Zilla Rocca – “Machine Gun Remix”
The Factual Opinion considered putting a moratorium on Lil’ Wayne guest spots, but decided it would quickly go out of business. We’re still not sure if Weezy is as popular as the media would like us to believe, but seriously, “If you didn’t help me make it/ Don’t tell me how to spend it/ And yes I know the rules/ Don’t marry Robin Givens”? It hurts me in the warm places. “Damn I’m Cold” is as syrupy and confident as you’d expect a Lil’ Wayne/Bun B collaboration to be, with the highlight coming at the end when LW role-plays his own call-and-response between a machine gun (“Brrrdrrrdrrrdrrr”) and The Beast (“Grrrrrrrrrrr.”)
Speaking of which, “Machine Gun,” the highest regarded track off of Portishead’s Third, continues its march toward Single of the Year status. The conceit—dueling brutal drum machines—is so simple and effective it’s unbelievable that it hasn’t been done before, and the metallic abrasiveness gives Portishead’s typical moodiness a nice hard tweak. Zilla Rocca, a Philadelphia MC hopping quick on a good idea, doesn’t touch the track at all (except to cut it by about a minute). He simply waits until the instrumental breakdown and lays his vocal on top of it. Somehow, this has been circulating around the internet. For his part, Zilla Rocca delivers a tired, amateurish rap. At one point, he imitates the drum machine with weak and ugly “Na na na na”s, prompting me to imagine a Zilla Rocca/Lil’ Wayne gun imitation shootout and proving why Lil’ Wayne is The Best Rapper Alive™ and Zilla Rocca is… wait, what were we talking about?
“Rabbit” is one of those rare songs that, every time you think you’ve got it pegged, takes an abrupt left turn. It starts with some squilchy electronic jimjam, but quickly adds a bit of furious drumming—which creates a bit of a post-trip-hoppy vibe. Chick singing sounds like PJ Harvey. Then come the Metallica guitars. If “Rabbit” holds up to massive repeated listening, it just might be a candidate for Single of the Year.
Alphabeat – “Fascination”
A little like a Kids Incorporated version of an indie song.
Fleet Foxes – “White Water Hymnal”
Does anyone hear Fleet Foxes’ Sun Giant EP and not think they sound exactly like My Morning Jacket? And, with an EP as stunning as Sun Giant is, does it really matter? The one new trick in Fleet Foxes bag is the a cappella song: “Sun Giant” gorgeously kicked off their EP. Now, “White Water Hymnal” from their upcoming debut trumps even that. Here are two true confessions: 1) “White Water Hymnal” begins a cappella, adds instrumentation, and ends a cappella. After the first handful of times, I would have sworn that the entire song lacked instrumentation. That’s just how I remembered it. 2) I also thought it was a frickin’ round (you know, like they do with “Row Row Row Your Boat”), which made me feel like it might have been the single most innovative song of the last few years. The lesson here, of course, has less to do with me paying closer attention, and more to do with the need for more rounds (or any rounds, really) in rock music. Frère Jacques, bitches.
Chopping up “Apache” may seem like a hip-hop cliché, but it’s a little more like studying the classics. There’s always a relevant angle to be found. Even if you don’t find it, it’ll sound good anyway. Pink Skull, however, is not taking any chances. Most of the fun of the track comes from the way the beat continuously morphs over the course of the track, and how the bongos get elevated into a Spank Rock-friendly electro-pulse. On a side note, does anyone else think Amanda Blank sounds exactly like Princess Superstar?
Tom Waits’ “Glitter and Doom Tour” Press Conference
We’re just going to save everyone the trouble and call this Album of the Year now.
-Martin Brown, 2008
That Tom Waits clip kicks more ass than Ice Cube in the 80s.
Posted by: Sean Witzke | 2008.05.21 at 01:35
Amanda Blank is much, much less annoying than Princess Superstar.
Posted by: Tim O'Neil | 2008.05.21 at 18:28