9- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 5, 2000

Lyricist Lounge 2, Various
Artists; Rawkus Records
By Dustin Seibert
Daily Arts Writer
Sometime in the year 1997, a rel-
.tively unknown up-and-coming
label by the name of Rawkus
dropped a two-disc compilation
masterpiece based on the famous
open-microphone hip-hop show of
the same name. The compilation,
hosted by De La Soul, Kool Keith
and Sir Menelik, featured many of
the best artists on the hip-hop scene
coupled with master producers for a
vely blend of what truly defined
hip-hop at its finest.
Fast-forward three years. Rawkus
blossoms into a highly respectable
label, boasting such hard-hitting
underground artists as Mos Def,
Kool G Rap and Reflection Eternal.
They also have a name for them-
selves now, experiencing a little
commercial success and getting a
ttle change in return.
As is the case with most people
who enjoy the always enrapturing
feeling of having loot-in-hand, the
label strives for even more of the
green stuff. This is my reasoning
behind their decision to somewhat
commercialize the Lyricist Lounge 2
album. Sure, you have your return-
ing champs from the original,
including Mos, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip
and Wordsworth, among others.
This time around, however, there
is a swarm of artists that one would
never expect to find on a Rawkus
album. Beanie Sigel gives a less-
than-impressive showing on "Get
That Dough" and Royce the 5'9"
drops a nice flow on the Jay-Dee
produced "Let's Grow." The Cocoa
Brovaz take credit for "Get Up," sur-
prisingly one of the best songs on
e album. Even Big Noyd and
rodigy team up for the Queens-
laden "The Grimy Way," a para-
mount showing for the Mobb Deep
affiliates.
As for the veterans, Mos Def and
Pharoahe Monch collaborate with
Nate Dogg for an interesting track
titled "Oh No," the first single from
the album, which made many heads
shake in disbelief at the team-up.
Reflection Eternal and Dead Prez
ve a propaganda-laden track
"Sharp Shooters," which is decent
The Fifth Release front Matador,
Pizzicato Five; Matador Records
By Christian Hoard
Daily Arts Writer
If you've had enough of the heav-
-ironic, lounge-friendly vibe that
pervaded, nay, infected dozens of
late-nineties releases, you'll proba-
bly want nothing to do with The
Fifth Release nfom Matador. Which
would be a shame, because the
Pizzicato Five's lounge-ism is more
an afterthought than a sonic objec-
tive, a side effect of Yasuharu
Konishi's love of overly-sunny pop
music and slightly askew approach
songcraft.
In other words, P5 are less about
cooking up something to play while
you and your twenty-something
buddies sip martinis in your velour-
lined living room as they are about
cleverly reshaping the collectic
oeuvres of Burt Bacharach and any-
one else who ever composed the
theme song for a '70s TV show.
More or less conforming to this
10., The Fifth Release finds P5 up

to all of their old tricks: Sampling

but can't begin to compare to RE's
classic "The Manifesto" on the first
compilation. On top of it all, you
just can't keep a good Q-Tip down,
as he shows up with Wordsworth on
the funky "Makin' It Blend," show-
ing us that he has certainly fallen
lyrically since'the "Tribe" defunc-
tion. Macy Gray delivers with the
only R&B track on the album, hook-
ing up with GangStarr and Mos Def
for the "I've Committed Murder"
Remix.
I think many hip-hop purists who
truly enjoyed the first Lyricist
Lounge will not be happy with this
more diverse compilation. I choose
to keep an open mind about who
should be placed on a given compi-
lation, and the truth is that every
single artist on this record is a lyri-
cist; some are naturally better than
others, and styles vary widely a. the
rap world.
However, I believe that Rawkus'
motive for placing an emphasis on
commercial ity for this album is
strictly for exposure and money
making purposes, and that the core
audience of the label will frown
upon this. As for the record itself, its
commerciality does not plague the
album severely. To have Biggie
(R.l.P), Ghostface Killah, Big
L(R.I.P) and JT Money on the same
album makes a statement about the
direction hip-hop music.
To those who enjoy the seperation
of commercial and underground hip-
hop, this may be a crushing blow. I
see it as a rap revolution long await-
ed. Though the album is not without
its flaws (Where's Common?
Where's Black Thought?), I definet-
ly suggest buying it for the sake of'
this thing we call hip-hop.
Grade: B

The Best of, Blur; Virgin Records
By Andy Klein
Daily Arts \Wnter
Whether you think it is arrogant or just
plain stupid for Blur to put out a greatest
hits album so soon in their career is
besides the point. They've done it and the
effort is surprisingly successful as far as
greatest hits albums go. With one new
song and seventeen tracks sampling
equally from the bands back catalogue,
the album is a testament to the band's pro-
gression. Hey Liam and Noel, do you
hear that? Progression.
In the mid '90s, Blur and Oasis battled
it out album for album, single for single,
in a battle of the bands to see who would
hold England's number one spot. Sounds
similar to what America is going through
now with Backstreet and N'Sync, but
there is one difference. Blur and Oasis

write and play music. For many, the battle
of the Brits ended when Oasis scored
countless American hits, Blur received
minimum airplay for their dance-rock hit
"Girls and Boys" and finally won a larg-
er, but still relatively smaller audience
with "Song 2." Woo-hoo Daman! The
points is, and what The Best fillustrates
is that Blur is a band that is capable of
changing music rather than finding a
comfortable niche and remaining there,
The Best of Blur shows the band's
stages. Its roots are found in songs like
1991's "There's No Other Way" in which
they emulate the Stone Roses and 1993's
Bowie-esque "For Tomorrow." The band's
rock and roll is found in the tracks culled
from their albums during the heat of their
battle with Oasis, such as "End of a
Century" and "Charmless Man" which
have the catchiness of ... well .. Oasis.
The artiness of their last studio album 13
is for the most part left off of the disc,

instead the wonderful gospel infused
"Tender" and Richard Aschcroft influ-
enced "No Distance Left to Run" are
included.
The new Blur song, "Music is my
Radar" maintains the experimentation of
13 while bringing back some of the dance
beats and pop sensibility of the witty and
poignant "Girls and Boys." The song tries
to defy comparison but it's hard not to see
the influence of Primal Scream's
"XTRMNTR."
So, if most of what Blur has done has
not been particularly revolutionary to the
course of music, what right do they have
to put out a greatest hits album? May I
remind you that Def Leppard has a great-
est hits album. The truth is that Blur has
written great rock songs for over ten years
that most people have not heard. And for
the Blur fan, the album includes a bonus
disc recorded live at Wembley Arena in
1999 complete with a horn section play-

ing a majority of the songs on the first
disc.
With The Best of, Blur has proven that
they are better than the crafty thieves in
Oasis. Blur can rock and roll, they can
dance, they can cry and they can get cre-
ative. Even if they don't inspire a itrhisical
revolution, they sure sound good.,r
Grade: B

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heavily, cooking up new-school
disco beats, tucking kitschy
melodies into the corners of their
tracks, between horn solos and
Stax/Volt organ spills.
Granted, you'd be hard pressed to
find anything here that's as catchy
and heartwarming as a good
Bacharach tune, and it's arguable
whether or not this is a step side-
ways for the bard. All the same, The
Fiifth Rlcase is the rare sort of
lounge record that plays w ell even
when the novelty wears off.
Grade: B-

Lniversal Records 2000: Year in Review, Various
Artists; Universal Records
By Lisa Rajt
Daily Arts Writer
The inner workings of the mind can be a wonderful
thing. That said, I'd like to share the notes that I spon-
taneously jotted down as I listened to this compilation
of Universal Record's finest for the year 2000. Call it
an exercise in free association, a journey into the
depths of my subconscious. Or just call it "college stu-
dent overloaded with work." Whatever. The cream of
Universal's crop includes ...
1. Nelly, "Country Grammar": What needs to be said
about this song ? Good stuff.
2. Boyz 11 Men, "Thank You in Advance": More of
the same from these guys ... a slow song perfect for
cuddling up with someone and drinking hot chocolate
while wearing cute sweatshirts adorned with reindeer.
3. 98 Degrees, "Una Noche": In a last-ditch effort to
oust N'Sync and Backstreet from their current spots
atop the Boy Band Hierarchy, 98 Degrees attempts to
capitalize on the lucrative Latin music market. The
boys promised to gixe me the "time of my life." Okay,
but only if I call have the young one!
4. 3 Doors Down, "Kryptonite": I can't listen to this
song because I am reminded of it's incredibly disturb-
ing video. I used to really enjoy this song; it's pretty
catchy.
5. Godsmack, "Voodoo": Never heard this song

before ... is that uncool? A bit of electric guitar and
lots of wailing on the part of the lead singer. Vaguely
reminiscent of the Crash Test Dummies, only with a
harder edge.
6. Sister Hazel, "Change Your Mind": Al Gore lis-
tens to Sister Hlazel and so should you. This is a real-
ly rockin' song! I had forgotten how much it rocks!
7. Tonic, "You Wanted More": These guys are so
incredibly underrated, it is just pathetic. I love the
Tonic boys. Catchy guitar riffs, climactic choruses,
thoughtful lyrics ...sigh. I want more Tonic,
dammit! More Tonic right now!
8. Eiffel 65, "Blue (da ba dco)": Whoa! Overload

of memories from trips to that haven of the under-21
set ... good old Windsor! Ooooh, and that house
party where I got on the table and ... uh, never mind.
9. Sonique "It feels Good": Thinking of my room-
mate from last year, and how she and the girls next
door listened to this song over and over again.
Thinking about how if I have to hear this song one
more time, I'm gonna ... nevermind. Okay, I'm skip-
ping ahead to the next track.
10. Alice Deejay, "Better off Alone": A club
favorite in London, where I lived this summer. Ahhh,
the sweet, sweet memories (or lack thereof, thanks to
vodka and Red Bull).
11. Juvenile, "U Understand": I know this may not
be "objective," I know it may be "inappropriate" for
me to be so blatantly biased, but I hate Juvenile. As
soon as I saw this song was by him, I just knew I was
going to hate it. How astute of me, I do!
12. Big Tymers, "Get Your Roll On": More house
party memories. As I attempt to breakdance on the
floor of my 7' x 12' dorm room, I enjoy the groove of
the Big Tymers. Excellent. Very, very danceable,
13, Hot Boys, "I Need a Hot Girl": I prefer Missy
Elliot's counterpart to this song, which is written for
the ladies, but this one will do in a pinch.
14. Original Kings of Comedy, Steve Harvey,
"Something Got to Be Wrong in Cuba": Okay, this
isn't a song, just a soundbite from a documentary. A
bizarre ending for a CD filled with music.
Grade: B


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