Well Well Well

Does that date below say 2006? That can't be right. No, not at all. -Checks Watch- -Pulls shirt collar- Ehhh, maybe it is right. Yep, it's right. I don't really have any excuse for why I haven't posted anything in a year and a half. You know; jobs, moving, moving again, drinking....the usual excuses. I think the sooner we get this awkward welcome back phase over the better.

One thing that won't be changing is the general focus of this blog, or more to the point, the general lack of focus. That's not to say that someday I might not wake up and decide that the world needs a blog about avocados, and god-damn it, i'm the man for the job. It just means that I still have just as much a bad case of ADHD as I did eighteen months ago and because of that you will be reading post concerning, foods, musics, sports, and what ever else I feel like writing about. And with that we are off....

Things That Sound Good

"Serious Times" - Various Artists

Jamaica, the declared home of reggae and roots music, has had a rough couple of years. Not only has their culture been co-oped by frat boys here in America but the fact that society its self apparently hasn't got much better since the hay day of reggae in the early 80's doesn't help much either. So even though the average Americans' understanding of reggae and roots music has never been able to progress further then Bob Marley that does not mean that Jamaica has not still been producing amazing tracks.
On XL Records album, "These are Serious Times" the sounds of a vibrant and rich music scene have been captured and documented in a easy to consume package for the first time. The collection starts off strong with the first song "Notorious" by Turbulence with his gruff sing/song voice over top of some of the most sparring but brutal beats that even Rick Ross would be proud of. There isn't a slow spot anywhere on the album really, starting off with "Notorious" and running through the lovely "Push-cart Boy" single by Perfect or the conscious one-drop sound of Gyptian on "Serious Times". "Serious Times" works great as an album in two ways. First its a collection of some of the best singles and anthems that have come out of Jamaica in recent years and the the layout of the album works as well. The first disc is a mix by Federation Sound which effortless blends the tracks in and out of each other while layering over top of the songs sounds and accents meant to give the listener an idea of what a night at a dancehall in Kingston would sound like. The second disc is the same collection of songs that are found on the first cd but in their original formats and with some alternate takes of some songs as well.

Its been awhile.

HAVING FUN ON THE COMPANY DIME



So...here we are. Another blog in a world of blogs. Of course this one is not any more needed then the one before, but hey, thought it might help.
M.O.
To write about things that I find interesting. What that means is that I will be venting opinions about topics that I probably don't know that much about. So please feel free to correct me at any time. Of course I reserve the right to not pay attention to your correction, but that's how these things work....so with out further interruption......