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Daigomi

Guide to Music - Hip Hop

Daigomi, Aug 31 2008

Hip hop, a genre of music that we all like to associate with Eminem and music videos of guys trying to look hardcore with lots of girls in bikinis dancing with them. I'll say this outright, hip hop was one of the most difficult genres for me to get into, not because the music bothered me, but because it seemed almost fundamentally commercial. The lyrics seemed to be all about either how good the rapper is, or otherwise was aimed purely at selling albums. Furthermore, being a white boy brought up on rock music, hip hop was always the "other" music that was looked down upon.

So, why am I writing a guide about hip hop then? Because like all genres of music, if you put some effort into you can learn to appreciate and love the genre. Hip hop artists, even some of the most popular artists, are highly passionate about their music, and there's a reason for it. Their music is about more than just selling records, it's about making a name for yourself and putting back into the community.

There are definitely some strange conventions in hip hop, like talking big, dissing your rivals, having overtly erotic songs, and so forth. I don't claim to know the root of these conventions, however, what I do know is that these are almost purely conventions, like writing in iambic pentametre was for Pope. These conventions serve as a medium, and, rather than being taken seriously, are almost playful in that each artist looks for new and interesting ways to blow their own horns or write sexual lyrics.

Something else that's important in hip hop that often gets ignored is the production of an album. Yes, its the rapper that gets the credit, but the tone of a song is almost always set by the production of it, and its only when the production of a track and the vocals over it synthsesise perfectly that we get an epic track. So, let's get to the albums!

1. Cyne - Time Being

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Track Listing

One of the most beautiful albums in hip hop, ever. Laid back spoken lyrics with some of the purest electronic sounds over it, including chimes and beautiful vocal samples. Cyne is a political hip hop group, which, although I can appreciate, isn't generally my favourite genre of hip hop. However, Cyne brings a whole new side to political hip hop.

The lyrics are generally concerned with emprovement and empowerment, as well as social commentary. Rhymes are smooth, and nothing seems out of place or forced. There are two emcees, both with different and identifiable styles, and two producers whose collaborations are absolutely stunning. The clarity of some of the backing tracks are astounding, with beautiful electronic sounds coming dominating each track. A song which I feel obliged to mention here that is by cyne but not on the album, is Automation remixed by Four Tet. For those interested in electronic music, the name Four Tet will be synonomous with beautiful melodies, and Four Tet does the same thing for Cyne.

My two favourite tracks on the album are Nothing's Sacred and First Person. Nothing's Sacred uses an almost ephmeral vocal sample to form the melody, which, combined with some high intensity vocals makes the track stand out beautifully. In contrast, First Person tells the history of the emcees, with gentle melodies in the background supporting the vocals which provide the main melody in a very soulful way.

2. Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth

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Track Listing

Brother Ali is everything that Cyne isn't. He's not specifically concerned politically, he's angry, and he's going to tell you about it. At first listen Brother Ali comes across as slightly raw, or unrefined, but the more you listen to the album, the more you learn to appreciate the mastery of Brother Ali.

The music is fairly simplistic. The samples are well chosen, and the music always enhances the music. However, there are rarely any interesting contrasts, the music almost always tells the exact same story as the vocals. This allows Brother Ali to truly stand out, as he goes from enraged and enpassioned to eerily quiet and subtle from song to song, and each time he changes in mood, so does the listener.

My favourite track on the album is undoubtably Here. The track consists of a repetitive "are you here to confuse me" sample used as a chorus, with a basic beat in the background, but over that Brother Ali produces one of the most lyrically stunning raps I've heard so far. After Here, all tracks can hold their own, with perhaps my second favourite song being the opener Whatcha Got which sets the tone for the rest of the album impeccably.

3. Blue Scholars - Bayani

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Track Listing

I was stuck deciding whether this album or the Cyne one would be my favourite hip hop album. Brother Ali was definitely my second favourite album, but either Bayani or Time Being would be my first. In the end I chose Cyne because it was the first album which made me appreciate hip hop.

Why do I bring this up? Because the albums are very similar. Perhaps not musically, but the feeling you get from both, and the lyrical themes of both albums are very similar. Blue Scholars are a political hip hop duo, with songs like Bring them Back Home, Opening Salvo and The Distance being outright political comments. However, they mix it up with some personal and motivational tracks like Ordinary Guys and Still got Love which makes the album both grand in its scope, and personal in its closeness.

Compared with Cyne, Blue Scholars focus more on lyrics, and some of verses will astound you with the perfect rhymes, and sustained rhymes, as line after line flows perfectly into the next. This doesn't mean that the production isn't top notch, however. The production keeps the music interesting, and often provides a beautiful coutnerpoint to the lyrics. Songs to listen to are: Ordinary Guy and The Distance, but honestly, any song on the album can take your breath away.

4. CunninLynguists - Dirty Acres

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Track Listing

This album stands apart as a very well crafted album. It combines slow, soulful tracks with fast paced, aggressive tracks, and a few party songs thrown in between. The group isn't divided into emcees and producers, but rather the two steady members of CunninLynguists both produce and rap on the album. This seems to work for the lynguists, with each member brining his own side to the album, making it wonderfully diverse.

The production is also interesting and diverse, and seems to differ from track to track. On songs like K.K.K.Y. a vocal sample provides a stunning melody while some aggressive beats and vocals move the track along. In contrast, tracks like Gun has an acoustic guitar doing the melody, with the beats being sparse, and the chorus sung by the members, in contrast to the usual agressive rap style.

This album thus stands out as an album of many diverse songs, with all songs working out great. On some songs you'll think you're listening to a Jedi Mind Trickstrack, while others are closer to Anthony Hamilton than they are to hip hop. I can't pick any favourite tracks from this album, as it all depends on my mood.

5. Kanye West - Late Registration

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So after four reasonably underground artists, I decide to end it with Mr West. And there's a reason for that: I love him. I mentioned in the begining that much of hip hop can be seen as a lyrical game, and Kanye West epitomizes that. His lyrics are fun while clever at the same time. You've never heard any artist name-drop as many fashion brands, or talk as big, or make as many clever though unnecessary references. And that's what great about Kanye, he has fun with his music.

Along with that you have Kanye, a producer rather than emcee by profession, doing the production. It doesn't matter which track you pick up, the music will always be interesting and fitting. The production differs from bluesy feeling songs like Drive Slowly to the upbeat, popish Celebration. And as a producer, Kanye has made many contacts with all the biggest men in the business, and on this album you he reaps the benefits, with guest appearances from Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Common, Nas, Jay-z, and Consequence.

Choosing a favourite song is quite difficult, but I love Gold Digger which harkens back to old african-american work songs and folk songs. Yet the lyrics are amusingly modern, with a constant stream of references, from Louis Vuitton, to Usher and Busta Rhymes, to BMW. Another song I love is Diamonds from Sierra Leone, sampling the chorus from Diamons are Forever, the production, and the invariably clever lyrics, epitomize what makes Kanye West so entertaining.

Other Albums

Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road - Australian hip hop, pure party music made interesting with some very clever lyrics. Did I mention they all have Aussie accents?

RJD2 - Getting Jukie Wid it Volume 2 - RJD2 is one of the best producers, and he graces us with collections of his productions occasionally. It features my favourite new artists like Copywrite, Diverse, and Cannibal Ox.

Common - Finding Forever - No list would be complete without the mac daddy of hip hop on it. His newest album, while not perfect, has some really good tracks on it.

You guys might notice that most of these albums are fairly new. Most popular genres evolve very rapidly, and music that was revolutionary ten years ago sounds stale to the untrained ear. Because of this, I think that its important to stay up to date in contemporary genres like hip hop and indie. This doesn't mean that old hip hop can't be appreciated, it just cannot be appreciated as instinctively.

I really hope that you guys try out some of these albums. They're all amazing. Also, let me know of any other albums you think I should have included!

Comments (51)

Guide to Music - Post-Rock

Daigomi, Aug 24 2008

So, I've decided to start with post-rock. As the name of the genre states, it is a style of music that has developed "beyond" rock music, and just like with modernism and postmodernism, post-rock has to a large extent developed as a contrast to rock music, while still keeping something in common with rock music.

Post-rock music is characterized by rock instruments (drums, guitars, and bass guitars), without conforming to typical rock standards. Songs are often instrumental, almost orchestral, with long build-ups, subtle and intricate melodies, and raging choruses. Listening to post-rock always reminds me of listening to classical music made by rock instruments.

When there are vocals in post-rock, the vocals are rarely the focus of the music, but serve more as an added instrument. The music can be both soothing and challenging at the same time, and is often quite progressive.

1. Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun

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Track Listing

To me, this is the greatest post-rock album ever. From the very first song on the track the music lifts you up and takes you on an incredible journey. After years of listening to rock music you'll be amazed at the diversity of sounds that can still be made using the same instruments.

"Every Red Heart" is a concept album about the great leap forward and specifically the great sparrow campaign aimed at stopping the sparrow plague of the time. Unfortunately, with the eradication of all the sparrows, there was nothing to curb the locust population, so the sparrow plague was followed by a great locust plague that led to the starvation of 38 million people.

The first track ("The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like a Mighty Storm, Suddenly and Furiously Blinding Our Senses") perfectly conveys both the promise of the great leap forward, as well as the metaphorical storm of the title. However, the music grows more silent and desolate throughout the album until the second last song ("Millions Starved ... ") which is almost dirge-like. Only in the last song is there redemption, as the population realises the "the true enemy was the voice of blind idolatry", and they learn to think for themselves.

"Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun" is not an easy album to listen to. It is very dark, and very dense. However, the music is always interesting, and the album tells its story with such power that, to me, it's the pinnacle of its genre.

2. Mogwai - Rock Action

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Track Listing

This album is very different from the Red Sparowes album. The music, while not upbeat, always seems to be on the verge of being happy. The album reminds me somewhat of a very mellow trip, or that feeling you get when you're somewhere sociable, slightly drunk, and you just enter your own world. There's an album called "Soundtrack to Your Life", and whenever I listen to Rock Action, I feel like that should have been the title of this album.

The most prominent instrument on the album is an acoustic guitar, which moves the album along comfortably, without ever making itself too present. However, the whole album doesn't just pass by in a blur of niceness. Other than the almost clinical coldness hidden beneath each song, the inability for the music to get truly passionate, there are a few songs that change their tone from a happy daze to something close to anger, such as track five "You Don't Know Jesus".

All in all then, the album is a beautiful piece of composition which allows you to live alongside it most of the time, but every now and again reminds you that you are still listening to music. It's a stunningly beautiful album.

3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

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Track Listing

Godspeed's Lift Your Skinny Fists is the first ever post-rock album I listened to. It's a double disc, with each disc containing two tracks. Each track is then subdivided into between three and seven movements. Thus, from the outset it is clear that the album intends to be an orchestral masterpiece. The tracks are all roughly 20 minutes long.

The songs are slow, but very dynamic. Listening to this album is something like reading a Tom Clancy novel. There is a very long build-up, which, although interesting, is clearly leading up to something. However, once the song reaches its climax it will keep you there for at least as long as the build-up was. This might sound strange, but it works out beautifully. With each bar the album draws you in more, and by the end the album will leave you exhausted but pleased.

The slight sexual analogy above wasn't really intended, but it's surprisingly fitting. In the end, this album is hard work but well worth the ride.

4. 65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math

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Track Listing

The Fall of Math is a strange album. The tracks are shorter than your typical post-rock tracks, and there are few build-ups, and very few songs that pulls the listener along with them. In fact, the tracks almost seem like snippets from other post-rock tracks. Some of the snippets are from the climax, others are from the build-up, but they are all interesting.

65daysofstatic also use breakbeats and glitches in their music, something that is not completely unknown in post-rock, but is also not common. However, rather than detracting from the music, this simply adds to it. The music of 65daysofstatic is a more dynamic than almost any post-rock band out there, and the tracks somehow seem to trick the listener into believing that they are just as "epic" as other post-rock tracks.

Basically, 65daysofstatic delivers the goods without taking you on the journey, which is not necessarily a bad thing. And when you pull it off as well as they do, you create an album that becomes an instant classic. "The Fall of Math" is one of the most entertaining and accessible post-rock albums out there, and if I want to listen to a great post-rock track quickly, I always choose one from this album.

5. Pelican - Australasia

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Track Listing

The last spot on my list had to go to Pelican. Pelican is something between a post-rock and metal band. Or rather, they produce post-rock music with a metal sound. The bass is heavier, the songs are noisier, and everything is just a touch more passionate.

Their album "Australasia" was their debut album, and according to them not as polished as they would have wanted it to be. And it's true, if try some of their later albums, like "City of Echoes" for instance, you'll find the music much more accessible. However, music shouldn't always be accessible, or perfectly polished. Listening to Pelican is like looking at a Francis Bacon portrait - it's raw and brutal, but that's what makes it so powerful.

Everyone should have an album like this to listen to on days when a bit of raw power is needed. It's beautifully composed and beautifully performed, just not in the way we usually perceive beauty. I love it.

Other Albums

Mono - One Step More and You Die - Just a very good, powerful, post-rock album. Nothing unique, but great quality.

Tenhi - Kauan - Actually considered neofolk, Tenhi creates some of the most surreal and beautiful melodies with contemporary rock instruments.

Explosions in the Sky - Friday Night Lights OST - It's not often you find someone willing to use something experimental in a mainstream product, but it worked out perfectly for the director of Friday Night Lights.

I hope you have all enjoyed the first installment of this series. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to post links to these albums as that would be against the rules of TL. However, I implore you to find these albums on your own and give them a try. Also, feel free to give me your opinions on post-rock, and tell me which albums you think should be on the list!

Comments (35)

Guide to Music - Introduction

Daigomi, Aug 24 2008

The title should be "Daigomi's Guide to Music" because this is going to be very subjective. However, if my name was at the start of the title you wouldn't be able to see what it was a guide to, and also, it says that the blog is by Daigomi at the end.

I like a lot of music, and I think that almost all genres of music can be enjoyed if you put some effort into it and learn to understand the culture behind it a bit more. I say almost all genres of music, because some genres are aimed simply at being accessible to as many people as possible, and making money. There's no ideology behind such music, little artistry, and no soul.

So, over the next few weeks I'll make new posts, each post with five of my favourite albums from a genre, and reasons why I like those specific cds. Also, I might give my own opinion on the genre, and say what I understand about the genre.

I know this is a very boring blog post, but I needed some kind of an introduction to what I'm planning, and I don't want to ruin one of the other posts with an introduction. The genres I'm planning to cover are:

I know the genres are quite broad, but that's because it would be too much effort to sub-categorize all my music. Anyway, I'll be making my first post soon. Hope you guys enjoy some of the music, and you try out a few new genres.

Here's my last.fm page so long, if you want to look at some of the things I might be recommending: Link.

Comments (26)

[H] Desktop Hyperlinks

Daigomi, Jun 29 2008

Ok, so I'm using an html page as my background. The page looks like this:

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The hyperlinks at the bottom of the page have been set up to do this:

The problem with this is that Internet Explorer is not my default browser, so it opens it as some freaky window in Maxthon browser.

So I tried to make shortcuts to the drives, and have the hyperlinks lead to that, as in:

But now it asks me to which location I want to download the files first. I'd like it if it would just open the link on standard (like it does with torrent files etc), but I can't seem to set that in the file types.

So, can anybody help me with this? I don't care how you manage to do it, I just want to be able to use hyperlinks on my desktop without installing some desktop enhancing software.

Comments (16)

Flash Wallpaper

Daigomi, May 28 2008

The other day I created a Flash vector which I posted in my blog, but I was too lazy to create a proper wallpaper for it. So I've finally made the wallpaper. I hope you guys enjoy it!

There's also a 1600x1200 version.

Comments (14)

Flash Vector

Daigomi, May 25 2008

I did a vector of Much last time as my first try at vectoring. I was quite happy so I decided to try my hand at it again, this time doing my beloved Flash.

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I'll make a wallpaper or two using this image tomorrow, but I thought I'd upload the gif of how I did it for now.

Hope you guys like it, and check back for a wallpaper soon!

Comments (19)

Much Wallpaper

Daigomi, May 20 2008

So I've finally given in and made my own blog... I made a Much wallpaper from a vector I did of him. Hope you guys enjoy it, and let me know what you think!

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I probably won't put too much in this blog in future, unless I make another picture that I want people to see!

Cheers.