Yeah, a little late, I realize, but I've been sick so if you could all give me a break that'd be great...
On the bright side, I've got a great album for ya'll (expect a little more slang this week).
I certainly wasn't expecting The Ecstatic, the mighty Mos Def's fourth album (fifth if you include Black Star w/ Talib Kweli), to be any good. Why? Well, mostly because he hasn't released anything worth hearing in a decade. Yes, actually a decade -- this isn't me exaggerating to make a point:
- 1998: Black Star (with Talib Kweli)
- 1999: Black on Both Sides
- 2004: The New Danger
- 2006: True Magic
- 2009: The Ecstatic
The thing that I always wonder, is that after someone has a certain degree of success - as Mos had with Black Star, Black on Both Sides, and the pile of guest spots he did on other albums - whether they have the motivation and/or inspiration to do anything worthwhile. I mean, when was the last time someone's 7th album was better than their 2nd or 3rd? Usually, people get complacent, things get formulaic, and artists tend to avoid rocking the boat. And Mos' had a pretty successful movie career over the last 5-6 years, so, what does the guy have to prove?
Well, it seems like he wanted to prove that he's not some Hollywood-douche-actor. The Malcolm X quote at the outset of the album on "Supermagic", and the deep, ominous sounding tuba that drives the beat on on the second track "Twilight Speedball", set the tone for the album so by the time the ruler, Slick Rick, makes his guest appearance on the third track "Auditorium" it's been established that not only is Mos going to try, but that he may be as 'on' as the 25 year old Mos who gave us the classic Black on Both Sides.
The Ecstatic isn't going to be that iconic, in this music landscape those kind of albums basically don't exist, but it's very good. It's probably too experimental to cross over and gain Mos a whole lot of new fans (rapping in Spanish on "No Hay Nada Mas" doesn't exactly make me think I'm gonna be hearing anything of this album in da klub), but if you ever found yourself missing Mos Def... he's back.
Pitchfork has a good review.
Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: Ohbijou (Swift Feet for Troubling Times)
Pick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands
Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley
Pick of the Week #10: Alela Diane
Pick of the Week #11: K'naan
Pick of the Week #12: TOR/Sufjan Stevens
Pick of the Week #13: Timber Timbre
Pick of the Week #14: Justis
Pick of the Week #15: Hibiscus & Rosehips Compilation
Pick of the Week #16: Patrick Watson
Pick of the Week #17: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
Pick of the Week #18: The Liptonians
Pick of the Week #19: Sunparlour Players
Pick of the Week #20: Black Hat Brigade
Pick of the Week #21: Howie Beck
Pick of the Week #22: Pink Mountaintops
Pick of the Week #23: Still Life Still
Pick of the Week #24: Hayden
Pick of the Week #25: Snailhouse
Pick of the Week #26: Dog Day
Pick of the Week #27: Ohbijou (Beacons)
Pick of the Week #28: Dog is Blue
Pick of the Week #29: Parkas
Pick of the Week #30: The Wooden Sky
Pick of the Week #31: Bowerbirds
Pick of the Week #32: Miss Maya
Pick of the Week #33: Ben Folds Presents ...
Pick of the Week #34: Mantis
Pick of the Week #35: Diamond Rings
Pick of the Week #36: The Wilderness of Manitoba
Pick of the Week #37: Asher Roth
Pick of the Week #38: Julie Doiron
Pick of the Week #39: Chad VanGaalen
Pick of the Week #40: That's the Spirit
Pick of the Week #41: The Ghost is Dancing
Pick of the Week #42: Dan Mangan
Pick of the Week #43: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Pick of the Week #44: Said the Whale
Pick of the Week #45: Noah and the Whale
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment