The Crow's Nest

Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School, Part II

I’ve been a fan of Ski’s for a while. Last year’s Part I of this series along with Curren$y’s first Pilot Talk were hyped to no end. Part I took so long and the final product differed so much from what was first announced that it hardly met expectations. The tracks left off Part I (samples couldn’t get cleared and Mos Def’s record label wouldn’t allow him to be on the album) proved to be more noteworthy than anything actually on that record.

And even though Ski announced this sequel last year, the lack of promotion and leaks let this release fall under the radar. The fact that no tracks leaked from this record allows one to ground high expectations and closes the door on potentially underwhelming its audience. But the simple fact is Part II has no standout tracks. It has that goes as hard as “Prowler 2”, “Superbad” or even “Nothing But Us”, nor does it have any tracks as smooth and atmospheric as “Taxi” or “Cream of the Planet” (all from Part I). 

Those who might have heard Curren$y’s Pilot Talk might remember a track called “Example” the song, a short intro to the record, was a guitar driven banger that created a thirst for more. It prepared you for a record that was at once extremely laid back but also hungry enough to serve up a diverse platter of music. The guitar sampling found on that song has run amok on Part II. Too many tracks rely on corny, poorly executed guitar sampling. The guitar is merely played in the background with a boring, simple beat trying to push the song forward. 

The laziness in sampling is found throughout the record. Most samples are spun and never flipped, skewed or cut. Even for a record that barely lasts over half an hour, it makes for a boring and listless listen. The best beat on the record, “Moon Walking” uses a satellite’s beep to construct its infectious beat. And guest rapper STS turns in a focused performance that fits the beat and makes for the brightest spot on this otherwise murky release.

And even though the beats are lazy, they sound like the most energetic thing on the planet underneath the endless parade of wannabe rappers spitting over these tracks. Save for STS, the fifteen other featured rappers do nothing in the way of creating a focused and cohesive record. Subject matters range from video games, sex, drugs, sports and other equally unoriginal and frankly, uninteresting topics. Hooks are nowhere to be found and even one does remember them, its because they were so ridiculous and inappropriately offensive, you want to repeat them to friends to get a laugh. 

This record snuck up on me. I wasn’t expecting it. What I was expecting from Ski was something that at least had a pulse. This just comes off as a very lazy and rushed release. I love the concept and ideas Ski has presented with the 24 Hour Karate School brand. But Part II does that vision a disservice. Hopefully his next project is willing to take the kinds of chances Ski’s been known to pull off. The guy is still one of the game’s top producers and even though this will hardly make him any new fans, “Moon Walking” should be enough to seek out his back catalog to see what this capable producer is really about. 

1.5/5

fapwounds:

oh my god

(Source: nickdrake)

actually, back in the Game Boy Color’s day, there were 251…

83rd Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards

The HFPA is a sham. always has been. But this year, they got it mostly right for once. The Social Network nabbed pretty much everything it should have and other films were allowed to shine in the acting categories. I still think the HFPA is a joke tho (Cristian Bale was speakingthe truth during his acceptence speech, “Who the fuck are these people???”; The Tourist, Burlesque??? REALLY!?!?!) If one good thing can come out of the Golden Golbes though, its the realization that the Academy Awards are just around the corner!

They’re finally almost here! Nominations are going to be announced next Tuesday on the 25th, but I’m putting in my early nomination predictions NOW. Mind you, these are just what i think should be nominated. Categories where I’d like a certain film to be nominated, but know others are absolutely possible will be marked: (*) for want.

Again, for now, I’m just positing nomination predictions. The Oscars are still more then a month away, so we’ll all have plenty of time to talk about nominees!

You all probably are well aware for my love of The Social Network, David Fincher’s and Aaron Sorkin’s contemporary masterpiece exploring themes or trust, betrayal, dishonesty and greed. Its a fantastic film and any category its in, at least in my book, will be a tough competion for other films. 

Despite the absolutely pitch perfect performances in that film, the acting categories are the only places that are wide open for other films to recieve their nods.

These nomination predictions will be for the more popular categories of the year (ie, no Best Foriegn Film, Best Short, Best Animated Short) as, despite me seeing a wealth of Oscar worthy material this and last year, I’m simply not qualified to make such predictions (not even based off of the HFPA’s or BAFTA’s nominations). This is also the first year in a while I’ve actually seen MOST of these films. The only ones I haven’t seen are smaller films that I’m sure will be nominated simply according to other award programs: 127 Hours, Another Year, Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine.

So without further delay, I present to you, what films I THINK will be nominated for what categories 

Categories I’m not calling: Best Animated Short, Best Foreign Film, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short, Best Original Song.

Best Picture

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King’s Speech

Shutter Island*

The Social Network

True Grit

Toy Story 3

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

Danny Boyle - 127 Hours

David Fincher - The Social Network

Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech

Christopher Nolan - Inception

Best Actor in a Leading Role

David O’Russell - The Fighter

Jeff Bridges – True Grit

Robert Duvall – Get Low

Jessie Eisenberg - The Social Network

Colin Firth - The King’s Speech

Best Actress in a Leading Role

James Franco - 127 Hours

Annette Bening – The Kids are All Right

Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine

Christian Bale – The Fighter

Andrew Garfield – The Social Network

Jeremy Renner – The Town

Mark Ruffalo – The Kids are All Right

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Geoggrey Rush – The King’s Speech

Amy Adams – The Fighter

Helena Bonham-Carter – The King’s Speech

Mila Kunis – Black Swan

Melissa Leo – The Fighter

Best Original Screenplay

Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg - The Kids are All Right

Mark Heyman, Andrew Heinz & John McLaughlin - Black Swan

Christopher Nolan - Inception

David Seidler - The King’s Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay

Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamsey & Eric Johnson) - The Fighter

Ben Affleck, Peter Craig & Aaron Stockard - The Town

Michael Ardnt - Toy Story 3

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - True Grit

Laeta Kalogridis - Shutter Island

Best Animated Feature

Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network

Despicable Me

How to Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Tangled

Best Original Score

Toy Story 3

Daft Punk - TRON: Legacy

Alexandre Desplat The King’s Speech

A.R. Rahman - 127 Hours

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network

Best Sound Editing/Best Sound Mixing

Hans Zimmer - Inception

Inception

The Social Network

Black Swan

Toy Story

Best Art Direction

Tangled

Black Swan

Tangled

The King’s Speech

Inception

Best Cinematography

Danny Cohen - The King’s Speech

Jeff Cronenweth - The Social Network

Roger Deakins - True Grit

Matthew Libatique - Black Swan

Wally Pfister - Inception

Best Make-Up

Black Swan

Alice in Wonderland

The King’s Speech

Best Costume Design

Black Swan

Inception

The King’s Speech

True Grit

Best Film Editing

Andrew Weisblum - Black Swan

Thelma Schoonmaker - Shutter Island

Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall - The Social Network

Lee Smith - Inception

Tariq Anwar - The King’s Speech

Best Visual Effects

Black Swan

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part I

Inception

The Social Network

TRON: Legacy

Surfrider is a great organization.

I really hate this kind of stuff…these poor things…theres absolutely no need for this… : /

37. 

Maroon 5 - “Hands All Over”

Maroon 5 has a huge ego. This is a band that, not including their album as Kara’s Flowers, has released only two prior albums. Their first was classic early 2000’s sunny rock music. They changed it up with their second album with a more electric sound that was certainly experimental, but also very satisfying. And their third album indeed marked another change in style, but not one as jarring as from first to second. This album marks a much leaner funk style that, like their past styles, also suits them wonderfully. Nothing particularly stands out, but listened to as an album, the album is a very effective at creating a uniformly loose mood and is a very enjoyable half hour of contemporary pop rock.

38.

Cee-Lo Green - “The Lady Killer”

Propelled by the raw funkiness of lead single, “Fuck You”, Green’s newest album away from Gnarls Barkley uphold the fun spirit of that single throughout. It is the centerpiece of the album and nothing else on the disc is as good as the one track, but Green’s set of contemporary funk R&B is a welcome change of pace from all the electronic acts out right now.

39.

Anberlin - “Dark is the Way, Light is a Place”

“Impossible” is as big, bombastic and arena ready as anything U2 put out in their heyday (or, for that matter, what they’re still putting out). This is an inconsistent record; the first half of the set is by far the stronger of the two. Everything starts sounding the same by the last quarter of the album, but the stuff on the first side is def still some of the coolest stuff to come out this year. It isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but its a good indicator to the direction this young. band is heading in.

40

Gorillaz - “Plastic Beach”

This album is a slight (read: major) departure from past albums, but delivers on something consistnatly lacking in previous efforts: infectious and ridiculously memorable and catchy beats. most of the tracks have a shiny 1980s throwback production behind them and they’re better for it. This album was grossly overlooked when it came out in March, but there’s always time to go back and check out a truely great set of electronic dance music.

The Birth of a New Genre

Are you ready? The newest revolution in music is upon us, folks. And it is being spearheaded by none other then everyone’s favorite artist that they love to hate: Kanye West. Say what you want about the guy’s personality and PDA’s (Public Displays of Asshole-ism), but the Chicago MC is again ready to re-invent the game in a way not too dissimilar that his 2004 opus, The College Dropout did.

On November 22nd (assuming there are no delays), the world will be exposed to what I’m sure many will forever refer to as progressive hip-hop. Obviously, i have not heard the bulk of the album and I’m basing the majority of this argument on the two released singles (“Power” and “Runaway”), two unofficial and unfinished leaks (“All of the Lights” and “Lost in the World”) and West’s G.O.O.D. Friday output. But I am also confident that you will be seeing this album on many a music critic’s best of the year list. Furthermore, my confidence extends to the point that I whole-heartedly believe that this album will be one of the most important and influential albums of the young decade… 

For the uninitiated, progressive hip-hop is a genre that has not really been in the public eye. But why? No one does it, thats why. West has come up with something that is truly an new innovative form of hip-hop. 

In fact, it’s a term that I am conjuring just for the sake of this article. It is truly a dark horse of the rock genre; not many artists are able to pull off the style’s often sweeping scope and sometimes silly subject matter (dealings in fantasy, sci-fi and, occasionally, horror). It is commonly reduced to “thinking man’s rock and roll” and often called too ambitious for its own good, but that is an unfair knock on a genre that has birthed the most interesting and passionate music of the last forty years. Popularized in the early 70s, bands like Yes, Genesis, Rush, Camel, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Supertramp  and to a lesser extent, Led Zeppelin, prog-rock was an acquired taste to be sure.  But it was a genre with increasing popularity and has stood the test of time; many of these bands have survived over three decades of studio albums, line up changes, solo projects and relentless touring. Prog-rock’s staying power is cemented by the fact that there are so many good bands today carrying the torch of the rock legends of yesteryear; among the best are Mastodon, The Sword, Muse, Dream Theater and Black Mountain. And the influence of the genre is spreading to the most unprecedented of places: hip-hop.

Hip-hop has sampled prog-rock before, but an artist has never extended a sample beyond its superficial and pop sensibilities. That influence is lost, not only in terms of length (long, non-commercial tracks are common in this genre), but also in musical texture and depth. To be sure, prog-rock is a very cerebral form of rock. It requires the listener’s full, undivided attention to fully enjoy and to pick up on all the nuances in any given song.

It is something West, it seems, is inserting into his music. There were tastes of this in 2008’s 808s & Heartbreak. The epic and brooding drone of opener “Say You Will” is the key example of this shift in style. It went largely unnoticed as that album was filled with many diversions into new territory not just for hip-hop, but for West in general. So much paper and ink was spent on commenting on West’s new implementation of the now infamous auto-tune, the 1980s pop influence and sparse beat arrangements. And “Say You Will” definitely has all those elements in it, but it wasn’t a boring song, even though more than half of it is the beat running itself around in circles. There wasn’t any rapping on the track; it was dominated by West’s somber and auto-tuned melody. The track wasn’t noted as being what it was then and is now: prog hip-hop.

On November 22^nd, West will release his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on DefJam records. On June 2^nd 2010, he unleashed the monolithic first single of the then untitled album, “Power”. One thing that took hold of bloggers, critics and listeners alike was the unconventional sample of King Crimson’s 1969 “21^st Century Schizoid Man”. The song had movements, not verses and choruses. The bulk of the song was dominated by west’s proclamation that “no one man should have this power” and the incredibly well used sample. But the final part of the nearly five minute single version of the song (who knows how much West will embellish this song on the album) is dominated by guest Dwele’s haunting vocal as West muses on suicide and how beautiful death could be. The shift in mood on this last part is a staple of prog hip-hop.  

The influence of prog-rock on West doesnt end with his choice in sample or song structure either. Prog-rock implements the entire album packaging as a form of the piece of art presented. It is an important part of the experience of the album. West realizes this. George Condo, the artist West employed to do the original paintings seen on singles of “Power” and “Runaway” and above, a “banned” version of the album’s cover art (I’m positive this is the FINAL version, but he says otherwise) has created art that oddly fits the music and sets an unsettling tone for the album. It also bares a striking resemblance to King Crimson’s 1981 album, Discipline’s art. 

West continues to reveal other unconventional song structures in his free G.O.O.D. Friday songs that he uniformly releases every week on his website. Cuts like “Lord, Lord, Lord”, “Christian Dior Denim Flow” and “Take One for the Team” are all examples of prog hip-hop at its finest. Complicated rhymes over complicated beats with a flair for sheer bombastic and extravagant personality; these free songs often feature a wealth of guests accompanying West. Further more, West has often proclaimed how often the songs on his album will contain similar shifts in tempo, mood and tone.

“Runaway”, the second single off My Beautiful Dark Twisted Ffantasy, begins with a solitary piano note, ringing in the ears of its target before exploding into a bass heavy beat that dj premier would be proud of. West revealed a month later that the song’s album form will run in excess of eight minutes.

Obviously this is all speculation. The album very well could only have these two examples of the new subgenre, but they should be enough to get anyone excited, not only about hip-hop, but music again. If these two songs (and the songs he’s released on his website) are any indication of West’s dark and twisted fantasy, the world is in for a quite a sonic treat.

Cont. on 11/22/10