Issue#61 [Album Reviews]

Reviews of the latest from Gift of Gab, Eugene Mirman, RJD2 and Tegan and Sara.

Gift of Gab
Escape 2 Mars
Cornerstone
My first response to Gift of Gab’s latest effort was that it was soft, like it gave me that feeling I get when hip hoppers do a slow ballad for their girl and try to sing the chorus. Luckily I don’t review things until I’ve listened to them at least four or five times. So let’s be serious for a second. Gift of Gab has one of the best flows ever (YouTube him freestyling with Tom Green and tell me otherwise), and could probably rap over baby’s-first-Reason-beat and still come out the other end cooler than everything on the radio. On top of amazing flow, this album has a level of future anxiety reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye, but with heavy, twitchy future beats to match, namely on the seventh track “Electric Waterfalls” where G.O.G. tells you how corporations killed the electric car. The first single, “El Gifto Magnifico,” comes to your house with a heavy kick and a Cubano-bop feel that’ll get your head bobbing, but the standout track in my mind has to be “Rhyme Travel.” But then I’ve always been a sucker for the bounce.
Bix Brecht

Eugene Mirman
God Is A Twelve-Year-Old Boy With Asperger’s
Sub Pop
There are varying theories on why comedy started to suck and when exactly it happened. Some blame cocaine culture, some blame the lack of comics who were dedicated to coming up with fresh original material and others blame the virtual explosion of comedy clubs across North America. Whatever it was, stand-up comedy had become a joke. What nobody realized was that a lot of the younger comics had been taking their acts to non-traditional venues. Comics were performing in coffee shops and community theatres and being billed with musicians and poets instead of standing in front of a brick wall. Troupes like the highly influential Upright Citizens Brigade were established and a whole new generation of “alternative comedy” was blossoming. This was where we got our Sarah Silvermans and our David Crosses from. Incredibly, we now find ourselves almost at the point where the ‘alternative comics’ are the status quo. Although Larry the Cable Guy still probably outsells either of the aforementioned, we’re lucky that we get to enjoy the fruits of alternative comedy’s maturity without having to reach too far for it. I implore you to enjoy this particular fruit. It is hilarious.
Kellen Powell

RJD2
The Colossus
RJ’S Electrical Connections
I’ve been a big fan of RJD2 for a minute now, and the one thing that has struck me is that with every release he shows that his talent is maturing and evolving. I like the diversity of sounds and genres as well as the collaborative feel of the album. RJ brings in some great brass and strings players who really provide a lot of depth. It should be noted that while listening to The Colossus there are a multitude of events that can be successfully undertaken with the songs serving as a backdrop. These include: making things that have melted cheese, getting low off some dank, booby touching and general fondling, hitting dingers, moving your bodily rapidly upwards then letting gravity take hold then repeating, “guzzling”, asking a friend about dating their sibling, hardening the fuck up, twisting and then shouting, and so forth. It’s a great album—buy it. He wrote the theme to Mad Men for fuck’s sake.
Dr. Ian Super

Tegan and Sara
Sainthood
Sire
You either love or hate Tegan and Sara, and by hate I mean secretly love. They are adorable and fierce in their musical abilities, with lyrics that hit you in your emotional loins. Their new album Sainthood is no exception to the excellence that Tegan and Sara strive for. Sainthood is packed with the crooning of woes of relationships and the struggles of just being human. Their lyrics consistently remain accessible while their band is constantly developing a more mature sound. Tegan and Sara have always made the kind of music that could pull you through a breakup, all while making you dance in your room alone completely content. They are the musical equivalent of best friends that you can put on repeat. Perfection.
Danielle Sipple