30. Built To Spill – There Is No Enemy
Andy: Unranked :: Dave: 18
I make no qualms in stating Built To Spill is involved in any conversation concerning a list of my favorite under-the-radar bands. I say under the radar because there are a surprising number of individuals completely unaware of the band’s vast talents. Just about anything they release will be enjoyable due to their remarkable consistency of excellence, and to my mind I can think of few indie guitar bands on the same level. I totally dig Doug Martsch’s lyrical witticisms and excellent guitar work. He puts a great deal of thought into his work, indeed, far more than I needed to write this quick, glowing review.
Built To Spill – Pat (mp3) from There Is No Enemy
29. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
Andy: 17 :: Dave: Unranked
It’s hard to form an opinion of a Jay-Z album if you don’t get out in front of the unavoidable overplaying of the singles. By the time the radio finished with the 4th single (“Already Home?”), it’s bound to be well into 2010, and we’ll all be onto the next great album.
Whether or not you agree with the opinion that rap has made itself irrelevant with its constant need for affirmation through money, status, etc. (which I do, to a certain extent), it’s difficult to find someone still so adept at making the whole process seem simple. Jay no longer has to rap about guns/bitches/the projects because he’s not there anymore. It’s tiresome to be constantly reminded of how difficult a rapper’s life used to be when he now may end up being a partial owner of an NBA team. And, to some extent, Jay recognizes that. Throughout the album he references a need to move the conversation along.
The Blueprint 3 isn’t a perfect album. There are a couple of songs I skip over when I’m playing it. But as a whole, it’s a solid effort from an artist who really has nothing else to prove to anyone, but who remains as relevant to the conversation as when he started.
Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (Stream only) from The Blueprint 3
This is not some cruel cosmic joke. This is, in fact, the final mp3 Smörgåsbord. While we certainly enjoy putting up remixes and other various forgotten gems week after week, we’re aiming to provide some more substance along with the music, so starting next week, we’re going to up the ante.
This is the week that the music industry has been waiting for all year. Jay-Z’s newest album finally sees official release after having been leaked this past week, in addition to new albums from heavyweights like Phish, Yo La Tengo, Sondre Lerche and newcomer Mayer Hawthorne.
