on the album. Aside from a lull in the middle, the beats are quite varied. The producers succeeded in proving 50 the right backing soundtrack. Many beats are gangstafied and aggressive, while others are just plain fun. “Gotta Make It To Heaven” is my favorite instrumental on GRoDT.

There are plenty of braggadocious gangsta rap moments, but there are also moments where he gets convincingly sincere. Of course, “Many Men” is a prime example of this as it is the primary song of survival. With that being said, “21 Questions” works unexpecting well as a love song. I doubted that 50’s rugged rap delivery would perform well on a track such as that, but if 2004’s “Candy Shop” worked then I guess I should have trusted him.

GRoDT is entertaining all the way true. It is an outstanding example of quality gangsta rap. His persona isn’t hyperbole and that must be what gratified him to such a wide audience. Back then, it wasn’t quite common for street dudes to become rappers. His authenticity provided him with one of the best hip-hop runs of the 2000s.

Monday: Tame Impala — Lonerism

Tame Impala’s 2015 album, Currents, is what made them world famous. However, they were the darling of blogs after the release of Lonerism back in 2012. There was a misconception that Tame Impala is a band. Instead, it's solely an Australian everyman named Kevin Parker, who has been practicing music since age 11.

2012’s Lonerism is an eclectic piece of psychedelic pop rock. The tracks blend in together, but that is intentional. Parker seems to want listeners to catch the vibe that he's putting out and it's difficult to resist it. The driving force of this record is indeed the instrumental. Though, Parker’s writing shouldn't be ignored. Lonerism does have the apparent theme of loneliness. Underneath the expansive world of beautifully constructed synths and drowned guitar riffs, there is a man seeking company.

He could be seeking the correct kind of company. He sings, “I don’t need them and they don’t need me. I guess I’ll go home, try to be sane,” on “Why Won’t They Talk to Me?.” He follows with a line that I believe to be tongue-in-cheek. “They just talk about themselves all day. One day I’ll be a star, and they’ll be sorry,” he says. I mean, just look at the album cover. It puts the observer behind the fence watching a large number of people. Parker wants you to know that he is an outcast, which is why this album sounded like no other in the early 2010s.

Another aspect of this album I have to mention is the drum work. The intro heavily relies on the momentum derived from the strong percussion. Because it is so relentless, it prepares your ears for something you haven't quite heard before. The drums on “Elephant” are impeccable as they bridge the two verses together. It is also the most smartly written song on the LP. Parker laments those who feel as though their success is guaranteed and feel no need to grow as individuals.

It’s challenging to describe why this album still sounds so fresh and new. Plenty of artists have been inspired by Tame Impala in some capacity. It even reached the realm of hip-hop a la Travis Scott and Tyler the Creator. It is an album that is best enjoyed in full. Whenever I went back to a track, I felt like playing the entire album from front to back. That speaks to how much of a triumph this album truly is.

Tuesday: Deerhunter — Weird Era Cont.

Deerhunter is a band that has been active since 2001. They’ve been going more than two decades strong in the indie scene. I have seen their name pop up a lot while traversing the internet over the last 10 years. I mostly spotted them when popular music critic Anthony Fantano consistently gave them rave reviews. With a name such as Deerhunter, I assumed they were a folk band. No, they are a rock band with plenty of creative ideas.

Shoegaze is a genre I understand the appeal of but never really got far into. Whenever I listen to it, I can appreciate the layered and often distorted instrumentation, but I never seem to come back. The reasoning is probably because there is little direction much of the time. The lyrics also get drowned out too. Being a hip-hop fan first and foremost, the lyrics of a song are often the reason I go back and listen. I was excited to see if my feeling on shoegaze changed with Weird Era Cont. by Deerhunter.

One thing I have to say about this album is that I love the flow. It feels like I’m entering a carefully constructed world. I like when albums do such a thing. You may have to go back to the tracklist a couple to see which song your own, but that is not a negative. The album has a dynamic richness which I found comforting. Each song presents a new idea, but the vibe is similar throughout.

“Operation” is the most “rock” song on here as it follows a familiar progression, and the vocals are the most audibly coherent. This track may be the only song I’ll put in a playlist to listen to by itself. This is one of those albums that I would play from beginning to end whenever I crave a listen. The album descends into dreamlike sounds right afterward. It’s moody and transformative.

This is all pretty much new to me, so it's difficult to expound upon what I’m hearing. All I can say is that it is undoubtedly quality music. I might play this on a drive later. I love easy it is to be ensnared in the world that they have built. The music itself provides so much emotion. Other than guitar and drums, a wind chime is the most consistent instrument you'll hear. It’s a strange choice I expected on an album like this.

Dumbo Gets Mad — Elephants at the Door

I don't know anything about this band, at all. I was interested in more indie pop, though. This album has shoegaze elements as well but is more psychedelic. The intro was too loud for me, but it gets on track by the second song. The bass guitar on “Plumy Tale” is outstanding. The rhythms are impressive on every track on here. The album is experimental in all the right places. The importance of flow is also vital here.

I weirdly want to call this glam pop. The third track, “Marmalade Kids” is so glittery and carefree. The bubbles and sax on “Sleeping Over” is evidence of this. It’s dreamlike. The Donald Duck vocals are playful unexpected elements. It’s obvious that this group is not afraid to try things.

Each song is has a different vocal approach. The connecting seam is the strong rhythms throughout. The finiest point emotionally is on “Why Try,” which had me the most engaged lyrically.

It was a bit tiring to listen to by the end. The audio is padded and layered that it became a chore just to keep up. I enjoyed the psychedelic aspect enough to revisit these tracks.

Thursday: In a Silent Way — Miles Davis

Ashamedly, I never pressed play on any work by Miles Davis. Of course, his work has lasted a millennium. It has been sampled and borrowed from during all these later years.

These two tracks take you on a journey, man. You can tell Miles Davis was onto something truly genius as he composed this. Jazz comes with highs and lows. Knowing when to slow it down and when to pick up the pace is extremely vital. Strings, keys, horns, and percussion all clash in holy matrimony on this classic record.

The organ was the highlight for me on “Shh/Peaceful.” I adore the bass guitar that comes in and out of the movement. I say movement because that is how this record feels. It feels like the utter definition of motion. There are no rules. I assume that’s why they dawned with the title of “fusion.”

The switch-up of the title track is ridiculous. The sultry guitar lures into an incredible drum break. The horns are louder and more prominent on this track which is to my liking.

Sometimes, it feels like you can close your eyes and see visions like I’m a character in the Pixar movie Soul. It’s a dreamscape packed with interesting and compelling ideas. They feel like they have little to no boundaries. The sense of freedom that I get from this music is refreshing, to say the least.

The thought that surfaced in my mind throughout was, “what’s next?” It was so impressive how Davis kept up with the surprises. I will be listening to this again.

Friday: Instrumentals — Mouse on Mars

I do not know anything about MoM. The info I have is that they are an electronic duo from Germany. I don’t want to describe this as dance music because it’s not very dancey at all. I don’t want to describe this as ambient because I feel like it’s a tad too busy sounding. This could be cool background noise for an acid trip if you enjoy that sort of thing.

This is music for a dark room. I could see this playing in a small club full of people who all know each other. “Owal” is a head nodder. Full of weird sounds and amid fast percussion. There is a quaint, calming piano on this track too. It is strange but fundamental as It borrows a bit from house music.

“Chromatic” sounds like a soundtrack to a new-age Earthbound-inspired RPG. Or maybe it sounds like a quiet drive home. It’s very bubbly and calming. I like the keys on this track. A heavily distorted instrument is here that I cannot pinpoint. It sounds like distorted erroneous mic feedback. It comes and goes throughout the track for added flare.

Not much happens on the ten-minute-long “Pogel Gesetzi.” It’s proper background noise, however. It is inoffensive, but not as creative as tracks earlier. I missed the beautiful keys here. Though, I do enjoy the comforting bass.

We move back into the creative mode with “Rompatrouille.” I like when they get weird. The synths brighten the track immensely amongst the pulsing bass.

Barely any actual drums on “1001.” I must say I like it when they introduce more of a rhythm to keep me engaged. I don’t want to label any part of this album as background noise if I can help myself. Thankfully, the track introduces a loud siren-like segment on the piece; giving it a haunted feel. The disorienting horn-like blips are interesting too. Still, this is the song that left me the least impressed. The track is boring overall.

It takes a while for the final track, “Subnubus,” to get going. I’m happy that the keys are back. The hi-hats make a welcomed reappearance as well. Great, there is an actual beat here. When there i s momentum, it sure is orchestrated creatively. The weird moment this time is alien-like warbles and screeches. The latter half of this track is equivalent to long nails scratching a chalkboard. It’s not bad, just made me uneasy.

It is a nice album overall. I definitely would play this during a late-night writing session or something like that. A couple of these tracks will be placed on a playlist for driving at night.

The Hot Rock — Sleater-Kinney

Sleater-Kinney are punk originators and underrated 90s icons. These are the spears of 90s feminist punk, and this album exemplifies the reasoning.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoy the third track, “The End of You.” I have been going back to this song for the last five years. I have never listened to the entire LP until today, however. Funny enough, I only discovered this band because of a show called Portlandia. It’s a hilarious show co-starring Carrie Brownstein, a member of the trio Sleater-Kinney.

The highlight of the whole album is the guitar riffs. The vocals are indeed impressive, but it’s never what makes punk music what it is, to me at least. Loud riffs and loud drums, man. That is until I paid heavy attention to the lyrical content. This album is a picture of the times of the late 90s. It’s an album about retaining your youth. I’m pretty sure the second song is about denying wedlock. The narrator believes that her partner doesn’t truly love her.

I love the background singing on “Burn, Don’t Freeze.” It’s not even in the background in certain moments. Tucker’s screech matches Brownstein’s controlled delivery quite well. The record is interwoven quite well, and it feels as though everything has its place. It’s a beautiful back-and-forth and an example of how they’re able to still produce albums today.

There is so much style and flare compacted on this LP. There’s a consistent warmth, but I found myself surprised often. “Banned from the End of the World” is the shortest song here with the longest title. The chorus is extremely fun and I like the claps. The drum break at the end is a nice addition too. Turner sings, “Future’s here, look in the mirror.”

The hit, “Get Up,” has tasteful spoken words throughout. Turner amazed me here. She is a very talented frontwoman who is magnetic and deserves all the attention. The drums by Weiss and stellar here and feel faster than everything else going on.

The quietest song, “The Size of Our Love,” is endearing. This is the type of self-reflection this needs. Admiring your faults in the musical form will always be a plus for me. There’s even more of this on “Memorize Your Lines.”

This record is excellent. It’s a classic and a staple in punk rock. Early Sleater-Kinney records have inspired many acts today. The sound of freedom in their music is palpable and their legacy is proof of that.