closer

you know, like shut down.

10 records you should have listened to in 2006

Time for my annual record recommendation post. Since I still haven’t heard Joanna Newsom’s new album (thanks amazon.de!), I’ll reserve an honorary spot for her. Nevertheless, the ten picks are absolutely worth your attention. Let the countdown begin…

(Note: Some picks include links)
















10. Justin Timberlake – Futuresex/Lovesounds

Fear not, o mighty ghetto youth. In 2006 you won’t lose your street cred if you listen to J.T, he now hangs with guys like T.I. and Three 6 Mafia. To boot, Futuresex will make you forget ‘Nsync ever existed. A lot of this has to with producer Timbaland who reinvents his patented electro hop funk shuffles, occasionally lacing it with serene strings and other musical furnishings of your liking.

Hot Pick: My Love w/ T.I. 

Download@http://www.sonybmg.com/musicbox/video/justintimberlake/?bcpid=44170226&bclid=44160818&bctid=261070603

9. T.I. – King

Granted, proclaiming himself “King Of The South” was a rather obvious move to garner attention on T.I.’s part. But now that he had it, he came through with an album that justifies our paying tribute to his majesty. With unparalleled swagger and coolness, T.I. deliveres his boastful rhymes over the menacing horns of Just Blaze and Mannie Fresh’s trunk rattling bass bonanzas. Yet, it is long time collaborator DJ Toomp who steals the show with his triumphant synth pomp.

Hot Pick: What You Know 

Video@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE5tiwEfguE

8. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar

Being 19 years old and hailing from New Mexico, possibly, predetermines you to produce indie rock. It does not, however, predetermine you to incorporate balkan folk into the mix and make a debut album that is as rich in instrumentation as this record, which gracefully balances melancholy and festive merriment. Zach Condon, you are ahead of your age.

Hot Pick: Postcards from Italy

Download@http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Beirut%20-%20Postcards%20From%20Italy.mp3

7. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

When was the last time a record where the protagonist questions his own mental capabilities, contemplates suicide and talks about necrophilia didn’t leave you depressed? See, I can’t remember either – but St. Elsewhere is the answer. Maybe, it helps that Cee-Lo Green seasons his serious tales with a slice of humor. Maybe, it’s because Danger Mouse’s concoctions are funky enough not to pay mind. Whatever it is, it works…and the videos were hilarious.

Hot Pick: Crazy

6. Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor

Save the Jay-Z and Nas comparisons. Actually no, Lupe sounds like the child prodigy the two would have if Jay was Nas’ spouse. Conceptually the most brilliant MC since, uhm, Nas and blessed with the verbal dexterity of a, uhm, Jay-Z, Lupe creates his own pocket with deft wordplay, imaginative stories and a mindfulness that belies his age. And with in-camp knob twisters Prolyfic and Soundtrakk as well as The Neptunes and Kanye West behind the boards, the production is up to par.

Hot Pick: Hurt Me Soul


5. The Roots – Game Theory

In a year that saw Def Jam flood the market, it wasn’t Jay-Z, Nas or Jeezy who put out the best record on the label but the ever reliable Philadelphia outfit. Game Theory channels the fervor of early 90’s boom bap releases as Black Thought tackles the social ills of our time. Despite showing off a few production tricks here and there, Game Theory is a much more straight forward hip hop record than their last albums and one of the most compelling in their strong catalogue.

Hot Pick: In The Music

4. TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain

A magnificent, highly fascinating record that often defies classification. Studio wizard Dave Sitek’s dense musical tapestries form the background from which two of the best voices in Indie Rock radiate. But it’s not only the diverse sounds and flexible vocals the 5 New Yorkers pack but also their inventive lyrics that will have you abuse your ‘repeat’-button.

Hot Pick: Wolf Like Me

Video@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUB1xSAAADk

3. Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury

Rapping about cocaine became so popular during the last couple of years that it actually spawned a new sub genre. No one does it better than the Thornton brothers from VA, though. Not only do they find creative ways to talk about an all too familiar subject matter (“Open the Frigidaire, 25 to life in here/So much white you might think your Holy Christ is near”), their outrageous boasts (“Now I consider Ferraris and Salvadore Dalis”) precede a remorseful undercurrent that runs through most of the songs (“And to little brother Terrence who I love dearly so/If ever I had millions never would you push blow, never”). Clipse put the conscious in coke rap, convincingly. That The Neptunes offer their most ingenious and intimidating beats only helps the cause.

Hot Pick: Hello New World

2. Ali Farka Toure – Savane

Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Toure’s last album shows the man at the top of his craftsmanship. His desert blues is deeply rooted in traditional West African music. Its warm rhythms and haunting melodies are of a mesmerizing quality. They at times conjure up images of the desert’s vastness, at others the communal spirit and hospitality of African villages. It’s music for the mind and soul.

Hot Pick: Erdi

1. J Dilla – Donuts

Donuts is James Yancey’s swan song and magnum opus. Put together from his death bed it features 31 compositions as diverse (and at times quirky) as one can imagine. Squeezing out the soul from every one of his source records, Dilla managed to make Donuts breathe an authenticity rarely matched in contemporary beatmaking. It will forever stand as a testament to the art of sampling.

Hot Pick: Last Donut Of The Night




Encore - Records to look out for in 2007

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Mar 5)
J Dilla - Ruff Draft (Re-Release) (March)
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool (Summer)
Kanye West - Graduation (Summer)
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II (Summer)
Madvillain - Madvillainy II (tba.)
Ghostface Killah & MF DOOM - Swift & Changeable (tba.)
Radiohead - tba.

mal so zwischendurch

 warum sind die leckersten sachen eigentlich immer schon vergriffen?

und noch ein paar gedanken zum jahresende:

- die rockets haben echt die seuche neuerdings. fast bin ich verleitet die meisterschaft dieses jahr schon abzuschreiben. damit es doch noch was wird (oder spätestens 2008): yao gesund, t-mac gesund, bonzi nicht fett und faul, weniger fouls und mehr offensive von chuck hayes,  einen spielmacher (sorry, rafer!), mehr produktion von steve novak.

- wie soll ich bitte eine jahresendliste rechtzeitig fertigstellen, wenn ich immer erst im dezember anfange, die besten platten zu kaufen?

- tschüß firefox. hallo opera!

great moments in lil' wayne's recording history

for the uninitiated, lil' wayne who also goes by the names
of young weezy, weezy f. baby,young stunna and birdman jr.
happens to be "the best rapper alive". to fully appreciate
his undeniable greatness, one must, of course, listen to his
recordings since the appeal of his lyrical performances
emanates not only from what he says but HOW he says it.
so i urge everybody with an honest appreciation of highly
entertaining hip hop to go out and cop his last three albums:
the carter, the carter II and like father, like son, his
collaboration with new orleans rap label co-owner baby
(aka birdman) whom weezy calls "daddy". confusing? alright,
let's cut to the chase. great moments, part I. more to come:

Cause when you wildin you ain't lookin, you just lookin high
And when we hungry you look like pie
Sweet potato ass nigga you lemon merengue apple custard
Cherry jelly don't make me get the biscuit buster, yeah!
What up Gizzle you my distant brother
Real shit nigga, same father, different mother
I skip the frontin and stick to keepin it trill
You not know me for nothing other I'm something other
Than people you feel, I'm deeper for real,
I'm deeper than skillz, my speeches can kill,
Rest in peace
----

So with that lets keep it movin
on to the kitchen where my witches keep it brewin
Uh huh look at how my bitches do it
Bucky buck naked, look at all my bitches' booties
They handle all my pharmaceutics
I got it from Promethazine to Metamucil
I'm crucial, don't mean to spook you
But this is New Orleans so my queens do voodoo, ya know
----

The murder man, picture me lurkin'
Right up behind ya curtains nine's squirtin'
And you could hear it when it's hurtin'
But if I hear him hurtin' I'll walk over and merk him for certain
I took over the circus
'Cause I'ma act a clown if you put your feet down on my surface
----

I'm hoping y'all feel me, I told y'all what the dealy
Ya open up ya face I'ma open up the semi
I open up ya kidneys now ya floatin' up the Missi-
Ssippi, river nigga play with deep water now ya swimmin'
Silly, you play with me, Carter, now ya missin'
Really, I shoot ya in ya head and make you feel it

yagshemash, my friends

borat at dating service. most ridiculess funny moovie in mankind histry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65d6_NQaOHo

The Fearless Five Live At Toyota Center

People with fear of height are clearly disadvantaged.




















On the team:

Daniel – The Resident Raisin
Felix - Autopilot
Susann – Sheryl Swooooooooooopes
Georg – The White Larry Bird
Hartmut – Koach Keil

Since time immemorial man has dreamed about attending an NBA Basketball game. Ah wait, since time immemorial man has dreamed about going to the moon. I got lost for a second. I was the one that dreamed about attending an NBA game. And not since time immemorial either. Rather since 1994 when ‘The Dream’ (what a coincidence!) and his Rockets teammates (if you take away one ‘m’ from this word it sounds a mighty lot like a congregation of gay English aristocrats: “Good evening, my dear reader, my name is Lord Tussleswarth and these are my tea mates…”). Sorry for getting sidetracked again. The ’94 Rockets, ah well, fond memories: Hakeem dominating Patrick Ewing, Otis Thorpe battling Charles Oakley and a young Sam Cassell trying to make people forget that he, indeed, WAS E.T. (I dare you to tell me with a straight face that this man doesn’t have any alien blood running through his veins). Needless to say that I’ve been a fan ever since. So again what a coincidence that we were going to Houston for our study tour. In fall! Basketball season, bitches!

Alright, it was just a pre-season game. Yao, the gentle Chinese giant didn’t even play, neither did new acquisition Bonzi Wells. And the Rockets lost 69-72, to boot. Still I enjoyed the game, especially in the first half. A healthy T-Mac was poised to show he hadn’t lost a step recovering from his back injury as the Memphis Grizzlies never found a way to stop his drives, jumpers and three-point daggers. Shane Battier was providing instant help on both sides of the court and rookie Steve Novak showcased his precision from downtown. If what I saw in that first 20 minutes was a glimpse of the future, it looks like a bright future indeed. Realistically, the team will need a full season to gel and a deep play-off run to gain experience in do-or-die situations. Hence, they could make a run at the championship in 2008. reminder: pay a visit to Houston in two years and watch the Rockets win championship #3.

It wouldn’t be as surprising as my first visit though. Having been to a couple of basketball games in Germany already, I was expecting a Max-Schmeling-Halle-like, 4000 people seating arena. Turns out Toyota Center is slightly bigger. By slightly I mean five times bigger. They’ve got escalators in there. And it makes sense, too. If they hadn’t, people would have to arrive 5 hours early to climb up to their seats.

With luck I managed to snatch up some tickets for the first row. Upper deck but still…
What’s good about American sports arenas is that they’re entertainment complexes. I assume half the people in the building were not there to watch the game but to socialize. For first-timers like ourselves they have neat little zones were you can compare your wingspan to Yao’s or test your vertical leaping ability. Or you can play a quick pick-up game at a mini-court. You gotta love it.

Probably more entertaining than the game was Susi beside me running her mouth like Charles Barkley. Her: “I don’t like this McGrady guy, he looks like he’s on drugs.” Me: “Well, he looks kind of sleepy but he’s one of the best players in the league.” Her: “I like Steve Novak because of his name.” Me: “Dude’s definitely Nowack from the three point line.” Her after T-Mac hit a free throw: “Yeaaaaaaah, whooooooooooooooooo, yeeeeeeeee-hah!” Me: "Never do that again! Never!” Again me: “Why is coach keeping our good players on the bench? These white breads are fucking up the game!” Her: “Don’t you be so racist!” Me: “OK, mom.”

In short: we had fun that night.

guess who's bizzack?