Knock'em Out and Rub Their Face In Sh*t! Round One with Pduval69. Mar 19 '05 (Updated Mar 26 '05)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line west coast trippin'! The Epinions Mixtape Circuit: I've traveled from New England (shilmafone), to my favorite southern peninsula (Florida, duh) (helenekhoffman), back up to the Middle Atlantic Coast (voxpoptart), and even sent out some mixes to Michigan's closest Canadian friend, Ontario (dizzybint). In this, something has obviously been severely lacking on my North American Tour--a West Coast presence. Consider it amended as in this installment of my tour diary, I detail my visit to Killer Cali for a double dose of mixtape goodness courtesy of the no-nonsense critic with the clean-but-edgy look, pduval69. Friends and enemies know him better as Paul--the four letter word that keeps both musical artists and critics in check. Round one brings me (and now, you) "This Disc Is A Teeming Pile Of Sh*t! Volume One". A mix that grooves, shakes, and rocks, Paul has hit me off with both an instant party starter, not to mention something up-beat for both routine and spur of the moment car rides. If anything, it brings out the California attitude that my small but potent collection of mixtapes has lacked. Let's do this! 1. "Lord of the Golden Baboon" - Mandrill (Rating: 5/5): Uh oh! Uh oh! It's the introduction to "Rampage" (EPMD/LL Cool J)! Or...no, it's the sample material! This '72 funk jam sounds like something RJD2 should have a field day with just using the various wood 'n metal percussive elements, let alone the horns, organ, and of course, the funky bass. It's free-flowing, it's energetic, it's...it's...dare I say, fresh before "fresh" existed?! 2. "Sliding" - Dzihan & Kamien (Rating: 4/5): The longest song of either mix, at 8 1/2 minutes, is one of those carefree, shake your tail joints that puts you in that partying dance-club mood during get-ready time, and gives me visions of Bourbon Street all over again. The funky bassline mixed with all sorts of quirks and dance elements is perfectly charged with a worry-free, get-up and get-down atmosphere. General Santana laces it up vocally with his thick West Indies accent and reggae roughness that seals the deal for a joyride down the dance-floor. 3. "Make It Easy" - Ambitious Lovers (Rating: 2/5): One of the more familiar songs on the mix is one that I wish wasn't so familiar. Musically, this is a very plastic and boring dance song. The singer comes across both parts amusing and vain. He's almost like a less talented/very irritating version of James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem). The small break for a funk guitar solo from Nile Rogers is its only redeeming value. Besides that, this one can't convince me to care. 4. "Nowhere Again" - Secret Machines (Rating: 4/5): Ahh, the many layers of "Nowhere Again". There's a basic rock 'n roll backbone, a little distortion/noise on the chorus in the background, faint trippy-ness in the keyboard, and a very up-front singer singing and hollering away through it all. "Maybe the rain will stop following me, with millions of colors reflected in daylight, right on the kick drum, turning the sound up, WHOA!". It doesn't stick with me through and through, despite that it's a very good song, probably because I wish they'd return to the more low-key sound of the beginning a little more. It's still a lot of fun, though! 5. "Paint" - Galactic (Rating: 4/5): If only these awkward female vocals didn't come moaning in at inopportune times, temporarily marring the slick chilled vibe here, this would be an easy 5/5. Alas, though, the low-key jazz/blues bar atmosphere that this one exudes feels so fresh and so clean; a definite summer front-porch with lemonade or Oberon type of feel. 6. "Ode To Isis" - And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (Rating: 5/5): OK, so it's basically the interlude of the album/transition into the next song. It just feels so damn epic for being a mere 1:17 in length. The evolution from rhythmic keyboard/piano notes to strings and chanting taking up that same rhythm, with horrifying noises of war emerging in the background--it's impressive (vastly understated). 7. "Will You Smile Again For Me" - And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (Rating: 4/5): Talk about a big song! This baby goes from an absolutely explosive, guitar-packed opening, mellows to some smoothed-out metal-like balladry, then to easy stomping percussion and guitar improvisation, finally returning back to the jamming of the beginning. Paul kills me with the liner notes..."this is one epic production, don't you think?". Umm, yes, I would say so. And while the singing sounds a bit generic/safe during all but the second section of the song, this one's tough to deny. 8. "Calling All Enthusiasts" - Radio 4 (Rating: 2/5): It's obvious that this Paul guy likes various forms of funk music. But punk-funk? Hey...why not punk-funk? This song comes with a very strong beat and opening riff, but it eventually falls from the foreground in the background of your psyche without even pushing very hard to keep you listening. I like the attitude, but even with the guitar jamming at the end, this one just loses me. 9. "Solar Blues" - Rise Robots Rise (Rating: 4/5): Hardly known musicians extracting sounds from various genres of music to create something that rises above their supposed anonymity, eh? Interesting. Just about every point in the rating is for how intriguing this all is. At one point you go from fluttering flute and a total ease-back mood to some hyped up organ and guitar sounds with a little soul belting. It is just all over the place. 10. "Ixtepec" - Cafe Tacuba (Rating: 4/5): Yes! They're speaking Spanish! I love the Spanish language, even if I know so little about it. Considering I don't know what these dudes are saying, I have the opportunity to listen more closely to how they're singing, instead of what they're singing, and feel the emotion of the music. Despite this one being incredibly beat-full, the addition of pianos on the more supposedly poignant points, contrasting the ups and the pure attitude of a good portion of the song, makes this one incredibly deep, music-wise, as opposed to just relying on the trusty drum machine. Sounds good to me. 11. "Clap!" - Soulive (with Black Thought) (Rating: 3/5): I'm feeling the chilled-out groove of this jazzy/neo-soul band. The soundscape is sparse with a bassline that's more than efficient, but less than overwhelming, as the guitars ad-lib in a soft but funky manner and the percussion is straight butter. But Thought, were you too high when writing your lyrics here that you couldn't give us three coherent verses? Some lines are recognizable from various Roots releases such as "The Tipping Point" ("Star") and "Phrenology" ("Rock You"), and he switches from flat-out braggadocio to all-out social preaching, ironing out into one fairly disorienting performance. Nevertheless, I hook this one up with a 3/5 because Soulive sets it up perfectly and with a tight rap performance, it would be nothing short of great. 12. "Station" - Call and Response (Rating: 5/5): Ahhh, paradise. This one emerges lightly, then with a subtle explosion of guitar and flavorful keyboard work, you're hit with some of the most glorious guitar riffage and overall pleasureful music you could endure. I have no idea what the singer is saying here, though they sing whatever beautifully, but as this tune sweeps across my eardrums like waves smacking the beach in Cali, I can hardly see what difference it really makes. 13. "Alone" - Trespassers William (Rating: 5/5): Never underestimate the power of a song to just be there for you when you need to zone out and leave where you are for a moment. "Alone doesn't feel so cold", indeed. The singing of Anna-Lynne Williams is both soothing and soulful, while the guitars swim around when she's not there and stay under-stated and supporting when she is. It's a beautiful purple sunset on a pretty darn nice mix. But oh no! It ain't over! Stay tuned for Round 2 next Saturday... * * * * * * * * * * PDUVAL69 and CRYPTICCRADE GO TWO ROUNDS! Round One Eric reviews "This Disc Is A Teeming Pile Of Sh*t Volume One" (YOU ARE HERE) Paul reviews "A Coke And A Style" Round Two Eric reviews "This Disc Is A Teeming Pile Of Sh*t Volume Two" Paul reviews "Pink Fireflies, Smithwick's, And The Night" * * * * * * * * * * For more information about Cryptic Cradle and his reviews, please click here. * * * * * * * * * * Written by Cryptic Cradle for Spike-A-Delic Productions.

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