If you were one of those people who were upset when My Morning Jacket went experimental and channeled their inner Prince on Evil Urges, then this is the album for you. It reminds me of The Roots' latest album, How I Got Over, in a way. Both albums are victory laps by veteran bands. Both albums are toned down, low-key affairs. And both albums have a positive, chilled out mood about them. They're also both really excellent.
favorite songs: The Day Is Coming, Outta My System, Holdin' On to Black Metal
listen if you like: positivity, slide guitar, elements of surf rock and soul, children's choirs
I started listening to Man Man because of the unhingedness (that should be a word) of Six Demon Bag -- a record where they barked, clanged, yelped, and generally made music to soundtrack Tom Waits' night out drinking whiskey at a smoky bar and ending at a circus. That crazed sound is what made Six Demon Bag one of my favorite albums of all time. Their next album, Rabbit Habbits, smoothed out some of those rougher edges that I loved. Life Fantastic takes it a step further -- this is their most accessible album to date, which isn't to say that it's boring. There's still an undertone of crazy and darkness, there are lots of instruments thrown in the mix, and the lyrics are their most entertaining to date. Samples: "Well here's the story. A lovely lady. Who had 3 daughters, who drove her fuckin' crazy. She hacked them up with, an old machete. And threw a party with dead daughter confetti." // "Mr. Dagger, meet Mr. Back. Separable, together at last. Mr. Dagger meet Mr. AHHHH! Separable, together at AHHHH!"
favorite songs: Piranhas Club, Dark Arts, Haute Tropique
listen if you like: Tom Waits, the circus, fun, whiskey, darkness, murder
Tyler raps almost exclusively about rape, murder, and being an angsty teen -- but in 2011, there's not really anything that would be shocking on a record. Despite Tyler trying to be shocking and off-putting, the dude is pretty endearing. Just follow his twitter for a little bit and you'll see what I mean (@fucktyler, of course). He's a 19-year old kid who's realizing his dream right before his audience's eyes. Watch his performance on Jimmy Fallon and just try not to feel happy for the kid. Goblin couldn't have possibly been more hyped in such a meteoric ascent to fame, and so the expectations were impossibly high. Because of this, the people who were expecting a perfect album (and there were many) are going to be disappointed. Yea, there's some filler. Yea, he let some of his not-so-talented friends on his record. Yea, he treats the whole album like another mixtape, and sometimes you can't tell if you're listening to a skit or a song. So what? The album's still really fun, and it's got some of his best songs to date.
favorite songs: Yonkers, Radicals, Tron Cat, Sandwitches
listen if you like: negativity, dirty words, rape jokes, immaturity, dark sparse beats
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