It's not the band I hate, it's their fans

What the fuck was Tom Breihan on about in his review of the new Dr. Octagon album? He's entitled to not like the album, but the reasons he gives for not doing so have little to do with criticism:

• Kool Keith's main audience is white - Come on! Does his audience dictate the quality of his records?
• It is not a rap album - Slating music because it doesn't belong in a genre is as narrow minded as it gets. An album should be evaluated for its music (and words/lyrics), not whether the music belongs in a genre or not. You won't hear me crack down on, say, Ziggy Stardust for the reason that it's not a jazz album.
• It is not a Kool Keith album - Why does that matter? Only in so far as Kool Keith should be given credit for the album, but your task is to review the music, not to hand out credit points.

At least I have an ally in my liking of the album, and he's got a bone to pick with the "review" as well.

The End of You? Say it ain't so

Jeez! I go away for a few days, and get home to the news that Sleater-Kinney has decided to call it quits!!! The thought of never having a chance to hear another new 'Kinney record is too much to bear right now. If you really want it this way, then thanks for all the great music and the memories.

Briefly Noted

A quick round-up of recent records. Grades may change.




Dr. Octagon: The Return of Dr. Octagon (OCD)

Read my review: 7/10

Mario Pavone Sextet: Deez to Blues (Playscape Recordings)

Veteran bassist plays New York loft-like swing: 7/10

Zu & Geoff Farina: Ardecore (Il Manifesto)

Roman "murder ballads", apparently. One reason to cheer for the Italians this year: 7/10

Benardo Sassetti Trio: Ascent (Clean Feed, 2005)

Piano trio. Quietude: 6/10

Mission of Burma: The Obliterati (Matador)

On Off On: 6/10

Burial: Burial (Hyperdub)

Producer with secret identity. Big Dissensus hype. Dubstep? A 2006 take on Timeless: 6/10

Nelly Furtado: Loose (Geffen)

Timbaaa! Promiscuous maneater: 6/10

Six Organs of Admittance: The Sun Awakens (Drag City)

And I fall asleep. Instrumental nu-folk, schmolk: 4/10

I Love this Game

In between watching the World Championship of the best sport in the world (sorry NBA), I have tons of new records to listen too. One of the best so far: Sonic Youth's Rather Ripped; a sharp, concise, rocking record. Guitars ablaze, bass thudding firmly, and Shelley keeps pounding the drums with the now familiar authority. Current fave: "Sleeping Around":

"Sleeping around / Sleeping Around / What will the neighbors say (...) / What you did was wrong (...) / Always ends up in a fight"

Somehow I suspect it's not about just any old love.

I'm not just a doctor, I AM A MAN

"Don't worry Mz. Pop music, your son's going to be alright"

So says Kool Keith in the guise of Dr. Octagon on his new album The Return of Dr. Octagon. Kool Keith may not be best known for his willingness to play the pop game. Whether spitting rhymes with The Ultramagnetic MC's or putting on one of his many personas, he has always preferred a dark and eerie soundtrack to his warped, dense, and crazy lyrical universe. Nor is he known for consistency, but when he's been good, as on the now classic Dr. Octagonecologyst and as Dr. Dooom in First Come, First Served, I've found his musical and lyrical humor highly entertaining, no matter how disturbing. But this time, he's funky too.

I'm not sure whether it's a sign of a more sensitive Kool Keith, but titles like "Trees" and "Perfect World" from The Return does have a different ring to them than does "I'm Destructive" and "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman". Musically this is probably his strongest album; plenty of funky electro beasts, with synth riffs, Latin trumpets ("Aliens") and elements of Eastern music ("Ants") for added spice. His darker sides are shown on the bass-heavy "A Gorilla Driving a Pick-Up Truck", which has Kool Keith doing Buck 65. But more startlingly, tracks like "Perfect World" and the highly infectious "Al Green", with it's sampled guitar riff, should get even the stiffest booty shaking. And if there's one thing that Kool Keith still knows, it's booty.

The Return of Dr. Octagon is due out on June 27.

Over there

I used to get asked, mostly by English mates, if I had a theory as to why quality (they meant "alternative", which by no means equals quality) music charts in Britain, but barely makes a splash in the American charts. Their aim was often to point out how they thought Americans were "stoopid", and couldn't tell a good piece of music from their what-you-call-it. They're still a bit jealous, aren't they.

There are many stupid Americans, but there are plenty of stupid Brits, too. Still, my answers tended to point to the fact that the American market is much more varied than the British; The country is after all a mixture of people and cultures that differ in several respects. American culture is not a mono-culture, but rather a heterogeneous culture. Furthermore, the market is much bigger than in Britain, and I also think the British music press is better (or worse) at hyping new artists than they are in America.

Why this? Well, there is a mildly interesting article and Q & A by/with Sasha Frere-Jones in the latest edition of The New Yorker, in which he takes up the issue of why certain British and overseas artists simply don't make it in the United States. In the Q & A-bit in particular, he has some good points.

His final words cracked me up, though. Asked if he thinks Lordi will ever make it in the States, he says:

"Do not speak of Lordi. Lordi rules us all."