20 Long Thoughts on 20 Albums in 2010. Part 2.
The next five in my series reviewing/rambling about 20 albums released in 2010. Read Part 1 here.
The Lady Killer by Cee Lo Green
For the past couple of years, Pop music has been a sad state of affairs. Most artists on the radio are just trying to copy what managed to work before it. This is especially true for male pop artists, who have either been slotted under the Jack Johnson/Jason Mraz sound or the next in line to try to take over Chris Brown’s title since many listeners want nothing to do with him. Frankly, it’s boring.
Enter Cee Lo Green. AKA: The Lady Killer.
In August, the former Goodie Mob member released his first single from his solo album The Lady Killer. That single? A hilariously honest break up song titled ‘Fuck You’. The song quickly went viral and proved to have universal appeal. The song didn’t just succeed in the Urban market, but in the modern Pop market as well? Don’t believe me? Google ‘Glee Forget You’. Though, you may want to hold back the urge to yell at Gwyneth Paltrow to stop singing and go back to making sure Tony Stark doesn’t blow his house up again.
Still... With a hit first single, did The Lady Killer manage to follow up?
In short? Yes.
From start to finish, The Lady Killer proves to be a shining example of what modern pop music can be. With a modern twist on the traditional soul sound and not a hint of autotune in sight, Cee Lo Green has managed to craft an album that truly is all killer and no filler.
Some people might be disappointed that the rest of the album is not as explicit as it’s first single, but thad doesn’t mean that it should be discounted. ‘Satisfied’ is a cheerful track that sounds like it could easily start playing after dropping a quarter in the jukebox and ‘Love Gun’ could easily put Cee Lo in the lead for the next James Bond theme. Lyric-wise, Cee Lo keeps up the same honesty established in ‘Fuck You’ throughout the album, especially in the dark ‘Bodies’ and the heartbreakingly devoted ‘I Want You’. Frankly, having that much brutal honesty and sincerity in a pop album is a breath of fresh air.
With a great mix of honest lyrics, great and catchy music, astounding vocals from Green, and a style that takes what it learned from the Soul masters of the 60s and 70s and improves upon it, The Lady Killer is not just a shining example of a modern pop album. It’s a testament to what the genre can be.
Current and future pop stars, Cee Lo is taking you to school with this album. You better be taking notes.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
I’ve been listening to Kanye West on and off for a few years now. Some of his actions outside of his music leave me cold and confused, but I’m usually drawn back in with his music. Mostly with Graduation, his third studio album that featured ‘Stronger’, the track that still leaves Daft Punk fans torn. While that is still my personal favorite Kanye album, I was left somewhat bored by 808s and Heartbreak, his dark electronic album that was a vast departure from the colorful boldness of Graduation.
So what are my feelings on his latest release My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy?
Complicated.
Kanye’s life after 808s and Heartbreak didn’t get any simpler. Between his now notorious interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and the cancellation of his high profile Fame Kills tour with Lady GaGa (which, side note, was probably more beneficial for her in the long run), people were unsure if Kanye would be able to bounce back. While he was out of the spotlight, he worked on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The album definitely reflects a similar yet different state from 808s and Heartbreak, but on a grander scale. With this album, we definitely see a more theatrical side of Kanye. There are some truly beautiful arrangements on this album, both in instruments, Kanye’s use of sampling, and, in the case of ‘All Of The Lights’ and it’s grand cast of singers, vocals.
However, this is also where some of my problems with the album are.
One, it seems like Kanye seemed to get caught up in making a grand album that some of the album feels either overindulgent or unnecessary. The album centerpiece ‘Runaway’ in particular. While it is a beautiful and (dare I say) sincere track, the last three minutes of the song feel like Kanye was just messing around in the studio after the track was done and he just decided to keep it on there. Also, what is with the phone call with Chris Rock at the end of ‘Blame Game’? It feels completely unnecessary and unrelated to the song. Which saddens me because the track has such a wonderful guest vocal from John Legend. This also leads to some balance issues with some tracks being too short. The incredible ‘Lost In The World’ should have built into a more grand ending, but instead seems to fizzle out as it leads into ‘Who Will Survive In America’, which is a minute and a half piece of Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Comment No. 1’ set to music. When it ends, it just... stops. No Nicki Minaj to close us out or some grand exit. It just comes to a slow halt.
Speaking of guest vocals, this brings me to my second problem with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. There are tons of guests on this album. Probably more than any of Timbaland’s Shock Value albums. Among them, there are some really great ones, such as the previously mentioned John Legend, the subtly of everyone’s vocals ‘All Of The Lights’, Bon Iver on ‘Lost In The World’ and Nicki Minaj’s truly insane verse on ‘Monster’. However, in all of this, it feels like Mr. West takes a backseat. In some tracks, he’ll disappear after his verse, only to pop up again after to deliver the hook. I know that Kanye is involved with all points of production in his albums, but why leave it to others to be the guide through his Dark Twisted Fantasy?
Still, the more I listen to this album, the more it grows on me despite its problems. Perhaps Kanye will use what he’s done here to craft his future, be it with his own music or production style for others. Maybe his Dark Twisted Fantasy will be an inspiration to others to express their own.
Hurricane Venus by BoA
Gather round, children. It’s time for BoA’s yearly album!
And this time, it’s not another album for her adopted language of Japanese or another English foray. After a five year absence, BoA has returned to her home nation of South Korea with Hurricane Venus.
For as long as BoA has had a career, she has established herself as a fierce dancer with strong upbeat songs as well as an idol with the pipes to actually sing ballads. Hurricane Venus, which is her sixth Korean language album, does it’s best to showcase these two sides of BoA. Perhaps to remind her home country of her capabilities?
While this album (including the two tracks from the Copy and Paste repackage) is less dance oriented than last year’s self-titled English release, it somehow feels more natural. Like now that BoA can sing in her native language again, she’s more at ease and it shows on the record. The album’s main dance songs ‘Hurricane Venus’ and ‘Dangerous’ are immensely fun and prove to be some of the best songs to come out of K-Pop this year and ‘Adrenaline’ is easily the best song Britney Spears never performed. Also, this record doesn’t have the same problem that many K-Pop records face when it comes to ballads. Where most K-Pop ballads come across as boring and similar sounding, BoA manages to set herself apart with emotional ballads such as ‘Stand By’ and ‘Implode’. Even with the language barrier, I can feel the heartbreak in ‘Implode’ and the pure love in ‘Romance’ as well as I can in many of Butch Walker’s songs.
My review, sadly, is restricted by that very language barrier. Since I do not speak Korean and translations vary, I cannot properly talk about the lyrics of the album. Still, with great music that far exceeds the English release and a powerful voice that only gets better with time, Hurricane Venus is an album that both BoA herself and her fans can be proud of.
Hate Lives In A Small Town by Voltaire
This year was a fairly big year for Gothic renaissance man Voltaire. His stop motion short film DemiUrge Emesis was a hit in its festival circuit, he celebrated his first year of marriage with his wife Jayme, and he released two albums. The first was a compilation of some of his more kid-friendly songs titled Spooky Songs for Creepy Kids (because as he says, he’s “the worst gauge for what’s appropriate for children”). The second was Hate Lives In A Small Town, his first original album since 2008’s To The Bottom Of The Sea. Voltaire has set a precedent for trying out different styles with each new album and this one is no different.
What’s the style, you may ask? Country!
Okay, maybe I should specify that it’s old school Country. Not pop music with a twang or a modern interpolation of this like I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart was. Straight up old school country music that would make Johnny Cash and Hank Williams proud.
And surprisingly? It actually works!
If you’re unfamiliar with Voltaire, he has a very dark and morbid sense of humor that is often worked into his music. More often than not, his lyrics will make me laugh, then make me feel absolutely terrible for laughing. Well... the terrible part will usually come a few days later. This doesn’t change at all with Hate Lives In A Small Town, but there’s definitely more of a feeling of honesty among the laughter. ‘Normal For A Man’ admits to his prior inability to keep it in his pants while ‘You Married A Fool’ is a funny, yet sweet confession to his new wife explaining why he does the strange things he does.
This album is probably the most serious we’ve seen Voltaire since 2005’s Then and Again as well. While dipping into dark and tragic imagery with ‘The Churchyard’ and ‘Fear And Anguish’, Voltaire still manages to do what he does best with his more serious work while still staying within the lines of Country music. I feel like they could easily be on an album that resides somewhere in my grandpa’s record collection. Or at least some of the music he listened to during his own divorce. It’s also worth noting that Voltaire’s voice does not even sound an inch out of place while singing any of these songs.
Hate Lives In A Small Town is definitely an anomaly among Voltaire’s discography. While being a departure from his previous efforts in terms of lyrical and musical style, we still see elements of this Man In Black that we know and love. While some fans may not be big on it, I think this album is a great effort and I hope that Voltaire will be willing to step out of his comfort zone and be willing to shake things up a little more often.
And as a side note, another chameleon on this record? Brian Vigilone of The Dresden Dolls. He plays drums on every track except for ‘When You’re Dead’ and I never would have guessed it. Especially after seeing him play live last month.
Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
I’ve always had an interest in Gorillaz.
I thought it was cool that an animated band could exist in this world and be taken seriously. Both with their videos and with their music.
For some reason or another, I never actually seriously listened to them. I don’t know why though. Maybe I was easily distracted or maybe subconsciously, my worry of being caught behind got to me. That if I got into them now, I’d be so much more behind than those who’ve been into them for years. The ones who know the intricate history and backstory of the band. That I’d somehow be walking into a party I wasn’t invited to.
When listening to Plastic Beach, I didn’t have that feeling at all. In fact, I feel like with this album, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett created a place that everyone was invited. A Plastic Beach party, if you will.
Okay, terrible puns aside, when I first heard Plastic Beach, what I heard was an absolutely lovely electronic hip hop album. It was bright, lively and unlike any Gorillaz songs I’ve heard in the past. Even what little I had to go on, it was obvious they had upped the ante to try something new. If the album and the videos for ‘Stylo’ and ‘On Melancholy Hill’ are any indicator, it paid off in spades.
Something I noticed about this album was the sheer amount of guests on it. I realize that with being a fictional band, they would have to rely on a group of guests to rotate in and join them, but almost every track on this album has a guest or two joining them. In some cases, these guests would be the only one heard on the track. The one that excited me the most was Paul Simonon and Mick Jones of The Clash playing on the album’s title track. Unlike My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy where the guests sometimes overloaded and felt like they were pushing Kanye West off of his own record, everyone’s place in Plastic Beach feels natural. Like Murdoc dragged the rest of them along as well and they made the best of it by helping the record get made.
...Someone more knowledgeable about the character history of the Gorillaz let me know how far off that theory is.
Still, for the hour this album is on, I feel like I’m on the Plastic Beach with everyone else and I’m watching everyone sit around and play some of the most grand music I have ever heard.
If that’s what Albarn and Hewlett were going for, it certainly paid off because no other beach sounds appealing after a visit to Plastic Beach.
The Lady Killer by Cee Lo Green
For the past couple of years, Pop music has been a sad state of affairs. Most artists on the radio are just trying to copy what managed to work before it. This is especially true for male pop artists, who have either been slotted under the Jack Johnson/Jason Mraz sound or the next in line to try to take over Chris Brown’s title since many listeners want nothing to do with him. Frankly, it’s boring.
Enter Cee Lo Green. AKA: The Lady Killer.
In August, the former Goodie Mob member released his first single from his solo album The Lady Killer. That single? A hilariously honest break up song titled ‘Fuck You’. The song quickly went viral and proved to have universal appeal. The song didn’t just succeed in the Urban market, but in the modern Pop market as well? Don’t believe me? Google ‘Glee Forget You’. Though, you may want to hold back the urge to yell at Gwyneth Paltrow to stop singing and go back to making sure Tony Stark doesn’t blow his house up again.
Still... With a hit first single, did The Lady Killer manage to follow up?
In short? Yes.
From start to finish, The Lady Killer proves to be a shining example of what modern pop music can be. With a modern twist on the traditional soul sound and not a hint of autotune in sight, Cee Lo Green has managed to craft an album that truly is all killer and no filler.
Some people might be disappointed that the rest of the album is not as explicit as it’s first single, but thad doesn’t mean that it should be discounted. ‘Satisfied’ is a cheerful track that sounds like it could easily start playing after dropping a quarter in the jukebox and ‘Love Gun’ could easily put Cee Lo in the lead for the next James Bond theme. Lyric-wise, Cee Lo keeps up the same honesty established in ‘Fuck You’ throughout the album, especially in the dark ‘Bodies’ and the heartbreakingly devoted ‘I Want You’. Frankly, having that much brutal honesty and sincerity in a pop album is a breath of fresh air.
With a great mix of honest lyrics, great and catchy music, astounding vocals from Green, and a style that takes what it learned from the Soul masters of the 60s and 70s and improves upon it, The Lady Killer is not just a shining example of a modern pop album. It’s a testament to what the genre can be.
Current and future pop stars, Cee Lo is taking you to school with this album. You better be taking notes.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
I’ve been listening to Kanye West on and off for a few years now. Some of his actions outside of his music leave me cold and confused, but I’m usually drawn back in with his music. Mostly with Graduation, his third studio album that featured ‘Stronger’, the track that still leaves Daft Punk fans torn. While that is still my personal favorite Kanye album, I was left somewhat bored by 808s and Heartbreak, his dark electronic album that was a vast departure from the colorful boldness of Graduation.
So what are my feelings on his latest release My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy?
Complicated.
Kanye’s life after 808s and Heartbreak didn’t get any simpler. Between his now notorious interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and the cancellation of his high profile Fame Kills tour with Lady GaGa (which, side note, was probably more beneficial for her in the long run), people were unsure if Kanye would be able to bounce back. While he was out of the spotlight, he worked on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The album definitely reflects a similar yet different state from 808s and Heartbreak, but on a grander scale. With this album, we definitely see a more theatrical side of Kanye. There are some truly beautiful arrangements on this album, both in instruments, Kanye’s use of sampling, and, in the case of ‘All Of The Lights’ and it’s grand cast of singers, vocals.
However, this is also where some of my problems with the album are.
One, it seems like Kanye seemed to get caught up in making a grand album that some of the album feels either overindulgent or unnecessary. The album centerpiece ‘Runaway’ in particular. While it is a beautiful and (dare I say) sincere track, the last three minutes of the song feel like Kanye was just messing around in the studio after the track was done and he just decided to keep it on there. Also, what is with the phone call with Chris Rock at the end of ‘Blame Game’? It feels completely unnecessary and unrelated to the song. Which saddens me because the track has such a wonderful guest vocal from John Legend. This also leads to some balance issues with some tracks being too short. The incredible ‘Lost In The World’ should have built into a more grand ending, but instead seems to fizzle out as it leads into ‘Who Will Survive In America’, which is a minute and a half piece of Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Comment No. 1’ set to music. When it ends, it just... stops. No Nicki Minaj to close us out or some grand exit. It just comes to a slow halt.
Speaking of guest vocals, this brings me to my second problem with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. There are tons of guests on this album. Probably more than any of Timbaland’s Shock Value albums. Among them, there are some really great ones, such as the previously mentioned John Legend, the subtly of everyone’s vocals ‘All Of The Lights’, Bon Iver on ‘Lost In The World’ and Nicki Minaj’s truly insane verse on ‘Monster’. However, in all of this, it feels like Mr. West takes a backseat. In some tracks, he’ll disappear after his verse, only to pop up again after to deliver the hook. I know that Kanye is involved with all points of production in his albums, but why leave it to others to be the guide through his Dark Twisted Fantasy?
Still, the more I listen to this album, the more it grows on me despite its problems. Perhaps Kanye will use what he’s done here to craft his future, be it with his own music or production style for others. Maybe his Dark Twisted Fantasy will be an inspiration to others to express their own.
Hurricane Venus by BoA
Gather round, children. It’s time for BoA’s yearly album!
And this time, it’s not another album for her adopted language of Japanese or another English foray. After a five year absence, BoA has returned to her home nation of South Korea with Hurricane Venus.
For as long as BoA has had a career, she has established herself as a fierce dancer with strong upbeat songs as well as an idol with the pipes to actually sing ballads. Hurricane Venus, which is her sixth Korean language album, does it’s best to showcase these two sides of BoA. Perhaps to remind her home country of her capabilities?
While this album (including the two tracks from the Copy and Paste repackage) is less dance oriented than last year’s self-titled English release, it somehow feels more natural. Like now that BoA can sing in her native language again, she’s more at ease and it shows on the record. The album’s main dance songs ‘Hurricane Venus’ and ‘Dangerous’ are immensely fun and prove to be some of the best songs to come out of K-Pop this year and ‘Adrenaline’ is easily the best song Britney Spears never performed. Also, this record doesn’t have the same problem that many K-Pop records face when it comes to ballads. Where most K-Pop ballads come across as boring and similar sounding, BoA manages to set herself apart with emotional ballads such as ‘Stand By’ and ‘Implode’. Even with the language barrier, I can feel the heartbreak in ‘Implode’ and the pure love in ‘Romance’ as well as I can in many of Butch Walker’s songs.
My review, sadly, is restricted by that very language barrier. Since I do not speak Korean and translations vary, I cannot properly talk about the lyrics of the album. Still, with great music that far exceeds the English release and a powerful voice that only gets better with time, Hurricane Venus is an album that both BoA herself and her fans can be proud of.
Hate Lives In A Small Town by Voltaire
This year was a fairly big year for Gothic renaissance man Voltaire. His stop motion short film DemiUrge Emesis was a hit in its festival circuit, he celebrated his first year of marriage with his wife Jayme, and he released two albums. The first was a compilation of some of his more kid-friendly songs titled Spooky Songs for Creepy Kids (because as he says, he’s “the worst gauge for what’s appropriate for children”). The second was Hate Lives In A Small Town, his first original album since 2008’s To The Bottom Of The Sea. Voltaire has set a precedent for trying out different styles with each new album and this one is no different.
What’s the style, you may ask? Country!
Okay, maybe I should specify that it’s old school Country. Not pop music with a twang or a modern interpolation of this like I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart was. Straight up old school country music that would make Johnny Cash and Hank Williams proud.
And surprisingly? It actually works!
If you’re unfamiliar with Voltaire, he has a very dark and morbid sense of humor that is often worked into his music. More often than not, his lyrics will make me laugh, then make me feel absolutely terrible for laughing. Well... the terrible part will usually come a few days later. This doesn’t change at all with Hate Lives In A Small Town, but there’s definitely more of a feeling of honesty among the laughter. ‘Normal For A Man’ admits to his prior inability to keep it in his pants while ‘You Married A Fool’ is a funny, yet sweet confession to his new wife explaining why he does the strange things he does.
This album is probably the most serious we’ve seen Voltaire since 2005’s Then and Again as well. While dipping into dark and tragic imagery with ‘The Churchyard’ and ‘Fear And Anguish’, Voltaire still manages to do what he does best with his more serious work while still staying within the lines of Country music. I feel like they could easily be on an album that resides somewhere in my grandpa’s record collection. Or at least some of the music he listened to during his own divorce. It’s also worth noting that Voltaire’s voice does not even sound an inch out of place while singing any of these songs.
Hate Lives In A Small Town is definitely an anomaly among Voltaire’s discography. While being a departure from his previous efforts in terms of lyrical and musical style, we still see elements of this Man In Black that we know and love. While some fans may not be big on it, I think this album is a great effort and I hope that Voltaire will be willing to step out of his comfort zone and be willing to shake things up a little more often.
And as a side note, another chameleon on this record? Brian Vigilone of The Dresden Dolls. He plays drums on every track except for ‘When You’re Dead’ and I never would have guessed it. Especially after seeing him play live last month.
Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
I’ve always had an interest in Gorillaz.
I thought it was cool that an animated band could exist in this world and be taken seriously. Both with their videos and with their music.
For some reason or another, I never actually seriously listened to them. I don’t know why though. Maybe I was easily distracted or maybe subconsciously, my worry of being caught behind got to me. That if I got into them now, I’d be so much more behind than those who’ve been into them for years. The ones who know the intricate history and backstory of the band. That I’d somehow be walking into a party I wasn’t invited to.
When listening to Plastic Beach, I didn’t have that feeling at all. In fact, I feel like with this album, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett created a place that everyone was invited. A Plastic Beach party, if you will.
Okay, terrible puns aside, when I first heard Plastic Beach, what I heard was an absolutely lovely electronic hip hop album. It was bright, lively and unlike any Gorillaz songs I’ve heard in the past. Even what little I had to go on, it was obvious they had upped the ante to try something new. If the album and the videos for ‘Stylo’ and ‘On Melancholy Hill’ are any indicator, it paid off in spades.
Something I noticed about this album was the sheer amount of guests on it. I realize that with being a fictional band, they would have to rely on a group of guests to rotate in and join them, but almost every track on this album has a guest or two joining them. In some cases, these guests would be the only one heard on the track. The one that excited me the most was Paul Simonon and Mick Jones of The Clash playing on the album’s title track. Unlike My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy where the guests sometimes overloaded and felt like they were pushing Kanye West off of his own record, everyone’s place in Plastic Beach feels natural. Like Murdoc dragged the rest of them along as well and they made the best of it by helping the record get made.
...Someone more knowledgeable about the character history of the Gorillaz let me know how far off that theory is.
Still, for the hour this album is on, I feel like I’m on the Plastic Beach with everyone else and I’m watching everyone sit around and play some of the most grand music I have ever heard.
If that’s what Albarn and Hewlett were going for, it certainly paid off because no other beach sounds appealing after a visit to Plastic Beach.