Over the years I’ve found Drum and Bass great to listen to at a club but not so much at home. The rapid-fire beats and snares of the early D n’ B sound didn’t always work for me when there weren’t strobe lights and a large quantity of alcohol involved. That changed when I took [...]
When you say “Gil Scott-Heron,” most people say “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and the conversation ends there. The truth is that Scott-Heron hit a peak with that song but he still had a few more great songs to come. “B-Movie” is part song, part poetry, part oral tradition of what life was like [...]
Shortly after I moved to Texas I wound up at a backyard party where I was introduced to moonshine. Just like one would expect a friend passed over a mason jar with a wink and a warning. “Do yourself a favor,” he told me, “let a little get in your nose first so you don’t [...]
I first heard this track on a mix tape a friend made for me right around 1990. She was in Europe at the time and had access to some great music that I couldn’t get my hands on without spending some serious scratch. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the “one sensitive guy and an [...]
When The Wolfgang Press dropped their album Queer in 1991 it surprised the hell out of me (and a lot of other people.) The thunderous gothic vocals and dense sounds were replaced by slinky dance tunes and an ear for the charts. Most of the 4AD groupies who had praised their every note were now [...]
I’ve been super-sick the last few days and the Nyquil has kept me from clearly remembering a good Eric B. & Rakim story. I have a vague recollection of a friend of mine from one neighborhood over being the bigger fan of the duo. Every time his tape deck would start it would be Eric [...]
I am incredibly impressed with the sound these guys are making now. Their last album, With Love and Squalor, was good but something never clicked for me. There wasn’t as song that showcased every element of the band firing on all cylinders at the same time. Their original drummer left and the band’s new songs [...]