12/12 - 12/16:

Andrew WK, I Get Wet 


When Andrew WK first hit the scene, at the tail end of the last era of music where some one as weird as him had the slightest chance of getting on radio & TV, I don’t think most people knew what to make of him. I sure didn’t. I went from thinking he was dead serious and hating him to thinking he was dead serious and thinking he was hilarious to not really knowing how serious he was and loving him. As he’s refined her persona as some kind of party messiah, trying to bring his message of happiness, personal fulfillment and, above all, partying to every person on the planet, as truly insane conspiracy theories about him have cropped up, as his music has strayed further and further from the sort of “party metal” on this album, as he’s become a successful club owner and children’s TV personality, I’ve been fascinated. But there’s still a certain charm and appeal to the extremely simple, blunt, no frills party attack on I Get Wet. A fast paced, bludgeoning wall of sound somehow turned into fun time music, some of the most bizarre lyrics I’ve ever heard, and the party theme make for an unlikely mixture, but it’s still pretty fun to listen to. 


Andrew WK, “She Is Beautiful” 


 Glassjaw, Our Color Green: The Singles 


 Glassjaw hasn’t released an album since 2004. In that time, the band was on “hiatus,” the few times they gathered, a lot of members were missing or shuffled. Daryl concentrated on Head Automatica and many other projects, Beck focused on his music merch store and other projects, and everyone else seemed to quietly go do something else. But then, in 2010, they randomly reappeared, toured, and released a handful of extremely limited singles, collected here. The material, which is said to be several years old, is significantly heavier than 2004’s Worship & Tribute. Maybe heavier than anything they ever did. But it still sounds like Glassjaw, their own unique spin on emotionally charged heavy music. I didn’t realize just how much I missed Glassjaw until I got some new songs to listen to. I hope it’s not too long before they release something new. 


Glassjaw, “All Good Junkies Go To Heaven” 


Lakutis, I'm In The Forest EP 


Lakutis, Das Racist’s associate who had a few scene-stealing verses in songs like “Amazing” and “Swate,” makes his solo debut with this free EP. The production, much of it by other DR associate Big Baby Gandhi, is frenetic and paranoid, and perfectly suited to Lakutis’ manic delivery. With rap catchphrases like “I’m a death shark,” “Oops,” and “I’m dead,” Lakutis is pretty out of the ordinary, but who else is going to clue you into the Seven Spiders of Hip Hop? Face it: you need Lakutis in your life. Get the EP here. 


Lakutis, “Death Shark” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-WU4l3XqaE 


TECLA, Thank$giving 


Speaking of Das Racist affiliates, TECLA also recently put out a free project, and its definitely worth your time. She shares the tracks with Kassa Overall, Das Racist, Lakutis and others, ping ponging back and forth between serious songs about her life, sexual identity and family and bizarre material like a song in which Kassa Overall and Iron Solomon get in an insult contest and a song based on “Rhythm is a Dancer.” Production and samples vary dramatically, keeping you on your toes. I think my favorite was “Al Green Type Love,” constructed from pieces of several Green classics and featuring TECLA singing part of Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend.” It’s a really unpredictable, enjoyable listen, and it’s free! I couldn’t find a video for this. 


 Soul Coughing, Ruby Vhroom 


 Soul Coughing is conflicting these days. I love Soul Coughing. Have since the first time I heard them. When they broke up, I dutifully followed Mike Doughty into an ever-evolving solo career (See reviews of some of his solo records elsewhere on this blog). His solo material is pretty different, but I feel great affection for both. So it was with some shock and confusion that I read about what a miserable nightmare being in Soul Coughing was for Doughty, in an interview in the back of an issue of Casanova, of all places (An excellent, excellent comic book by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon!). As a big fan and supporter of Doughty’s, now I have trouble listening to the old Soul Coughing material without feeling kind of bad... but... I still really like it. Ruby Vhroom was the group’s first album, and a great debut. It had a quirky atmosphere, a lot of variety, and a pretty unique sound. I still get a lot of out it. But... now with a tinge of discomfort. Awkward. 


Soul Coughing, “Screenwriter’s Blues” 


The Roots, Undun 


 Ah, The Roots. Never made a bad album. Have been on an unbelievable winning streak since 2006, making four of their finest albums in a row, in addition to great albums supporting John Legend and Betty White. Undun is a powerful concept album about a young man’s entrance into and violent exit from a life of crime. It’s a new level of lush production for the band, and it holds together beautifully even though the story is told out of sequence. It’s vague enough to let some listeners just put it on, but deep enough to let others really examine it. Appearances by such guests as Phonte, Bilal, Truck North, Porn and indispensable unofficial Root Dice Raw are put to great use, enhancing the feel of the record rather than playing characters or anything like that. It’s another masterpiece in an increasingly surprising string of masterpieces. No one is this good this consistently. But yo. I have to be honest. The Roots are really starting to bum me out. When I got into the game, taking my late pass with my copy of Things Fall Apart, they were a very different group. I went back and bought the whole back catalog (Even Organix), and found that they did a great job of mixing serious and fun music into their albums. But, while their dedication to and mastery of the craft has only improved since then, they’ve made only a handful of fun songs in the last five years. Specifically, “Here I Come” from Game Theory, “75 Bars” and “Rising Up” from Rising Down, “How I Got Over,” “Web 20/20” and “Hustla” from How I Got Over, and, I guess, “Kool On” from Undun. When Game Theory came out, with its intentionally oppressive atmosphere and political and social commentary, I was blown away by it. I have continued to find each album to be a masterful collection of songs. But the light has almost gone out of them. Roots albums tend to be really heavy affairs these days, and I must confess, I kinda miss the old days of “Rock You,” “Dynamite!” or even “Datskat!!!” Cheer up, Roots. Please? 


The Roots, “Make My”  


 Yup.
--D