07.24

Of the Heart, of the Soul, and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience (PM Dawn, 1991)

The problem with most of the so-called alternative rappers I've heard, especially those early on, is that they bring unusual perspectives or topics to the table and think that's sufficient for good music.  But you have to be a good MC too!  Or at least do something sonically interesting.  If Prince Be was writing battle raps at this level he'd be laughed off the stage.  It's not that he's terrible, it just seems like he's using his cool hippie point of view as an excuse for lazy rapping.  I do really like the production and I was enjoying the album initially before it just got monotonous.  I liked the sung tracks too but even those seemed to start recycling melodies.  A lot of these criticisms could also be lobbied at De La Soul, for instance, so I'm not sure why I really like their first two albums and don't care for this so much, maybe it's their wider breadth.  Anyhow not awful but vaguely frustrating.

Choice cuts: Comatose, A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think), In the Presence of Mirrors

Aguaespejo granadino (Jose Val del Omar, 1955)

Fire in Castilla's great and all but this is next level.

07.23

These Hammers Don't Hurt Us (Michael Robinson, 2011)

Might be too kitsch even for me, or at least not the right kind of kitsch.  It borders on self-parody, seems like the kind of avant garde short Lady Gaga would make.  I did really like the shots of designs turning into passageways and stuff.

20 Jazz Funk Greats (Throbbing Gristle, 1979)

I definitely enjoyed it, but it didn't change my perception of music or anything.  Discipline wasn't on the original release, but the two recordings of that are better than anything that was.  I also liked the chiller ambient stuff.

Choice cuts: Beachy Head, Exotica, Persuasion

07.21

The Raid 2: Berandal (Gareth Evans, 2014)

The action is set up similar, but other than that it's hard to believe that such a sprawling crime movie set over the course of several years is the sequel to a movie about a bunch of guys fighting their way to the top of a building.  It could easily have felt like a generic mob flick but even setting aside the amazing fights it would be something special.  I liked the first one alright, but this was an extremely pleasant surprise.

07.20

Dirty Weaponry (Killarmy, 1998)

Damn, even better than Silent Weapons.  Dom Pacino owned this one; it's always a joy when Killa Sin comes in with that flow but lyrically the PR Terrorist destroys shit.  Everyone's flows have improved a lot, except maybe 9th Prince, but his sloppiness is so distinctive and catchy.  Holocaust, who stole the spotlight on Bobby Digital, meets the standards he set for himself their; I get the feeling he's best in small doses but I still wish he had more material out their.  Undoubtedly one of the best Wu-Tang side projects.

Choice cuts: Murder Venue, The Shoot Out, Bastard Swordsman

07.19

The Big Steal (Don Siegel, 1949)

Woo, Don Siegel directs this fantastically.  Even setting aside the big setpieces there are some great touches.  My favorite shot is this tilt that follows a woman spreading flowers in a pool at a resort with people diving off boards in the background.  It doesn't transcend its generic requirements but it hits all its marks awesomely.

Brother Arab (Arabian Prince, 1989)

Thematically it toes the line between understatement and navel-gazing a la RBL Posse, but the real interest lies in the production.  Some of it's pretty generic, but the high points are outstanding (and deserve a more talented MC honestly).

Choice cuts: Let the Good Times Roll (Nickel Bag), It's a Dope Thang, Now You Have to Understand

07.17

Wolf (Tyler, the Creator, 2013)

Seems like an album one could easily get obsessed with or overthink because it changes perspective and chronology so frequently, even within songs.  It was kind of frustrating for me to try to figure out where everything fit in but once I accepted that it was a lot less fully cooked in regards to the story than I expected it to be I started enjoying it more.  I didn't even realize my three favorites were back to back until I looked at the tracklist.  Some of it was just fine but a lot of it was really impressive, if a far on the grotesque side for my palate.

Choice cuts: Colossus, PartyIsn'tOver/Campfire/Bimmer, IFHY

07.16

The Lost Tapes (Nas, 2002)

Nas at his blandest backed up by samey production.  I wanna listent to it a second time, but a major disappointment.

Choice cuts: Doo Rags, Blaze a 50, Poppa Was a Playa

More Fish (Ghostface Killah, 2006)

After the enormous disappointment of Bulletproof Wallets and the three disappointments I opened the week with I was kind of wary, but this is gold, one of Ghost's best albums.  I really like this Vibe blurb that calls it "safe and experimental, foundational and radical."  Maybe because it's so gambling and tinsel-oriented, but it all feels set in an enormous plushed-out hotel.  It was awesome to see Theodore Unit get so much attention, they're really well used.  Trife is expectedly great, but I also loved Shawn Wigs' contributions, and Sun God goes in a couple times.  Alex is one of his best stories, even though I'm not sure exactly where the titular Columbian fits into the stolen script story.  The Amy Winehouse collaboration is fire, makes me want to listen to more of her music.  "Greedy bitches, greedy greedy bitches" has been stuck in my head since I listened to this.  The only thing I wasn't too hot on was how it wrapped up, the last two songs felt like a departure from the rest of the album and a weird note to end on.

Choice cuts: Greedy Bitches, You Know I'm No Good, Alex (Stolen Script)

07.15

View from Masada (Killah Priest, 2000)

This is a much more personal, street-oriented album than Heavy Mental, obviously strongly influenced by Tupac.  I admire KP for making a totally different album his second time around, but I'm much less interested in this kind of thing than in the esoteric, insanely creative mysticism of the first one.  Still becoming one of my favorite artists.

Choice cuts: View from Masada, What Part of the Game?, If I Die

07.14

Fear, Love & War (Killarmy, 2001)

RapReviews.com was calling this a masterpiece of production and stuff which is why I skipped over Dirty Weaponry to get to it.  It's certainly no reason to loose faith in 4th Disciple but I think he's done much better work, including Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars.  The main reason this one isn't on par with the first one though is the almost total absence of Killa Sin, undoubtedly the most talented member.  Some of the other guys have improved their technical skills, but Dom Pacino's really the only one who can hold his own against him creatively.  I like the more mature and reflective take on things, and I was more impressed the second time, but it's not stellar.

Choice cuts: Street Monopoly, Feel It, Day One

07.13

Nomad (Patrick Tam, 1982)

May well be the best film I've ever seen.  God damn, I've never felt more alive.

07.12

 How to Train Your Dragon (Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, 2010)

Pretty adorable.  The actually training part is great, I wasn't too fond of the thrust of the action and the villain I guess.

The Yin and the Yang (Cappadonna, 2001)

Not nearly on par with The Pillage, but pretty great in it's own right.  Cappa's not always at his most creative, but there's something very cohesive and self-contained about it that makes for a very satisfying experience.  Some of it's so addictive, and there are some stellar beats, especially One Way 2 Zion.

Choice cuts: Love is the Message, Revenge, One Way 2 Zion

07.10

Star Trek Into Darkness (JJ Abrams, 2013) (rewatch)

I was bored and it was the first thing that caught my eye on Netflix.  It holds up.

07.09

Black Reign (Queen Latifah, 1993)

People are all over this on the IMDb hip-hop board, but the appeal is pretty lost on me.  All Hail the Queen is one of the lyrically strongest albums of the 80s, and her flow's still here on this, but it mostly sounds like bland 90s intellectual rap over bland 90s intellectual beats.

Choice cuts: Rough..., Just Another Day..., UNITY

God's Son (Nas, 2002)

It's been so long since I last heard a Nas album, it was wonderful to get back into him.  This has some of his best material, especially on the first half.  A bit stiff compared to his early work, but contemplative throughout and sometimes brilliant.  Also bookended by amazing songs (of course I'm a sucker for drastic changes in production and unusual time signatures).  Nas has to be one of the purest auteurs in hip hop, I think that's why I like him so much.

Choice cuts: Get Down, Last Real Nigga Alive, Heaven

Nostos: Il ritorno (Franco Piavoli, 1990)

Haha, replace Luigi Mezzanotte with Eric Tang and you have a better version of a Justin Kelly movie.  I wasn't thrilled with it though.  There's something too like literal and staid about it.  It's gorgeous but maybe a bit on the EZ art side too.  I'm not sure if it's a fair comparison but I kept thinking of Orinoko, nuevo mundo and how it would've done things better.  Some of the stuff really struck me though.  If you're in the mood for a guy wandering through a lot of awesome landscapes it should certainly sate you.

07.03

Bulletproof Wallets (Ghostface Killah, 2001)

Oof, it's all so plasticky and half-assed.  Some of the RZA's worst production, some good material but so little of it seems really inspired, especially the guest verses.  Strawberry's a perfect song, and The Hilton is a classic Ghostface play it back twenty times til you've got it all figured out epic, but definitely a mediocrity on the whole.

Choice cuts: Strawberry, The Forest, The Hilton

07.01

River Rites (Ben Russell, 2011)

Might've annoyed me, but it's good.

06.27

McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971) (theatrical) (rewatch)

Thrilled I finally got to see this on film!  It's funny, I really loved it when I saw it back in the day and had a very specific idea of what it was; when I watched it this time I was thinking it teetered on the edge of being that idea but was kept from being that good (I think the editing was part of the problem).  But the impression it left on me afterwards is similar to the idea I had of it the first time.  So I guessed I liked it almost as much, which is very very much.

Quintet (Robert Altman, 1979) (theatrical)

What an awesome, thoroughly bizarre movie.  I can't front though, pretty tough to get through.