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This hiphop thing is universal. Its beyond the music, its about the looks, the swagger to the mindset and beyond. So what if the image doesn't matter? For your average rapper this might be a case of worry, as most of them rely heavily on the gangsta/rich/ex-coke dealer image that they've managed to impose upon themselves but within these shells the soul is more or less lacking.
Brother Ali, a devoted Muslim, was known as a battle rapper who frequented the Scribble Jams and has won many a fans with his unique punchlines and delivery, and that he is an albino rapper, which as experience has taught me is a good thing as the only other such rapper, Krondon from Xzibit's erstwhile Strong Arm Steady crew is also pretty good. Brother Ali then signed with Slug's Rhymesayers Entertainment and dropped Rites Of Passage in 2000. This gathered him wider but limited publicity (considering it was a casette only release and the lucky owners of that album would now be running eBay empires) but mostly some loyal fans plus, more importantly, gave hints that he has more to him than just battle rhymes and punches. His various cameos in hiphop's underground universe served its purpose of keeping the fans happy as such fucking with their appetite for more, turning 2 of them from Minnesota into wolves overnight.
Shadows On The Sun was the answer and in an ideal world where you could judge by the cover, you'd right away say some good shit. The album, produced entirely by Ant earned so much acclaim that there was a demand for the previous album to be re-released as a CD, which Rhymesayers did on a later stage as a limited edition pre-order bonus with his third release, The Champion EP.
Room With A View: Im always a sucker for good storytelling. A good example of that would be this track where Ali paints a picture of his neighbourhood and growing up there. The beat is more than engaging, the delivery is full of energy and the way the lines are put together looks so effortless that all in all this song is just brilliant.
Champion: Switch gears and we are presented with a battlesque track with enough braggadocios rhymes as one would have expected from a title like that. Im not the biggest fan of the chorus for some reason.
Star Quality: Similar in vein to the previous track where Ali explains why he's to be considered star quality but except this time he does it over a more laid back beat that sounds so peaceful that you wouldn't either notice or you'd ignore the fact that he's trying to convince you/the invisible foe of your incompetence and how your approach is 'ass crack backwards'. The fact that he also has some genuine humour sense does help his mission.
Prince Charming: This is a song where Ali finds the girl of his dreams and tries his best to charm her, but instead she files a restraining order against him. The song is strangely amusing and you start to notice a couple things by this point. 1 - Apart from all this me-better-than-you rhymes Ali can also make fun of himself for amusement sake. 2 - Ant. Where the hell had they been hiding him? The 4 beats so far got more soul than probably half of all the mainstream beats from 2003!
Win Some Lose Some: Urban tales, but all the things said about the earlier tracks do apply here too. Now this is good as in the album is so consistent, but at the same time its been on a rather same level so far that some individuals may start feeling a monotony. But the song taken individually, you cant really complain.
Pay Them Back: By this point you notice 2 things. 1 - The vocabulary and wordplay in less than half an album here would equal your average rappers entire discography and then some. 2 - Fuckin Ant. Where the hell had they been hiding him? Well we did notice him already, didnt we?
Blah Blah f/ Slug: This is a funny track where Ali & Slug go back & forth about random shit. The beat is minimalistic and a step down from the standard set so far.
Shadows On The Sun: Just when we thought Ant was stepping down he goes back a couple notches and delivers a banger. When Brother Ali says that he 'keeps an eye on heaven and an ear to the street' it kind of sums up the vibe of this album. Brother Ali's flow is super smooth on this song.
Forest Whitiker: Its only a personal verse and a sung chorus and from what he's suggesting here, he's got a point.
Bitchslap: The beat is as old school as it can get. The rhymes are again punchline heavy. Replay value may not be the song's strong point. Slug is on the chorus but is not credited in the titles.
Backstage Pacin: By now you notice another thing. Whenever it comes to a point where you feel the momentum is going down these guys jump right back. This song flips 3 different situations where a show promoter, a newbie rap crew and then Brother Ali himself is backstage pacing trying to get in control of their respective situations at hand. Good shit.
When The Beat Comes In: The beats a banger. For the peaceful looking person Ali is he is a monster when he's got a mic in his hand.
Missing Teeth f/ Slug: Almost the same as Slug's other verse feature except this is more aggressive.
Dorian: Ali tells a story about confronting an abusive neighbour and is caught in some misunderstanding. You cant help but notice that he's got a unique style when it comes to story telling and once again good humour in the right places always help. The outro where he is teaching his baby to recite Qur'An is sweet.
Soul Whisper: Is as such not a rap, but more of a poem plus an Arabic verse from the Qur'An.
Picket Fence: Brother Ali posts an honest portrayal of who he is and the difficulties he had to face growing up and the rare looks of sympathy and love that helped him move ahead. Touching. Very good material.
Victory: The album couldn't have been closed any better as this song has Ali flexing his lyrical muscle once again to send his message across. The beat is good which has been the story of this album.
After you listen to the album one time over you would not doubt Ali's lyrical prowess. It is best utilised when he is trying to tell a story or to get a valid point across. Ali uses it to great effect and the honesty and passion in his words cannot be overlooked, which makes his rhymes whether dipped in religious tones or personal tribulations worth listening to. It also helps that Ant has brought out the best funk & soul laid canvases for Ali to paint his vivid pictures over. It does get to a plateau around the halfway mark but they bounce it up again and there are some real gems to be found all over.
I prefer not to write reviews of new albums. Most albums that I like today are the ones that have grown upon me and, if I think about it, most of these were hated during early listens. So this is a change of trend considering Slipknot only released this album less than a couple months ago. But during this period I'd travelled a lot and therefore the CD had the chance to spin numerous times in my discman(No, I dont own an iPod, thanks for asking. Yeah, you didnt ask). So the point was that I had a number of spins to bring myself to a less rushed conclusion. I've still got the CD in my backpack where it would stay for a while, after which it will go sit with my other CDs in a crate. How often I would dust it off and throw it back in my bag remains to be seen. But their last album, Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses, has done that bit of shuttling around more times than the masked metallers change song pace in this new album of theirs.
But this LP, at that, is nothing like V3: TSV. With Slipknot, its not just the masks that are evolving. Its the music. In recent interviews more than one member has stressed the fact that there is more to Slipknot than just music. They have evolved from almost Nu-Metal-ish shock band to something more brutal to something more controlled & brutal to something else. That something else needs to be defined by the listener. Sometimes they are moving in the direction you've wanted them to, and then they surprise you, take a u-turn and move away from you. This is exactly why the band has earned massive numbers of fans as well as haters. What Slipknot is trying to do is not tread into the paths that you want them to but ride a pack onto unique paths that they've just laid. Some follow, some might jump off. With their previous opus, there were more people that jumped on than off. Reason 1- Guitar solos; 2- Joey Jordison. The latter has become an indispensable and defining part of the crew in recent years that even haters of the band cant brush off the skills the man brings to the table. The former has given the band a more meaningful heaviness to their brand of music and has attracted some people that had earlier wrote them off as mere nu-metal gimmicks with masks.
.execute - If you were expecting something in the vein of previous intros like Prelude, this is nothing like that. In a bad way. The jokes are easy. Bad execution. If you are listening to it on headphones take this as a warning. This is migraine inducing.
Gematria(The Killing Name) - 20 seconds into the song and you will immediately forgive them for the torture the intro was. Good chugs and riffs and some good drumming which makes it sound more like thrash metal and less like normal Slipknot. The lyrics didnt matter much, but Slipknot is hinting at changes already.
Sulfer - One thing Slipknot has always reveled at was proper songwriting and choruses. A pretty good example would be this song. Joey Jordison drums all the way to hell and back on this track. Definitely a good track.
Psychosocial - Back to thrash metal elements. This is a song were Slipknot actually started making use of all its extra members. There is good guitar work and Corey Taylor brings some versatility to his usual screams with a sung hook. The song to watch out for on their tours. So far so good.
Dead Memories - This is when the problems start. This is in no way a bad song. But it doesnt belong anywhere here. Maybe Corey mixed up writings for Stone Sour or something. That is probably where this belongs.
Vendetta - Back to heavy. This is not usual Slipknot either. Check out the death metal influences. Throughout the album, excellent drumming can be seen as a constant theme and that includes this one.
Butcher's Hook - This is like one of them early era Slipknot tracks, super angry, explicit but with their new found noise control and good use of the guitar and good use of their extra 2 percussionists. The team work factor is actually paying off very well.
Gehenna - This song could be a hit or miss. It has both the softer and darker elements of the band on it. There is some singing, roaring. Some admittedly good soloing towards the middle. It sounds like one of them epic songs that a band would play live after a couple mosh heavy songs, just so the fans could take a breath or go buy a couple beers.
The Cold Black - This is another vintage multi rhythmic brutal Slipknot. But with the added bonuses of some actually good riffing and solos sprinkled in. Picture Korn when they were good.
Wherein Lies Continue - Yet another heavy track. Nothing new otherwise. Slipknot does actually try to send some messages through this album.
Snuff - Acoustic Slipknot with some actual singing. This is actually one of the less heavy tracks on the album. The lyrics are actually audible this time and it disappoints as it treads the cheesy grounds. With an evolving sound one would wish for some evolving theme to your lines, Corey!
All Hope Is Gone - Noisy, screamy with lots of clanging. This is back to V3 era Slipknot in a good way. I wish they had more guitar solos towards the end. But its a strong finale nevertheless.
There were lots of press about how the band has internal conflicts(which has been the flesh of rumours throughout their career). But listening to this album and experiencing how effectively they team up and work off of each other, you'd think all those press shiz is Borat. The album is rather a strong offering from the 9 piece. Slipknot has picked up the good bits from their previous offerings and abandoned some bad bits that attracted the most hate and as such would easily please a current fan. The good songs here are really good, the others are not necessarily bad but may not belong or is not compatible with the Slipknot image, but its still worthy of appreciation given the fact that they were bold enough to experiment. Haters have lesser reasons to hate them now but fans have all the reasons to smile their way to the store and back. The hope is not gone. Buy.
Sometimes you might be watching a movie and its grasping all the attention you can give and some, and then it ends, and it leaves you with this feeling of incompleteness that makes you want to shout SEQUEL. And sometimes you would be lucky, and do really get a sequel. But this is movies, something related to, but completely different from life.
The story of Pantera was well worthy of a hollywood story-line and it ended abruptly, pushing you to call for a sequel, except this was life, were sequels were impossible. Pantera was formed in 1981, consisting of Vinnie Paul, his brother Dimebage Darrell, Tommy Bradford, Terry Glaze and Donnie Hart, doing Kiss and Van Halen covers. They soon started with original material of the glam-rock vein but by the end of the decade they were a totally different group. Some old members left, some new guys came in and they were now churning out thrash metal. In the new age where the world saw legendary releases from Slayer and Metallica (Reign in Blood and Master of Puppets respectively) Vinnie and Dimebag were now joined by bassist Rex Brown and new vocalist Phil Anselmo. Though they had released 4 previous albums, their 1990 release, Cowboys From Hell, was considered their official debut by the fans and the group, and was significant in earning the group its nickname and the legendary status.
So what's the whole deal?
Cowboys From Hell: Having your title track as an opener is a wise and stupid decision at the same time, depending on how you work it out. But here, since Pantera is out to introduce the world to their 'rebirth' of sorts, they go all out, showing us what's to be expected of the album, in the process. Result - Banging. Phil make intentions clear with "You see us comin' And you all together run for cover/ We're taking over this town//"
Primary Concrete Sledge: This is heavy! Like a 24 wheeler running over a beer can. Look out for the guitar and bass competing towards the end.
Psycho Holiday: This one is solo laden. A bit lighter than the previous track, and that means the 24 wheeler down to a 16. So still heavy!
Heresy: 4 tracks into the album and Pantera are so NOT considering giving up their heaviness. Dimebag churns out riff after riff and brother Vinnie smashes up the drums. In between all this people may miss Phil's take on beliefs and religion. "I know what's right or wrong, And my belief is stronger than your advice...My stand is the human race, without a label or a face, so they can lick my sack"
Cemetery Gates: Speaking of Phil, he sets the standard for the 'metal vocalist' with this song. And speaking of the song, this is one of the best metal songs ever recorded if not one of the best in whatever music ever recorded. To me this would be the definition of the complete song. It has excellent vocals where Phil flows emotions as well as his vocal versatility (and somewhat endurance of his vocal chords/pharinx towards the end). The guitar solo and melody is one of the most memorable in the history of both guitar and melody. The bass supports the structure like a greek pillar and drums thump rightfully and keeps everything on track. (This song alone could warrant the purchase of this album or the whole Pantera discography). Trust me, its that good.
Domination: Back to the heavy side of things, the tag word for this song would be groove. I can picture a bunch of front rowers trying to climb the stage and mosh when this song's performed live.
Shattered: This one has Dimebag showing off his amazing prowess with the Washburn. Not to be outdone, Vinnie shatters the drums. Did I mention this album's heavy?
Clash With Reality: Starts with an amazing riff. Groovy. By this point you'd get a feeling of what the essential Pantera sound means.
Medicine Man: Just when we thought we knew what the sound is supposed to be like, Pantera brings a dark, evil-ish sound to the proceedings. As can be guessed the song refers drugs which would later go on to be a more recurring theme on later Pantera albums.
Message In Blood: Back to Pantera-metal. The vocal style is different here, as is the varying tempos and pauses.
The Sleep: As much as Pantera is heavy, their lighter ballads are that exhilarating as well. Phil's back to poetic ways and Dimebag to lighter melodic solos.
The Art of Shredding: So maybe Pantera was sitting together in the studio and thinking, if having 2 ballads would bring the overall heavy factor down. So what they do? If you didn't know it already from the title, they gave a masterclass in riffing, grooving and everything in between for metal heads.
This is one of those albums, that gave the artists a total opposite reputation after its release and as such may give a listener a similar transformation, as in like turning someone into a metalhead etc., like it did for me, to an extent. But what's undeniable is the power and talent presented on this album. Treading a new path has never been as path-breaking as this.
When I was small, I loved going to my cousin's house. One main reason, apart from them having a big pool, was that my cousin was an avid collector (and the only one I knew) of the latest Bollywood, Tamil and Malayalam music cassettes (my father growing to be a big hater of the concept of cinema was, unsurprisingly, not much help). So one of those times, when I was going through his collection I came across this new Tamil album. After a single play of the cassette I was hooked as the songs, just plainly, were banging. The album was Thiruda Thiruda and I kept a note of the music director - A.R. Rahman. So here I am, some 15 years, a long journey through various kinds and genres of music, and the slow and steady building of my own little collection of cassettes and CDs later. Whats new? A.R. Rahman's latest bollywood album; Jodhaa-Akbar. What about the love for his music? Aint a damn thang changed! What has changed though is that in this course of time A.R. Rahman has grown from the trendy-new-composer to the no.1-in-bollywood to a credible maestro in his own rights, one that can be ranked high up in a list of 'Indians that make you proud'.
So the movie is, as everyone knows, about the great Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-Din Akbar (Hrithik Roshan with a suspicious looking tach) and his strategic though romantic relationship with Rajput princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan), among other political matters, in a DJ Bollywood remix. So lets spin that...
Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah: Right into the first track we're welcomed by some grandeur drums and horns befitting a 40-crore budget movie and more importantly the majestic feel and sheer exuberance of the Mughal kingdom. Personally though Im not a big fan of this. But Id immediately tend to call this a great piece when Im reminded of pseudo-hiphop-n-folk-fusion-bullshit thats all over the normal bollywood fare brought to you by such men-of-the-moments as Himesh I-Blow-My-Own-Horn Reshammiya or Anu f*ckin-retire-heaven's-sake Malik.
Jashn-e-Bahaaraa: Sweet little melodious song with little plucked strings and some poetically romantic lyrics. But wait a minute? Why isnt Sonu Nigam singing this? This Javed Ali guy who's singing is not to be at fault though, as he does his job. But Sonu Nigam would have brought this a little more closer to perfection.
Khwaja Mere Khwaja: When its an album based on the greatest northern Indian empire, and considering the Mughals were great patrons of good art, there needed to be a Khawwali court-room number. So here we go. A.R Rahman's behind and infront of the boards, and the mic, and in the end, got his name all over this track like an obsessed kid with a crayon pencil and a newly painted wall.
Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein: Sonu Nigam! Sonu Nigam! Another smoothie song that goes onto be an energetic piece. Some complex structures in the middle of the song with the chants and consistent tempo variance makes this an enthralling listen.
Mann Mohanaa: This is a religion/prayer based situational piece touching the story of Lord Krishna rendered by Bela Shende. I have not really heard of her before but the performance is good enough to keep a look out in the future. Like most religious based songs it has a strong melody, but the orchestrations make it stand out. Its probably not an everybody song, but sweet and well worked nonetheless.
Jashn-e-Bahaaraa (Instrumental): This is a flute based instrumental version of the opener. But surprisingly this is not just a vocals-removed version. The melody apart, the song is totally altered. The tempo, instrument, structure all. Good work.
Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Instrumental): Oboe based version of the Qawwali song. Once again totally redone. A must listen if only to appreciate the attention to detail and true artistic approach of creating a totally stand alone version of the song.
As much as I was enjoying the disc I was disappointed at the little-less-than 40 minutes play-time. Some 7-8 years ago DD1 had a series on princess Noor-Jehan. Through out the series they had some good Hindustani based songs. And considering, the Persian connection of the Mughals, Miyan Tansen and other factors, I was expecting one in the veins of Ustad Rashid Khan's Kahe Ujadi More from Kisna. Musically, this album accentuates the proved fact that if you are producing a period film, Rahman's the one to goto for music. Plus on a general view its a masterclass on epic production and attention to detail work ethic. Im, personally, happy if he just releases 1 album of this quality a year than release 10 out of which 6 can be used as frisbees, 1 mirror and 1 drinks-mat. I'd rate this right alongside Lagaan, Swades, Devdas etc and its still only growing on me.
