UNQUESTIONABLY III: TEMPLES OF BOOM (COLUMBIA, 1995) is the FINAL PART in a TRILOGY of TRANSFORMATIVE HIP HOP RELEASES that CYPRESS HILL released in the FIRST HALF of the 1990s that also includes CYPRESS HILL (COLUMBIA, 1991) and BLACK SUNDAY (COLUMBIA, 1993).  in my ESTIMATION these RECORDINGS set the ARTISTIC BAR not only for WEST COAST HIP HOP in general but RAP COLLECTIVES moving forward, from WU-TANG CLAN, MOBB DEEP, OUTKAST and THREE 6 MAFIA on down through BLACK HIPPY, ASAP MOB and ODD FUTURE to the PRESENT.  arguably only RUN-DMC and NATIVE TONGUES matched them in TERMS of CULTURAL INFLUENCE and ARTISTIC COHERENCE.

all that being said, i was introduced to CYPRESS HILL in NIGERIA by CLASSMATES SHORTLY after moving there in the FALL of 1995, right around when III: TEMPLES OF BOOM was released.  back then PEOPLE'S COLLECTIONS got moved around via TAPED COPIES of CDs, so i suspect my LEBANESE FRIEND got it from an OLDER, more CONNECTED MIDDLE-SCHOOLER.  all the SAME, those RECORDS and their VIVID DESCRIPTIONS of GANG LIFE in SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES could just as easily been about what we were EXPERIENCING DAY-TO-DAY in LAGOS, a CORRUPT CITY of GLOBAL PROPORTIONS that also served as a MAJOR DRUG PORT and DEN of all sorts of SORDID, ILLICIT and CORRUPT BEHAVIOR.  it was the type of place that HUMAN SUFFERING was quite literally staring you in the face all the time, if you chose to look from your PRIVILEGED PERCH atop a GUARDED CONVOY to-and-from SCHOOL each day. 

the SONGS THEMSELVES seemed steeped in the LANGUAGE OF THE STREET and the COMPROMISED CHOICES ONE is forced into just to survive, flourishing not even being a VIABLE OPTION.  first off is the MARIJUANA ADVOCACY that so IDENTIFIABLY CYPRESS HILL by the MASSES, yet for all the DRUG REFERENCES in their MUSIC on TRACKS like "SPARK ANOTHER OWL," "STONED RAIDERS" and "ILLUSIONS," i saw such implemented as a REAL-LIFE MECHANISMS for maintaining a CONSCIOUS SENSE of DISTANCE and ESCAPE from the BITTER VULGARITY and NASTINESS of REGULAR LIFE.  it wasnt something to be championed NECESSARILY, but an ACTIVITY with a DESIRED OUTCOME firmly in sight to get the edge off of one's DAILY LIVED EXPERIENCE. or so that was my UNDERSTANDING.  likewise, secondly there is an EXPECTATION that TRANSGRESSIVE TRACKS such as "BOOM BIDDY BYE BYE," "THROW YOUR SET IN THE AIR" and "MAKE A MOVE" are a STARK REMINDER of the TRUE COST of doing BUSINESS in such an OPPRESSIVE ECOSYSTEM, where everything by DEFINITION is COMPROMISED.  kind of like any film about FASCIST SYSTEMS of OPPRESSION where NOBODY, even the HEROES, are left UNSCATHED and UNMARKED by the DEHUMANIZING EXPERIENCE.  in a way there is almost SOMETHING ROMANTIC in the MEDIEVAL NATURE of it all of having to PUBLICLY broadcast one's ALLEGIANCES and take part in DEBASED INITIATION CEREMONIES to prove ones LOYALTY to what is in ESSENCE a FIEFDOM.  it this was MEDIEVAL ENGLAND or FRANCE itd be CELEBRATED, MODERN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA not so much.

the GROUP itself never SOUNDED BETTER.  for me DJ MUGGS was still very much on a roll with his ATMOSPHERIC PRODUCTION, utilizing SAMPLED STRINGS, BELLS and VIBRAPHONES to create an ALMOST PSYCHEDELIC AURAL EXPERIENCE.  B-REAL is still in TOP LYRICAL SHAPE utilizing the UPPER RANGES of his NASALLY VOICE to GREAT EFFECT, especially when used in RELATION to SEN DOG's GRAVELLY, almost SPOKEN DIATRIBES.  for whatever REASON III: TEMPLES OF BOOM is the LAST TIME this UNIT came off as COHESIVE and BELIEVABLE on wax.  im  not sure what happened on SUBSEQUENT RELEASES but ever since they come off a bit CARTOONY, CLICHED and FORCED in my OPINION, as if SOMEONE OUTSIDE the COMMUNITY commenting on the ins-and-outs of STREET LIFE as opposed to SOMEONE writing as an EXTENSION of that EXPERIENCE. 

maybe SUCCESS got to them, i dont know.  but those first three RELEASES were CONSEQUENTIAL to my UNDERSTANDING and APPRECIATION for HIP HOP writ large and still mean a GREAT DEAL to me and those FRIENDS of MINE i had growing up in a SUPREMELY VOLATILE place like LAGOS.  to date it is the VERITABLE SOUNDTRACK to that FORMATIVE EXPERIENCE, no doubt. 

​III: TEMPLES OF BOOM is required listening, highly recommended.

its always INTRIGUING to check out the WORK of a PROMINENT or INFLUENTIAL BAND pre-FAME and MEGASTARDOM, especially if they were previously on a small INDEPENDENT LABEL as was the CASE with NIRVANA's BLEACH (SUB POP, 1989), SOCIAL DISTORTION's MOMMY'S LITTLE MONSTER (13TH FLOOR RECORDS, 1983), SOUNDGARDEN's ULTRAMEGA OK (SST, 1988), DINOSAUR JR's BUG (SST, 1988), OFFSPRING's SMASH (EPITAPH, 1994), DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE's TRANSLATLANTICISM (BARSUK, 2003) or TV ON THE RADIO's DESPERATE YOUTH, BLOOD THIRSTY BABES (TOUCH AND GO, 2004).  its not just that its LOWER STAKES per se, but you get the SENSE that once that TRANSITION to the CORPORATE CONGLOMERATE LEVEL with REAL BUDGETS, DISTRIBUTION and PROMOTION, that the GAME itself alters CONSIDERABLY.  you only get to be an UNKNOWN, PROMISING ENTITY once, and there is a PURITY in having LIMITED COMMERCIAL EXPECTATIONS.  such is definitely the case with KERPLUNK (LOOKOUT, 1991), GREEN DAY's SECOND ALBUM and FINAL independent RELEASE before the GENERATION-DEFINING POP PUNK CULTURAL BEHEMOTH that was its MAJOR LABEL FOLLOW-UP in DOOKIE (REPRISE, 1994).  it is also there LAST RECORDING before a CAREER-long COLLABORATION (outside of the ODD ALBUM or two) with PRODUCER ROB CAVALLO.

much like the VAST MAJORITY of EVERYONE else from my ERA, my INTRODUCTION to GREEN DAY was their GENERATION-defining DOOKIE (REPRISE, 1994) RELEASE.  so my seeking out of KERPLUNK was an ENDEAVOR done entirely in RETROSPECT.  aside from their ORIGINAL VERSION of the SOON-TO-BE MEGA-HIT "WELCOME TO PARADISE," the OBVIOUS HIGHLIGHT here is the OPENING TRACK "2000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY," a SONG written by BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG about his then-GIRLFRIEND, SOON-TO-BE WIFE ADRIENNE, and their LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP given that she was based in MINNESOTA while he was in CALIFORNIA.  SONICALLY it is a PUNCHY COMPOSITION with many START-STOP MOMENTS that mimics the LYRICAL NARRATIVE at its CORE of the FRUSTRATION of being suspended in HELPLESS ISOLATION from the one you love, as if that RELATIONSHIP starts-and-stops at UNHELPFUL INTERVALS. 

the REST of the ALBUM to my ears sounds a bit MONOTONOUS and REPETITIVE, with the REVERB-heavy PRODUCTION not assisting MATTERS in that regard, especially on somewhat PROMISING but effectively MEDIOCRE NUMBERS like "WHO WROTE HOLDEN CAULFIELD?" and "ONE OF MY LIES."  INDEPENDENT LABELS are FAMOUS for their LOW BUDGETS which result in MULTIPLE SONGS being recorded at once, often with the SAME EQUIPMENT on the SAME SETTINGS.  such a HAPHAZARD PROCESS would NOT BE REPEATED on SUBSEQUENT GREEN DAY RELEASES, which allows for SONGS of the SAME TEMPO and KEY to SONICALLY DIFFERENTIATE from ONE ANOTHER.

OVERALL KERPLUNK is not a TERRIBLE ALBUM, but UNDERSTANDABLY given its PRODUCTION and BUDGET it absolutely pales in COMPARISON to their SUBSEQUENT MAJOR RELEASES throughout the 1990s and beyond.  that jump to the CORPORATE LEVEL FAMOUSLY found them EFFECTIVELY BLACKLISTED from the fiercely INDEPENDENT 924 GILMAN VENUE they grew up at participating in.  that NOTORIOUSLY DIY EAST BAY PUNK ROCK VENUE, which ran as a COOPERATIVE by YOUNG PEOPLE, had a STRICT POLICY of not admitting MAJOR LABEL ACTS based on the DIY ETHOS they held DEAR.  while i get that, it seems SAD that GREEN DAY effectively got penalized for making a BETTER RECORD that finally had DECENT DISTRIBUTION, not to mention ACTUAL PRODUCTION VALUES and the time afforded to actually consider a STATEMENT both SONICALLY and LYRICALLY instead of rushing the PROCESS to produce a MEDIOCRE PRODUCT out on a MEDIOCRE LABEL.  all seems SILLY now, but for me that is the REAL LEGACY of KERPLUNK and all pre-REPRISE RECORDS GREEN DAY RELEASES. 

just saying.

i find GRADUATION (DEF JAM, 2007) to be one of the more FASCINATING KANYE WEST RELEASES not  because it is a personal FAVORITE (it isnt), but because it represents the ENDING of an ERA and a TRAJECTORY in his CAREER.  that BRIGHT POP ART-y, FUN-LOVING, INVENTIVE, OPTIMISTIC and even GOOFY TRIO of INITIAL RELEASES that channeled GOLDEN AGE of BOOM BAP and predated the UNEXPECTED and SHOCKING DEATH OF HIS MOTHER.  UNQUESTIONABLY such TRAUMA was the TURNING POINT in his LIFE and CAREER, and looking back at GRADUATION in any DETAIL is SADLY an EXAMINATION of a somewhat HEALTHY PSYCHE before it was COMPLETELY SHATTERED and EVISCERATED in PUBLIC VIEW.  id even go so far as to say that his ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY is BIFURCATED between the PRE-and-POST DONDA PERIOD, right up until the PRESENT DAY almost two decades removed.

GRADUATION saw WEST engaged with HIP HOP CULTURE and even the OUTER REACHES of its PROFOUND INFLUENCE.  look no further than his A BATHING APE PRODUCT COLLABORATIONS and his TAKASHI MURAKAMI COVER ART, its OBVIOUS he saw in JAPANESE CULTURE a VIBRANT ANALOGUE and UNIQUE EXPRESSION with HIP HOP at its core.  that EXPANSIONIST AGENDA can be heard on infectiously ANTHEMIC TRACKS like "GOOD LIFE," "CAN'T TELL ME NOTHING," "BARRY BONDS," "FLASHING LIGHTS," "GOOD MORNING" and the DAFT PUNK-sampling "STRONGER," all constructed with ABSOLUTE GLOBAL CHART DOMINATION in mind, or "STADIUM STATUS" as he boasts on "BIG BROTHER," his DECLARATION of CULTURAL PARITY with ROC-A-FELLA LABEL HEAD and FORMER MENTOR JAY-Z.  in essence WEST was almost MANIC about his near INSATIABLE NEED to be ADMIRED by his FANBASE. 

compare that with its SUCCESSOR, 808s & HEARTBREAK (DEF JAM, 2008), and its like a totally DIFFERENT MIND-SPACE.  instead of jolting the HEART and expanding the DEFINITION of GLOBAL CULTURE, WEST instead is locked DEEP inside the DARK CLAUSTROPHOBIC RECESSES of his OWN GRIEF and PROFOUND SENSE of LOSS, GUILT, SHAME and REGRET at the UNEXPECTED LOSS of his BELOVED MOTHER, who effectively raised him by HERSELF, from a BOTCHED COSMETIC SURGERY in 2007.  its ARGUABLE he NEVER RECOVERED and all of his SUBSEQUENT RELEASES, including 808s & HEARTBREAK, showcase that TORTURED PSYCHE and his COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP with WOMEN, HIP HOP and his own STATUS as a CULTURAL ICON and TASTEMAKER a la JAY-Z or PHARRELL WILLIAMS.  all the really WEIRD BEHAVIOR emerges during this post-DONDA PERIOD as well and leads him on an ALTERNATE TRAJECTORY towards his current EMOTIONALLY CRIPPLED and MEGALOMANIACAL STATE where he has lost all seeming touch with REALITY and any SENSE of what his MOTHER would have wished for him to be associated with.  i see this NARRATIVE towards all things DEBAUCHED, DEPRAVED, DEBASED and DESPICABLE as a NEEDLESS TRAGEDY of sorts and such really begins with GRADUATION.

as such its a COMPELLING LISTEN and a TANTALIZING THOUGHT of what could have been before WEST took a DIFFERENT PATH that led to MENTAL INSTABILITY, CHEMICAL DEPENDENCE, PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL ISOLATION and his eventual CONSCIOUS HEEL TURN he abandoned his AUDIENCE and any SEMBLANCE of MORAL CONVICTION despite his near CONSTANT FALSE UBER-RELIGIOSITY and RIGHTEOUS HAND-WAVING.  there is a GOOD REASON PETE DAVIDSON had that PARODY "MAKE KANYE 2006 AGAIN" enscribed TRUMP MAGA HAT on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.  this is it.

the FALL of 1995 was a TRANSFORMATIONAL TIME for me and my FAMILY.  it marked the TURNING POINT in which we moved from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to NIGERIA, which UNDOUBTEDLY is the BIGGEST CULTURAL SHIFT of MY LIFE.  but we didnt go directly there.  as i remember it we stayed in a friend of my parent's SMALL, ONE-BEDROOM APARTMENT in TUDOR CITY, an affluent east side NEIGHBORHOOD in MIDTOWN MANHATTAN directly opposite the UNITED NATIONS.  it was so much FUN everyday waking up and just being in the WILD, CHAOTIC RHYTHM of the city.  i also DISTINCTLY recall being introduced to MTV in that APARTMENT, being that nobody i knew back in ORANGE COUNTY had CABLE TELEVISION whatsoever.  so in that SENSE i have a CLEAR MEMORY and ASSOCIATION of ALANIS MORISSETTE's AUSTERE BLACK-AND-WHITE "HAND IN MY POCKET" MUSIC VIDEO with that cold FALL WEEK running around MANHATTAN with my FAMILY before ARGUABLY the most CONSEQUENTIAL TRIP of MY LIFE to WEST AFRICA. 

hearing that SONG now just makes me think about a TIME when everything felt WIDE OPEN and FULL of POSSIBILITIES.  i was literally entering the UNKNOWN and more-or-less my ENTIRE LIFE since has been encountering PEOPLE (SPECIFICALLY AMERICANS) that never bothered to step foot out of their LITTLE SANDBOX.  its PROBABLY NOT TOO DISSIMILAR from how NEIL ARMSTRONG felt coming back down to EARTH i imagine.  just that PALPABLE PSYCHIC DISTANCE that cannot be compensated for.  "HAND IN MY POCKET" was brought to my ATTENTION when i was just on the CUSP of that TRANSITION and thus has stayed with me ever since.

whats FUNNY is that i always felt the REST of the JAGGED LITTLE PILL (MAVERICK, 1995) ALBUM is a bit MEDIOCRE.  its REPUTATION is one of it being WORTHY COMPETITOR to the REQUISITE ANGST of the THEN-WANING ALTERNATIVE ROCK MOVEMENT with FEMINIST ANTHEMS like "YOU OUGHTA KNOW" exploding UNEXPECTEDLY like LANDMINE on that DIMINISHED SCENE.  i dont know about that.  i have a DIFFICULT TIME getting around the FACT that this ALBUM was produced and co-written by GLENN BALLARD, known at the TIME for his CRINGY, SOFT-ROCK PABLUM with PAULA ABDUL, GEORGE STRAIT, AEROSMITH and THE CORRS and he would LATER do much the SAME for the likewise UNDERWHELMING DAVE MATHEWS BAND, THE GOO GOO DOLLS, KATY PERRY,  NO DOUBT, RINGO STARR and MILEY CYRUS.  i could have also gone without knowing that all that ANGER from "YOU OUGHTA KNOW" was the RESULT of a PAST EXPERIENCE in an UNDERAGED RELATIONSHIP with the LAME COMEDIC ACTOR DAVE COULIER of FULL HOUSE (ABC, 1987-1995) FAME. 

just hits DIFFERENT knowing that.

but probably the BIGGEST BLUNDER on this RECORD without question is the STUPEFYINGLY CONFUSING TRACK "IRONIC."  essentially a LIST of UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, there is nothing remotely IRONIC about any SCENARIO depicted in the SONG. i remember being tasked in a SEVENTH GRADE ENGLISH CLASS in NIGERIA (by a TEACHER from RURAL TEXAS) about the ways in which this SONG was IRONIC.  clearly she thought those UNFORTUNATE EVENTS where IRONIC, which again, they werent.  i wrote SOMETHING SMART-ASS about how IRONIC it was that this TRACK was called "IRONIC" and yet nothing in it was IRONIC, or, that i was given this ASSIGNMENT to identify IRONY in a song called "IRONIC" that had none by an ENGLISH TEACHER who thought it did, but CLEARLY didnt know what constituted IRONY, which is IRONIC because she was an ENGLISH TEACHER.  literally the ONE PERSON in my CHILDHOOD ORBIT that was PROFESSIONALLY supposed to be able to identify such.  it was like an ONGOING RUSSIAN NESTING DOLL of IRONY.  what an IDIOT.

and, yes, when i taught IRONY YEARS LATER to my HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, this whole DUMB SITUATION was my EXAMPLE of such.  worked like a CHARM.

so yeah, JAGGED LITTLE PILL is NOT the WORST ALBUM in the WORLD, but to me it represents the POST-GRUNGE MOMENT when the POP WORLD attempted to take back the REIGNS of the CULTURE back from ALTERNATIVE ROCK CROWD by CYNICALLY providing a more SANITIZED APPROXIMATION of what worked for them with all the ANGST, FRUSTRATION and DISSONANCE.  but nothing about this ALBUM feels PARTICULARLY AUTHENTIC, more like the ASTROTURF VERSION of the REAL THING.  in my mind, skip MORISSETTE and go straight to the SOURCE with TRUE BADASSES who were STELLAR SONGWRITERS from that SAME ERA in  KIM GORDON, PJ HARVEY, KIM DEAL, DONITA SPARKS, FIONA APPLE, BJORK, ANI DIFRANCO, LIZ PHAIR, KATHLEEN HANNA and so on.

but GLEN BALLARD?  whatever.

as CLASSIC ALBUMS go, STANKONIA (ARISTA, 2000) by the ICONIC ATLANTA HIP HOP DUO OUTKAST is UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL RELEASES in HIP HOP HISTORY.  to me it is the most COHESIVE EXPRESSION of a whole slew of COMPETING THREADS within the GENRE, namely that of the NATIVE TONGUES-inspired SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS HIP HOP MOVEMENT popularized by the likes A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and DE LA SOUL, SOPHISTICATED next-level NEW YORK-based LYRICISTS like RAKIM, CHUCK D and KRS-ONE and CLASSIC WEST COAST GANGSTER RAP such as N.W.A., CYPRESS HILL and TUPAC SHAKUR.  all that and more than a HEALTHY SPLASH of INTERGALACTIC FUNK inspired by the EXTRA-PLANETARY R&B likes of GEORGE CLINTON, JAMES BROWN and SLY STONE.  just a DEVASTATING COMBINATION of ELEMENTS that was wholly NEW to the NATIONAL SCENE at large.

and that was kind of the POINT.  with all due respect to THE GETO BOYS and U.G.K. out of TEXAS, both of who PREDATED them, OUTKAST from their INCEPTION BASICALLY put the AMERICAN SOUTH writ large on their back and presented the ongoing NATIONAL HIP HOP CONVERSATION with a WORTHY ALTERNATIVE to the ESTABLISHED SCENES on BOTH COASTS.  their iteration was more BOUNCY and GROOVE-orientated with a DISTINCTLY PSYCHEDELIC SENSE of GOSPEL and SOUTHERN SOUL about their PRODUCTION and LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS while still hitting just as HARD.  with OUTKAST much of this SONIC AESTHETIC was the TIRELESS RESULT of COUNTLESS HOURS in the STUDIO cutting it up with their COHORTS in the DUNGEON FAMILY, a loose COLLECTIVE of ARTISTS and PRODUCERS that wrote and worked TOGETHER as a MUTUALLY-SUPPORTIVE COHORT.  out of this SITUATION came the PRODUCTION CREWS of ORGANIZED NOISE (SLEEPY BROWN and RAY BROWN) and EARTHTONE III (i.e. OUTKAST plus DAVID SHEETS, aka MR DJ).  all of this to say that OUTKAST's SOUND was absolutely a DELIBERATE DECISION paved by the PARTICIPATION of many INVOLVED and COMMITTED CREATIVES from this essentially UNTAPPED REGION of TALENT. 

the STAGE for STANKONIA was set by the PREVIOUS two RELEASES in ATLIENS (ARISTA, 1996) and AQUEMINI (ARISTA, 1998), each more stylistically DIVERGENT and SONICALLY EXPERIMENTAL than the last.  there was also a DUAL NATURE to their PRESENTATION with BIG BOI holding down a NO-BULLSHIT, LYRICALLY-SOPHISTICATED FIGURE extolling TALES of STREET-WISE ENCOUNTERS, EXPERIENCES and ACTIVITIES within his COMMUNITY in a SIMILAR VEIN to that of MOBB DEEP and N.W.A., while ANDRE BENJAMIN, later ANDRE 3000, was more STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS, IMPRESSIONISTIC, FLUID and INSULAR with his LYRICAL VOICE in a MANNER more EVOCATIVE of ARTISTS like RAKIM, HIEROGLYPHICS and ESPECIALLY Q-TIP (of A TRIBE CALLED QUEST).  BIG BOI often gets pegged as the more CONVENTIONAL of the two, but in REALITY both ARTISTS had NONTRADITIONAL INFLUENCES from well OUTSIDE of HIP HOP, BIG BOI himself with KATE BUSH, JANIS JOPLIN, BOB MARLEY and NEIL YOUNG and ANDRE 3000 with KRAFTWERK and ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS like NIRVANA and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. so both came to the game with an INTIMATE and VARIED UNDERSTANDING of OUTSIDE VIEWPOINTS and SONIC AESTHETICS.  and such was APPARENT on PREVIOUS RELEASES, but nothing as COHERENT and STREAMLINED as their FINEST HOUR on STANKONIA.
​
UNQUESTIONED HIGHLIGHTS include "B.O.B.," "RED VELVET," "XPLOSION," "SO FRESH SO CLEAN" and "MISS JACKSON," the LATTER of which is a SONG-as-an-APOLOGY from ANDRE 3000 to the MOTHER of his FORMER PARTNER, R&B SINGER ERYKAH BADU, in the WAKE of their SEPARATION.  i cant even count the number of SONGS in HIP HOP that deal with apologizing, because there arent any, much less a PROMINENT SINGLE.  just gives one a SENSE of where OUTKAST was leveling up to at the time.  my FAVORITE STANKONIA TRACK is the DEVASTATING "TOILET TISHA" about a TROUBLED TEENAGER who COMMITS SUICIDE due to being completely OVERWHELMED by an UNPLANNED PREGNANCY.  this SONG deals with the ABJECT HORROR, HELPLESSNESS and SEVERE SHAME of the SITUATION and how such reverberates and effects everyone down the line from the IMMEDIATE FAMILY to the EXTENDED COMMUNITY.  i still consider it one of the most BRUTAL SONGS in HIP HOP and ARGUABLY OUTKAST's FINEST HOUR due to their FEARLESSNESS in tackling an UNCOMFORTABLE TABOO SUBJECT with such SOBER COMMITMENT and INTENSE EMPATHY.

STANKONIA is REQUIRED LISTENING.  as one of the ALL-TIME HIP HOP RECORDS, it is WORTHY of its PLACE in the PANTHEON of GREAT ART from the turn of the MILLENNIUM and its INFLUENCE can be seen in the THOUGHTFUL likes of EVERYONE from KENDRICK LAMAR, JANELLE MONAE, KILLER MIKE and CHILDISH GAMBINO.  definitely worth checking out.

like a lot of MUSIC FANS of my GENERATION who came of age in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the RIC OCASEK-produced HIGH/LOW (ELEKTRA, 1996) RELEASE by NEW YORK CITY ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND NADA SURF was a SEMINAL ALBUM.  it had MEMORABLE MELODIC HOOKS and an OVERBRIMMING AMOUNT of EXISTENTIAL DREAD that allowed it to really sink its teeth into your ADOLESCENT SUBCONSCIOUS, or at least it did such for me. 

and then NOTHING.

until YEARS later i rediscovered the BAND in UNDERGRAD through their absolutely SPELLBINDING and achingly GORGEOUS LET GO (BARSUK, 2002) ALBUM, which was PART of a TRINITY of STELLAR BARSUK RELEASES rounded out by THE WEIGHT IS A GIFT (BARSUK, 2005) and LUCKY (BARSUK, 2008).  outside of PIXIES and maybe WEEZER, i am having a DIFFICULT TIME thinking of another GROUP that came back that STRONG after a PERCEIVED EXTENDED HIATUS.  i say "PERCEIVED" because ADMITTEDLY i completely missed the boat on their INTERIM THE PROXIMITY EFFECT (ELEKTRA, 2000) RELEASE. 

i had a RADIO SHOW in COLLEGE and the GENERAL ATMOSPHERE at the STATION was one of COLLABORATION and CONVIVIALITY, in essence all the DJs loved sharing their MUSICAL OBSESSIONS with the WIDER COMMUNITY and there was none of the ELITIST COMPETITION i would have expected from the OUTSIDE BEFOREHAND.  it was through another DJ i picked up on LET GO and was completely knocked sideways initially by the TWO TRACKS "INSIDE OF LOVE" and "HAPPY KID," which shared a DARK NOSTALGIC QUALITY to them as if some DISTANT BITTERSWEET MEMORY was both CONSOLING and TRIGGERING at the SAME TIME. 

i know that WARM SENSE of AMBIVALENCE is how i feel about my TIME going to MIDDLE SCHOOL in NIGERIA.  on one HAND i had so many FORMATIVE EVENTS in my LIFE happen there that formulated my WORLDVIEW and SENSE of IDENTITY, on the OTHER HAND there was just so much DEATH and SUFFERING i was forced to BARE WITNESS to at such a YOUNG AGE that i was not prepared to PROCESS in any PRODUCTIVE WAY.  i choose to see that UNIQUE SET of EXPERIENCES as a GIFT albeit i know there was a DEFINITE COST along the way that i will probably never be able to verbalize in any COHERENT FASHION.  ive met up with CLASSMATES from that PERIOD over the PAST few DECADES and there is an UNSPOKEN and UNBREAKABLE BOND we share UNDOUBTEDLY, we all recognize that.  but there is also a SADNESS about the CIRCUMSTANCES and the EVENTS that transpired during that VOLATILE PERIOD in NIGERIA's HISTORY.  anyway, that CHARGED but COMFORTING SENTIMENT i obviously picked up on IMMEDIATELY with those TWO TRACKS and then SUBSEQUENTLY sought out their PAST CATALOGUE.

other NOTABLE TRACKS include "HI-SPEED SOUL," "NEITHER HEAVEN NOR SPACE" and "BLONDE ON BLONDE," all of which share that COUNTERINTUITIVELY CHARMED SENSE of SENTIMENTALITY that comes from HARD-EARNED TREPIDATION based on LIVED EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY of a TRAUMATIC VARIETY.  their SUBSEQUENT ALBUM's title THE WEIGHT IS A GIFT summarizes that OXYMORONIC TRUISM perfectly.  i just find LET GO to be an ALBUM i fondly return to all the TIME and recommend WHOLEHEARTEDLY.  i dont know where NADA SURF are placed in the GRAND SCHEME OF ALL THINGS INDIE ROCK or ALTERNATIVE ROCK but that is UNQUESTIONABLY a STELLAR RECORD.  required listening in my OPINION.

when WHITE ZOMBIE EFFECTIVELY IMPLODED in 1998, it left a SIZABLE VOID in the MUSIC INDUSTRY and METAL COMMUNITY given how SINGULAR their PHANTASMAGORIC SOUND was, which included EVERYTHING from INDUSTRIAL PERCUSSION, CLASSIC HORRO FILM SAMPLES and EXPERIMENTAL, NEXT-LEVEL METAL GROOVES courtesy of GUITARIST J YEUNGER and DRUMMER JOHN TEMPESTA.  it was like cross between the more AGGRESSIVE ELEMENTS of PANTERA, MINISTRY and SOUNDGARDEN with an ADDED CARNIVAL BARKER all rolled into one.  i dont believe it is a CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT that the two most ASTONISHINGLY BRUTAL GROOVE METAL RELEASES of that DECADE where VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (ATCO, 1992) and ASTRO-CREEP: 2000 (GEFFEN, 1995), both TERRY DATE PRODUCTIONS i might add.  okay, maybe i should have included SEPULTURA's ROOTS (ROADRUNNER, 1996) as well, but you get the IDEA.

so when i learned that WHITE ZOMBIE FRONTMAN ROB ZOMBIE was moving forward with a NEW SOLO EFFORT, i was more than a bit SKEPTICAL given the HEIGHTS of the BAND he just recently DEPARTED.  TEMPESTA stayed in the FOLD, but YEUNGER was LEFT OUT and in MY MIND his ICONIC RIFFS were as much a STAPLE of WHITE ZOMBIE's SOUND as the SINGER's TRADEMARK muffled "yeahs" were.  thats why i was pleasantly SURPRISED when HELLBILLY DELUXE (GEFFEN, 1998) was released because ZOMBIE somehow managed to keep all the CORE ELEMENTS that made WHITE ZOMBIE GREAT while SIMPLIFYING and STREAMLINING the SOUND just a bit.  with POWERFUL TRACKS like "MEET THE CREEPER," "DEMONOID PHENOMENON," "SUPERBEAST," "DRAGULA" and "LIVING DEAD GIRL," i see it as the more POP VERSION of ASTRO-CREEP: 2000, which is not necessarily a NEGATIVE THING by any stretch of the IMAGINATION.  it prove once and for all that ZOMBIE was the SONIC as well as VISUAL DIRECTOR of his PREVIOUS BAND and that his CAREER TRAJECTORY continued UNABATED.

i lucked out since i got to witness ZOMBIE LIVE during this ERA at OZZFEST 99 when he was very much still in his "MORE IS MORE" ETHOS with regard to STAGE DESIGN and PYRO.  it was pretty CRAZY because ZOMBIE was the TOP-BILLED ACT on an ABSOLUTELY LOADED LINE-UP (SLAYER, DEFTONES, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, PRIMUS, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY and STATIC-X) that was HEADLINED by BLACK SABBATH, and yet he blew up more SHIT than ANYONE.  try and figure that one out.  how did SHARON OSBOURNE allow that to happen?  i had like center 6th row seats or SOMETHING INSANE so that SHOW made a HUGE IMPACT on me, just the SENSORY OVERLOAD of it all with SCANTILY-CLAD GO-GO DANCERS, EXPLODING TRASHCANS, LIT-UP 666 SIGNS, JUMBO SCREENS with RUSS MEYER CLIPS, GUITARS with FLAMETHROWERS ATTACHED and so on. 

just a GREAT TIME.

and the MUSIC VIDEOS are a PRECURSOR to ZOMBIE's itch for directing ACTUAL HORROR FILMS he'd written that would be SATIATED in less than a DECADE starting with HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (LIONS GATE, 2003).  these INGENIOUS MUSIC VIDEOS reference EVERYTHING from CLASSIC HORROR and EXPLOITATION FILMS like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (MGM, 1972), THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (DECLA-FILM, 1920), ILSA: SHE-WOLF OF THE SS (CINEPIX, 1975), THE PHANTOM CREEPS (UNIVERSAL, 1939) among other MUCH-BELOVED POP CULTURE ODDITIES like RAT FINK, THE MUNSTERS (CBS, 1964-66) and WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (PARAMOUNT, 1971).

MY WORRIES were ABATED and its become CLEAR in the YEARS since that HELLBILLY DELUXE is arguably the DEFINITIVE RELEASE by ZOMBIE alongside his FORMER BAND's FINAL ALBUM in ASTRO-CREEP: 2000.  either one is well worth checking out.

i was born in the mid 1980s and as such was pretty YOUNG when quite a few CONSEQUENTIAL, if not EPOCHAL, ALTERNATIVE ROCK ALBUMS were released in QUICK SUCCESSION in the early 1990s.  i would even go so far as to say i became CONSCIOUS of CONTEMPORARY BANDS starting around the mid 1990s while i was still a PRE-TEEN.  such being the CASE there are quite a few SIMILAR-SOUNDING, mostly MID-TEMPO AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL BANDS in the EARNEST and CONFESSIONAL SINGER-SONGWRITER MOLD that came to PROMINENCE in the late 80s and early 90s that i COMPLETELY MISSED THE BOAT on, most NOTABLY MINNEAPOLIS' SOUL ASYLUM, SANTA BARBARA's TOAD THE WET SPROCKET, TEMPE's GIN BLOSSOMS, RICHMOND's CRACKER and BOSTON's THE LEMONHEADS. 

i feel like with CULTURAL MATTERS, things like one's MEMORY and LIVED EXPERIENCE are absolutely INTEGRAL to attaching MEANING to IMPACTFUL MUSIC, FILM, LITERATURE and ART in general.  and i am more than a bit fascinated by my own MUSICAL BLINDSPOT during this SPECIFIC ERA that was right before i got into MUSIC.  as ive gotten OLDER ive connected with TONS of ACTS from the NEAR and DISTANT PAST of VARYING GENRES, but with this TYPE of BAND from this ERA i find that i am continually finding MORE and MORE GROUPS i previously OVERLOOKED for no GOOD REASON. 

such is the DEFINITELY the CASE with THE LEMONHEADS, who are in ESSENCE the COMMERCIAL VEHICLE for SINGER-SONGWRITER EVAN DANDO.  the BAND has included an EXTENSIVE LIST of PROMINENT, FORMER MEMBERS in BILL STEVENSON (DESCENDENTS, BLACK FLAG), JULIANA HATFIELD, PATRICK MURPHY (DINOSAUR JR), KARL ALVAREZ (DESCENDENTS, ALL) and KENNY LYON (NOFX) among MANY OTHERS.  their CELEBRATED fifth ALBUM IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY (ATLANTIC, 1992) included their ROLLING, HAZY, NOSTALGIC SINGLE of the SAME NAME that was REPORTEDLY inspired by a NEWSPAPER ARTICLE about a BOY in AUSTRALIA that kept getting kicked out of DIFFERENT SCHOOLS to the POINT that NOBODY knew what to do with him.  the SONG THEMATICALLY deals with FEELINGS of SOCIAL ISOLATION and the PERILS of maintaining a LISTLESS, LESS-THAN INDUSTRIOUS EXISTENCE which became something of an ANTHEM for the SO-CALLED SLACKER GENERATION that was GENERATION X.  as a MILLENNIAL, when i hear "IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY," or watch its JOHNNY DEPP-starring MUSIC VIDEO, i dont hear any of that.  instead i just hear a BLAND yet MILDLY MEMORABLE TRACK in the CONFESSIONAL SING-SONGWRITER VEIN that utilizes DANDO's VOICE as a DRONE of sorts in the CHORUS.  maybe to BOOMERS or the SILENT and GREATEST GENERATIONS SONGS like this hit a RAW NERVE in that their YOUTH was spent dealing with CONFLICTS in VIETNAM, KOREA and/or WORLD WAR II, not pining over some VAGUE SENSE of PURPOSE or MEANING during a TIME of MATERIAL PLENTY (thus the DENIGRATORY SLACKER TAG).

i dont know.  this is all from a TIME before me and it wasnt my FIGHT.  the SONG is pretty MEDIOCRE and is the OBVIOUS HIGHLIGHT from the ALBUM OUTSIDE of their later STANDALONE HIT COVER of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "MRS. ROBINSON" that was added-on CYNICALLY for SUBSEQUENT RE-RELEASES.  again, im not BIG on PAUL SIMON at all like BOOMERS are, so yeah, its pretty much a MEH from me OVERALL.  not a TERRIBLE RELEASE but not SOMETHING i gravitate to at all, much like with SIMILAR ROCK AND ROLL BLAND FARE from the likes of COUNTING CROWS, SOUL ASYLUM, GIN BLOSSOMS, COLLECTIVE SOUL or BETTER THAN EZRA from the SAME PERIOD.  definitely BETTER BANDS out there to investigate than THE LEMONHEADS. 

this RECORD is thus a HARD PASS for me.

the BAKERSFIELD ALTERNATIVE METAL / NU METAL BEHEMOTH that is KORN was an EVER-PRESENT PRESENCE in my CHILDHOOD, especially once i was made aware of THEM via a MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSMATE shortly after their SELF-TORTURED sophomore LIFE IS PEACHY (EPIC, 1996) RELEASE.  each of their SUCCESSIVE RELEASES followed me throughout my PRIMARY and SECONDARY SCHOOL YEARS to the point that their FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM UNTOUCHABLES (EPIC, 2002) was released shortly after i graduated from HIGH SCHOOL.  as such i see those first five RELEASES with the ORIGINAL LINEUP as almost a SET since their QUALITY remained so consistently STELLAR.  i believe, and i am not ALONE in this OPINION, that the FOLLOW-UP (and FINAL) RELEASE to feature the ORIGINAL LINEUP TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR (EPIC, 2003) is UNDERSTANDABLY where KORN FELL-OFF as an INNOVATIVE CREATIVE UNIT.  and the NEVER RECOVERED in my OPINION.

but what makes UNTOUCHABLES stand out is UNDOUBTEDLY the PRODUCTION. but first some CONREXT.  

for their first two KORN, KORN (EPIC, 1995) and LIFE IS PEACHY, KORN worked with UPSTART PRODUCER ROSS ROBINSON (SEPULTURA, AT THEM DRIVE-IN, GLASSJAW, THE CURE) who is RENOWNED for his ABILITY to actively spur, manipulate and ever coerce a PRIMAL PERFORMANCE from his CLIENTS.  as such, VOCALIST JONATHAN DAVIS established his MANIC, SELF-PUNISHING VOCAL TANTRUMS as a key MAINSTAY COMPONENT of his CELEBRATED and massively INFLUENTIAL STYLE via those two ROBINSON-produced RECORDINGS. LIFE IS PEACHY saw the BAND EXPERIMENT with a more immediately ROBUST and BEEFIER SOUND via a COLLABORATION with NOTED PRODUCER TOBY WRIGHT (ALICE IN CHAINS, SLAYER, FEAR FACTORY, SEVENDUST, THE BLOOD BROTHERS, SLIPKNOT).  then FINALLY ISSUES (EPIC, 1999) saw them work with the FAMOUSLY COLLABORATIVE MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST / COMPOSER / PRODUCER BRENDAN O'BRIEN (PEARL JAM, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, INCUBUS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, MASTODON) whose ETHOS was more about capturing a by-definition TRANSIENT MOMENT and INTER-MUSICIAN CHEMISTRY then imposing a certain PRECONCEIVED SOUND.  each PRODUCER is NOTEWORTHY for their IDIOSYNCRATIC PHILOSOPHIES regarding the capturing of RECORDED SOUND and the RESULTS speak for themselves as each ALBUM showcased a DIFFERENT ASPECT of the BAND, the MUSICIANSHIP and their SONGWRITING.

with UNTOUCHABLES KORN went with the decidedly PERFECTIONIST MICHAEL BEINHORN (SOUNDGARDEN, HOLE, MARILYN MANSON, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) who is NOTORIOUS for his LONG RECORDING SESSIONS in which he is going for TECHNICAL AURAL PERFECTION.  as an UNCOMPROMISING TASK-MASTER of GIL NORTON-levels of ABSOLUTE INSANITY, he has garnered somewhat of a DESERVED REPUTATION for causing BAND MEMBERS, usually DRUMMERS, to drop out and quit GROUPS during the RECORDING PROCESS after being pushed beyond their TECHNICAL CAPACITIES and, USUALLY, being replaced on RECORD by a WAITING SESSION ACE.  perhaps BEINHORN is best known and CELEBRATED for his PRODUCTION WORK on SOUNDGARDEN's LANDMARK SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) RELEASE, for whose RECORDING and MIX (done by O'BRIEN i should add) is still very much an ASPIRATIONAL INDUSTRY MEASURING STICK for QUALITY nearly thirty plus years later.  so when i listen to the SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS and SPECTACULAR GROOVES on TRACKS like "THOUGHTLESS," "ALONE I BREAK" and "HERE TO STAY," the latter of which being my UNQUESTIONED vote for GREATEST KORN TRACK ever, my IMMEDIATE THOUGHT is the REPETITION needed and DOGGED, UNYIELDING PATIENCE to pull such off TECHNICALLY as well as PSYCHOLOGICALLY.  there is no IMMEDIACY to the TRACK on these ALBUMS, no DIRECT PUNCHINESS that comes from a PUNK-inspired LOOSENESS when recording HALF-CONSIDERED COMPOSITIONS on the fly.  this is a VERITABLE FREIGHT TRAIN of a SONIC PRODUCTION that comes with UNDERSTANDING all the COMPONENT PARTS and constructing them TOGETHER in TIRELESS FASHION until they fit FLAWLESSLY to PERFECTION.

to my ears as a COHERENT STATEMENT of PURPOSE, KORN and LIFE IS PEACHY are the true DEFINITIVE KORN ALBUMS.  such provide a LOOSENESS and a CREATIVE SPACE for HUMAN FALLIBILITY in the GROOVE.  UNTOUCHABLES is the OPPOSITE END of that SPECTRUM and presents an equally POTENT ARGUMENT for how KORN should sound if the OPPOSITE were TRUE.  as such i feel that those first five ALBUMS complement each other well as the SONGWRITING was consistently high and the PALPABLE PASSION was very much the COMMON DENOMINATOR.  after such the BAND lost the PLOT a bit and started to repeat ERAS until there RADICAL LEFT TURN with THE PATH OF TOTALITY (ROADRUNNER, 2011) and its ADVENTUROUS FORAY into DUBSTEP and EDM almost a DECADE later.

in the WAKE of the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of the early 1990s there was a rather PREDICTABLE WAVE of SO-CALLED POST-GRUNGE BANDS that took the SONIC TEMPLATE innovated by the likes of ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and NIRVANA and just ran with it.  as a RESULT most of these GROUPS were pretty DERIVATIVE and UNIMAGINATIVE with their SOUND and PRESENTATION.  no doubt during this period that CULTURAL MOVEMENT was decidedly on the WAIN, but such did not deter a SELECT FEW who took the ARTISTIC BATON and attempted to augment such with their own DISTINCT SONIC SENSIBILITIES. 

​i consider the TORONTO-based OUR LADY PEACE to be of the LATER COHORT of INVENTIVE POST-GRUNGE BANDS along with the likes of EVE 6, TRIPPING DAISY and THIRD EYE BLIND.  they are just a little too ECCENTRIC and UNIQUE to be derided as SECOND-RATE ANYTHING with VOCALIST RAINE MAIDA's VOCAL DELIVERY being ADMITTEDLY something of an ACQUIRED TASTE (not unlike the UNCONVENTIONAL VOICES of PERRY FARRELL, BRETT ANDERSON, TOM DELONGE or DOLORES O'RIORDAN) and SONGS that are UNDENIABLE MELODIC and WELL-CONSTRUCTED.

i should admit however that BACK IN THE DAY, as well as RIGHT NOW, i was never an ADMIRER of OUR LADY PEACE.  their SONGS were not particularly MEMORABLE and honestly they got lost in the MIX back during that ERA.  that is not to say that i dont RESPECT their ARTISTIC INTEGRITY or SUBSEQUENT CAREER LONGEVITY, having proven themselves to be a MAINSTAY of the PERIOD.  its just that SINGLES like "CLUMSY," "SUPERMAN'S DEAD," "AUTOMATIC FLOWERS," "4am" and "CARNIVAL" off of their DEFINITIVE SOPHOMORE RELEASE CLUMSY (COLUMBIA, 1997) were perfectly FINE and uniquely them but nothing particularly SPECIAL to my EARS.  its just a TASTE THING and not a JUDGEMENT CALL since i do admire their WORK ETHIC, the COMMUNITY they built and the PRIDE they maintained in CONTEMPORARY ROCK AND ROLL BANDS from CANADA.

just not my CUP OF TEA and thats OK.  i still think PEOPLE should check this ALBUM out and come to their own DETERMINATION.

as much as NIRVANA and its CONTINGENT of SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK PEER BANDS in SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, MUDHONEY and PEARL JAM UNDERSTANDABLY garner the BULK of CRITICAL PRAISE for popularizing what is ARGUABLY the last GREAT CULTURAL MOVEMENT in ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY, its DIFFICULT not to postulate that such would not have happened had the GROUNDWORK not been laid in the late 1980s by ECLECTIC and IDIOSYNCRATIC BANDS such as FAITH NO MORE, FISHBONE and especially JANE'S ADDICTION.  PERRY FARRELL and COMPANY SONICALLY combined VARIOUS STRAINS of ROCK AND ROLL from the POST PUNK / GOTH ROCK TRADITION of BAUHAUS, THE CURE and SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES to PROTO PUNK / ART ROCK a la THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, THE STOOGES and the NEW YORK DOLLS as well as more STRAIGHT-AHEAD CLASSIC ROCK fare in LED ZEPPELIN and THE DOORS, not to mention INCENDIARY HARDCORE PUNK ROCK ACTS like THE GERMS and BAD BRAINS.  their major label DEBUT NOTHING'S SHOCKING (WARNER BROS, 1988) RELEASE was a STATEMENT of PURPOSE for the ages that ARGUABLY got the ball rolling in EARNEST for the ALTERNATIVE ROCK scene writ large, but UNDOUBTEDLY its FOLLOW-UP RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL (WARNER BROS, 1990) was their FINEST RECORDED MOMENT to date.

as much as it was an INGENIOUS AMALGAM of GENRES, RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL was an EXPERIMENTAL ART PIECE.  in fact i view it less as an album and more as a MULTI-MEDIA ART PIECE (an ARGUMENT supported by the LATER GIFT VHS RELEASE) meant to memorialize, and in a STRANGE WAY even canonize, that elevated SPIRITUAL and TRANSCENDENT METAPHYSICAL PLANE FARRELL experienced throughout a DRUG-FUELED THREESOME over the course of a WEEKEND with his CREATIVE PARTNER / GIRLFRIEND CASEY NICOLLI and their SINCE-DECEASED FRIEND XIOLA BLUE.  it is a CONCEIT that may sound rather PRURIENT and DEBASED on the face of it (and it probably is), but in the CAPABLE HANDS of FARRELL and his BANDMATES such unfolds, especially in the SECOND HALF of the ALBUM on the SUBLIME SUITE of TRACKS in "THREE DAYS," "THEN SHE DID," "OF COURSE" and "CLASSIC" into an INCREDIBLE EXPRESSION of the UNFILTERED EUPHORIA and SENSE of CONNECTION through SEX, as well as the SHEER ISOLATION and NIGHTMARISH FEAR OF ABANDONMENT that comes when one's PARTNER perishes UNEXPECTEDLY.  its a PSYCHODRAMA of OPERATIC PROPORTIONS and completely transforms this ADMITTEDLY SALACIOUS LYRICAL PREMISE into something altogether MYSTICAL and OTHERWORLDLY.  id even state that the SECOND SIDE of RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL has no MATCH in ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY, it is absolutely FLAWLESS.

no doubt GUITARIST DAVE NAVARRO, DRUMMER STEPHEN PERKINS and especially BASSIST ERIC AVERY were on the top of their game during the recording of RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL.  for all of FARRELL's WILD LYRICAL PREDILICTIONS, such would have come off HOLLOW if said PRONOUNCEMENTS of METAPHYSICAL ECSTASY were not supported by likewise enduringly POWERFUL MUSIC that had a SHARED SENSE of SCALE and EMOTIONAL CATHARSIS.  the CENTER PIECE of such is "THREE DAYS" which is a MULTI-PART EPIC that finds one ENTRANCING CYCLICAL GROOVE SEAMLESSLY transitioning into another all due to the ADROIT MELODIC SENSIBILITIES of AVERY, possibly the most CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED MUSICIAN this SIDE of THE WHO's JOHN ENTWISTLE.  NAVARRO and PERKINS on many of these TRACKS are EXPERTLY adding STRUCTURE and EMBELLISHMENTS to AVERY's GROOVES and that INTERACTION and ALCHEMY is TRULY something SPECTACULAR to witness.  i could name other TRACKS from this RECORD, but quite HONESTLY, they are all STELLAR.  i just feel that SECOND SIDE is UNTOUCHABLE and almost SACROSANCT at this POINT in MY LIFE.  along with DEVO and THE SMITHS, JANE'S ADDICTION is my FAVORITE BAND of ALL-TIME and RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL is my FAVORITE ALBUM. so yeah, im completely PREJUDICED on this ACCORD.

my INITIAL INTRODUCTION to the RECORD was via 106.7FM KROQ in LOS ANGELES.  in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL i was involved in a MEXICAN SOCCER LEAGUE in the PREDOMINANTLY HISPANIC ORANGE COUNTY CAPTAL of SANTA ANA.  i found out years later that such a LEAGUE was concocted as a means of getting AT-RISK YOUTH off the STREETS and into something more STRUCTURED, so my BROTHER and i, WHITE BOYS that we are, stood out.  i can remember being on a SOCCER FIELD with LOW-RIDER CARS passing by blaring out "BEEN CAUGHT STEALING" on their BASS-HEAVY SOUND SYSTEMS.  just a few years later i am in BOTSWANA of all places with my PARENTS on VACATION (we had moved to NIGERIA in the interim in late 1995) and my FATHER had gotten me a CD COPY of RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL as a GIFT.  this was pre-INTERNET so SOMEBODY ELSE in the COMPANY had to physically buy it in somewhere in EUROPE while on a SEPARATE TRIP and bring it back with them to AFRICA to give to my FATHER.  DIFFERENT TIME, LONG PROCESS.  anyway, when i first heard the RECORD in TOTALITY was literally surrounded by WILD WARTHOGS on an AFRICAN GAME RESERVE.

the LAST THING i want to mention about the ALBUM is how it was also a PRODUCT of its LOCATION, namely LOS ANGELES.  having grown-up there until i was twelve, there is a CERTAIN ENERGY, a VIBRANCY, that the MEXICAN POPULATION brings to the FOOD, LANGUAGE, ARCHITECTURE, MUSIC, ART and OVERALL CULTURE of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, but LOS ANGELES specifically.  having visited SEVERAL MISSIONS throughout CALIFORNIA as a CHILD, that INGRAINED APPRECIATION for CATHOLIC-related ART and ARCHITECTURE is a THING that seeps into the VERY CORE of your BEING.  there is something ASPIRATIONAL yet entirely CORPORAL about CATHOLIC ART that no doubt dates back to the BAROQUE ERA with CONFRONTATIONAL RELIGIOUS ARTISTS like CARAVAGGIO, GOYA and VELAZQUEZ.  with the FARREL / NICCOLLI COLLABORATIVE ARTWORK for RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL, which is a SCULPTED, PLASTER OF PARIS DEPICTION of the three NUDE FIGURES in bed post coitus.  LOVINGLY-DEPICTED, it feels almost like it could have been from the HEAD of a CATHOLIC SHRINE in a SMALL, RURAL, DIMLY-LIT, ANCIENT BASILICA.  for me at least that ARTWORK felt UNDENIABLY LOS ANGELES, all it was missing was a VIRGIN DE GUADALUPE.  some would see such as HERESY or a COMPLETE ABOMINATION, but i think it is an ARTISTIC TIP-OF-THE-HAT to a STLYE that combines the SACRED with the PROFANE, much as the MUSIC of JANE'S ADDICTION had done with memorializing a likewise PROFOUND MOMENT in FARRELL's LIFE.  the BAND acknowledges this POSSIBLE CONTROVERSY with the SPANISH-spoken INTRODUCTION on the ALBUM OPENER "STOP!" with a BENEVOLENT WARNING that "ladies and gentlemen, we have more infleunce over your children than you do, but we love them.  bred and spread from LOS ANGELES, JANE'S ADDICTION!" the very FACT that it is delivered in GRAMMATICALLY-SUSPICIOUS SPANISH speaks for ITSELF and the BAND's SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP to the city of LOS ANGELES.  it also lets the LISTENER know they are in for a UNIQUE RIDE.

and THEY are.

RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL is one of my FAVORITE RECORDS of ALL-TIME and as such should listened to by EVERYONE, irrespective of your INTEREST in the HISTORY of ROCK AND ROLL or ALTERNATIVE ROCK writ large.  it is just a STELLAR, TRANSFORMATIONAL ALBUM that has seeped its way DEEP into my CONSCIOUSNESS and SENSE of SELF-IDENTITY since CHILDHOOD.  required listening in my opinion.

a commonly UNMENTIONED ASPECT of what made the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE so TRANSFORMATIONAL was how it shifted the CULTURAL TIDES of the MAINSTREAM MUSIC INDUSTRY so thoroughly that it EFFECTIVELY provided an OPPORTUNITY for truly LEFT-OF-CENTER BANDS that previously would never have been considered VIABLE to have a stab at securing a NATIONAL AUDIENCE through MAJOR LABEL MARKETING and DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS.  bands ranging from BAD RELIGION, MELVINS, WEEN, MR. BUNGLE and PRIMUS were of this ECLECTIC and IDIOSYNCRATIC ILK relative to the more CONVENTIONAL FARE that proceeded them.  the way i see it, much as PUNK ROCK opened the door to REAL SONIC EXPERIMENTATION that developed into the more ADVENTUROUS and INVENTIVE POST PUNK, such is what those UBER-POPULAR but MUSICALLY CONVENTIONAL ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS (i.e. NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS, PEARL JAM, MUDHONEY and SOUNDGARDEN) did for PRIMUS.

but what makes PRIMUS so UNUSUAL?

​SONICALLY and LYRICALLY PRIMUS is the AWKWARD BRAINCHILD of IDIOSYNCRATIC BASSIST / VOCALIST LES CLAYPOOL who comes from the same ECCENTRIC FAMILY of wildly EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIANS as FRANK ZAPPA, THE RESIDENTS, SYD BARRETT, TALKING HEADS, RUSH, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD, DEVO, KING CRIMSON, SECRET CHIEFS 3 and CAPTAIN BEEFHEART.  along with slapping, CLAYPOOL is NOTORIOUS for utilizing a TECHNICAL DOUBLE-HANDED TAPPING TECHNIQUE on his FRETLESS SIX-STRING BASS that establishes and maintains a highly PERCUSSIVE and RHYTHMIC MOMENTUM to many a PRIMUS SONG, all of which have ODD LYRICAL CONCEITS  about NICHE ASPECTS of RURAL AMERICAN LIFE. 

there is probably no better EXAMPLE of such than the SINGLES "JERRY WAS A RACE CAR DRIVER," "TOMMY THE CAT" and "THOSE DAMNED BLUE-COLLAR TWEEKERS" off of their major label debut ALBUM SAILING THE SEAS OF CHEESE (INTERSCOPE, 1991).  all of these showcase a VIRTUOSIC LEVEL of SKILL and DEXTERITY on his BASS, notwithstanding the likewise STELLAR MUSICIANSHIP of DRUMMER TIM ALEXANDER and GUITARIST LARRY LALONDE that makeup the CLASSIC PRIMUS LINEUP.  all in CREATIVE SERVICE of OBTUSELY, IMPRESSIONISTIC TALES about REDNECKS and their UNGODLY PREOCCUPATIONS with CRS, DRUGS and GENERAL RANDOMNESS.  its no surprise that PRIMUS allowed the FLOODGATES to burst wide open with regards to WELL-CONSTRUCTED, highly TECHNICAL MELODIC WEIRDNESS in ROCK AND ROLL, paving the way for the QUIRKY likes of INCUBUS, PUSCIFER, LIMP BIZKIT (especially WES BORLAND), SYSTEM OF A DOWN, DEFTONES, MODEST MOUSE, KORN and SLIPKNOT. 

BASICALLY PRIMUS took the UNCONVENTIONAL FUNK ROCK that preceded them and really dialed up the FREAKISH HUMOR and ABSURDITY, an ETHOS that is not unlike that FAMED HUNTER S. THOMPSON QUIP about how "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."  that FREAK FLAG is basically what INSPIRED, for better or worse, many of the subsequent SO-CALLED NU METAL BANDS that followed and there is ARGUABLY no better PLACE to start that INVESTIGATION than SAILING THE SEAS OF CHEESE to get a PROPER SENSE of such.

definitely worth checking out.  REQUIRED LISTENING even.

at this point the ICONIC EAST BAY SKA PUNK BAND OPERATION IVY is one of the most FABLED PUNK ROCK GROUPS of ALL-TIME (write up there with THE GERMS, SEX PISTOLS, MINOR THREAT, RAMONES, D.O.A., THE MISFITS, DEAD KENNEDYS, THE CLASH, BLACK FLAG and so on), no doubt spurred in part by their notoriously BRIEF EXISTENCE and SUBSEQUENT DISINTEGRATION after one FAILED NATIONAL TOUR.  often they are credited with popularizing a HYBRID SOUND that served as the SPRINGBOARD not only for RANCID, made up in part by FORMER MEMBERS TIM ARMSTRONG and MATT FREEMAN, but also the THIRD WAVE OF SKA MOVEMENT of the 1990s.

i was made AWARE of OPERATION IVY during my SOPHOMORE YEAR of HIGH SCHOOL when i became involved with the ON-CAMPUS RADIO STATION and had my own SHOW.  at the time i became interested in stridently POLITICAL HARDCORE BANDS like CRASS, DEAD KENNEDYS, THE CLASH and MINOR THREAT, arguably influenced by my EXPOSURE in NIGERIA to FELA KUTI, and another DJ basically saw such and schooled me on all things OPERATION IVY and in QUICK SUCCESSION related JAMAICAN ROOTS REGGAE and DUB ACTS like BURNING SPEAR, DESMOND DEKKER, JIMMY CLIFF, LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY, BUNNY WAILER, KING TUBBY and PETER TOSH among MANY OTHERS.  i should add that it was during this SAME PERIOD that i was also introduced to THE HARDER THEY COME (NEW WORLD, 1972) FILM as well.  for me such EXPOSURE consolidated the SPIRITUAL THROUGH-LINE between INTERNATIONAL RESISTANCE MUSICAL FORMS like AFROPOP, PUNK ROCK and REGGAE writ large.  all DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS of a SIMILAR ETHOS surrounding PERSONAL FREEDOM in the FACE of STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION.

the MYTHOLOGY surrounding OPERATION IVY and the BERKELEY SCENE that spawned them was pretty POTENT STUFF for a TEENAGER, especially when you consider that the fiercely INDEPENDENT 924 GILMAN STREET VENUE that they played at was maintained and operated by YOUNG PEOPLE.  as part of the COLLECTIVE, ARMSTRONG and FREEMAN participated in all aspects of the venue, from helping decided on future show lineups, to cleaning the premises, including the BATHROOMS.  as INDIVIDUALS they took quite literally COLLECTIVE OWNERSHIP of their SCENE through an INCLUSIVE DIY ETHOS of HARD WORK and MUTUAL RESPECT.  when i finished off HIGH SCHOOL in NEARBY SACRAMENTO, so deep was the ALLURE that i made a PILGRIMAGE to 924 GILMAN STREET largely out of CURIOSITY and RESPECT, much as i had done in NYC years before regarding CBGBs.  it is basically HOLLOWED PUNK ROCK ground for its PROMINENT ROLE in the CAREERS with the likes of LOCAL TALENT in CRIMPSHRINE, ISOCRACY, NEUROSIS, AFI, PANSY DIVISION, SWEET CHILDREN (an early ITERATION of GREEN DAY) and OPERATION IVY.

just like with talking about other SEMINAL PUNK ACTS like MINOR THREAT, DEAD KENNEDYS, SEX PISTOLS, THE GERMS, D.O.A. or BLACK FLAG, its nearly IMPOSSIBLE to separate the INTERTWINED NARRATIVE of the GROUP and their PARTICULAR SCENE from the MUSIC itself.  thus all that PROLOGUE.  but in terms of the MUSIC, OPERATION IVY was key in concocting a HYBRID SKA PUNK SOUND that took the MELODY and AGGRESSION of PUNK ROCK BANDS like BAD RELIGION, SOCIAL DISTORTION and THE CLASH while melding it with the AFOREMENTIONED JAMAICAN ROOTS REGGAE INFLUENCES as well as the BRITISH 2 TONE SKA MOVEMENT a la THE SPECIALS, MADNESS and THE ENGLISH BEAT.  KEY ENERGY (LOOKOUT, 1989) TRACKS include ECLECTIC COMPOSITIONS like "BANKSHOT," "SOUND SYSTEM," "UNITY," "BAD TOWN," "KNOWLEDGE" and "BOMBSHELL."  i should mention that unlike many of their LATER ACOLYTES in NOFX, GOLDFINGER and THE AQUABATS who went on to popularize the SKA PUNK SOUND, OPERATION IVY, as stated before, was very much in keeping with the POLITICAL BENT of the GENRES they appropriated and innovated from.  i believe this ASPECT of their SOUND is part of what makes their MUSIC so TIMELESS.  the IDEA that they were so FIERCELY involved and PROTECTIVE of a SCENE that was so INCLUSIVE and SELF-SUSTAINING only furthers such a case for AUTHENTICITY of INTENTION.  that and the FACT that they called it quits rather than COMPROMISE cemented such an ENDURING LEGACY to the POINT that they remain one of the most universally CELEBRATED PUNK BANDS of all-time.

and definitely worth checking out.

in retrospect the early 1990s was an INTRIGUING TIME in MUSIC HISTORY with the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE emerging as something of a CULTURAL MONOLITH.  but as much as many of those PROMINENT BANDS (specifically NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM) were POLITICALLY WELL-INTENTIONED and came from ECLECTIC, INDEPENDENT COMMUNITIES that MUTUALLY-SUPPORTED one another, at SCALE they ULTIMATELY represented and perpetuated the same REGRESSIVE PATRIARCHAL ARCHETYPES they CONSCIOUSLY and ACTIVELY worked to counter.  i dont blame KURT COBAIN, EDDIE VEDDER or CHRIS CORNELL for such being the RESULT since it was never up to them or within their CONTROL, the MARKETING MACHINE ITESLEF just continued on without their INPUT.  its almost EMBARRASSING to look back at the ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE and only see a HANDFUL of FEMALE MUSICIANS in BANDS, and not just VOCALISTS a la SHIRLEY MANSON, GWEN STEFANI or DOLORES O'RIORDAN.   specifically ALTERNATIVE ROCK ARTISTS and BANDS like L7, HOLE, THE BREEDERS, PJ HARVEY, JACK OFF JILL, VERUCA SALT, ELASTICA, BJORK and BABES IN TOYLAND.  yes i am aware of the INDEPENDENT RIOT GRRRL SCENE and SEMINAL BANDS like BIKINI KILL, SLEATER-KINNEY, TEAM DRESCH and BRATMOBILE, but they didnt DIRECTLY compete with the BOYS on their HOME TURF like these ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS did.  my SENSE is that they were DELIBERATELY carving out a LANE for THEMSELVES separate from the MAINSTREAM, and all the POWER to them quite HONESTLY.

but that SPECIFIC DEARTH of WOMEN playing INSTRUMENTS en masse during the height of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE in many ways renders the MOVEMENT COMPLICIT in the further PERPETUATION of BULLSHIT POPULAR MISCONCEPTIONS regarding FEMALE MUSICIANS that wouldnt be shoved aside for another GENERATION.  its a bit of a BLACK EYE that, again, i dont blame the BANDS themselves for, in fact i blame the AUDIENCES.  AMERICAN AUDIENCES were just not ready for such.  and with the RECENT second coming of DONALD TRUMP, maybe they still arent.

which brings me to one of the most CONFRONTATIONAL ACTS of that ENTIRE ERA, MINNEAPOLIS' BABES IN TOYLAND.  the first think i noticed when listening to FONTANELLE (REPRISE, 1992) TRACKS such as "MOTHER," "HANDSOME AND GRETEL," "BLUEBELL" and "BRUISE VIOLET" were those unmistakably SHRILL SCREAMS courtesy of VOCALIST KAT BJELLAND that came off as something ferociously PRIMAL and CATHARTIC, as if these SONGS were MERE VEHICLES for resolving some past TRAUMATIC EVENT.  no CAPITULATION here to the MALE GAZE or OUTMODED and REVANCHIST NOTIONS of FEMININITY, as BABES IN TOYLAND go right for the SOURCE in deconstructing CLASSIC FAIRY TALE IMAGERY.   probably due to the INFLUENCE of DISNEY most PEOPLE are unaware of the PROBLEMATIC THEMES and EXPLICIT MESSAGING within TRADITIONAL FAIRY TALES like BLUEBEARD, DONKEY-SKIN and LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD whereby WOMEN and CHILDREN were EFFECTIVELY taught to follow the PATRONIZING GUIDANCE of their MALE SUPERIORS unless they wished to meet some UNSPEAKABLY GRUESOME FATE.  BABES IN TOYLAND subvert this line of thinking by exploiting the INTERNALIZATION of those PATRIARCHAL FEARS in on THEMSELVES.  LYRICALLY they are the EMBODIMENT of that INDEPENDENT FEMALE that is unable to be CONTROLLED or REDUCED to FALSE CONSTRUCTIONS of FEMININITY meant to serve a MALE AGENDA.  this LYRICAL BENT is supported by some of the NASTIEST, and dare i say GRUNGIEST, MUSIC this SIDE of MELVINS, MUDHONEY or even EARLY NIRVANA. 

its just BRILLIANT.

FONTANELLE is definitely one of those criminally OVERLOOKED ALTERNATIVE ROCK ALBUMS of the DECADE, but well worth checking out for any FAN of the GENRE.  makes you think of a DIFFERENT CULTURAL TRAJECTORY whereby AMERICAN MAINSTREAM TASTE and AUDIENCES didnt suck so HARD.  those same AUDIENCES that championed OPPORTUNISTIC POSERS like PUDDLE OF MUDD, STAIND, CREED and NICKELBACK half a DECADE later.  i will never understand.​

when i consider FILM SCORES and CINEMATIC MUSIC, what often comes to mind is the LANGUAGE of BOMBAST and SPECTACLE.  in essence, MUSIC that presents ITSELF and FORCEFULLY commands your SENSES and more importantly, your ATTENTION.  CELEBRATED FILM COMPOSERS like BERNARD HERRMAN, ENNIO MORRICONE, JOHN WILLIAMS, DANNY ELFMAN, JOHN BARRY and so on.  to some degree or another, these COMPOSERS are in the BUSINESS of MUSICAL BRANDING, as EFFICIENTLY and CREATIVELY as possible they are attempting to transport their AUDIENCE into ANOTHER MIND-SPACE, i.e. that of the FILM PRODUCT ON-SCREEN.

i never got the SENSE that COMPOSER / ARRANGER ANGELO BADALAMENTI, LONG-TIME COLLABORATOR with the ICONIC FILMMAKER DAVID LYNCH, viewed such as his OBJECTIVE when recording FILM MUSIC, most FAMOUSLY for the TELEVISION SHOW TWIN PEAKS (ABC, 1990-91) as collected on the SOUNDTRACK FROM TWIN PEAKS (WARNER BROS, 1990) RELEASE.  when BADALAMENTI went about composing PARTICULAR TRACKS such as the "TWIN PEAKS THEME," "LAURA PALMER'S THEME" and "AUDREY'S DANCE," something far more MANIPULATIVE and FOREBODING was at play.  located in a FICTIONAL, RURAL LOGGING TOWN in WASHINGTON STATE, one is enveloped in the seemingly SLEEPY ENVIRONMENT of TWIN PEAKS with those SOFT, UNASSUMING PAD SOUNDS lulling you into a FALSE SENSE of SECURITY.  the FIRST TIME you hear it the SCORE almost seems QUIANT and INCOMPLETE, but as the SERIES progresses and you learn about all the SECRETIVE, FOUL and IMMORAL GOINGS-ON about TOWN it takes on an entirely DIFFERENT CONNOTATION.  like you are being MINDLESSLY lured into a TRAP. 

its MINIMALISM and LACK of overt-SIGNALING is what makes it so INSIDIOUS and CAPTIVATING as a SCORE, no doubt part of the REASON it is so widely CELEBRATED in retrospect.  you are not being given ENTRY into an AURAL REPRESENTATION of a CINEMATIC WORLDVIEW as is TRADITIONALLY the APPROACH, no instead you are being PRIMED and MANIPULATED into associating a CERTAIN SET of INACCURATE ASSUMPTIONS on this PASTORAL LANDSCAPE and its HUMBLE INHABITANTS who in TRUE LYNCH-ian fashion are capable of both the physically UNIMAGINABLE and the MORALLY UNCONSCIONABLE.  the IMPACT of that REALIZATION is so POWERFUL in PART because of how GREAT the SUBTERFUGE was to begin with, which of course starts with BADALAMENTI's INGENIOUS SCORE.

this DUAL NATURE of BELIEF and REALITY is a COMMON THEMATIC THROUGH-LINE throughout much of LYNCH's WORK, and his MANIPULATION of both the SOUNDTRACK and FILM SCORE is EVIDENT arguably most FAMOUSLY in BLUE VELVET (DE LAURENTIIS, 1986), but also other NOTEWORTHY FILMS like LOST HIGHWAY (OCTOBER, 1997) and MULHOLLAND DRIVE (STUDIOCANAL, 2001).  all of which showcase POPULAR SONGS being utilized in CONTEXTS that bring out their SINISTER, FORLORN or COMPLICATED UNDERTONES and SUBTEXTS to the forefront.  with LYNCH you have to be aware of such a DYNAMIC and TWIN PEAKS is ARGUABLY his FINEST HOUR in that regard, since he is manipulating BADALAMENTI's SCORE, a CLASSIC EXAMPLE of NON-DIEGETIC SOUND, into yet another VEHICLE for SHREWD AUDIENCE MANIPULATION.

most definitely worth checking out and revisiting on a REGULAR BASIS.  it is quite REMARKABLE how the TWIN PEAKS SOUNDTRACKS shifts on your PERCEPTION of it over TIME and repeat listens.

in the HISTORY of AMERICAN RECORDED MUSIC, and i mean that LITERALLY, THE HISTORY of AMERICAN RECORDED MUSIC, there have been precious FEW TIMES that an ARTIST has successfully OUTMODED the RECORDING INDUSTRY.  the SYSTEM ITSELF is a NOTORIOUS CESSPOOL OF CORRUPTION, EXPLOITATIVE CONTRACTS and PHONY ACCOUNTING TRICKS that are conceived and constructed for the SOLE UNETHICAL PURPOSE of extracting as much VALUE and MATERIAL WELATH out of MUSICIANS as LEGALLY POSSIBLE.  the SHEER AMOUNT of HORROR STORIES associated with this INDUSTRY are too INNUMERABLE to RECOUNT but suffice to say that the LIST of ARTISTS that have SUCCESSFULLY competed with their LABEL head-on is a SHORT one indeed. 

periodically PROMINENT MUSICIANS will ATTEMPT to get out of a CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION through the DELIBERATE DELIVERY of SUBPAR (or commercially UNVIABLE) MATERIAL, as was the CASE with METAL MACHINE MUSIC (RCA VICTOR, 1975) ALBUM by LOU REED and both the TRANS (GEFFEN, 1983) and EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN' (GEFFEN, 1983) RELEASES by NEIL YOUNG.  the INHERENT RISK involved with such a STRATEGY is that it could BACKFIRE on the REPUTATION of the ARTIST who may become associated with this new INFERIOR MATERIAL.  its FAIR to say that with REED and YOUNG, as well as later SEMINAL ARTISTS liKE PRINCE and MARVIN GAYE, that their AUDIENCE was WELL-AWARE of their BUSINESS DISPUTE with their RESPECTIVE LABELS and thus didnt take such into account in TERMS of their LONG-TERM SUPPORT.  but it is IMPORTANT to NOTE that such a RISK is always there.

​enter FRANK OCEAN.

DUDE is a GENERATIONALLY-TALENTED SINGER-SONGWRITER who was PART of the highly IDIOSYNCRATIC but PROLIFIC ODD FUTURE COLLECTIVE and made his way in the INDUSTRY as a NOTABLE SONGWRITING COLLABORATOR ghostwriting POP SONGS for the likes of JOHN LEGEND, BRANDY and JUSTIN BIEBER among many OTHERS.  but his CLEAR AMBITION throughout was to be a SOLO ARTIST.  so coveted were his SONGWRITING ABILITIES that DEF JAM provided him with a SOLO RECORD CONTRACT in order to shut him up and EFFECTIVELY lock him up in their STABLE of IN-HOUSE ghostwriting TALENTS.  they had ZERO INTENTION of ever letting his SOLO WORK see the light of day.  with that OBSTACLE FIRMLY in the WAY, OCEAN SURREPTITIOUSLY leaked his DEBUT NOSTALGIA, ULTRA (self-released, 2011) MIXTAPE ONLINE to much CRITICAL PRAISE which put INTENSE external PRESSURE on DEF JAM to release his proper DEBUT CHANNEL ORANGE (DEF JAM, 2012) ALBUM the FOLLOWING YEAR. 

both RELEASES represented a changing of the R&B GUARD and a CONSCIOUS SHIFT in TASTE towards more PSYCHEDELIC, ATMOSPHERIC and AMBIENT SOUNDSCAPES with UNCONVENTIONAL SONG STRUCTURES and LYRICAL CONCEITS not focused on SEDUCTION per se but more concerned with expressing an INTERNALIZED WORLDVIEW that was highly EMOTIVE and opaquely AMBIVALENT about RELATIONSHIPS, SEX and the like.  for SOMEONE like me who only dabbles in MODERN R&B with the likes of D'ANGELO, MIGUEL, ERYKAH BADU or ANDERSON.PAAK, i feel like OCEAN is very much an EXTENSION of that TRADITION if not the NEXT LINK in the CHAIN.  established as an ARTIST and widely CELEBRATED both CRITICALLY and COMMERCIALLY for his DEBUT, what came next was NOTHING.

literally a YEARLONG WAIT.

and the OCEAN ABRUPTLY released an EXTENDED video-only "VISUAL ALBUM" called ENDLESS (DEF JAM, 2016) to be streamed solely through APPLE MUSIC.  innovated ARGUABLY by the PROMOTIONAL VISUAL WORK of KANYE WEST for his MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (DEF JAM, 2010) RELEASE HALF a DECADE before, MAINSTREAM ARTISTS like BEYONCE around the SAME TIME as ENDLESS released VISUAL ALBUMS, in her case LEMONADE (COLUMBIA, 2016), as COMPANIONS to their NEW RELEASES.  these were essentially an album-long COHESIVE COLLECTION of THEMATICALLY-RELATED MUSIC VIDEOS co-released in SERVICE of promoting the FORMAL ALBUM, which THEORETICALLY would eventually be released everywhere and on all STREAMING SERVICES.  this was not the CASE with ENDLESS.  it was in ESSENCE only an EXTENDED VIDEO accessible through a SINGLE STREAMING SERVICE, thus DELIBERATELY limiting its CULTURAL IMPACT.

and this is where things get ABSOLUTELY DIABOLICAL.

OCEAN ONE DAY later self-releases his BLONDE (BOYS DON'T CRY, 2016) ALBUM everywhere with more MARKETABLE R&B FARE that, unlike ENDLESS, includes HIGH-PROFILE COLLABORATIONS with the likes of BEYONCE, ANDRE 3000, JON BRION and PHARRELL WILLIAMS.  ENDLESS was a SOLELY a VEHICLE concocted to COMPLETE his CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS to DEF JAM, whom he resented for their LACK of SUPPORT earlier in his CAREER and GENERAL EXPLOITATIVE MANEUVERING on the BUSINESS side of THINGS, as is the INDUSTRY STANDARD.  for ENDLESS, he basically fleeced them out of a reported $20 MILLION ADVANCE for what was OBJECTIVELY an UNMARKETABLE ALBUM.  more than that, he was able to MATERIALLY BENEFIT from his own HYPE on his own NEWLY-ESTABLISHED LABEL BOYS DON'T CRY for the PROPER FOLLOW-UP to his previous SUCCESSFUL RELEASE.  just a GENIUS MOVE that really goes down in HISTORY as ARGUABLY the GREATEST SWINDLE ever by an ARTIST unto their LABEL.

but how is the ACTUAL ALBUM?  i feel like you have to limit your EXPECTATIONS and take it in as an EPIC extended EXPERIENCE, not unlike NOFX's THE DECLINE (FAT WRECK CHORDS, 1999) or FANTOMAS' DELIRIUM CORDIA (IPECAC, 2004), that washes over your SENSES as a PROTRACTED VISION.  the VIDEO ITESELF is one of OCEAN in STARK, BLACK-AND-WHITE FOOTAGE in a BARREN WAREHOUSE constructing a SINGLE STAIRCASE.  such seems like an APT VISUAL METAPHOR for SONGS like "AT BEST (YOU ARE LOVE)," "HIGGS," "U-N-I-T-Y" and "SLIDE ON ME" that seem to THEMATICALLY express the LIMITS of POTENTIAL for REAL CONNECTION that UNFORTUNATELY comes with PSYCHIC BARRIERS like FAME, WEALTH and COMMERCIAL SUCCESS.  much like those FRACTAL PAINTINGS that become EXPONENTIALLY more COMPLEX to the POINT of INFINITY, the more you slip down and fall into that ENDLESS RABBIT-HOLE in search of an ACTUAL IDENTITY or REAL PURPOSE for being in the MODERN AGE of DIGITAL MEDIA CONSUMPTION the more you are faced with growing OPPORTUNITIES for OUTRIGHT MISCOMMUNICATION and PSYCHIC ISOLATION.

at least that was my take on the ALBUM.  not sure if it is really meant for DISSECTION as a PROPER RELEASE or more an EXPERIENTIAL SIDE QUEST a la TRANS or METAL MACHINE MUSIC.  perhaps it was only ever intentioned for the truly DIEHARD FANS out there. 

​who really knows?

right from the jump the MELODIES are there.  for me that is what makes THE BEATLES a TIMELESS ACT and a PERENNIAL FAVORITE of mine.  its also what differentiates them from their PEERS and IMMEDIATE PREDECESSORS and what keeps them eternally RELEVANT and even CONTEMPORARY given that TIMELESS MELODIES never age.

of course PLEASE PLEASE ME (PARLOPHONE, 1963) being their FIRST RELEASE is EMBLEMATIC of the EARLY PHASE of their CAREER when a HEALTHY PORTION of TRACKS were COVER SONGS and LYRICALLY everything was about SAPPY and overly SUPERFICIAL takes on LOVE and RELATIONSHIPS.  the INDUSTRY STANDARD PRACTICE of using COVERS as a means of ALBUM FILLER would continue up until their THIRD ALBUM A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (PARLOPHONE, 1964) and such LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS with PUPPY LOVE ended around the SIXTH ALBUM RUBBER SOUL (PARLOPHONE, 1965) when BOB DYLAN's BROAD INFLUENCE on SOPHISTICATED LYRICAL CONCEITS in POPULAR CULTURE was in FULL SWING.  i believe you have to go into PLEASE PLEASE ME with those CONSIDERATIONS regarding their OBVIOUS LIMITATIONS at the time.  but even with such being the CASE, the MELODIES on "LOVE ME DO," "DO YOU WAN'T TO KNOW A SECRET," "PLEASE PLEASE ME," "I SAW HER STANDING THERE" and "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and the JOHN LENNON / PAUL MCCARTNEY SUNG HARMONIES are absolutely CELESTIAL, EXQUISITE and even a bit UNNERVING in their PRESENTATION of YOUNG LOVE.  its almost as if that INTENSE SENSE of ANTICIPATION is likewise met with its fierce UNSPOKEN TWIN in RELATED FEELINGS of ANXIETY and SELF-DOUBT. 

​LENNON in particular had a SINGULAR VOICE that channeled such COMPLEX EMOTIONS, even at this EARLY STAGE with VIRTUOSIC CONTROL.  its an INTRIGUING HISTORICAL FACT that he hated his SINGING VOICE and was even embarrassed by it.  id almost consider LENNON's voice the SECRET WEAPON of the GROUP, especially during those EARLY YEARS.  at least such is what caught MY ATTENTION and was what i gravitated towards when first hearing these ALBUMS as a CHILD with my FATHER.  no doubt i didnt pick up at the TIME on any of the SLY SEXUAL SUGGESTIVENESS of its LENNON-derived TITLE TRACK, ANOTHER HALLMARK of his PREDILECTION for SUBTLE SUBVERSION introduced through supposedly CLEAN, WHOLESOME POP MUSIC meant for MASS CONSUMPTION.

you also have to consider that the RECORDING PROCESS of constructing these EARLY RELEASES was rather RIGID and done with RECORDING ENGINEERS in LITERAL WHITE LAB-COATS in the ANTISEPTIC CONFINES of EMI RECORDING STUDIOS (later renamed in the mid-1970s to ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS).  their PRODUCER, GEORGE MARTIN (who was also the HEAD of their LABEL), had previous worked with both ORCHESTRAS and COMEDY GROUPS for the RADIO, including most notably THE GOONS which included BRITISH COMEDY ICONS SPIKE MILLIGAN and PETER SELLERS.  THE BEATLES were just one of a FEW ARTISTS on the PARLOPHONE ROSTER at the time and thus were afforded no ADDITIONAL TAKES or SPECIAL RECORDING PRIVILEGES.  as such, most of these RECORDINGS are SINGLE TAKES with MINIMAL OVERDUBS (sometimes VOCALS would be DOUBLED for MIXING PURPOSES).  it is pretty INCREDIBLE that PLEASE PLEASE ME is as ENERGETIC, COHERENT and emotively IMPACTFUL as it is given such CONSIDERABLE TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS.

although this is not their BEST RECORD in my OPINION, such proves their POTENTIAL that no doubt would be realized down the LINE in RELATIVELY SHORT ORDER as the BAND was only around for a DECADE, and releasing ALBUMS for only roughly seven of those YEARS.  not required listening but PLEASE PLEASE ME is definitely worth checking out nonetheless.

it may go down that the DEBUT LED ZEPPELIN ALBUM LED ZEPPELIN (ATLANTIC, 1969) is far and away one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL ROCK AND ROLL RECORDINGS ever.  i do not even believe that is a particularly ORIGINAL or CONTROVERSIAL ASSESSMENT, more just an OBVIOUS STATEMENT OF FACT.  along with the EMERGENCE of PUNK ROCK in the late 70s and the DEVELOPMENT of UNDERGROUND THRASH and DEATH METAL in the early 80s, undoubtedly one of those PIVOTAL MOMENTS in ROCK AND ROLL was that INCREDIBLE TRANSITION from those EARLY BRITISH INVASION GROUPS of the early 60s to the CELEBRATED, HIGH-POWERED, pre-MODERN, BLUES-based ROCK AND ROLL ACTS that came to PROMINENCE in the late 60s and early 70s like AEROSMITH, ZZ TOP, DEEP PURPLE, URIAH HEEP, THIN LIZZY, BLACK SABBATH, CREAM, BLUE CHEER and MOUNTAIN of which LED ZEPPELIN was UNQUESTIONABLY at the head of the PACK and set the TONE for the NEXT DECADE (and ARGUABLY ROCK AND ROLL writ large moving forward).

at this point its ROCK AND ROLL LORE that the YARDBIRDS GUITARIST and ESTABLISHED STUDIO MUSICIAN JIMMY PAGE initiated the GROUP (originally as THE NEW YARDBIRDS) in the wake of his FORMER BAND's DEMISE as a means of fulfilling a TOURING OBLIGATION in SCANDINAVIA.  rounding out that LINEUP was the VOCALIST ROBERT PLANT, whom he knew by REPUTATION, and DRUMMER JOHN BONHAM, whom the SINGER had RECOMMENDED.  later on the NOTED MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST and FELLOW STUDIO ACE JOHN PAUL JONES rounded out the LINEUP as BASSIST.  outside of PLANT and BONHAM, LED ZEPPELIN was not comprised of FRIENDS but rather PROFESSIONAL ACQUAINTANCES, which is beyond INTRIGUING given their SIMPATICO MUSICAL CHEMISTRY. 

unlike most of their other HARD ROCK PEERS, the LED ZEPPELIN RECIPE included NODS to TRADITIONAL ENGLISH FOLK MUSIC, most PROMINENTLY heard on ACOUSTIC TRACKS like "BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE" and "BABE, I'M GONNA LEAVE YOU."  along with PLANT's J.R.R. TOLKIEN-inspired FANTASY LYRICAL CONCEITS would be a MAJOR COMPONENT of their MYSTIQUE moving forward.  UNDOUBTEDLY PAGE and COMPANY were ACOLYTES of the FOLK REVIVAL MOVEMENT, which provided a NOTICEABLE CONTRAST to the more HARDER-EDGED, HIGH-ENERGY MATERIAL such as ICONIC TRACKS like "COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN," "GOOD TIMES BAD TMES" and "DAZED AND CONFUSED" that they would become RENOWNED for and IMITATED ad nauseam by GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS for FIVE DECADES and counting.  it should also be mentioned that CENTRAL to those SONGS is the SINGULAR DRUMMING of BONHAM, which counterintuitively was somehow both FLUID and VERSATILE while maintaining an absolute UNGODLY AMOUNT of POWER and FORCE on the KIT.  there is a GOOD REASON why SUBSEQUENT DRUMMERS that dont even particularly like LED ZEPPELIN hold BONHAM in such HIGH ESTEEM, as his STYLE was able to maintain its UNBRIDLED RAWNESS with those IMPACTFUL HEAVY BASS KICKS while simultaneously communicated INTRICATE RHYTHMS and GROOVES that served their SONGS EXQUISITELY.  the DUDE was one of one and the INIMITABLE ENVY of PUNK, METAL, ALTERNATIVE and PROG ROCK DRUMMERS ever since.

when i listen to the DEBUT LED ZEPPELIN ALBUM, i hear the MUSICAL TEMPLATE for all that followed.  arguably only THE BEATLES and BLACK SABBATH had as much IMPACT on SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS of ROCK AND ROLL musicians as LED ZEPPELIN.  i know it sounds PARADOXICAL, but their 1969 DEBUT is required listening for FANS of CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, end stop.

some SONGS just find you at the right TIME and POINT in your LIFE to make a MAXIMUM IMPACT and such was the TRACK "6 UNDERGROUND" by ENGLISH TRIP HOP act SNEAKER PIMPS when i was in MIDDLE SCHOOL.  moving to NIGERIA from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA was an unimaginably INVIGORATING but downright  DISORIENTING EXPERIENCE that was not helped at all by my PHYSICAL AWKWARDNESS going through the beginning of my TEENAGE YEARS.  that song itself just incapsulated that PALPABLE SENSE of CONFUSION and FOREBODING EXISTENTIAL DREAD at being in an UNFAMILIAR and, as was the case with NIGERIA throughout the 1990s under their RUTHLESS MILITARY DICTATOR SANI ABACHA, DANGEROUS and highly VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT. 

EXTREME MUSIC for an EXTREME PERIOD in my LIFE.

but whats CRAZY is that i didnt follow-up on the BAND and actually listen to their DEBUT BECOMING X (VIRGIN, 1997) RELEASE in full until i was at the end of HIGH SCHOOL half a DECADE later.  at that POINT i had moved to SACRAMENTO to live with a RELATIVE in the IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH of 9/11 from KUWAIT. where my FAMILY was stationed.  during that period i shut off from the WORLD and became deeply interested in the EXPERIMENTAL SONIC LANDSCAPES of SHOEGAZE, POST PUNK, GOTH ROCK, AMBIENT, KRAUTROCK and especially TRIP HOP, the later of which included ATMOSPHERIC and ECLECTIC ACTS like MASSIVE ATTACK, PORTISHEAD, TRICKY and SNEAKER PIMPS.  i basically rediscovered the BAND within a NEW CONTEXT, having known their most commercially SUCCESSFUL SONG but UNFAMILIAR with the ACTUAL GROUP ITSELF.

and what threw me was how CONSISTENT BECOMING X was well beyond its TRANSCENDENT SINGLE.  VOCALIST KELLI ALI shines throughout on STIRRING TRACKS like "POST-MODERN SLEAZE," "SPIN SPIN SUGAR," "BECOMING X" and "TESKO SUICIDE" which showcase her ABILITY to communicate INSECURITY and EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY with more than a HELPFUL DOSE of MENACE.  its a DELICATE BALANCE she is traversing but such makes her quite the SINGULAR PERFORMER, especially with such a LUSH AURAL BED enveloping her.  such must have been a POINT of FRUSTRATION for SONGWRITERS and SNEAKER PIMPS FOUNDERS CHRIS CORNER and LIAM HOWE, who found ALI LATE in the PROCESS.  for all INTENTS and PURPOSES, she is EFFECTIVELY the BAND, with her UNIQUE VOCALS and DYNAMIC PRESENTATION, in the PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS.

it is a SITUATION very REMINISCENT of when SHIRLEY MANSON was asked to join GARBAGE and the SUBSEQUENT GLOBAL SUCCESS they had, except that BUTCH VIG and COMPANY were only too THRILLED to have a CHARISMATIC FRONT-WOMAN take the MAJORITY of the SPOTLIGHT and PUBLIC ATTENTION.  such allowed him and his SONGWRITING COHORTS in FELLOW BAND MEMBERS, and CELEBRATED RECORD PRODUCERS in their own right, in STEVE MARKER and DUKE ERIKSON to FOCUS SQUARELY on the MUSIC itself (although it should be stated that in short order MANSON developed into quite the SONGWRITING FORCE).  sadly BECOMING X was the first and FINAL SNEAKER PIMPS RECORDING with ALI as she was UNCEREMONIOUSLY DISMISSED and CORNER wrestled back his INITIAL ROLE as FRONTMAN with severely UNINSPIRED and DEPRECIATING RESULTS on SUBSEQUENT RECORDS.  BITTER JEALOUSY and INFIGHTING was the CASE as the CORNER and HOWE felt sidelined by the PRESS in their own BAND.

TOUGH SHIT.

given that i OVERLOOKED BECOMING X initially, i dont have to go to far on a limb to surmise that this is one of the more criminally UNDER-APPRECIATED TRIP HOP RECORDS from the PERIOD.  ALI is definitely something SPECIAL to witness here and its UNFORTUNATE that this was her one go with the SNEAKER PIMPS.  her SUBSEQUENT SOLO CAREER veered well out of the FOREBODING SONIC AESTHETIC of TRIP HOP and into more more TRADITIONAL, UPBEAT ELECTRONICA TERRITORY, which kind of went against what made BECOMING X so darkly ALLURING.  this is one of my FAVORITE RECORDINGS of any GENRE from the PERIOD and definitely worth checking out.  required listening even.

its pretty much MADDENING to consider all the UNREALIZED POTENTIAL of JIMI HENDRIX.  just on a purely TECHNICAL LEVEL he utilized EQUIPMENT that was largely at the INFANCY of its DEVELOPMENT, especially GUITAR EFFECTS.  no doubt his PARTICIPATION would have PROFOUNDLY affected the TRAJECTORY of that INDUSTRY had he survived, never mind RECORDING and PRODUCTION GEAR and RELATED PROCESSES.  same goes for POSSIBLE COLLABORATIONS that were on the horizon such as a RUMORED MEETING of the MUSICAL MINDS with JAZZ ICON MILES DAVIS.  so much was TRAGICALLY left on the table when HENDRIX PASSED AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY in late 1970.

our only REAL GLIMPSE into a post-THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE CAREER was that of his SOLE BAND OF GYPSYS (CAPITOL, 1970) LIVE RECORDING he made at the LEGENDARY FILLMORE EAST in NEW YORK CITY with his more EXPERIMENTAL COLLABORATORS in the EXPANSIVE RHYTHM SECTION of BASSIST BILLY COX and DRUMMER BUDDY MILES.  most of the OFFERINGS at that new year's day GIG were LOOSELY-CONSTRUCTED JAMS concocted in the WAKE of the GROUP's WOODSTOCK APPEARANCE the PREVIOUS YEAR and SHOWCASES a LOOSER, more EXPRESSIVE and highly IMPROVISATIONAL ASPECT to HENDRIX's BLUES-based VIRTUOSO PLAYING.  listening to some of these IMPROMPTU SOLOS throughout BAND OF GYPSYS is a reminder of how FLUID and outright LYRICAL the MAN was with his INSTRUMENT, as if such was a BODILY EXTENSION of his VERY BEING.  it is said much in RETROSPECT that his EXTENSIVE use of the WAH-PEDAL during this PERIOD served as a CULTURAL BASIS for the FUTURE DEVELOPMENT of FUNK ROCK, which kind of goes without saying.  the DUDE was at the PEAK of his POWERS when he ultimately FELL. 

case in point is the OBVIOUS BAND OF GYPSYS HIGHLIGHT in the PROTEST JAM "MACHINE GUN" with its RAPID-FIRE GUITAR LINES and UNDENIABLE FEEL that seemingly culled together the FRUSTRATION, ANGER and HOPELESSNESS of that TRAUMATIC PERIOD with the EVER-CONTINUATION of the NEEDLESS HUMAN CARNAGE and WANTON MASS SUFFERING found in the VIETNAM CONFLICT. i dont know how you listen to that TRACK and not FEEL SOMETHING, and then you realize such was likely OFF-THE-CUFF with HENDRIX.  that this was just another LARGELY FREE-FORM PERFORMANCE with his BUDDIES.  and that to me is the ESSENCE of who HENDRIX was, the ULTIMATE COLLABORATOR who had the NECESSARY EXPERIENCE as a SIDEMAN (for LITTLE RICHARD and the ISLEY BROTHERS among others for years on the CHITLIN' CIRCUIT) to know when to pick your SPOTS and make it work.  ARGUABLY the only other MUSICIAN i cant think of on that LEVEL was not a FLASH PLAYER like EDDIE VAN HALEN, RANDY RHOADS or DIMEBAG DARRELL or RESPECTED VETERAN INNOVATORS like JEFF BECK, JIMMY PAGE or ERIC CLAPTON, nor a more RUDIMENTARY SONG-based BLUES AFFICIANADO like KEITH RICHARDS or SLASH; to me PRINCE, like HENDRIX could tailor his playing to fit the SONG and then step out and shine when called to.  and only then.

sadly BAND OF GYPSYS is kind of a FORGOTTEN GEM in HENDRIX' CATALOGUE as it was a LIVE RECORDING.  but for any FAN of that ERA, whether CULTURALLY, POLITICAL or MUSICALLY, it is absolutely ESSENTIAL listening.