Beastly Discovery, Then A Trip To The Islands . . .
FREE Downloads
The Beastie Boys are always fun. Recently I discovered that they have a previously unreleased track on Launch.com. You will have to register with Launch, and may need to download the appropriate software to play it, but it is worth it. The song is for the Kosovo Relief project. The Beastie Boys may have passed the high point in their career, which was to this critic's ear the amazing lineup of albums spanning from Paul's Boutique to Check Your Head to Ill Communication, but it is still well worthwhile to listen to what you can from them. Nobody does it like the Beastie Boys1x
The new song, called The Negotiation Limerick File, is nothing more and nothing less than basic Beastie material. It starts with the beat absent, but insinuated by the bass and guitar. Next comes the rapping which is, as usual, light, energetic, and perennially childish, and then the beat kicks in, and the song is moving. DJ Hurricane brings in some nice cutting, the Boys' rhymes are alive, and the tune in general gives its listener that ineffable whimsy that Ad-Roc, Mike D and MCA seem to feel every second of their lives.
Suggestion: Burn it on to a CD with some other light tunes and let it get you through the rest of the dog days.
For those times that you want to simmer down a bit there is a Dancehall duo originally from Kingston, Jamaica called Culcha Society, on mp3.com. They have that quintessentially Caribbean sense of relaxation about them (which every northern-hailing tourist desperately misses if s/he's ever known it). They tell you: it's okay. If it is too hot, just sit down for a little while-get it? The singing is silky and the DJ work is hingeless.
Two Culcha Society songs that grabbed me were God and Poverty. These are not such light subjects for relaxation. But, after all, why are Lite Rock and Smooth Jazz so cheesy? Because everything about them is, light1x Music needs something to ground it in reality or it will float away and never be heard from again. Even Bob Marley's ridiculously light lyric "Oh please, don't you rock my boat/ 'Cause I don't want my boat to be rockin'" has something slightly imposing behind it. I say let's make a Culcha Society/Beastie Beastie Boys sandwich on that CD, and savor what of life we can.
I was led to Culcha Society by a search for Buju Banton, another Jamaican Dancehall musician. He has a tune by the name of Inna Heights which is catchy and pensive and his gruff voice brings it clang to carry. This does not seem to be available as a mp3 over the Internet, but it is available for purchase through song search, and I highly recommend it.
Listen up . . .and enjoy1x
By Ted Koch
If you would like to read more articles from this author just enter their last name in the "Site Search" box (located at top right of this screen) and press your "enter" key.
|
|
