Finally. I really never thought this would happen, but it is. It's almost a dream come true: I'm blogging about my favorite music. What could be cooler than that?!?!
Enough chit chat, the name's Rob. Or Rob Rebop. Or Rebop. Or DJ Goodknight. Anyone of those. Take your pick.
Alright, let's kick things off with a track about the beginning of things to come: Genesis. The first track of French electro duo Justice's 2007 debut (Cross), Genesis encompasses everything Justice represents: sweeping orchestral intro, squelchy, rippling synths, and dirty, gritty drumwork that has come to be known (at least by me) as the signature Justice sound. It's heard on their album, their remixes, everything Justice. The intro ALONE here is epic, and the silence builds the tension until...BOOM the song kicks into overdrive. You can't do much better than this track if electro is your joint.
In this first post I plan to outline the stuff I like to listen to most, and now that electro is out of the way, what's next? UK Garage of course.
Without a doubt, Mike Skinner (b.k.a. The Streets) is one of my favorite rappers of all-time. Case in point: Blinded By The Lights. Sure, he flows about as well as week-old mac & cheese. But does it matter? Sure, he's hardly even rapping, more rap-talking, but does THAT matter? No. The synths are spacey, otherworldly, uncomfortable almost. Skinner sounds uncomfortable as well, as if this isn't a track but an actual experience he's having. His tone, his voice, his stress, the whole track is a meta-story; a story within a story. UK Garage is definitely hard to listen to and it's an acquired taste, but it can tell stories and strike chords that few other genres can hope to touch. See the entire 2004 album "A Grand Don't Come For Free" for the entire, poignant, and gripping story.
So...electronic music, rap, and...what's left? Good ol' rock n' roll. Courtesy of French alt rock group Phoenix. Guitars, drums, vocals, yep. The whole deal.
Lisztomania is the kickoff track of Phoenix's absolutely stellar 2009 release "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". It kicks off with seemingly monotonous two-note riff, before spiraling into the clouds with bouncing, catchy drums, ambient, sky-bound synths, and Thomas Mars' bright, almost beckoning voice, bringing the listener into the depths of the song. The entirety of the song is a flight through clouds, dreams, and all things cheery and happy. This song is simple pleasant. Rollicking, floating, diving, roaring, this song has it all. Quite the opener on such an album, but the rest does anything but disappoint. It's in stores now!!
That's it for now! Please enjoy and expect another post tomorrow. Gotta get things rollin' around here!! Oh yes, and I just ordered Major Lazer's album and SebastiAn's "A Fine Selection of Remixes", so expect those reviews soon. Bop out.
-RBGK
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