Blackalicious

Cosmic Analog Ensemble, “Pourparlers”

Set everything else aside: listen to how good this song sounds. Just the quality of the recording, the way the instruments sound, the space between them. It sounds amazing, just incredibly appealing.

Blackalicious, “Jada’s Vengeance”

This is from a label sampler, Quannum Spectrum, featuring the likes of Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, Latryx, and Mack B. Dogg. Uh, I guess if you list everybody, it’s not “the likes of”. Anyway, good lineup of artists, so this is a fun little comp. Discogs tells me it’s a promo release, so I have no idea if it’s even findable.

Blackalicious, “World of Vibrations”

It wasn’t clear if there would be a follow-up to the masterful Blazing Arrow, but three years later, The Craft showed up. And while it’s not quite as good, that’s an unreasonable expectation. It’s an excellent record, Gift of Gab was a master, and the beats are urgent enough to provide a strong platform and not disappear.

Caspar Babypants, “Cotton Eyed Joe”

I think last time we had the Presidents of the United States of America on here, I mentioned that Chris Ballew was occupying himself with making kids’ records under the moniker Caspar Babypants. Well, here he is, and it’s a testament to his basic affability and deft hand with a tune that he managed to turn the curdled anthem of canned baseball stadium antics from a rancid abomination to a totally pleasant listen.

Buildings, “Smell the Pool”

I really kind of tend to think of noise rock as mostly a 90s thing, with it kind of falling out of fashion after that point. But, of course, it’s alive and well, and bands like yesterday’s Pile and today’s Buildings are showing that there’s plenty of excellent stuff being made. I miss you, Amphetamine Reptile, but there are plenty of bands keeping the sound alive.

Crudbump, “My Dick’s On The Phone [Explicit]”

I don’t normally include the “[Explicit]” tags on songs, but I think you all need that warning when we’re facing something as nasty as Crudbump.

Has-Lo, “Got My Mind”

This is from Has-Lo’s tribute to Prince Paul, The Paul Tape, an instrumental record in the style of the legendary producer. And if anybody hasn’t encountered it yet, Open Mike Eagle’s podcast, What Had Happened Was, is tremendous and has an entire season with Prince Paul.

Blue Scholars, “Cornerstone”

The lead-in to the The Long March EP, this really tells you what to expect on this record. And, honestly, this is an extremely generous EP - 9 tracks, 35 minutes, that’s plenty of material for a full LP.

Blackalicious, “On Fire Tonight”

Aw, hell yeah, hip hop day! This comes to us from Imani, Vol. 1, released in 2015 after a 10 year break between records. Alas, there is no Vol. 2 (yet?). There’s actually some similarity in approach between Blackalicious and Blue Scholars, with both broadly approaching hip hop from a sort of modernized throwback stance, if that makes any sense. [reads what I wrote] It does not make sense.

Sumerlands, “Blind”

We’ve talked around here a lot (well, I talked…typed…whatever) about metal’s many genres. One thing that these genres can do is result in pigeonholing your listening too much. So, I periodically sample from genres that I’m not big on. Usually it doesn’t work! This album was one of those experiments, where I decided to go for a modern heavy metal record. It doesn’t really do much for me. Oh well!

Great set today!

Hüsker Dü, “Somewhere”

One of the greatest bands of the 80s rock underground, Hüsker Dü took a big leap forward with this album, the sprawling double album Zen Arcade. They went from a (great) hardcore band to a band that explored the limits of what hardcore was capable of. Along with their contemporaries and label mates the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü seemed capable of just about anything. By refusing to be constrained in any one style, Hüsker Dü inspired countless future bands to keep exploring and keep moving rock forward. Zen Arcade is one of the key albums in understanding the evolution of the American rock underground.

Today’s set is a real barn burner.

Art Brut, “People In Love”

This song, from It’s a Bit Complicated, is a solid encapsulation of Art Brut’s unique brilliance. Art Brut only makes sense to someone that has consumed a ton of pop and rock, and internalized all the cliches from them. If you’re that person, Art Brut’s send ups of all that stuff will just hit squarely.

Blackalicious, “The Fabulous Ones”

We’ve had Gift of Gab as a solo artist, but here he is on the breakthrough Blackalicious LP, Nia. From the lush, jazzy beats to the incredible rhymes, Blackalicious immediately became one of the highlights of hip-hop. This record still sounds fresh, 18 years later (OH GOD I’M OLD), and it and the follow-up Blazing Arrow are one of the strongest one-two punches of any rap act ever.