Home Taping Is Killing Music #8
Lil Wayne – Right Above It (ft. Drake)
I’m not quite sure how he managed to record this while he’s still incarcerated, but when I first heard that Weezy was back I was filled with a strange cocktail of emotions - excitement, hope, fear (come on, he is undeniably a scary guy), apprehension, that sort of thing. To be honest though, the gut reaction was overwhelming relief that he was seriously getting back to rapping again after Rebirth, and also a little bit of anxiety that his flow might have suffered after a couple years of messing around with guitars and ‘letting it rock’, with only the odd verse on the hit-and-miss Young Money releases to indicate he was still addressing his career with a degree of seriousness. And yes, on ‘Right Above It’, taken from the forthcoming I am not a Human Being EP, Wayne does sound a little rusty - there’s none of the ingenuity or verbal dexterity that characterised Tha Carter III tracks like ‘A Milli’ and ‘Mr. Carter’, and he occasionally drops one of the lyrical clangers that have peppered those Young Money tracks (‘guns turn you n*ggas into pussies - sex change’). But he really hits form on the chorus, deftly throwing away the kind of lines that other rappers would over-egg (‘If you ain’t runnin’ with it, run from me’ ‘I don’t bust back because I shoot first’) over a beat that’s actually pretty good despite sounding like it was made in an afternoon on one of those ‘DJ/producer’ iPhone apps. It was also a smart move to kick off proceedings with the guest verse, courtesy of Drake - he may not be the smartest rapper, but his confidence is infectious enough that by the time Wayne comes in you’re assured enough to trust his rapping ability again. Come Tha Carter IV we might be wanting something more substantial, but for now it’s a welcome return for the guy who’s still one of the weirdest and most intriguing in the game. [DOWNLOAD HERE]
Kanye West – See Me Now (ft. Beyonce and Charlie Wilson)
I’m sure you’ve all seen the ‘portrait’ for Power by now - the one-minute-thirty, bat-f*ck-insane clip in which Kanye tries to ‘re-create the Sistine Chapel’ and comes pretty damn close to ... something like that. It’s amazing(ly self-indulgent) stuff, and a very clever move on Kanye’s part - by restricting the clip to 90 seconds he manages to make a track that in its full form runs out of ideas about a third of the way through seem full of verve and invention. Last week, he handed to radio this cut from the forthcoming Dark Twisted Fantasy, a rubbish album title when you consider that it was originally going to be called Good Ass Job. Anyway, ‘See Me Now’ is the song, and after the moody 808s and Heartbreak it is a refreshing change to hear him put out something that reminds us why we all fell for him in the first place - a sun-kissed groove, some brilliant guest vocal performances (Beyonce’s on it! Beyonce!), and taut rapping from the man himself. Lyrically he also re-treads old ground, rapping about being black, being rich, being an asshole, and of course being ‘the greatest in the world’, although after some iffy guest verses over the last year or so it’s a joy to hear him delivering some of the best lines he’s come up with since Late Registration. He’s even - whisper it - funny! The Kanye West of yore would never have been secure enough to have ad-libbed ‘I’ma let you finish, but I got Beyonce on the track!’ to round off his verse, and he raises a smile from the off by re-introducing himself as ‘Socrates, but my skin more chocolate-y’. It’s great to have him back. [DOWNLOAD HERE]
Summer Camp – Round the Moon
Long-time RFB faves Summer Camp are finally set to put out their first release on September 6th, the EP Young coming out on Moshi Moshi. Following the swooning beauty of Radio 1-playlisted ‘Ghost Train’, the first official single from said EP is the (heart-)thumping ‘Round the Moon’. Built on waves of throbbing synth, wiggly bass and the beat of a pleasingly retro drum-machine, the song pushes forward the sound heard in early tracks like ‘Was it Worth It?’ and the aforementioned ‘Ghost Train’ (both of which appear on Young) - snatches of old movie dialogue, dreamy harmonies, and bittersweet tales of love both longed for and lost. The voices of singers Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey gorgeously twist around each other to add to the overall sense of yearning, and Warmsley continues to prove, five years into his career, that he is one of the most under-appreciated arrangers in pop music - his ear for the right instrument, for balancing the sound, and violating expectation while still finding a great hook is virtually second to none. Perfect for a shimmy or a cry, ‘Round the Moon’ is a perfect late Summer release from one of the most exciting groups around at the moment. Oh, and the video is f**king ace too. [DOWNLOAD HERE]
Sub Pop Amazon Sampler
Sub Pop are one of those record labels that never fail to deliver. Over almost 25 years, the label have brought to wider attention some of the most acclaimed and successful indie bands ever and manages to maintain a hard-working, intelligent aesthetic despite being part-owned by Warner Bros. and also pretty much the biggest alternative label in the world. This compilation, free to download from Amazon, acts as a neat bridge between the big hitters of yore and some of the labels most exciting recent signings. This means that between bands like Band of Horses, The Shins, Flight of the Conchords and some grunge outfit no-one’s ever heard of, we are treated to a fine set of songs from some of the groups that might just come to head the next generation of indie-rock superstars. So we get blissed-out college radio vibes of Happy Birthday, the lush country stylings of Avi Buffalo, and that thrashy lo-fi stuff that Dum Dum Girls and Male Bonding are so excellent at, along with some of those bands (Wolf Parade, Iron & Wine) that, despite having never quite made the mainstream breakthrough, continue to release excellent LP after excellent LP. But I don’t really need to convince you, do I? I mean, it’s a completely free, 22-track compilation featuring some of your favourite bands past, present and future. What are you waiting for? [DOWNLOAD HERE]
Artists in this article: Lil' Wayne, Kanye West, Summer Camp