Desert Island Music Album Draft 2013 - draft complete
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Hey all.
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Raekwon. 1995.
My teenage obsession with rap music created a strong desire to live in New York City. Fortunately, US immigration laws are friendly to Australian's with a degree. Unfortunately, professional accreditation requirements for the US favour those with US based qualifications... Am still interested in living in NY but such desire has nothing to do with rap.... Anyway have gone off topic...
Raekwon is a champ. To listen to Wu Tang as a teenager in Aus was to rebel against all that was provided and inherited.
Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Built_4_Cuban_Linx...
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Raekwon. 1995.
My teenage obsession with rap music created a strong desire to live in New York City. Fortunately, US immigration laws are friendly to Australian's with a degree. Unfortunately, professional accreditation requirements for the US favour those with US based qualifications... Am still interested in living in NY but such desire has nothing to do with rap.... Anyway have gone off topic...
Raekwon is a champ. To listen to Wu Tang as a teenager in Aus was to rebel against all that was provided and inherited.
Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Built_4_Cuban_Linx...
For my 21st pick of the draft, I pick my favorite album from one of my favorite rock vocalist of all time. Though not the one of the best voices out there, I find his voice unique and perfectly fits his songs, which are awesome. This album also features one of the best guitarists that time, Randy Rhoads(RIP). Although a lot of controversy surrounded this album, it remains as the best Ozzy album to date, at least for me.
Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne (1981)
WIKI
Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne (1981)
WIKI
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So one good cover deserves another. Besides the radio hit on my previous pick, my favorite cover has to be on this debut album. Solid guitar work from track 1-11, and classic attitude rock to pump up any dull island afternoon. I do not have any particular nostalgia for this pick, but my listening library would be a bit more drab without this album. With my 21st selection, I choose:
Van Halen - Van Halen - 1978
Track List:
Side One:
1. Runnin' With the Devil - 3:36
2. Eruption - 1:43
3. You Really Got Me - 2:38
4. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love - 3:50
5. I'm the One - 3:47
Side Two:
1. Jamie's Cryin - 3:31
2. Atomic Punk - 3:02
3. Feel Your Love Tonight - 3:43
4. Little Dreamer - 3:23
5. Ice Cream Man - 3:20
6. On Fire - 3:01
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)
Van Halen - Van Halen - 1978
Track List:
Side One:
1. Runnin' With the Devil - 3:36
2. Eruption - 1:43
3. You Really Got Me - 2:38
4. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love - 3:50
5. I'm the One - 3:47
Side Two:
1. Jamie's Cryin - 3:31
2. Atomic Punk - 3:02
3. Feel Your Love Tonight - 3:43
4. Little Dreamer - 3:23
5. Ice Cream Man - 3:20
6. On Fire - 3:01
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)
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So one good cover deserves another. Besides the radio hit on my previous pick, my favorite cover has to be on this debut album. Solid guitar work from track 1-11, and classic attitude rock to pump up any dull island afternoon. I do not have any particular nostalgia for this pick, but my listening library would be a bit more drab without this album. With my 21st selection, I choose:
Van Halen - Van Halen - 1978
Track List:
Side One:
1. Runnin' With the Devil - 3:36
2. Eruption - 1:43
3. You Really Got Me - 2:38
4. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love - 3:50
5. I'm the One - 3:47
Side Two:
1. Jamie's Cryin - 3:31
2. Atomic Punk - 3:02
3. Feel Your Love Tonight - 3:43
4. Little Dreamer - 3:23
5. Ice Cream Man - 3:20
6. On Fire - 3:01
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)
Van Halen - Van Halen - 1978
Track List:
Side One:
1. Runnin' With the Devil - 3:36
2. Eruption - 1:43
3. You Really Got Me - 2:38
4. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love - 3:50
5. I'm the One - 3:47
Side Two:
1. Jamie's Cryin - 3:31
2. Atomic Punk - 3:02
3. Feel Your Love Tonight - 3:43
4. Little Dreamer - 3:23
5. Ice Cream Man - 3:20
6. On Fire - 3:01
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)
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For my next pick I am going with one of rock'n'roll's first double albums from that trippy hippy elf himself:
Donovan - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden - 1967
I am a big fan of Donovan and this is my favorite album he put out. It isn't a lot of songs people would recognize, but it is totally awesome. Light and breezy, trippy fun music. Reminds me a spring time somehow. This album has A LOT of songs (22) and some of the highlights for me are "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", "Mad John's Escape", "Oh Gosh", "The Tinker and The Crab" and so many more. Check this one out, it's groovy!
Donovan - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden - 1967
I am a big fan of Donovan and this is my favorite album he put out. It isn't a lot of songs people would recognize, but it is totally awesome. Light and breezy, trippy fun music. Reminds me a spring time somehow. This album has A LOT of songs (22) and some of the highlights for me are "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", "Mad John's Escape", "Oh Gosh", "The Tinker and The Crab" and so many more. Check this one out, it's groovy!
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with the ninth pick in the twenty-first round of the 2013 Desert Island Music Draft, i select...
Astronautalis - This is Our Science (09/13/11):
01 The River, the Woods
02 This Is Our Science (feat. Isaiah Toothtaker and P.O.S.)
03 Thomas Jefferson (feat. Sims and Mike Wiebe)
04 Measure the Globe
05 Dimitri Mendeleev
06 Midday Moon
07 Contrails (feat. Tegan Quin)
08 Holy Water
09 Secrets On Our Lips
10 Lift the Curse
11 One For the Money
Genre: indie hip hop, historical fiction hip hop, indie rock, folk rock, blues, country
here is my 2011 review of This is Our Science:
How does one begin to describe Charles Andrew Bothwell? He's Andy to his friends and Astronautalis to his fans. I can only speculate about how his mother refers to him. As far as I'm concerned, though, Astro is some kinda alternate universe's amalgamation of Tom Waits, Eminem, and Johnny Cash. He's a wordsmith and a storyteller crafting songs in a long-winded tradition of American storytelling, and his new album, This Is Our Science, represents the absolute peak of his body of work to this point.
Opening salvo "The River, the Woods" wastes no time in carrying Astronautalis' whiskey-addled voice along a rusty-*** railroad track, as he begins, "Wherever we go, we'll never be lost." It's an explosive, beat-driven song full of all sorts of feverish hi-hat f***ery. Every element, from the keys to the drums to the backing chorus of whoa-oh's, propel the rasp in Bothwell's voice forward in an almost-jarringly aggressive manner. It's effective, as his shotgun blast of verses build upon each other with a snarl, "An anchor’s just a coffin nail, waiting for the hammer drop." The concerns of "The River, the Woods" also serve as the lyrical backdrop for the entirety of This Is Our Science. Astronautalis is no longer crafting the tales of others. He's considering his own story in full, which includes seven years of life lived on the road, without an anchor. Second track "This Is Our Science" doesn't let up on the urgency, either: "We chase lightning, 'cause we need to move." It's exemplary of just how well Astronautalis has honed the craft of merging roots rock with hip hop's lyrical and rhythmic structures.
Lead single "Dimitri Mendeleev" represents the catchiest moment on This Is Our Science. It opens with it's chorus, which I dare you to keep out of your head after you actually pin down its lyrics: "I dreamed up the maps. Give me the charcoal and the paper now. We invent paths they cannot see, and they're to scared to walk. Between my hands rest fifty-two plain old playing cards, and I trapped God somewhere between trump and the king of hearts." Location, direction, and movement reign supreme in This Is Our Science. As do drums. They are, in a word, BIG. In the song's first verse, Bothwell brings new listeners up to date: "I'm made of mountains, made of metal, made of whiskey and waves," then he shifts into spitfire mode in the second verse, drawing potential comparisons to Eminem, while also dwarfing Em's most classic examples of incomparable flow in combination with lyrical dexterity: "It's strange how you can waste away, pained with one thing. The watchmaker breaks sweat, he can't tame a dumb spring. Then one day it's as plain as the nose above your smug grin, like, look what the cat dragged in." It's a pleasure to listen to Astronautalis trading barbs with a snare drum.
Tegan Quin (of indie darlings Tegan and Sara) makes an appearance on "Contrails," which sees Astronautalis blending his rootsy hip hop leanings with a more streamlined indie rock approach. Elsewhere, on "Holy Water," Astro channels his inner baptist preacher, if that baptist preacher was Tom Waits on the back-end of a bender. It's some real bible-thumping, lost-inside-a-persona s***: "Well, one drank up the holy water, hoping for the light, while another slipped a sewing bodkin right inside his eye." And the drums are absolutely enormous, as if to match the fire-and-brimstone quality of the lyrics. This song is vicious. Where the whoa-oh's in "The River, the Woods" lent the song an epic, urgent quality, the whoa-oh's (and accompanying tambourine) in "Holy Water" imbue the song with a congregation's worth of fierce affirmation.
On "Secrets On Our Lips," Bothwell engages in some hip hop balladry. It's a gentle song that opens on a softly-bouncing synth, as Bothwell tackles a regret: "We can't go on like this." The verses float between the keys of some rather Elton John-esque piano jabs, while Bothwell's lyrics betray the complicated nature of balancing love and lust: "We work in secret under cover of darkness, hands steadied by the weight of our lie. With broke branches, codes, and chalk markings, I'll leave a trail only you can find." Astronautalis returns to those notions of direction and movement. Despite the tenderness at the song's center, the drums are still absolutely MASSIVE, as they are on most of This Is Our Science. It's some stadium-ready s***. The fact that these songs will likely be played primarily in dive venues makes it even more colossal.
As affecting as "Secrets On Our Lips" may be, more effective is penultimate track, "Lift the Curse," one of the most glorious songs Astronautalis has ever composed. It opens with understated strings, quiet plinks of the piano, and skittering hi-hats, as Bothwell laments, "Everyone who's drinking, is already drunk or sleeping. Everyone who isn't, is just too political to talk to." It's an unapologetic pub anthem: "Another summer evening, and the city's barely breathing. It just ain't the same, just ain't the same without you." An acoustic guitar and a programmed bass drum interjects, as this barstool yarn slowly pulls the listener in closer to its sobering whiskey breath.
Despite the melancholy, "Lift the Curse" eventually builds to a resilient declaration: "I'll keep singing y'all these spirituals, and pray it lifts the curse that keeps me chasing ghosts of dreams from funerals to birth, in reverse." Few tracks from 2011 will manage to reach the heights of the uproarious, unpretentious crescendo that follows, and ultimately, it lifts This Is Our Science to a final note of triumph, slamming the bottle against a brick wall and echoing an authentic sense of victory back through the entirety of the album. It's the concert closer. Without question. No encore, please. Except for the 10-second outro to the album, "One For the Money," which serves as an epilogue of sorts. Bothwell pitch shifts his voice into an unrecognizable rumble, as he admits, "What a helluva way to make a living." I believe it, man. And what a helluva way to spend forty minutes.
Astronautalis - This is Our Science (09/13/11):
01 The River, the Woods
02 This Is Our Science (feat. Isaiah Toothtaker and P.O.S.)
03 Thomas Jefferson (feat. Sims and Mike Wiebe)
04 Measure the Globe
05 Dimitri Mendeleev
06 Midday Moon
07 Contrails (feat. Tegan Quin)
08 Holy Water
09 Secrets On Our Lips
10 Lift the Curse
11 One For the Money
Genre: indie hip hop, historical fiction hip hop, indie rock, folk rock, blues, country
here is my 2011 review of This is Our Science:
How does one begin to describe Charles Andrew Bothwell? He's Andy to his friends and Astronautalis to his fans. I can only speculate about how his mother refers to him. As far as I'm concerned, though, Astro is some kinda alternate universe's amalgamation of Tom Waits, Eminem, and Johnny Cash. He's a wordsmith and a storyteller crafting songs in a long-winded tradition of American storytelling, and his new album, This Is Our Science, represents the absolute peak of his body of work to this point.
Opening salvo "The River, the Woods" wastes no time in carrying Astronautalis' whiskey-addled voice along a rusty-*** railroad track, as he begins, "Wherever we go, we'll never be lost." It's an explosive, beat-driven song full of all sorts of feverish hi-hat f***ery. Every element, from the keys to the drums to the backing chorus of whoa-oh's, propel the rasp in Bothwell's voice forward in an almost-jarringly aggressive manner. It's effective, as his shotgun blast of verses build upon each other with a snarl, "An anchor’s just a coffin nail, waiting for the hammer drop." The concerns of "The River, the Woods" also serve as the lyrical backdrop for the entirety of This Is Our Science. Astronautalis is no longer crafting the tales of others. He's considering his own story in full, which includes seven years of life lived on the road, without an anchor. Second track "This Is Our Science" doesn't let up on the urgency, either: "We chase lightning, 'cause we need to move." It's exemplary of just how well Astronautalis has honed the craft of merging roots rock with hip hop's lyrical and rhythmic structures.
Lead single "Dimitri Mendeleev" represents the catchiest moment on This Is Our Science. It opens with it's chorus, which I dare you to keep out of your head after you actually pin down its lyrics: "I dreamed up the maps. Give me the charcoal and the paper now. We invent paths they cannot see, and they're to scared to walk. Between my hands rest fifty-two plain old playing cards, and I trapped God somewhere between trump and the king of hearts." Location, direction, and movement reign supreme in This Is Our Science. As do drums. They are, in a word, BIG. In the song's first verse, Bothwell brings new listeners up to date: "I'm made of mountains, made of metal, made of whiskey and waves," then he shifts into spitfire mode in the second verse, drawing potential comparisons to Eminem, while also dwarfing Em's most classic examples of incomparable flow in combination with lyrical dexterity: "It's strange how you can waste away, pained with one thing. The watchmaker breaks sweat, he can't tame a dumb spring. Then one day it's as plain as the nose above your smug grin, like, look what the cat dragged in." It's a pleasure to listen to Astronautalis trading barbs with a snare drum.
Tegan Quin (of indie darlings Tegan and Sara) makes an appearance on "Contrails," which sees Astronautalis blending his rootsy hip hop leanings with a more streamlined indie rock approach. Elsewhere, on "Holy Water," Astro channels his inner baptist preacher, if that baptist preacher was Tom Waits on the back-end of a bender. It's some real bible-thumping, lost-inside-a-persona s***: "Well, one drank up the holy water, hoping for the light, while another slipped a sewing bodkin right inside his eye." And the drums are absolutely enormous, as if to match the fire-and-brimstone quality of the lyrics. This song is vicious. Where the whoa-oh's in "The River, the Woods" lent the song an epic, urgent quality, the whoa-oh's (and accompanying tambourine) in "Holy Water" imbue the song with a congregation's worth of fierce affirmation.
On "Secrets On Our Lips," Bothwell engages in some hip hop balladry. It's a gentle song that opens on a softly-bouncing synth, as Bothwell tackles a regret: "We can't go on like this." The verses float between the keys of some rather Elton John-esque piano jabs, while Bothwell's lyrics betray the complicated nature of balancing love and lust: "We work in secret under cover of darkness, hands steadied by the weight of our lie. With broke branches, codes, and chalk markings, I'll leave a trail only you can find." Astronautalis returns to those notions of direction and movement. Despite the tenderness at the song's center, the drums are still absolutely MASSIVE, as they are on most of This Is Our Science. It's some stadium-ready s***. The fact that these songs will likely be played primarily in dive venues makes it even more colossal.
As affecting as "Secrets On Our Lips" may be, more effective is penultimate track, "Lift the Curse," one of the most glorious songs Astronautalis has ever composed. It opens with understated strings, quiet plinks of the piano, and skittering hi-hats, as Bothwell laments, "Everyone who's drinking, is already drunk or sleeping. Everyone who isn't, is just too political to talk to." It's an unapologetic pub anthem: "Another summer evening, and the city's barely breathing. It just ain't the same, just ain't the same without you." An acoustic guitar and a programmed bass drum interjects, as this barstool yarn slowly pulls the listener in closer to its sobering whiskey breath.
Despite the melancholy, "Lift the Curse" eventually builds to a resilient declaration: "I'll keep singing y'all these spirituals, and pray it lifts the curse that keeps me chasing ghosts of dreams from funerals to birth, in reverse." Few tracks from 2011 will manage to reach the heights of the uproarious, unpretentious crescendo that follows, and ultimately, it lifts This Is Our Science to a final note of triumph, slamming the bottle against a brick wall and echoing an authentic sense of victory back through the entirety of the album. It's the concert closer. Without question. No encore, please. Except for the 10-second outro to the album, "One For the Money," which serves as an epilogue of sorts. Bothwell pitch shifts his voice into an unrecognizable rumble, as he admits, "What a helluva way to make a living." I believe it, man. And what a helluva way to spend forty minutes.
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Where on earth to you get the time to write up a novela for each pick? I wish i had that kinda time...
with the ninth pick in the twenty-first round of the 2013 Desert Island Music Draft, i select...
Astronautalis - This is Our Science (09/13/11):
01 The River, the Woods
02 This Is Our Science (feat. Isaiah Toothtaker and P.O.S.)
03 Thomas Jefferson (feat. Sims and Mike Wiebe)
04 Measure the Globe
05 Dimitri Mendeleev
06 Midday Moon
07 Contrails (feat. Tegan Quin)
08 Holy Water
09 Secrets On Our Lips
10 Lift the Curse
11 One For the Money
Genre: indie hip hop, historical fiction hip hop, indie rock, folk rock, blues, country
here is my 2011 review of This is Our Science:
How does one begin to describe Charles Andrew Bothwell? He's Andy to his friends and Astronautalis to his fans. I can only speculate about how his mother refers to him. As far as I'm concerned, though, Astro is some kinda alternate universe's amalgamation of Tom Waits, Eminem, and Johnny Cash. He's a wordsmith and a storyteller crafting songs in a long-winded tradition of American storytelling, and his new album, This Is Our Science, represents the absolute peak of his body of work to this point.
Opening salvo "The River, the Woods" wastes no time in carrying Astronautalis' whiskey-addled voice along a rusty-*** railroad track, as he begins, "Wherever we go, we'll never be lost." It's an explosive, beat-driven song full of all sorts of feverish hi-hat f***ery. Every element, from the keys to the drums to the backing chorus of whoa-oh's, propel the rasp in Bothwell's voice forward in an almost-jarringly aggressive manner. It's effective, as his shotgun blast of verses build upon each other with a snarl, "An anchor’s just a coffin nail, waiting for the hammer drop." The concerns of "The River, the Woods" also serve as the lyrical backdrop for the entirety of This Is Our Science. Astronautalis is no longer crafting the tales of others. He's considering his own story in full, which includes seven years of life lived on the road, without an anchor. Second track "This Is Our Science" doesn't let up on the urgency, either: "We chase lightning, 'cause we need to move." It's exemplary of just how well Astronautalis has honed the craft of merging roots rock with hip hop's lyrical and rhythmic structures.
Lead single "Dimitri Mendeleev" represents the catchiest moment on This Is Our Science. It opens with it's chorus, which I dare you to keep out of your head after you actually pin down its lyrics: "I dreamed up the maps. Give me the charcoal and the paper now. We invent paths they cannot see, and they're to scared to walk. Between my hands rest fifty-two plain old playing cards, and I trapped God somewhere between trump and the king of hearts." Location, direction, and movement reign supreme in This Is Our Science. As do drums. They are, in a word, BIG. In the song's first verse, Bothwell brings new listeners up to date: "I'm made of mountains, made of metal, made of whiskey and waves," then he shifts into spitfire mode in the second verse, drawing potential comparisons to Eminem, while also dwarfing Em's most classic examples of incomparable flow in combination with lyrical dexterity: "It's strange how you can waste away, pained with one thing. The watchmaker breaks sweat, he can't tame a dumb spring. Then one day it's as plain as the nose above your smug grin, like, look what the cat dragged in." It's a pleasure to listen to Astronautalis trading barbs with a snare drum.
Tegan Quin (of indie darlings Tegan and Sara) makes an appearance on "Contrails," which sees Astronautalis blending his rootsy hip hop leanings with a more streamlined indie rock approach. Elsewhere, on "Holy Water," Astro channels his inner baptist preacher, if that baptist preacher was Tom Waits on the back-end of a bender. It's some real bible-thumping, lost-inside-a-persona s***: "Well, one drank up the holy water, hoping for the light, while another slipped a sewing bodkin right inside his eye." And the drums are absolutely enormous, as if to match the fire-and-brimstone quality of the lyrics. This song is vicious. Where the whoa-oh's in "The River, the Woods" lent the song an epic, urgent quality, the whoa-oh's (and accompanying tambourine) in "Holy Water" imbue the song with a congregation's worth of fierce affirmation.
On "Secrets On Our Lips," Bothwell engages in some hip hop balladry. It's a gentle song that opens on a softly-bouncing synth, as Bothwell tackles a regret: "We can't go on like this." The verses float between the keys of some rather Elton John-esque piano jabs, while Bothwell's lyrics betray the complicated nature of balancing love and lust: "We work in secret under cover of darkness, hands steadied by the weight of our lie. With broke branches, codes, and chalk markings, I'll leave a trail only you can find." Astronautalis returns to those notions of direction and movement. Despite the tenderness at the song's center, the drums are still absolutely MASSIVE, as they are on most of This Is Our Science. It's some stadium-ready s***. The fact that these songs will likely be played primarily in dive venues makes it even more colossal.
As affecting as "Secrets On Our Lips" may be, more effective is penultimate track, "Lift the Curse," one of the most glorious songs Astronautalis has ever composed. It opens with understated strings, quiet plinks of the piano, and skittering hi-hats, as Bothwell laments, "Everyone who's drinking, is already drunk or sleeping. Everyone who isn't, is just too political to talk to." It's an unapologetic pub anthem: "Another summer evening, and the city's barely breathing. It just ain't the same, just ain't the same without you." An acoustic guitar and a programmed bass drum interjects, as this barstool yarn slowly pulls the listener in closer to its sobering whiskey breath.
Despite the melancholy, "Lift the Curse" eventually builds to a resilient declaration: "I'll keep singing y'all these spirituals, and pray it lifts the curse that keeps me chasing ghosts of dreams from funerals to birth, in reverse." Few tracks from 2011 will manage to reach the heights of the uproarious, unpretentious crescendo that follows, and ultimately, it lifts This Is Our Science to a final note of triumph, slamming the bottle against a brick wall and echoing an authentic sense of victory back through the entirety of the album. It's the concert closer. Without question. No encore, please. Except for the 10-second outro to the album, "One For the Money," which serves as an epilogue of sorts. Bothwell pitch shifts his voice into an unrecognizable rumble, as he admits, "What a helluva way to make a living." I believe it, man. And what a helluva way to spend forty minutes.
Astronautalis - This is Our Science (09/13/11):
01 The River, the Woods
02 This Is Our Science (feat. Isaiah Toothtaker and P.O.S.)
03 Thomas Jefferson (feat. Sims and Mike Wiebe)
04 Measure the Globe
05 Dimitri Mendeleev
06 Midday Moon
07 Contrails (feat. Tegan Quin)
08 Holy Water
09 Secrets On Our Lips
10 Lift the Curse
11 One For the Money
Genre: indie hip hop, historical fiction hip hop, indie rock, folk rock, blues, country
here is my 2011 review of This is Our Science:
How does one begin to describe Charles Andrew Bothwell? He's Andy to his friends and Astronautalis to his fans. I can only speculate about how his mother refers to him. As far as I'm concerned, though, Astro is some kinda alternate universe's amalgamation of Tom Waits, Eminem, and Johnny Cash. He's a wordsmith and a storyteller crafting songs in a long-winded tradition of American storytelling, and his new album, This Is Our Science, represents the absolute peak of his body of work to this point.
Opening salvo "The River, the Woods" wastes no time in carrying Astronautalis' whiskey-addled voice along a rusty-*** railroad track, as he begins, "Wherever we go, we'll never be lost." It's an explosive, beat-driven song full of all sorts of feverish hi-hat f***ery. Every element, from the keys to the drums to the backing chorus of whoa-oh's, propel the rasp in Bothwell's voice forward in an almost-jarringly aggressive manner. It's effective, as his shotgun blast of verses build upon each other with a snarl, "An anchor’s just a coffin nail, waiting for the hammer drop." The concerns of "The River, the Woods" also serve as the lyrical backdrop for the entirety of This Is Our Science. Astronautalis is no longer crafting the tales of others. He's considering his own story in full, which includes seven years of life lived on the road, without an anchor. Second track "This Is Our Science" doesn't let up on the urgency, either: "We chase lightning, 'cause we need to move." It's exemplary of just how well Astronautalis has honed the craft of merging roots rock with hip hop's lyrical and rhythmic structures.
Lead single "Dimitri Mendeleev" represents the catchiest moment on This Is Our Science. It opens with it's chorus, which I dare you to keep out of your head after you actually pin down its lyrics: "I dreamed up the maps. Give me the charcoal and the paper now. We invent paths they cannot see, and they're to scared to walk. Between my hands rest fifty-two plain old playing cards, and I trapped God somewhere between trump and the king of hearts." Location, direction, and movement reign supreme in This Is Our Science. As do drums. They are, in a word, BIG. In the song's first verse, Bothwell brings new listeners up to date: "I'm made of mountains, made of metal, made of whiskey and waves," then he shifts into spitfire mode in the second verse, drawing potential comparisons to Eminem, while also dwarfing Em's most classic examples of incomparable flow in combination with lyrical dexterity: "It's strange how you can waste away, pained with one thing. The watchmaker breaks sweat, he can't tame a dumb spring. Then one day it's as plain as the nose above your smug grin, like, look what the cat dragged in." It's a pleasure to listen to Astronautalis trading barbs with a snare drum.
Tegan Quin (of indie darlings Tegan and Sara) makes an appearance on "Contrails," which sees Astronautalis blending his rootsy hip hop leanings with a more streamlined indie rock approach. Elsewhere, on "Holy Water," Astro channels his inner baptist preacher, if that baptist preacher was Tom Waits on the back-end of a bender. It's some real bible-thumping, lost-inside-a-persona s***: "Well, one drank up the holy water, hoping for the light, while another slipped a sewing bodkin right inside his eye." And the drums are absolutely enormous, as if to match the fire-and-brimstone quality of the lyrics. This song is vicious. Where the whoa-oh's in "The River, the Woods" lent the song an epic, urgent quality, the whoa-oh's (and accompanying tambourine) in "Holy Water" imbue the song with a congregation's worth of fierce affirmation.
On "Secrets On Our Lips," Bothwell engages in some hip hop balladry. It's a gentle song that opens on a softly-bouncing synth, as Bothwell tackles a regret: "We can't go on like this." The verses float between the keys of some rather Elton John-esque piano jabs, while Bothwell's lyrics betray the complicated nature of balancing love and lust: "We work in secret under cover of darkness, hands steadied by the weight of our lie. With broke branches, codes, and chalk markings, I'll leave a trail only you can find." Astronautalis returns to those notions of direction and movement. Despite the tenderness at the song's center, the drums are still absolutely MASSIVE, as they are on most of This Is Our Science. It's some stadium-ready s***. The fact that these songs will likely be played primarily in dive venues makes it even more colossal.
As affecting as "Secrets On Our Lips" may be, more effective is penultimate track, "Lift the Curse," one of the most glorious songs Astronautalis has ever composed. It opens with understated strings, quiet plinks of the piano, and skittering hi-hats, as Bothwell laments, "Everyone who's drinking, is already drunk or sleeping. Everyone who isn't, is just too political to talk to." It's an unapologetic pub anthem: "Another summer evening, and the city's barely breathing. It just ain't the same, just ain't the same without you." An acoustic guitar and a programmed bass drum interjects, as this barstool yarn slowly pulls the listener in closer to its sobering whiskey breath.
Despite the melancholy, "Lift the Curse" eventually builds to a resilient declaration: "I'll keep singing y'all these spirituals, and pray it lifts the curse that keeps me chasing ghosts of dreams from funerals to birth, in reverse." Few tracks from 2011 will manage to reach the heights of the uproarious, unpretentious crescendo that follows, and ultimately, it lifts This Is Our Science to a final note of triumph, slamming the bottle against a brick wall and echoing an authentic sense of victory back through the entirety of the album. It's the concert closer. Without question. No encore, please. Except for the 10-second outro to the album, "One For the Money," which serves as an epilogue of sorts. Bothwell pitch shifts his voice into an unrecognizable rumble, as he admits, "What a helluva way to make a living." I believe it, man. And what a helluva way to spend forty minutes.
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Well ironically after my initial list barely had enough on it to cover 20 picks, now after extensive CD/IPod reviews I need 30 picks at least to cover everything, even with a few of them going in the last few rounds. Given that crunch taking yet another punk(ish) album is in some ways kind of a wasted pick, but its another itch I have to scratch:
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace - The Offspring (2008)
Back when the draft was still 20 picks, I took Rancid with pick #17 despite having selected them in the last draft in part because I was looking for their mix of pure punk and ska punk, and didn't think in a 20 pick draft I'd have time for a pure ska album. Well, the album I swapped out to make that compromise was this one. I already had purer punk acts earlier in my draft, and I intentionally wanted something more poppy punky, and by the time The Offspring reached this, their 6th album, that's exactly where they were headed. Didn't bother me much, as I wasn't a huge fan of their original sound.
So with the draft pushed out to 25 picks, it would be hard to justify not slipping this one back in now matter how overstuffed my list is now. There are two songs on it that I don't think belong on a punk album, but not only does it have probably my favorite Offspring song You're Gonna Go Far Kid, but its stuffed full of big anthems behind the radio cuts and has enough hints of the old fury to keep it more respectable than the purebred pop punk acts. I don't mind the midtempo efforts and You're Gonna Go Far, Hammerhead, Let's Hear it For Rock Bottom, Rise and Fall, Takes Me Nowhere, Trust in You all work for me, and so ultimately does the album.
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace - The Offspring (2008)
Back when the draft was still 20 picks, I took Rancid with pick #17 despite having selected them in the last draft in part because I was looking for their mix of pure punk and ska punk, and didn't think in a 20 pick draft I'd have time for a pure ska album. Well, the album I swapped out to make that compromise was this one. I already had purer punk acts earlier in my draft, and I intentionally wanted something more poppy punky, and by the time The Offspring reached this, their 6th album, that's exactly where they were headed. Didn't bother me much, as I wasn't a huge fan of their original sound.
So with the draft pushed out to 25 picks, it would be hard to justify not slipping this one back in now matter how overstuffed my list is now. There are two songs on it that I don't think belong on a punk album, but not only does it have probably my favorite Offspring song You're Gonna Go Far Kid, but its stuffed full of big anthems behind the radio cuts and has enough hints of the old fury to keep it more respectable than the purebred pop punk acts. I don't mind the midtempo efforts and You're Gonna Go Far, Hammerhead, Let's Hear it For Rock Bottom, Rise and Fall, Takes Me Nowhere, Trust in You all work for me, and so ultimately does the album.
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With the three hundred thirty-first pick of the draft, Mr. Slim Citrus selects:
Boyz II Men, II (1994)
This is my second "Wild Card" pick. As such, I don't have any personal anecdotes to share about this album, other than it's one I really like.
II is the chart-topping second studio album by Boyz II Men, and their most successful. It debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200, holding the position for five weeks, and has been certified 12x Platinum. It spawned five singles, including the chart-topping I'll Make Love to You and On Bended Knee, both of which went platinum. In fact, the latter replaced the former as Number One on the Hot 100, making Boyz II Men only the third artist or group since Elvis Presley and The Beatles to replace themselves at Number One. The album also earned Boyz II Men two Grammy awards in 1995, including Best R&B Album (cite: Wikipedia).
EDIT - Since I don't really have any anecdotal information to explain my love for any of my "wild card" selections, I've decided to go ahead and list my three favorite tracks that weren't released as singles, to give you an idea of what moves me about the album. For an album like II, it's more difficult than most, since so many singles were released, but here you go (no embedded videos, but links to all songs, unless otherwise noted):
Boyz II Men, II (1994)
This is my second "Wild Card" pick. As such, I don't have any personal anecdotes to share about this album, other than it's one I really like.
II is the chart-topping second studio album by Boyz II Men, and their most successful. It debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200, holding the position for five weeks, and has been certified 12x Platinum. It spawned five singles, including the chart-topping I'll Make Love to You and On Bended Knee, both of which went platinum. In fact, the latter replaced the former as Number One on the Hot 100, making Boyz II Men only the third artist or group since Elvis Presley and The Beatles to replace themselves at Number One. The album also earned Boyz II Men two Grammy awards in 1995, including Best R&B Album (cite: Wikipedia).
EDIT - Since I don't really have any anecdotal information to explain my love for any of my "wild card" selections, I've decided to go ahead and list my three favorite tracks that weren't released as singles, to give you an idea of what moves me about the album. For an album like II, it's more difficult than most, since so many singles were released, but here you go (no embedded videos, but links to all songs, unless otherwise noted):
- Yesterday (I'm sure that the Beatles' fans on the board will consider this blasphemy but, personally, this my favorite version of the song. I love the a capella, four-part harmony. It's also one of the few songs that takes advantage of Michael McCreary's deep bass voice.)
- Jezzebel
- Trying Times
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I'll just go ahead and post this, to keep the draft going, and edit in the write-up later:
Boyz II Men, II (1994)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/II_(Boyz_II_Men_album)
Boyz II Men, II (1994)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/II_(Boyz_II_Men_album)
I've mentioned just how recent I've come to the Fiona fandom. So at the risk of seeming like the new guy who arrives late to a party and shotguns a six pack to make up for lost time and prove he belongs
Tidal - Fiona Apple (1996)
Wiki
Initially I wanted to avoid repeating artists for obvious reasons. But it was a very close choice between which of Apple's albums to take the first time around and admittedly I really wanted both When The Pawn and Tidal. Now that the draft has expanded and roster spots are leas precious, I feel OK doubling up on Fiona.
Plus, Tidal has a decidedly different tone than When The Pawn. Where as When The Pawn has that edge I so celebrated when I picked it, as I get the feeling Fiona was busy jamming her middle finger into the faces of her critics and the music industry in general for that one, her debut seems a more traditional display of talent for a budding soul/alternative pop star.
While I can rock out to When The Pawn, Tidal to me is far more smooth, cool and mellow, just perfect for lounging on the beach watching the sunset.
As I've mentioned, her talent was really sold to me by the live performances I saw, so here she is performing the 3 singles from Tidal (and a Hendrix cover) during the famed MTV Unplugged series.
Tidal - Fiona Apple (1996)
Wiki
Initially I wanted to avoid repeating artists for obvious reasons. But it was a very close choice between which of Apple's albums to take the first time around and admittedly I really wanted both When The Pawn and Tidal. Now that the draft has expanded and roster spots are leas precious, I feel OK doubling up on Fiona.
Plus, Tidal has a decidedly different tone than When The Pawn. Where as When The Pawn has that edge I so celebrated when I picked it, as I get the feeling Fiona was busy jamming her middle finger into the faces of her critics and the music industry in general for that one, her debut seems a more traditional display of talent for a budding soul/alternative pop star.
While I can rock out to When The Pawn, Tidal to me is far more smooth, cool and mellow, just perfect for lounging on the beach watching the sunset.
As I've mentioned, her talent was really sold to me by the live performances I saw, so here she is performing the 3 singles from Tidal (and a Hendrix cover) during the famed MTV Unplugged series.
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Moby - Play (1999) (Wiki link)
I never would have thought I could get into an album of Play’s description, but it’s a heck of a good time. It’s nothing profound, just an unexpected mix of house/electronica and sampled gospel and folk music. I’m not sure what else to say - unlike for a lot of my albums I wouldn’t really consider myself a Moby connoisseur and I can’t throw in any clever anecdotes. But music like this will bring some great mellow on my island, that’s for sure.
(Link to “Porcelain”)
(Link to “Run On”)
I never would have thought I could get into an album of Play’s description, but it’s a heck of a good time. It’s nothing profound, just an unexpected mix of house/electronica and sampled gospel and folk music. I’m not sure what else to say - unlike for a lot of my albums I wouldn’t really consider myself a Moby connoisseur and I can’t throw in any clever anecdotes. But music like this will bring some great mellow on my island, that’s for sure.
(Link to “Porcelain”)
(Link to “Run On”)
I still have too many albums left to decide between. Harumph. Anywho, my next pick will be...
Talking Heads: 77 -- Talking Heads (1977) http://www.allmusic.com/album/talking-heads-77-mw0000650867
A great album by one of my favorite bands. It's one that I've always liked, but didn't fully appreciate until fairly recently. I was a bigger fan of their better known 1980s albums (with I still love) since that was the version of the band I grew up with, and my sense of nostalgia made the earlier stuff feel just a little off. But for reasons I can't really identify, this is more and more frequently the album I cue up when I'm in a Talking Heads mood.
"Uh Oh, Love Comes to Town": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi9s1gPmR7g
"Who Is It?": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVhIzDT8HTw
"Pulled Up": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FUdjYOuEUQ
Talking Heads: 77 -- Talking Heads (1977) http://www.allmusic.com/album/talking-heads-77-mw0000650867
A great album by one of my favorite bands. It's one that I've always liked, but didn't fully appreciate until fairly recently. I was a bigger fan of their better known 1980s albums (with I still love) since that was the version of the band I grew up with, and my sense of nostalgia made the earlier stuff feel just a little off. But for reasons I can't really identify, this is more and more frequently the album I cue up when I'm in a Talking Heads mood.
"Uh Oh, Love Comes to Town": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi9s1gPmR7g
"Who Is It?": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVhIzDT8HTw
"Pulled Up": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FUdjYOuEUQ
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With the final selection of the 21st round my next pick is:
Metallica- Ride The Lightning-1984
wiki
OMG! I am so excited about this pick. For some reason, I had taken this off of my list as I thought it had been picked. Once the draft was extended I was overlooking all the picks and realized it was still available. This is my Favorite Metallica album. The second album and follow up to "Kill em All". The three singles from the Album "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Creeping Death", and "Fade To Black" are all amazing songs! "Fade to Black" is a song which has very deep meaning and fond yet tragic memories for me. A very dear friend was killed in a car accident when I was in High School. Metallica was her favorite band and the song was played at her funeral. This album will definitely be a much needed addition to my island.
Metallica- Ride The Lightning-1984
wiki
OMG! I am so excited about this pick. For some reason, I had taken this off of my list as I thought it had been picked. Once the draft was extended I was overlooking all the picks and realized it was still available. This is my Favorite Metallica album. The second album and follow up to "Kill em All". The three singles from the Album "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Creeping Death", and "Fade To Black" are all amazing songs! "Fade to Black" is a song which has very deep meaning and fond yet tragic memories for me. A very dear friend was killed in a car accident when I was in High School. Metallica was her favorite band and the song was played at her funeral. This album will definitely be a much needed addition to my island.
With the First Selection of the 22nd Round My Next Pick Is:
That's the Way of the World- Earth, Wind and Fire- 1975
wiki
It's time to get funky!
My other half would absolutely be devastated if this album was not on my island! This album brings back many fond memories of him growing up and he has shared those memories with me. With songs like "Shining Star" and "Reasons" this album is a great addition. No matter what kind of mood I am in this is definitely an album that I can kick back listen to and totally relax.
That's the Way of the World- Earth, Wind and Fire- 1975
wiki
It's time to get funky!
My other half would absolutely be devastated if this album was not on my island! This album brings back many fond memories of him growing up and he has shared those memories with me. With songs like "Shining Star" and "Reasons" this album is a great addition. No matter what kind of mood I am in this is definitely an album that I can kick back listen to and totally relax.
To keep with the quick turnaround we've got going, my next pick will be...
Shadowland -- k.d. lang (1988) http://www.allmusic.com/album/shadowland-mw0000652109
Pretty sure this album has been a staple in my collection since just a couple years after it was released. I rather aggressively dislike k.d. lang's later forays into the pop and adult contemprary worlds, but her voice is amazing and is incredibly well suited to this quirky take on western swing.
"Black Coffee": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRPkh8WdDWM
"I Wish I Didn't Love You So": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAYJBPeP37c
"I'm Down to My Last Cigarette": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uxx8DshRE8
Shadowland -- k.d. lang (1988) http://www.allmusic.com/album/shadowland-mw0000652109
Pretty sure this album has been a staple in my collection since just a couple years after it was released. I rather aggressively dislike k.d. lang's later forays into the pop and adult contemprary worlds, but her voice is amazing and is incredibly well suited to this quirky take on western swing.
"Black Coffee": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRPkh8WdDWM
"I Wish I Didn't Love You So": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAYJBPeP37c
"I'm Down to My Last Cigarette": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uxx8DshRE8
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Weezer - Pinkerton(1996) (Wiki link)
I’ve let this album slide for a long time, and I’m not quite sure why. Apparently the real music critics gave it a lot of flak when it first came out, which surprised me considering I thought it was basically an instant classic - and (with all apologies to their already-taken debut album) the record that convinced me that these guys had something special going on. Perhaps it was the overly-confessional nature of the lyrics that turned people off, but that’s exactly what drew me in: “At ten I shaved my head and tried to be a monk/I thought the older women would like it if I did/You see, Ma, I’m a good little boy/It’s all your fault, Mama, it’s all your fault”
The acoustic “Butterfly” is one of the great album closers, a painful and apologetic coda to the excesses of the preceding 30 minutes.
(Link to “El Scorcho”)
(Link to “Across the Sea”)
(Link to “Butterfly”)
I’ve let this album slide for a long time, and I’m not quite sure why. Apparently the real music critics gave it a lot of flak when it first came out, which surprised me considering I thought it was basically an instant classic - and (with all apologies to their already-taken debut album) the record that convinced me that these guys had something special going on. Perhaps it was the overly-confessional nature of the lyrics that turned people off, but that’s exactly what drew me in: “At ten I shaved my head and tried to be a monk/I thought the older women would like it if I did/You see, Ma, I’m a good little boy/It’s all your fault, Mama, it’s all your fault”
The acoustic “Butterfly” is one of the great album closers, a painful and apologetic coda to the excesses of the preceding 30 minutes.
(Link to “El Scorcho”)
(Link to “Across the Sea”)
(Link to “Butterfly”)
Glad someone picked them.
My 21st pick is:
Mikal Cronin - Mikal Cronin (2011)
wiki
Excellent fuzz pop record, mostly about breakup but not in a whiny or annoying way. Cronin has a great ear for melody and an uncommon songwriting ability for a guy his age that spent most of his musical career playing loud garage punk. There are one or two bad cuts here but the rest of this album is one of the finest collection of songs I've ever heard.
Live he's even better since he speeds things up ang gets a rawer sound, unfortunately he never released a live album or I would have picked that up.
My 21st pick is:
Mikal Cronin - Mikal Cronin (2011)
wiki
Excellent fuzz pop record, mostly about breakup but not in a whiny or annoying way. Cronin has a great ear for melody and an uncommon songwriting ability for a guy his age that spent most of his musical career playing loud garage punk. There are one or two bad cuts here but the rest of this album is one of the finest collection of songs I've ever heard.
Live he's even better since he speeds things up ang gets a rawer sound, unfortunately he never released a live album or I would have picked that up.
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- Status