Four Years Ago | Elliott Smith
In case you didn’t already know (I didn’t until just a few moments ago), it was four years ago today that Elliott Smith passed away. Losing such a prominent young musician is always difficult, and the suddenness of his death only exacerbated the already tragic situation. It’s hard to overstate what a massive blow his death was to all of us, but Sweet Adeline has summed it up with all the brevity Smith would have wanted:
“elliott, you are still in are hearts, and sorely missed. xo”
Elliott Smith – Bled White.mp3
[From XO, released 1998 on DreamWorks]
A Tribe Called Quest | Butter
I’m not sure why, but I’ve been really into The Low End Theory lately. It’s pretty hard to believe it’s sixteen years old now.
A Tribe Called Quest – Butter.mp3
[From The Low End Theory, released 1991 on Jive]
Beck | Asshole
No, I’m not calling Beck an asshole; I’m referring to the song from his 1994 album, One Foot In The Grave. When I first listened to that album, about two years ago, I immediately pegged it as a straight folk album, and forgot about it until a few days ago. Now that I’ve spent some more time with it, I think it’s safe to say my original assumption was dead wrong. Sure, folk is it’s main influence, but there’s a hell of a lot more here than Beck attempting an impression of early Dylan. No, I’d say this is much closer to Blonde On Blonde-era Dylan, just a bit more drugged out. One Foot In The Grave is just 37 minutes long, but it feels like much more. It feels massive, like a sprawling exploration of a young artists abilities, examining folk-rock at it’s most all the disparate points he can find. While it would be hard to guess the artist here would go on to record Midnite Vultures, it’s clear the album is a distant relative of records like Mutations, Sea Change, and even Mellow Gold. At the very least, it’s an interesting excursion for a fan of Odelay-style Beck.
[From One Foot In The Grave, released 1994 on K Records]
Ghostface Killah | Shakey Dog
It’s already September, and we still don’t have an ’07 hip-hop album to match last year’s Fishscale. But with lyrics like this, how could we?
Express Your Bloated Self, Willful and Indignant, In The Face Of Somebody’s Lord
Dan Bejar must be some sort of music God. I simply don’t see how any mere mortal could write songs as amazing as ‘The Sublimation Hour’. Just look at these lyrics:
So you had the best legs in a business built for kicks,
but was this changing of the guards really supposed to make you sick?
It’s alright… The Sublimation Hour!
Medium Rotation, the Shock of the New,
and a memo from Feldman saying, “everything is true.”
It’s alright… The Sublimation Hour!Don’t spend your life conceiving
that the widows won’t get sick of their grieving
’till everyone walks out.
Hey, isn’t that what rock ‘n’ roll is all about, Princess?
Express your bloated self, willful and indignant,
in the face of somebody’s lord!You try to summon up the spirits live on Face the Nation,
but the Port Authority just taxed incantations.
It’s alright… The Sublimate Hour!
Auction off The Temple. It’s money well-spent.
Hey, are those tears in your eyes as the wind cries, “enlargement”?
It’s alright… The Sublimate Hour!Don’t spend your life conceiving
that the widows won’t get sick of their grieving
’till everyone walks out.
Hey, isn’t that what rock ‘n’ roll is all about, Princess?
Confess your bloated self, willful and indignant,
in the face of somebody’s lord!So put your hands together! I hear it’s a must
until this phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust.
It’s alright… The Sublimation Hour!
I guess the streets will suffice till everybody makes nice,
but there’s a rumor going round even Destroyers have a price…
It’s alright… The Sublimation Hour!Don’t spend your life conceiving…
Incredible, huh?
Destroyer – The Sublimation Hour.mp3
[From Streethawk: A Seduction, released 2001 on Misra Records]
Shameless Complacency 