Soundstage
by CAE, Feb 24, 2009
E-40My Ghetto Report CardRepriseYou've got to hand it to E-40. He's stuck with his guns and never did it any way than his own way, and now he's on top. Here's a guy that's built his career on raw beats and an overwhelming personality, and the world is finally noticing 40 and his Hyphy crew. Musically, 40 likes the club-friendly drum-machine beats, punctuated with buzzy synths and the occasional scratch. It's a tried and true formula, but somehow 40 makes it sound fresh. That's due to his flow, which is more animated than an episode of the Simpsons. Every track here is bump-worthy, but the standout is definitely "White Gurl," a slow-rollin' paean to the Caucasian female. Represent for the Yay Area! -Douglas Adams
DamoneOut Here All NightIslandIgnore the first track, "Now Is The Time," and its Hillary Duff film anthem chorus. Not that the rest of Out Here All Night is some kind of underground masterpiece, but the "Ride the Lightning"-era-Metallica-riff-meets-pop-punk-female-vocal formula they run with sounds a lot less contrived the further in you get. For example, The Burundi drumming in "What We Came Here For" is like Adam and the Ants in a rumble with the Runaways behind a Pizza and Pipes, while "Stabbed In The Heart" could be a lost Cre B-side. This is teenage-runaway angst distilled into power chords. You know the scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High when the band's namesake Damone is trying to scalp Cheap Trick tickets to two girls, and he's going on with air guitar about how great they are, but the girls pass him up because Trick is "kid stuff"? Yup, all that's right here. -DA
Gnarls BarkleySt. ElsewhereDowntown RecordingsListen: This is the stuff dreams are made of. Two maverick musicians (one catch-a-rising-star producer, one out-there singer) made exactly the record they wanted to-a bizarre ride through the far side of the human consciousness, all set to stomping soul beats-and still managed to connect with just about everyone on the planet. I work at a record store, I should know. Middle-aged soccer moms who have no idea who Danger Mouse (said producer, best known for his work with Gorillaz and mashing up Jay-Z) and Cee-Lo Green (he of the "out-there," and former Goodie Mobb rapper) are, want to buy this record because it's so good. They're going on the strength of radio single "Crazy," which is, in fact, crazy good, and there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that these mini-van mommies are taking home a CD with lyrics about mental illness and necrophilia tucked in amongst the infectious soul samples and DJ Shadow-esque beat treatments. Will you like it? If you're breathing at all, hell yes. Soccer moms be damned - St. Elsewhere more than lives up to the hype.-DA
Astro & GlydeThe Best of Dirty Dirty House Vol. 2 SystemUsed to be that what got called "dirty house" was so underground, so filthy, so just plain nasty, it'd make Caligula himself blush (to paraphrase the Smiths). What passes for dirty these days could almost get played at a high-school dance. The beats are clean and disco-inflected, and the lyrics, well, "freak your body" doesn't pack the same punch that it used to. That being said, The Best of Dirty Dirty House Vol. 2 is a nice little house mix, something to bump on a Saturday afternoon between the barbecue and the bar. Matt & the Mammal's "New China Hustle" has the sultry pianos that get the girls moving, while "Fevah" by the Nightriders attacks a chopped-up soul vocal, Daft Punk-style. Ignore the title and put this one on when you need a solid, non-nasty house injection. -DA
The TydeThree's Co.Rough TradeFrom the Beach Boys to Pearl Jam to Jack Johnson, the California surf scene has always had a significant impact on pop music. With the Tyde's Three's Co., that impact is more like a fun three-foot swell than a landscape-altering tsunami. Buoyed by waves of minor-key melodies, the Tyde has as much in common with pretentious '80s Brit-pop as it does with carefree '60s surf music, as evidenced by singer Darren Rademaker's laidback Lloyd Cole-like vocals on the upbeat tune "Brock Landers," which also features Conor Deasy of the Irish retro-revivalist band the Thrills. It's when the band is in the middle of this sort of cross-cultural mash-up, as on tracks like "Glassbottom Lights" and "Ltd. Appeal," that they find a sweet spot and effortlessly glide in the style of the best pop and rock music. -Doug Newcomb
Angels And AirwavesWe Don't Need To WhisperSuretone/GeffenTom DeLonge hit it huge as the singer for Blink-182, the San Diego trio that, along with Green Day, forever changed punk from urban aggression to suburban catharsis. And whiney vocals. If you hate whiney vocals, blame Tom DeLonge. Now that Blink-182 is on hiatus, what's a restless lead singer to do? Why, start a new band. Angels and Airwaves is seriously epic, or at least wants to be, with overly long intros, echoing, Simple Minds-like guitars and trance-inspired synthesizer arpeggios all leading up to...whiney vocals. It worked for Rush, yes, but imagine Geddy Lee singing for U2 - and try not to clutch your ears in hysteric agony. If you can get past the nasality, you may find something here that suits your fancy. Or you could just pick up an old Cure record and be done with it. -DA
