David Lynch: Crazy Clown Time (Review by Conor)

David Lynch is one of my all time favorite filmmakers. He has a very unique style of storytelling that I just gravitate to like ants to sugar. But this review isn’t about his films, this is about his album.

Crazy Clown Time is heavy on atmosphere. And not so much on song structure. The most “verse/chorus” songs are during the first half. “Pinky’s Dream” was a great choice for an opener. I love that track for its dizzying guitar and vocals. It sounds like something Balthazar Getty would listen to in Lost Highway. Karen O is great on the vocals too. And it’s catchy as hell. Another one of my favorites are “So Glad”. Lynch’s vocal delivery on that song just make me melt. The first time I heard that track, when his vocals kicked in…ohhh boy. Yeah. That’s definitely my favorite song. “Noah’s Ark” is another fantastic addition to this record. The hi-hats sound like old film projectors skipping. And the song itself sounds like a dusty 45 you would find in a creepy basement somewhere. I love it. I’m a big fan of the production too. The drums are so fucking heavy. They are the core of this album. The snares on “Good Day Today” sound like defibrillators. Lynch’s guitar work is very cool too. I love his sense of the blues.

Like I said before, the most structured songs are during the first half. Songs like “Strange and Unproductive Thinking” are interesting for about the first minute or so. Then you realize that…this song is 7 minutes long. And this is all it is. Lynch speaking in a robot voice about his thoughts. But I think that the title track is interesting all the way through. Mainly because of Lynch’s super creepy vocals. He talks in this disturbing little girl voice. And this is the only song in the CD booklet that comes with complete lyrics. And boy…read the lyrics while you listen to it. Its like hearing a audiobook from BEYOND THE GRAAAVE. Anyways.

This album is an experience for sure. I would reccomend listening to it all the way through in one shot. Some will be definitley turned off by his style, like his movies. But I would at least give it a listen. I got some good jams out of it.

B.

FAVORITE TRACKS: So Glad, Pinky’s Dream, Noah’s Ark, I Know

New Vinyl, 11-11-11
“Awake” by Trash Talk
7” Black, with Foldout Poster + Liner Notes/Lyrics

Reviewing this next…

Childish Gambino: CAMP (Review by Conor)

Listen to the whole LP on NPR: First Listen. Click the photo.

Donald Glover slowly became one of my favorite people of the last couple of months. Community is a fantastic show and he is definitely a highlight. I was first exposed to his music when he dropped his single: “Freaks and Geeks”. I was immediately obsessed with that song. It was insanely clever and got me very interested in this mysterious Childish Gambino. His following release, EP was great. I started to look back into his previous catalouge and found some great gems. His cover of Girls’ “Lust for Life”, “Do Ya Like”, and my favorite: “Get Like Me”. But now we come to CAMP. His sophomore LP.

CAMP is one hell of an album. And by that, I mean that there is a lot to cover. Glover pulls out all the stops for his major label debut. I honestly don’t know where to start. First off, I am very impressed with the improvement of the beats. Most of the beats on CULDESAC got really boring. Only a couple really stood out. But I’m glad that the beats on CAMP are a lot more interesting and creative. I was really surprised with the track “All the Shine”. With a title like that, I got flashbacks of EP with the song “My Shine”. But the beat is great for that track. The drums and claps just add a massiveness to it. And the distorted guitar melody is great. I also just love the vocal intro. But the lyrics are a little iffy. I find them kind of whiny.

That is one of the main problems with this album. Glover can’t seem to draw the line between heartache and whiny. I feel like “All the Shine” is the whiny to “Heartbeat’s” genuine heartache. I love that track for its blatant dancey beat and bassline. It’s going to get played at clubs for all the wrong reasons. I also dig it when Glover’s vocals go from gentle to violent without any warning. It really adds to the sense that this character can’t control his feelings.

“Bonfire” has a really hardcore and creative beat. Accompanied by some of Glover’s cleverest punchlines: “My dick is like an accent mark, its all about the over e’s”. I dig the track “Backpackers” which is basically his response to the hipsters that criticize him. It’s pretty thug. I’m not gonna lie. And I actually felt threatened. Its got a great murder-rap beat and the vocal layering is really intense. My favorite is “Kids (Keep Up)”. The way Glover’s warm vocals come over the sleigh bells just makes me want to sit next to a fire, wrap myself in a blanket, and open presents. The hook is amazing and gets stuck in my head all the time. The verses complement the hook well and It’s just a great song. It’s definitely my favorite. I don’t really like the track “That Power” but it’s really all worth it for the outro. It’s a four minute long monologue telling the story of a boy on his way home from a summer camp. The writing is very picturesque and relatable. And I think that’s what Glover wanted to do with this album. Relate his experiences with the listeners.

I have a lot of things to nitpick with this album. Most of the tracks are inconsistent. “Outside” and “Firefly” are very big on strugglehop and they sound incredibly manufactured to me. “L.E.S.” just bores the hell out of me. “Hold You Down” is just so middle of the road its crazy. “You See Me” could have been a bonus track on Watch the Throne if you replaced Glover with Kanye West. He even does some of the shit that Kanye does. The racks on racks reference, mama say mama sa, the “huh?!”, and he even rips off the “Mary-Kate and Ashley” vocal pitch. But this song could be considered satire of Kanye’s style. But that makes it the track completely unnecessary. And why does he use the same effect from “Get Like Me”? “Sunrise” has some good intentions with its choir use. It’s not that bad. “Letter Home” would have been more effective if it was just acoustic guitar. But its layered with strings. And it’s really overwhelming. Seriously, there are so much goddamn strings on this album.

Yeah, like I said, I have a lot of tiny issues with this LP. But let’s Ebert this instead of Siskeling it. I enjoyed this record. It is by far the best musical effort Donald Glover has put out so far. It’s got some great moments and some not-so-great moments. I’m just glad this didn’t turn into a Goblin type of situation. Where the hype for it is so goddamn huge that it’s hard to follow it up. But I’m very impressed with Glover’s improvement. And I can’t wait for what he does next.

C.

FAVORITE TRACKS: All the Shine, Heartbeat, Backpackers, Kids (Keep Up)

glowgirl:

the “I can’t believe it’s already April” playlist.

download and enjoy.