|
Austin Live Music >
Austin Bands >R >Rjd2
Since We Last Spoke
|
Rjd2 Album Review:
RJD2 will keep you coming back for more... at 2005-04-07
I loved hip-hop beats and RJD2s last album was amazing. I admit I was planning on more of the same from his latest album BUT, after listening to Since We Last Spoke a couple of times I was once again amazed. The innovation is genius because of the way it grows on you. The melodies stick in your head and never leave. If youre just into hip-hop beats than this album may not be for you but, trust me its worth your time if you want a CD that will stay in your rotation indefinetly.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Real Artsy, Man at 2005-10-02
Are any of you old enough to wonder where all those really crappy, anonymous records that seemed so progressive at the time you bought them wound up after you traded them in to get money for new vinyl? It would appear that they found their way into Rjd2s record collection, where they serve as the raw material for this collage of amateaur-hour, mid-70s progressive guitar rock. No matter how good a turntablist you are (and R is somewhat above average) you cant get blood out of a stone--and practically everything sampled on this album qualifies as a real lump of coal. Sorry, son, but this kind of music was deservedly dismissed about 30 years ago and, unlike some great music of the time that was UNdeservedly relegated to obscurity and then resurrected by a new generation of discerning music lovers (the Dramatics, the Styistics, the Chi-Lites, the Delfonics, Caravan, Soft Machine, Jade Warrior, Captain Beefheart etc.), this treacle deserves to lie undisturbed in that dusty resting place where bad albums go to die. So much of modern retro seems to be based on the premise that some things were so ridiculously bad that, going roundabout on the uncool-cool continuum, they actually are incredibly cool (like Turquoise table-top rotary phones). I like colorful phones as much as the next person, but some things are just plain lousy. Like the music on this album. And making a collage out of it, no matter how skillfully put together, cant eliminate the fact that some music is so bad that its actually...really bad. Two stars, then , for Rjd2s promise as a turntablist. By the way, the people my age (47) for whom Ive played Since (who love DJ Krush, Cam, Coldcut and Ursula 1000, for example) consider this a joke, as if their kid got into the records that have migrated from the shelves to the attic, picked out the worst ones, and is playing them for all his friends and bragging about how cool Dad used to be. Thanks a lot, son.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Nice at 2006-05-04
Rjd2 is nice, but a number of his songs tend to follow a very similar run down chord progression, and theres the feeling that some of the songs didnt sound all that different in their original non-sampled form, less so on this album, more so on the previous. Though, theyre good songs. If i were to rate them on their production/sampling originality, id have to go 3 stars, but im going to rate them on their good songness factor.On a side note, at only two places this album finds Rjd2 experimenting with a sort of Cornelius sound, and it doesnt go all that well. But the rest of the album far covers for it in to making it appear charming, rather than not.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Can you say classic? at 2005-06-21
The term classic is thrown around far too much in the music industry, but this album is worthy of the title. This is great, uplifting music that fans of any genre can enjoy. Some of the real standout tracks are Since We Last Spoke, Exotic Talk, 1976, Iced Lightning, and especially Clean Living. There is only one song on this entire album that I skip. Theres some really bad singer on Making Days Longer, and it kind of ruins the song. This guy is an expert instrumentalist and DJ, and should be ranked among some of the greatest electronic musicians out there.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Nice, but cant beat deadringer at 2006-05-01
I have a lot of respect for RJD2, when i got his album Deadringer i couldnt stop listening to it daily. This release is also definitely worth buying, but not if you dont have Deadringer yet.
|
Dead Ringer
|
Rjd2 Album Review:
for those who love to dscover new music, and to add to you classics... at 2006-06-18
By classics, I mean every album in your collection. Obviously, to you they are classics.. Otherwise what the hell did you buy them for right?Having recently discovered this thanks to the site - Having been an obsessed fan of Shadow, Krush and Cam before, during and after their hey day since in the US they never got recognized. I became and discoverfed the underground... meaning bbig on music that mainstream definately has never heard of at all....RJ definately shows that he has skill as a DJ. If you buy The Horror Remix disc, (which like another reviewer said is basically an album in itself) you can watch first hand as he raws it live on the second disc.The two tracks with rappers are good. Ive never liked rap for rap. But when it stays true to the origin, like this - a dj and 2 mcs... The mcs tell a real story, or they express their hearts in rap forms. Theres no clapping and sugarcaoting to get the azz up like today. The lyrics are real, it screams out for attention but it crpas on the mainstream like everything should be.The instrumental tracks vary a lot. Sure they keep a solid hip hop flow as far as the beats go, which is good... but some tracks have a little too much of the vynl over dubbed over his created add ons...Songs like Good times roll for instance. If youre deep with music and find a flow in uA/u piece of the song than it wont bother you. but the song is repetitive. no breakdowns or breakouts like the lead off track or the big break in Smoke N Mirrors. The Hip hop tracks are reminiscent of DJ Cams rap tracks. Samples all over the track dubbed with a spitter.Now my big problems with the CD... The tracks that I really dig, like Shot in the Dark - an old gangsta western track with a voiceover sample is only a minute and 21 seconds. The tracks Im all over are the fade in, and fade out... why the artists always do that I dont know. Maybe its financial ties with pushing the disc out the door and its an unreleased track.Tend to do that myself with my solo stuff so maybe who knows...If you are new to this genre then I say welcome, hope you like and venture into discovering more. but to be honest, RJ is the closest thing to Dj Shadow (not UNKLE) than Mr. Obtuse (look him up on myspace) and thats it.. And I spend everything on music.The review sucks but hey.. If you know what to expect when you hear the clips, than you know you will like it. I did, and I do. If you buy old cds because they are unew to you/u, yet published 3-10 years ago than go for it. Obviously today has gone awry and anybody who is real unlike cable television and source awards can tell you... Go get this disc. Hell.. Kanye would like it... so whats that say?
Rjd2 Album Review:
The future of good music at 2006-03-13
Take this album as an antidote to the constant bombardment we recieve from our vapid American pop culture.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Read This at 2006-04-18
These people trying to compare RJD2 to any other turntablist are stupid; no DJ is the same as any other, and each can be good in his own right. I love Shadow, I love Babu, I love QBERT, and I love RJD2. There is no order, and these DJs are not all that similar except each is classified as hip hop. Stop trying to compare them and judge each DJ in his/her own right.That having been said, RJD2 is really eazy to break down - imagine if all your grandpas old 45s got spun by a trip-hop DJ. It sounds great if youre into it, and obviously if youre not, then its not for you. If you like non-MC hip hop, as I do, then check it out. I also encourage you to listen to rappers instrumental albums - generally, while you may not like a specific rap, you can really enjoy the track behind it, often moreso when theres no lyrics to distract you.I will say this: many years from now people are going to look back at major influences on hip hop, and this album will make the list.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Nice at 2006-05-04
Rjd2 is nice, but a number of his songs tend to follow a very similar run down chord progression, and theres the feeling that some of the songs didnt sound all that different in their original non-sampled form, more so on this album, less so on the following. (Which granted could be taken for masterful sample blending, but i think not.) Though, theyre good songs. If i were to rate them on their production/sampling originality, id have to go 3 stars, but im going to rate them on their good songness factor.
Rjd2 Album Review:
Essential at 2006-04-30
I think that this is essential for anyone whos even slightly interested in this kind of stuff. Its mad cool, and when you find a track you like, it gets stuck in your head, and you find yourself humming it. And its not a bad thing, too. My favorites are:The Horror, June [the rappings not bad, but the melody is insane], Smoke and Mirrors, Cut Out To Fl. [this track is extremely catchy], the Final Frontier [its strangly refreshing], F.H.H. [becuase he rhymes about how i feel about rap, and its a nice instrumental], 2 More Dead, and Work. The main reason i love work [it could be my favorite track] is because of the hidden song that cuts in 5:40 min. into the song. This is [In my opinoin] the best song on the disc.I gurantee [i think i spelled that wrong] that if your into DJ Shadow, or just appreciate mellow tunes, then youll love this.
Rjd2 Album Editorial:
RJD2 creates music thats not easy to pin down though everyone seems to try. The Columbus Ohio-based DJ-producer explores the same basic formula used by DJ Shadow and Moby but his style is more complex and refreshingly a hell of a lot less pretentious. Less bass-heavy than Shadows 1996 release IEndtroducing... (the album its often compared to) IDeadringer showcases RJD2s master ability to layer unusual samples with complex drum patterns funky grooves and original vocals. The 50s horror movie-sampled The Horror starts things off on the grunge tip and then the albums sound progresses into straight-up hip-hop break beats rock roll blues and more. Songs like the Jimi Hendrix-influenced Smoke and Mirrors and the honky-tonk soulfulness of 2 More Dead up the ante demonstrating just how far the trip-hop genre has progressed since the mid-90s. One of the most enjoyable albums of the year IDeadringer is an essential addition to your listening library. Rebecca Levine
|
|
|
|
|
|
