Friday, October 2, 2009

THE 100 BEST ALBUMS of 2000-2009:








Metropolis Suite 1: The Chase EP (Janelle Monae) (2008): she’s been fascinating purists for years now, a-la Joi in the 90s, but finally that female hanging out with Outkast (high praise in itself) has emerged with a name and music bold enough to distinguish herself solo. She is Janelle Monae and here is the EP-length collection of songs before her debut-proper. Immediately with the intro (March of the Wolfmasters) we are privy to her alien love concept, something totally fresh and new to American hip/hop. The album tracks the rebellion of Cindy Mayweather as she has committed the cardinal alien rule: falling in love with a human. The brilliant songs track her every move: Violent Stars Happy Hunting is the chase sequence where Cindy becomes the hunted. Many Moons is her capture and auction for termination. Metropolis is the recollection of her attraction to the human in question (Anthony Greenland from Sector 9) and Sincerely, Jane is the overview of her humanly observations, especially the victimization of women. If the concept was so radical and brilliant then the sheer artistry of Monae would still win you over. Framing her concepts in a R&B base is a risky venture but the only woman who could currently hold any comparison is Erykah Badu. In fact, Monae is a potent combo of Badu, Lauryn Hill, Bjork , Aaliyah and Andre 3000. I need not go on any further after that impressive name-dropping. ()

THE 100 BEST ALBUMS of 2000-2009:







Hissing Fauna, are you the Destroyer? (Of Montreal) (2007): lead singer, Kevin Barnes decided to record an entire album around a separation from his wife after scurrying to Norway. The air there must be conducive because Hissing Fauna—the band’s eight release—easily surpasses anything they’ve done before. Besides, who knew men could do such a bitchy, insane break up album?! The album shamelessly parodies so many funk concepts but when Barnes suffuses the songs with his wry sensibilities and catty glam intent, all is forgiven. Amid all this lashing out though lies lyrical pain; ‘oh no/ she’s a rejecter/ I must protect myself/ there’s the girl that left me bitter’, he shrieks viciously on She’s a Rejecter. Gronlandic Edit slows the tempo down to a whisper, uttering a haunting refrain. Cato as a Pun is the cry out of help wrapped up in self-doubt. Labyrinthian Pomp is dead-on the Bowie vibe that is so omnipresent in male pop fabulists. A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger (‘I spent the winter/ on the verge of a nervous breakdown/ while living in Norway’) and We were born the Mutants again with Leafling ( ‘we love to view unfortunate passions…’) rotate their fabulousness while pandering to pain. Toss in the best white-boy Prince funk of the decade (Bunny ain’t no kind of Rider, Faberge falls for Shuggie) and garnish with Beatles flavor and voila, this tasty treat is done just right. ()