Two songs. Twenty-one minutes. Excellent. But too brief to be a highlight album for this batch. Mr. Bejar will get his due attention later, though.
I love listening to Aesop Rock. His voice and his flow match up in a way that very few rappers are blessed to have. No matter what he says, it's enjoyable to listen to the words tumble out of his mouth. Here's the thing though - much of the time, I have no earthly idea what the intended message of any given song is. But with Def Jux's typically filthy production and the aforementioned delivery, it doesn't usually matter - it's a good business. Just let Aes Rock and his over-caffeinated delivery wash over you and try not to enjoy it. I bet you have a hard time.
This may be the last great album Common does, and that's kinda sad. He's an incredibly talented MC, but given his penchant for acting and the fact that his most recent two albums have been entirely lackluster. On Be, though, he is on point throughout. He does socially conscious rap in a way that doesn't come across as pretentious, ever, which is very tough to do. The few features that there are are all great, especially Kanye's. Production is also better than on any other Common album, with West and J Dilla handling all thirteen tracks. Damn fine album. Here's hoping he makes another like it in the future.
Be Here Now by Oasis
Oasis at their bloated worst, this one. I cannot express to you how frustrating it is to have a 72 minute album that has five songs that average out to being 7+ minutes each. What is even more frustrating is that the popcraft of Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is completely absent. This is why people hate you, Gallagher brothers. Well, this and because you are colossal douchebags.
I wish BYOP had stayed together a bit longer, maybe done one more album. Punk has been a sadly neglected genre for most of the 2000s, for one reason or another (I personally blame American Idiot. Ugh). BYOP put out two great garage-punk albums between 2004 and 2008. This is the first, though the consistency from one to the other can make it hard to tell on the fly. The drums pound, the guitar blisters, and lead singer Jemina Pearl, all of about 18 when this was recorded, wails. Trying to explain how they come across isn't the easiest prospect... If I had to go to that old trope of "If X and Y had a kid", I'd have to say they sound like the bastard child of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Misfits. I'll let that ruminate in your head for a moment.
We good? Good. If that sounds like something both awesome and vaguely terrifying, then this is an album for you. But remember - "have fun, and be safe with it! Just kidding, fuck shit up!"
The Beatles (White Album) by The Beatles
If there is one misstep in The Beatles' career as a group, it's the White Album. Very rarely does the double LP work well from cover to cover, and The Beatles does not. While it does house some of their best songs, the fact that it was made amidst their infighting is very clear. It suffers from too much fat. If you trimmed out... hm... "Wild Honey Pie", "Piggies", "Don't Pass Me By", "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?", and maybe "Revolution 9", then it's a lot leaner, and would make for a great LP. But they indulged, and most people forgive them for it, but I can't ever listen to the whole thing cover to cover without wanting to skip a few tracks.
Beatles for Sale by The Beatles
For whatever reason, with the exception of Help!, I can't really get into early Beatles too too much. I love the "big" numbers, of course. How can you not love "Eight Days a Week" and "I'll Follow the Sun"? "No Reply" and the cover of Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music" are both very good as well, but the rest of the songs, especially the other covers, don't score particularly highly, even in comparison to other early Beatles songs.
Beats Rhymes & Life by A Tribe Called Quest
Now, I've never listened to The Love Movement, but I'm pretty sure there's no way it's worse than BR&L. Tip and Phife just sound so flat and listless throughout here, it's really disappointing. The beats are completely forgettable. I just listened to this and already, I cannot remember any good lines, or any of the rhythms. This is a terrible thing for an artist like ATCQ. Tsk.
The Beautiful Struggle by Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli might be the greatest MC to never release a great solo album. Sure, Quality is an accurately named album, but it's not really what I'd call great. It's not even as good as his friend and collaborator Mos Def's two best albums. The Beautiful Struggle, like quality, is an aptly named album. Well, half aptly-named. It's not particularly beautiful at any point, but it is a struggle to get through it. Like Beats Rhymes & Life, it just feels void of anything truly valuable. The beat selection rivals Nas' worst efforts, and there doesn't seem like there is enough of that typical Kweli fire in his delivery. Yowch.
Beck, Like the Beer by Beck
I honest to God think about twelve people have heard this. I don't think it was ever released in any true sense. Maybe some cassettes and bootlegged CDs in the early 90s, but this thing is clearly a demo tape. It's Beck and his guitar, probably in a bedroom or a bathroom, with a tape deck, I think. It's not bad, as demos go, but far from the things Mr. Hansen would come to make in the latter half of the decade and into the 2000s. There's not a lot of that Beck charm here, to the point where it's almost amazing that he ended up making songs like "Loser" and "Sexx Laws". Also, was "Bonus Beer Noise" necessary?
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