Feels like this month is dragging for these entries. Usually I can bang these things out without too much trouble (and you can tell the effort I put into them!), but it seems like it's just painful so far this year. Alas. Well, once more into the breach!
Czarface & MF DOOM, "Bomb Thrown"
Czarface is Inspectah Deck (from the Wu-Tang Clan) teaming up with 7L & Esoteric, and they've gotten together for album-length collabs with MF DOOM and Ghostface Killah, which are their best records. Anything with DOOM on it is worth listening to, and these records are no exception. It's not peak DOOM, but that's too high of a bar.
UFO or Die, "Anti-Full of No Empty"
Well, been a bit since we've had the randomness of UFO or Die around here. Nice to have them back! Commenting on this kind of misses the point, really. This is something that either amuses you or not, and absolutely nothing I'm going to say here will change your visceral reaction. Because that visceral reaction is what they're trying to provoke.
Eef Barzelay, "Ballad of Bitter Honey"
Eef Barzelay's first record under his own name, instead of Clem Snide, demonstrated the reason he changed things up. He wanted to record much more stripped down music, just him, his songs, and minimal accompaniment. I generally like the arrangements on Clem Snide, so I prefer those records, but he's still enjoyable to listen to this way.
Otis Redding, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"
I've told my little story about this song before, so I won't repeat it. I'll just sit here and enjoy some memories.
Hmm. Getting a little dusty in here.
The Coup, "Strange Arithmetic"
After a tumultuous six-year break that included a bus crash along with side projects, The Coup came back together for a new album in 2012, intended as a soundtrack to a non-existent film. The Coup changed up their music, turning down the funk for a lot more guitar, but the lyrical content is as sharp as always. And, of course, this album actually did spawn the movie eventually, which is pretty neat. I generally prefer the funk stuff more, so it's not my favorite Coup record, but it's still good.