QB Salute -pt. I

It's too bad that there is no video for this amazing track off of Mobb Deep's first album. The balance between the super laid-back sample, rough and rugged drum machine, and the tense Queensbridge story telling is yet another example of classic '90's hip-hop.

Friday night QB salute - pt.II

The raw lyrics and video vixen imagery are a lot more than I usually will put up here, but the song is just good enough to merit an exception. The sparse, piano driven Alchemist beat is the perfect background for Prodigy to drop some wicket wordplay. He saves the best couplets for last:

You rap n*@@'s make me laugh, ya'll crazy ass/and I don't give a fuck what you sold - that shit is trash/ Bang this 'cause I guarantee that you bought it/heavy airplay all day with no chorus, I keep it thorough....

Animal Collective - Fireworks

This is one of the most original bands to have become popular that I can remember in quite some time. Maybe too original for some, they're an acquired taste, especially some of Dave Portner's off the wall lyrics delivered in an equally weird style. 'Fireworks' is one of my favorites from the new record, Strawberrry Jam. Very cool video, with excellent contrast between dark and light. I really like how the song is in 3/4 time, goes through a minute or so transition around the 3 minute mark, and then switches to 4/4, with the melodic motif extended an extra beat per measure towards the end. The effect is that the melody seems to be slower, more deliberate. Animal Collective has really improved as songwriters, having made the progression from weird, occasionally one-dimensional material to more nuanced, dynamic, beautiful songs.