Seiichi Yamamoto & Fushigi Robot - Mind Game OST (2004)

It wasn't too long ago I saw this movie. It was something I had kept aside for a rainy day I suppose, as I looked in my collection only to find this title that was totally obscured to me. Immediately I fell in love; it was a touching, bold, and brilliantly charming work about, in as plain of words as I can find, the experience of life. The animation was carefully experimental, shifting between normal anime styles into rotoscoping of the actors faces onto their characters faces and bright segments of action and art, the characters themselves were defined and likable in their idiosyncrasies, and, what brings us here, the music cast a brilliant mood and even within itself was quite likable. Because of this I went out searching, only to find out that, not only did I already have the soundtrack (not listened to yet), but it's likely why I found the film. And that's all because of one of the names in the title.

Co-founder and seminal member of Boredoms, Seiichi Yamamoto has left footprints of himself all around Japan's numerous music scenes, which is evident by taking a look at his dizzying discography. Even with his wide range of acts, there are several attributes that seem to follow him: lucid, surrealistic music, a significant focus on percussion, abnormal instrumentation. Seeing as that doesn't change here, any fan of the Boredoms or Rovo or Omoide Hatoba or any other Japanese band it seems my find a treat in this (I can even recall saying at one point that the music sounded very much like something Seiichi would do).

It starts with a spastic drum track brilliantly titled "Startin'" which abruptly cuts out into a charming synth piece before finally hitting the poppy, arabesque main theme. Among these is the theme... rapidly changing moods and themes. Among charming pop numbers like the title track or Atarashii Hito (not performed by Seiichi Yamamoto) are janky anti-pop pieces like No Chaser or Big Unit and ambient pieces and drum pieces and jazz pieces and even a nice sort of mash-up classical arrangement by frequent anime composer Yoko Kanno. It's a dizzy collection within itself, but carefully eclectic. There's a steady charm within it, and even without the movie there seems to be a story sliding throughout the moods.

But I definitely recommend the movie.

Try it

Buy it... please tell me if you find a place

Buy the movie

A Roundup of Things I've Listened to Lately

Next to last post for me on LPC. I guess I'll see how this goes.



Washed Out - Within and Without (2011)

Ernest Greene, arguably the first real member of the chillwave genre, outdoes himself with this record. Hard to beat fantastic cuts like Soft and A Dedication.

Try it
Buy it



Lil B - I'm Gay (I'm Happy) (2011)

This album exists. Thank you Based God.



The Beach Boys - Sunflower (1970)

It's a shame that I hadn't listened to this very much before the last week. Typical outstanding stuff.

I think this works
Just buy it



WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (2011)

You might not like the vocals, but they completely fit the music and this could end up being one of the best albums of the year.

Try it
Buy it



Eric Copeland - Waco Taco Combo (2011)

How surprising that the leader of one of the most overlooked bands of the 2000s creates another solid album that's going to be overlooked. Great sampling work at hand on this album and the 17-minute long Spangled ends up being worth it in the end.

Try it
Buy it

Thanks for reading. One more day for me.

Lil B - I'm Gay (2011)

When I reviewed Lil B's Illusions of Grandeur mixtape earlier in the year, my aim was to open people's eyes and ears to the other side of Lil B as an artist. By now, most hip-hop heads and most music fans who know how to use the internet are familiar with the Based God and his antics, which involve the consumption of Wonton Soup in conjunction with having his way with your bitch. If this was Lil B's ploy to make a name for himself then it certainly worked. However, it also resulted in his more serious projects being overshadowed. There's nothing wrong with a bit of infamy, but when your best work is often overlooked then you have to re-think your strategy, which is exactly what Lil B did with I'm Gay.

I won't go into detail about the album title, because this is a review about the music. But needless to say, Lil B was adequately aware that naming his album I'm Gay would attract plenty of attention, which would result in listeners, which would ultimately result in word getting around that the based god really is a serious artist. Lil B's aim as an artist has always been to let listeners hear the real him, how he feels about the world, how he thinks and how he acts, which is why he and many of his fans often refer to him as 'The realest person doing it'. And in just 44 minutes, Lil B sounds more convincingly real than he ever has before.

Opening track 'Trapped in Prison' does what every opening track on a good album should do- set the tone and feel of the album. A song about dealing with racism, Lil B's confidence in himself is evident from the opening minute. "It’s more than Martin Luther King fighting for a dream; Watch me go against everything you believe". Punchlines are not lost on him either. "I'm nicer than grandma with a cup of iced tea; You see me I got ice like Ice T". Where Lil B really shines the most is when he's talking positive. On 'Gon Be Okay' he says "I'mma ask how you doing today; we gonna win somehow, someway". On 'I Hate Myself', a story about his struggles growing up and wanting to let go of the past in order to be happy, Lil B closes the song by saying "Don't think too hard, free your mind" after reflecting on some of the things he's seen growing up in the hood and how it made him feel. While that may seem like a tired subject in the realm of rap, it works when told in such a direct, no-nonsense manner.

The highlight of I'm Gay is without question the production. The album album sounds raw yet soulful, with a wide variety of well-executed samples, including Slowdive on 'Open Thunder Eternal Slumber', Goo Goo Dolls on 'I Hate Myself', and my personal favorite, a simply terrific sample of Gerard McMann's 'Cry Little Sister' on 'Unchain Me'.

I'm Gay has no guest features, it's just based god on all 12 tracks and no one else. Production-wise this is not an issue. As far as Lil B's rapping is concerned, this can be a major issue for some listeners. Firstly, Lil B can rap when he wants to. I'm Gay is not exactly the prime showcase of his rapping abilities. His style is notable for his unconventional (and sometimes non-existent) rhyme schemes, coupled with a slow flow that is often inconsistent and lazy sounding. Understandably this can be an issue for listeners, especially ones who aren't used to Lil B and his style. I tend to enjoy his style simply because of how convincing he is as a storyteller. The lyrics on this album are great and while he may not spit them in the most appealing way, he still tells his stories well, which is what really sells it for me. And while I wouldn't mind hearing these stories in a more conventional manner, something about the way that they're delivered in Lil B's uniquely odd style makes them all the more real.

Buy it

Wiki

Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)

As a fan of noise and black metal and all sorts of other ugly musics, I've had to discuss the idea of value in aggressive music and the use of screaming and destructive melodies fairly frequently. Occasionally it's something as simple as "happiness or pleasure isn't derived directly from something that makes you feel cheery" which is simple enough to accept I think. Occasionally I'll have to bring up Schoenberg's sprechstimme and the idea of jilted dynamics and vocals to heighten the atmosphere and expression of a piece, which works itself into a circle when they insist on pure entertainment and such. All that aside however, there is a certain appreciation that is to be had in a very primal anger in music, like Salo to cinema, and an idea that it's something that must be done for the full spectrum of art.

And here rests a great example. From the takeoff, we're treated to a brief sample of an interview than none other than criminal and musician Charles Manson, leading into a thick heavy beat with a pointed grunt accompanied with a yell claiming this lead vocalist is the terrible beast he worships, later expanding discussing how he's not afraid of "the time he's taken past the point of no return" and that one should "wage war" as there is no hell and no worries for the future and such. Aside from the subject matter itself, the lyrics are incredibly poetic and theatrical. It evokes powerful imagery with ease, casually shouting down the powers of the earth and painting all the "evils of man".

The rest of the album follows in roughly the same path with some minor changes. Guillotine moves more slowly, with a thick low end beat settling as a sort of sludge underneath more angry vocals. Culture Shock has a more glitchy beat with a smooth subtle vocalist. Blood Creepin has some sort of tribal yell to transition into the first verse. But through every change, this album keeps its intensity and vileness.

At the very least, you're unlikely to hear much like this. You can get the same sort of angry vocals in something like Kill the Vultures, but that's generally much more lethargic. You could get the noise and destruction and, i suppose, wordiness, in something like dalek, but while that is sharp and, in certain respects, promotes human, this is thick and spiteful. While I was showing this around, one listener could only remark "I'm breathing heavy and stuff". Regardless of whether or not you find entertainment in this, very few can hit the atmosphere of this tape, and of everything released this year, this demands a listen more than anything.

and it's free

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome (2011)

When an album takes five years to make, you have to wonder if it's gonna be worth the wait. Well thankfully this is. In traditional Danger Mouse fashion, Rome is a nice genre-blending record that's engaging and of course, well-produced, incorporating elements of alt. rock, folk and chamber pop. The recurring theme of this record is spaghetti western films, and it comes across well in the record, as this could very well be the soundtrack to a modern western film. In addition to all this, Jack White and Norah Jones supply terrific vocals to some of the tracks. At 35 minutes, this album is short, sweet and a definite front-runner for AOTY. Highlights of the album for me were 'Season's Trees', 'Roman Blue' and 'Her Hollow Days'.

Buy it

Wiki

VIRUS - The Agent That Shapes The Desert

Brief apology for the downtime. We aren't dead yet.

First of all, I love Ved Buens Ende. Written In Waters is easily a top ten album, and if there's one band that upsets me more than any other for a lack of output... well that's a debate but they are up there. Because of this, my relationship with VIRUS, czral's creation after VBE, an admitted departure from their sound, is a bit wish-washy. But even with the slight departure and coincidentally, my slight disappointment, I can't stay mad. Abandoning the slight black metal tinge of VBE, VIRUS becomes the janky post-punk/progressive sound that countered it expanded into it's own, previously shown on 2003's Carheart and 2008's The Black Flux.

If you've heard those, this isn't much different. It's an avantgarde rock sound somewhere inbetween Vivoid and The Pop Group with the same sort of funky groove as Talking Heads or Discipline-era King Crimson. The atmosphere is otherworldly as the guitars twinge out in the ether while Czral croons his surreal lyrics over the top of jazzy, syncopated drum patterns. It's another one of those dissonant, janky albums that still manages to be overly catchy and "poppy".

download

buy

Madeon

It's 2:30am, and all I can think about is "Wow, this kid is fucking amazing". This is not an album review, or even a track review. This is just a rant, a preach, a lecture if you will. What this kid is doing for the Electro House world is superb, and at the age of 17 Madeon is taking the dance world by storm. Not too much is known about him, or what he is going to be doing. But I can say that I am excited as hell. I mean, if this kid can take such a terrible, horrible, shitty wreck of a song like "Raise Your Weapon" by Deadmau5 and turn it into a work of art, there is a lot to look forward to. Do yourself a favor and start listening to his work, you won't regret it.

Listen
LISTEN
LISTEN!!!!