SOUNDTRACK: The Believer July/August 2010 Music Issue Compilation CD: “We Bumped Our Heads Against the Clouds” (2010).
Of all the Believer music compilations, this is by far my least favorite. It would be oversimplifying things to say that the music is not for me, but in many respects it is not. Chuck Lightning, the curator of the project states that this compilation is more or less a look into the state of the union for black artists. And that invariably means a lot of R&B and songs that might be heard on Glee (I like the show, but I never know any of the music).
Deep Cotton’s “Self!” reminds me of novelty dance hit from the late 80s. Of Montreal, who I thought sounded totally different from this, offer “Hydra Fancies” which is as catchy a disco anthem as any disco anthem can be. Roman GianArthur’s “Depraved Valet” is an amazingly falsettoed Prince knock off. Cody Chestnutt’s “”Come Back Like Spring” is a simple almost acapella ode to spring. Saul Williams’ oddly titled “B.S. in a Tampon” is a spoken word with acoustic guitar that reminds me of Gil Scot-Heron. Janelle Monáe’s “Cold War” is the first really catchy song (the la las remind me of Carole King), although I could do without the overstated “Calinda” part and the extended fade.
The first song I really liked was BLK JCKs “Iietys” which sounded enough like TV on the Radio to be really interesting. Spree Wilson’s “Chaos” also sounds like TV on the Radio (the more R&B side of the band, although the guitar solo is a dead ringer for “Hotel California.” Scar’s “Rewind” is the song that should be on Glee. I want to hate it but it is so damned catchy, I can’t. Again, those Oh Oh Ohs are too perfect (and the auto0tune of course is unassailable).
Rob Roy’s “Velvet Rope Blues” is my favorite song on the disc by a large distance. It’s a weird rap that reminds me of The Streets, with an awesome sung chorus ala OutKast. Hollyweed’s “Have You Ever Made Love to a Weirdo” is a trippy, juvenile space rap that is really silly. Sarah hates it but I kind of like it, as it’s in the spirit of Frank Zappa, (although I hate the sax solo). Fear & Fancy’ s “Off the Grid” sounds also not unlike OutKast. And George 2.0′ s “Turn Off the TV” is a anti-TV rap rant (with the somewhat ironic conclusion that you yourself might end up ON the TV).
M.I.A. is probably the biggest name on the disc. “Born Free” is a weird little track of highly distorted vocals over a punk guitar buzzsaw sound. But her vocals are mixed so loud in the mix that they sound unrelated. It sounds not unlike a Go! Team track. This track makes me wonder how she became such a sensation.
Hot Heavy & Bad’s “One” returns to that disco sound in the vocals with some contemporary bass sounds. It wears out its welcome pretty quickly. Tendaberry’s “Cold Boy” sounds like a less horn-y Fishbone. Mother Novella offers one of the few all guitar songs, “Closer 9 1/2” and it’s an okay mid tempo rocker.
The final song is pretty awesome in theory: Nina Simone covering Alice Cooper. That’s right, Nina Simone covering Alice Cooper. Sadly I don’t know the Alice Cooper song, so it’s a bit lost on me.
[READ: September 16, 2010] Speaking with the Angel
I bought this volume when it came out (and apparently donated $1 to TreeHouse at the same time). It’s a collection edited by Nick Hornby (and the cover is designed similarly to the way High Fidelity and even About a Boy were at the time (“the Hornby look,” I suppose).
I didn’t buy it for Hornby alone, although he does have a story in it, but because it looked like a really promising collection of stories from authors I liked. And for some reason I didn’t read it until now. It includes 12 stories, and as the introduction notes, $1 was donated to TreeHouse.org.uk (in the US $1 goes to TreeHouse and another $1 goes to New York Child Learning Institute). I don’t know if the money still goes there, but you can donate with a form at the back of the book. (more…)
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