Top Ten Albums, 2011 – Part III, 7-5

December 29th, 2011

7. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2

Also known as Pretty Lou aka Pretty Mike, switch up my name pretty much how I like. – “B-Boys in the Cut”

Since Ill Communication‘s release in 1994, it seems that each new Beastie Boys album is a longer time in coming than the one before. It was four years until it was followed up with Hello Nasty; six more years until To The 5 Boroughs dropped; and now eight years after that last, largely forgettable effort (I blame the lack of Money Mark), comes the long-delayed Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2.

From the presaging star-studded mini-movie pitting the Licensed to Ill era-Beastie Boys against their aged counterparts from the future, my interest level was high. The album did not disappoint. Although far removed from their egg-slinging bong-hitting rambunctiousness of yore, for the most part the rhymes here feel fresh. The Boys have always had a tendency to crib a lyric or three in homage to other rap songs, particularly from old school New York artists, and at this point in their career they have enough material to borrow from themselves as well, which can alternately feel fun or tired.

Ultimately, though, it works. The collaborations with Nas and Santigold are successful and not gratuitous (unlike some hip-hop albums that suffer from too many cooks); the songs, repetitive in places, are largely filled with good hooks and in the words of MCA they “keep the bass lines round”; the wordsmithing and flow is as good as it’s ever been and the sense of humor is firmly in place.

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6. Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore

My pain could learn to play the violin but it might not bring you back. At least we’d have a pretty soundtrack. – “Hotel Plaster”

We went to see Nicole Atkins play at Mississippi Studios last year. Actually, we went to see the opening band, Cotton Jones and, in reality, left before she played. In hindsight, although Cotton Jones is great in nearly every way, this seems to have been a pretty big mistake.

Not too long after that show, I had one of those cravings to listen to something entirely new and I came across Mondo Amore on the new release racks at Music Millenniuma so, on a whim, I picked it up figuring that if she was touring with one of my favorite bands then she’s probably doing something right.

I had thought that the style of music itself wasn’t something that I listen to a lot– but Wikipedia labels her genres as “psychedelic, alternative, folk rock”, so if you take those as the guidelines then I guess that, yes, that is My Kind of Music™. Her voice, rich and powerful, has a crooner quality to it that harkens back to a different era and the poetry of the songwriting itself reminds me a lot of Neko Case. Like Neko, there is also a undercurrent of country music influence, but it’s more understated here. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that Atkins guested on A.C. Newman’s second solo album, “Get Guilty”.

Listening to this only on shuffle made it suffer for me at first. I ended up listening to the last three tracks, “War Is Hell”, “Heavy Boots” and “The Tower” quite a bit and, as the titles of the songs might imply, they are heavy songs and not always suitable for a sunny day or a plodding commute. My favorite tracks, as it turns out, are positioned closer to the other end of the album. Most notably, “Cry, Cry, Cry” is a catchy uptempo song whose structure belies its theme of sadness and the frustration of being “under the spell of a confidence man”; and “Hotel Plaster”, a sad ballad but extraordinarily beautiful in its imagery.

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5. The Dø – Both Ways Open Jaws

I don’t want nobody to take me for someone I am not. I’m just playing my own part, don’t blame me if I’m on the run. – “Bohemian Dances”

I forget now what my search term was on Last.fm, but whatever artist I had been listening to— Cat Power?— led me eventually to a song by this French and Finnish duo. So I’d hope that these guys aren’t that unknown, because they’re really entrancingly great. I found this album as soon as I could— the band name is surprisingly googleable— and I’ve been listening to it steadily ever since. The music has a very dreamlike quality to it; simple keyboard melodies with beautiful vocals give way to sudden digital stutters like the abrupt mental trip of déja vu, or shifting gears into a technologically driven song entirely. Like dreams, there are recurring motifs of moonlight and mermaids that strike symbolism throughout. And it occurs to me only now that this is the sort of album that people would absolutely adore if Björk made it. But The Dø are perfectly capable of handling it themselves.

The songs feel, in turns, redemptive and self-exploring. The music itself reflects this, relying on a varied and interesting instrumentation that builds upon itself with increasing complexity without losing the obvious care on display. It’s rich music that would feel just as beautiful stripped down but benefits from the tapestry built around it. I’m not generally a fan of music that gets too built ups with synths, strings, horns, backing vocals, and other great swells— perhaps it’s a childhood aversion to “The Long And Winding Road” that spurred it— but The Dø manage to strike the balance, perform the balancing act, and other balance-type clichés, that allow them to pull it off without the usual accompanying pretension. The earnest vocals and beautiful melodies go a long way towards making this happen.

As a leo myself, I also hold a soft spot in my heart for the song “Leo Leo”. It will also make my eventual “zodiac” Saturday Playlist one song easier. But it’s an album with few chinks in its armor and a lot of variety and more than one ace up its sleeve. Favorite song of late would be “Gonna Be Sick!”, but I’m always a fan of that Lesley Rankine-esque vocal growl (when used in moderation).

Note: This album does not need to be used in moderation.

Entry Filed under: Music