Tagline: 'I wouldn't carry Carrie Underwood under a wooden bridge, but I would carry wood for Carrie under certain circumstances'
Quirky is probably the epitethon best describing New York indie pop ensemble Darwin Deez. The band, formed around lead singer Darwin Deez, released their debut last year and managed to capture the hearts of many with their well-balanced mix of humor, irresistible pop songs and just the right amount of eccentricity. That last quality perhaps surfaces best in their live shows, which include hilarious dance aerobic interludes to for instance Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies'. Either way, those who've heard the band's self-titled debut or seen them perform will know that these guys won't be confined to just one style or genre. In that light their new mixtape Wonky Beats shouldn't be too much of a shock. Conceived as a record made of Willy Wonka samples (from the 1971 musical film, not the 2005 remake) had an interesting starting point.
Musically, Wonky Beats lies miles away from songs like 'Radar Dectector' or 'Bad Day'. Being a rap mixtape there's not a whole lot that would lead an untrained listener to Darwin Deez. Expect hip hop beats and lots of samples taking the place of their trademark indie sound. However, for those who listen closely, their typical comedic twists won't be lost - with 'I Don't Like The Look' as a lyrical pinnacle. The Willy Wonka samples fit nicely into the concept, without taking it too far. By doing so they take into account the important rule that dosage is crucial with ideas like these seen as how sounding ridiculous lies right around the corner. Vocally, Deez gives way to an assortment of rappers for the most part of the album, which at times creates the impression that this is rather a side project than a mixtape. Suffice to say that it will put off some fans of their debut. But if you're into the whole nineties-style sample hip hop, if you don't mind when your favorite artists explore new fields or if they just had you at their 'Single Ladies' spark of genius (guilty), then Wonky Beats will surely please you.
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Where's The Chocolat (ft. Kool AD)
3. Pure Imagination Part 1
4. Pure Imagination Part 2
5. Candyman (ft. Donovan Deez)
6. Charlie (Interlude)
7. Cheer Up Charlie (ft. Xaphoon Jones)
8. I Don (Remix
9. Catastrophe (ft. Dev Hynes)
10. More Important Things (Interlude)
11. I Want To Party 10,000 Tons
12. Outro
13. The City (Remix ft. DJ Hummus)
14. Today Was Dumb (Scary Mansion ft. Darwin Deez)
Tagline: ‘I do have a goal in this lifetime to be the greatest artist of all time, [but] that's very difficult being that I can't dance or sing.’
‘Rhythm, you have it or you don’t that’s a fallacy’, raps Del the Ghostrapper in Gorillaz’ 2001 song ‘Clint Eastwood’. And some people do have it. Take for instance Kanye West. Despite some obvious shortcomings he has set a name for himself in music and gained heaps of critical acclaim over the years. And in addition he is far from shy of spreading the word. Now, talent can justify a certain amount of arrogance, and let that be one thing West does not lacks off. The guy has developed some strong narcissist tendencies over the past years when it came to his contribution to the music industry – and by extent the world. But there was reason to be suspicious this time. Sometimes confidence can turn against you, not least in terms of criticism. And in that respect he needed to redeem himself just a little after his previous album ‘808’s & Heartbreak’ – a heavily auto-tuned synthpop detour. Lyrically West expanded his horizon, but the arrangements sounded just a tad uninspired. And for a self-proclaimed genius. okay just doesn’t cut it. Meanwhile, in popular culture he was fast becoming his own caricature. God’s gift to humanity, a pompous jerk who couldn’t even let country pop featherweight Taylor Swift have her moment of shine (in an incident that didn’t even concern him in any way).
But that’s all behind us now. 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is an excessive, rich, over-the-top, exaggerated Wiedergutmachung. One of the strengths of the album is probably that Kanye West returned to his core business – hip hop – leaving behind the synths and auto-tune systems that somewhat messed up his last album (at least soundwise). It was a commendable effort, but it was not his best work, simply because it’s not his area of expertise. But what he put forward now is of a totally different caliber. In 'Hell Of A Life' we hear a vintage Kanye as he muses about a life with a porn star - 'Baby, we'll live a hell of a life'. Not that it's all egocentricity. The rapper/singer shares his insecurities as well and opens up significantly ('Runaway'): it's good to have that counterbalance. Although the haters can still kiss his ass ('Power'). But what really makes this album above average is West's towering ambition, not least on display in 'Runaway', nine minute introspective. With the song, which was at the same time the second single released from the album, went a gorgeous 35-minute video, showing West on top of a piano, with a group of ballerina's performing an interpretive dance to the song. Deeply moving!
And then there's the selection of A-list features on the record (Jay-Z! John Legend! Bon Iver!). Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaborations give us a preview of the soon-to-be-released joint venture 'Watch the Throne' they're currently working on (or do they as first single 'H.A.M.' contains completely different influences?). And Nicki Minaj – ‘hotter than a Middle Eastern climate’ – surpasses herself in a schizophrenic 32-line (!) rant in 'Monster' – another top track on this album and accompanied by an equally impressive video (the dead models! Minaj holding herself hostage!). Even Bon Iver - not the most obvious collaboration - fits in perfectly in 'Monster' and 'Lost In The World' with the result sounding credible and convincing. But make no mistake about it, despite the consistent excellence of the collaborators, noone is able to upstage West. The way even noted over-actor Beyoncé is reduced to a mere support act in 'See Me Now' - faut le faire!
Suffice to say that this is a pretty terrific effort. True, nobody can love Kanye the way Kanye loves himself. But at the same time we witness introspection, modesty and even some vulnerable moments. And he produced 13 mindblowing tracks. Of course this album stills predominantly feels like a lash out to all those less talented. But that’s because he plain is better than all the others. Like him or not but West showcased why he can still be considered one of the artists of his generation. ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ is not a perfect ten, but it is one of the top albums of 2010. A sincere ‘F-U-C-K’ seems appropriate here.
Tagline: 'Ladies and gentlemen, yeah, I'm here to tell you that this is a brand new sound / This, this will change your lives / All you gotta do is turn your shit up, turn your shit up'
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has always been a man of big declarations. If nothing else, this is a man who knows how to place his products, which was no different in his communications regarding his latest album ‘Last Train To Paris’. The question is then of course: is he truly a visionary or is he just full of crap? Because the thing is that Combs has tried to emphasize his innovative qualities once too often. And the reality is that he had to make up for something – his 2006 effort ’Press Play’, despite its high aim, was downright boring. So Combs would have to come back stronger than ever so as to prove that he is more than a slightly delusional has-been ‘bad boy’, who used to be big in music but has lately been spending most of his time seeking PA’s, assembling bands and re-establishing his musical credibility.
Unfortunately ‘Last Train To Paris’ did not augur well right from the start. Riding on the wave of ‘what’s in’, he had set out to create a more electronic album to succeed ‘Press Play’. It sounded promising and alarming at the same time bearing in mind the worrisome previews we got from ‘making his band’, the reality show through which he sought a support band for the ‘Last Train’ live tour. Originally scheduled for an autumn release however, the album was pushed back to late last year. Yet, despite justified skepticism ‘Last Train To Paris’ is not as bad as was to be expected. One reason for that is probably that despite Combs’ shift toward reality-tv, he’s remained ambitious when it comes to his music. Having said that though, a problem of overarching seems to remain. Combs undisputedly has vision, things just tend to go pear-shaped in the execution phase.
The intensions were right though. Combs had an intricate concept in mind for this record, which would sound couture, with a more electronic approach. In short, it would introduce something new entirely. But ‘a brand new sound’ it ain’t. Lead single ‘Hello, Good Morning’ also reveals much of the issue. There is nothing wrong with the song, but it does sound familiar coming from him. The deep bass beats seem to be his trademark and the electronics even sound slightly unfortunate. The album as a whole just doesn’t deliver on expectations. After about two years of hyping Diddy seems to have been overtaken by the competition. During his absence the whole eurodance thing became established in the U.S. somewhat trivializing Last Train’s innovative character, which rarely exceeds the average level of what’s already out there (think for instance Jason Derülo). The guest list – albeit impressive – doesn’t change much about that, given some of the features feel random or even a bit out of place. And what is worse, at times he Diddy is upstaged by his guests. Nicki Minaj to name one has more poise and originality in her little finger than Diddy in his entire body and in his own field – let’s, for arguments sake, say that that’s rapping – he can rarely compete with the likes of T.I. and Drake (both on an intellectual level as with regard to lyrical flow). And let’s not even mention his ... dancing.
Adding Dirty-Money to his act seems to be his way to make up for his lack in vocal skills – and it does the trick – but it fails in actually adding anything substantial to the songs. They definitely sound alright, but it’s unclear what makes them indispensible. It seems symptomatic for his music, which sometimes feels a bit hollow, like a big, empty box, with a nice red ribbon wrapped around it. For someone who seeks to push the envelope and aspires to be an innovator, ‘Last Train To Paris’ is disappointingly close to strike two, rather than being a homerun. ‘Last Train’ is a fairly commendable record, the problem is that Diddy just can’t seem to live up to the musical standards he sets for himself. He seems to be getting gradually yet increasingly exposed as someone who has always been able to sell himself as more talented than he actually was. In that he remains a socialite, entrepreneur and reality-television producer above all, more pleasant than he leads on to believe, but also less talented.
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Yeah Yeah You Would (ft. Grace Jones)
3. I Hate That You Love Me
4. Ass On The Floor (ft. Swizz Beats)
5. Looking For Love (ft. Usher)
6. Someone To Love Me
7. Hate You Now
8. Yesterday (ft. Chris Brown)
9. Shades (ft. Justin Timberlake, Bilal, Lil Wayne, James Fauntleroy)
Tagline: 'I wouldn't carry Carrie Underwood under a wooden bridge, but I would carry wood for Carrie under certain circumstances'
