RECORD REVIEWS: 07.07.10
 M.I.A. /\/\ /\ Y /\
It’s hard to tell what the kids are gonna make of this one. Straight off, this is not a record for anyone who knows M.I.A. only from Jay-Z remixes and the Pineapple Express trailer. By design, there’s nothing nearly as instantly infectious as “Paper Planes.” Essential opener “Steppin Up” establishes an art school vibe that dominates the album. Calling MAYA eclectic goes beyond understatement – a mid-album stretch bounces from an android-dub ballad (“It Takes A Muscle”) to sputtering Arabic disco (“It Iz What It Iz”) to a bombastic Suicide-aping chant (“Born Free”) to a gleefully incomprehensible electro jam (“Meds and Feds”). Which isn’t to say that the record is pretentious or cold. There’s a lot here that’s simply fun: “XXXO” is a solid single fit for a subterranean dance party; “Tell Me Why” comes off like a remix of a lost early-Madonna jewel; closer “Space” lives up to its name and is a comedown classic that should inspire plenty of afterhours doobage this summer. The worst things I can say about MAYA are that it’s all over the place and overly-ambitious, which, ironically, are the best things I can say about M.I.A. as an artist. MAYA may not be the album of the year, but I doubt there will be a release in 2010 that I’ll respect more.
TA
 FUNGI GIRLS SEAFARING PYRAMIDS
Being the cynical bastard that I am, I assumed Guitar Hero and internet porn had ruined the next generation of teenage boys. Thank God there are still kids like the Cleburne, TX trio Fungi Girls to prove me wrong. Seafaring Pyramids is incredibly ambitious for a bunch of barely-legals – lo-fi garage-surf with a healthy dose of Jesus & Mary Chain and Yo La Tengo (cynical bastard assumption #2: all high school kids love My Chemical Romance). It’s obvious Fungi Girls are scouring the vinyl racks for the big boys, and they’re not fucking around, either – the album is smart and catchy as shit. So congratulations, Fungi Girls, for besting my jaded skepticism. I owe you a case of beers, purchased as you loiter outside in the parking lot. And I mean that in the least patronizing way possible.
OM
 CRYSTAL CASTLES CRYSTAL CASTLES II
There are two kinds of Crystal Castles fans – those who are charmed by their bleep-bloop video game post-pop, and those who prefer when they get their Atari Teenage Riot on in all their bloody horror. The Castles seem to understand this, and their second full-length caters directly to both factions. The pop songs are poppier, the noise is noisier, Alice is sexier, and Ethan’s beats are more confident(ier). The Castles are a definite must-see live, and while this album isn’t 100% essential, you’d be a damn fool not to have it in rotation.
AT
 ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI BEFORE TODAY
I’m a die-hard Ariel Pink fan, so I probably would have given this a good review no matter what. Luckily, this group’s first-ever studio recording is an incredibly refined record, arguably the best of their career. Even more surprising is that Before Today is – dare I say it? – accessible. It’s the same experimental nostalgia-funk you’d expect, but with far more polish than before. Not to say that they’ve lost that fuzzy surrealism that I fell in love with – “Beverley Kills” and “Menopause Man” are seamless progressions from The Doldrums, complete with nervous breakdowns and Tarzan yodels. But shit, tracks like “Reminiscences” are downright shocking in their discothèque-level clarity. And while a part of me misses the abrasive lo-fi weirdness of early recordings, Before Today is the only Ariel Pink record that stands as a fully-conceptualized album, not to mention one you can pass along to your friends without making them think you’re a weirdo.
OM
 BIG BOI SIR LUCIOUS LEFT FOOT
From all the advance hype and early singles, I was really expecting a classic here. And don’t get me wrong, the disc’s great, but there’s nothing here as perfect as “Kryptonite” or the best tracks on Speakerboxxx. Oh well. “Follow Us” is the album’s only true failure, while “Tangerine,” “Back Up Plan,” and “Hustle Blood” are straight bangers. You could play the record front to back for weeks, finding brilliant new bits each time. My suggestion? Gnab the two Andre3000 tracks that got left off this from the internet, nix “Follow Us” and the intro skits, and pretend you’re listening to a work of genius. This isn’t quite that, but it’s much more than just a stop-gap until the next Outkast record.
PP
 EMINEM RECOVERY
Remember a couple years ago when everyone got super serious about Eminem and decided he was the next Bob Dylan? Well, this album confirms what I’ve always known, which is that people are fucking retarded. Seriously, “Not Afraid” is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard, and it’s not even the worst thing on here.
TA |
