I THINK MY BRAIN IS FULL

I’ve got a bit of a reputation for being a musical snob. Fair enough. I know what’s shit and what’s not. It doesn’t take much.

So, I’ve decided to do a little round up of what I’ve been listening to recently. It might inspire you to buy something new.

8 Diagrams: Wu Tang Clan. A long time ago, in a ghetto far, far away, the Wu Tang Clan used to be ground breaking trendsetters. Their sound was famously grimy, before grime came along. Samples that sounded like they were being played on a Fisher Price turntable, angry men spat angry rhymes, weaklings protected their necks, just on the off chance that the Wu Tang sword came chopping. And yea, it was good. Enter the Wu Tang: 36 Chambers was a stunning piece of collaborative work that actually changed Hip Hop. For a while.

8 Diagrams seems to be an attempt to recapture some of what made the first album so great, even going so far as to dig out old recordings of ODB to wedge into the mix. The album doesn’t tread any new ground, though. What you get is a fairly lacklustre Hip-Hop-by-numbers affair. Opener ‘Campfire’ shows quite clearly that Method Man is still the most skilled man in the Wu and that Ghostface Killa is still the angriest. It’s a lazy number that humps along lethargically with the usual hand claps and movie samples. As do the next four tracks. Then, something incredible happens. One of the worst tracks ever made leaks into your ears. The Heart Gently Weaps is an obviously Beatles inspired track featuring Erykah Badu and John Frusciante (of the shamelessly repetitive Red Hot Chili Peppers). Again, like with most of the album, it’s a very slow track that rumbles with all the pace of a stationery brick. And it’s terrible.

After 10 of the 16 tracks available, it has become readily apparent that the album lacks a ‘Protect Ya Neck‘ or ‘...Ain’t Nuthin To Fuck Wit‘. A fast heavy number that knocks you about with a shout along chorus. Not even funk lord George Clinton can inject a little bounce into the proceedings. By the time you reach the album closer, ‘16th Chamber ODB Special’ you’re about ready to give up. Rather unfortunately, the final track, which is the shortest on the album, is by far the best. Because it’s got a bit of life to it. However, it does sound like an outtake from the first album. It’s basically a two-hander between Meth and ODB and doesn’t lumber like everything that came before it. It’s the only track on the album I’ve given more than a couple of listens as it’s actually pretty good. It’s a crying shame that there wasn’t more like it, despite the fact that every lyric on it can be found in the pair’s other tracks from the last ten years. Perhaps the RZA’s production is what really lets the album down as it rarely strays from safe territory, though, when it does, on ‘The Heart Gently Weeps’, a mess is made and the whole thing breaks down. I guess this is, overall, a very solid if slightly dull venture.

If I had a star-rating system, it would be out of 5. 8 Diagrams would get 2 stars. And they’d be Meth and ODB.

Mirrored: Battles. Battles are completely new to me. When I recently met a ragamuffin drag queen junglist emcee, I heard two very different opinions on them. A good friend of mine, whose opinions on music rarely differ from my own rated the band very highly. The emcee thought they were shit. So I went into this one with a very open mind, not really having much idea what to expect. All I’d really garnered from their disagreement was that Battles are a Math Rock band and that the drummer from Helmet plays for them.

The album starts with ‘Race:In’, which sets the tone for what follows quite succinctly. They’re fairly avant garde and mix complex arrangements of slick drums with almost ambient vocals and guitars. Sounding at times like both Primus and Pinback, they weave a fairly innovensive sound that never really lurches too far into the Math Rock arena. It’s a little like how I’d imagine Aphex Twin to sound if he’d been in a proper band. Sometimes you get eight minutes of ambience, sometimes you get fifty seconds of frenetic burst. And it’s all quite nice.

Single ‘Atlas‘ is fairly stomp-along affair, with pounding drums that sound somewhat reminiscent of Adam and the Ants, with squeaky Alvin and the Chipmunks-like vocals. Which, strangely, is quite appealing. There’s a lot going on in the mix, which keeps it sparky. The Les Claypool-like bassline is distorted and crunchy, the guitars are brittle and frantic. It’s all rather odd, but I think I like it. Most of the album carries on in the same vein. ‘Tij’, in particular, stands out. The album closes on ‘Race:Out’, which winds you down after all the frenetic charging about - though of course, it stabs and jerks about pleasantly. I’m almost certain I like it.

Seeing as how the album is quite odd in places, I’ll describe it with a ridiculous analogy: It’s like being a robot in a field and seeing a rainbow for the first time. Then you’re chased by a little dog that wants to play, but you’re not quite sure how to react, because you’re a robot. Some of your circuits are wet with dew.

If I had a star-rating system it would be out of 5. Mirrored would get 4 stars. One for each member of the group.

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