Confidence Has No Budget- June 9, 2008 Lil' Wayne "Dr. Carter" - "Dr. Carter" is essentially an advice song in which Lil' Wayne -- starring as a doctor in a hip hop emergency room -- offers words of wisdom to rappers who lack his skills and originality. Taken at face value, it's very amusing and his craft is dazzling, but really, this is more than just a goofy, boastful skit extended to a full-length track; it's the sound of a genius who is totally exasperated by the people who ought to be considered his peers. Throughout Tha...http://www.fluxblog.org/2008/06/confidence-has-no-budget.html The Cold and Sadistic- June 6, 2008 Annie "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me" - Wow, Jezebel is right -- this is a really good song! It's hip-switchin', gum-snappin', tit-perkin', and everything! (I love it when songs are tit-perkin'!) Anyway, even though Slut Machine is pretty right-on about the song -- gee, it's just like that thing Tyra Banks says! -- some of the folks in their comment box are a little off-base. For example: Gundam_Halo: That video was hypnotic. I'm a sucker for choreography. Damn, I'm a...http://www.fluxblog.org/2008/06/cold-and-sadistic.html The Crowd That I Want To Reach Is Out At Night- June 4, 2008 Douglas Armour "Fall Apart Again" - The character in "Fall Apart Again" is desperate to express himself to his partner, and trying very hard to get on the same page, but something isn't working. No matter what he says, he's left wondering if they even understand what he means, and if they've somehow gone reverted from sharing a close rapport to being little more than strangers in familiar bodies. You may expect a song with that theme to have a fairly anxious sound, but instead, the gently...http://www.fluxblog.org/2008/06/crowd-that-i-want-to-reach-is-out-at.html I'll Party By Myself Because I'm Such A Special Guy- June 3, 2008 Weezer "Troublemaker" - I'll never understand why people are so hard on Rivers Cuomo. Since Weezer emerged from their post-Pinkerton hiatus, the guy cannot escape the constant bitching of his fanbase, and it's just ridiculous given the fact that he can be relied upon to knock out at least two or three full-on power pop classics on every Weezer release. Granted, any complaints about the quality of Weezer's records since 1996 are valid -- they've all been uneven, but to focus on the...http://www.fluxblog.org/2008/06/ill-party-by-myself-because-im-such.html The Grey Eyes, The Gentle Kiss- June 2, 2008 Hercules and Love Affair "Athene" - Even without lyrics and vocals, "Athene" would feel like a wish for inspiration, and for escape from dreariness, complication, and tedium. Lyrically and musically, the song looks wistfully to a magical past, but whether it's Greek Classics or late 70s New York disco, Andrew Butler desires to invest the present tense with the power of mythology. Kim Ann Foxman may be singing to the Goddess of Wisdom, but with this track, Butler may as well be beseeching the...http://www.fluxblog.org/2008/06/grey-eyes-gentle-kiss.html |