Bob Marley & The Wailers -- Talkin' Blues

In lieu of the fact that there were no albums I desire to listen to that were released this week, I'll review a favorite of mine again.

Bob Marley is one of the most revered figures in pop music today. He was one of the first people to bring reggae -- and Caribbean music in general -- to a much larger audience. His face is emblazoned on a multitude of posters, t-shirts, beach towels and the like (although often for the wrong reasons). Also, he was deemed 11th greatest artist of all time by the Rolling Stone. His estate has been able to release album upon album of content after his death, which shows just how deep his artistry really was. However, one reason that many people love and respect the man so much (including me) was the message that he spread with his music. He talked about themes such as poverty, racism, and just loving your fellow man unconditionally. His message was an important one that I feel would benefit most people if they could take it to heart.

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The album that I chose to review for this piece is my favorite recording out of Marley's entire repertoire: "Talkin' Blues". This album is my favorite because I've been listening to it for as long as I can remember. My parents would always like to listen to "Talkin' Blues" at dinner time, especially during the summer. Because of this, I know every song by heart, as well as their lyrical content. From what I understand, the overall theme of this album is Bob's experiences with poverty in the ghettos of Jamaica. This theme is especially pertinent in the album's title song. The opening lyric, "Cold ground was my bed last night, and rock was my pillow too", goes to show the kind of masterful imagery that Marley employed when writing his lyrics. Other songs have different themes. For example, the song "Slave Driver" is very racially themed. Marley talks about how his blood runs cold at "the crack of the whip". Hi racial conscience shines through at other points in the album too, including "Walk The Proud Land" and "Get Up, Stand Up". However, not every song on this album takes itself so seriously. The tracks "Am-a-do" and "Bend Down Low" have overt sexual themes that you can probably decipher just by reading the names.

One thing that makes "Talkin' Blues" unique is that it is technically a live album. While some of the tracks are from actual concerts, most were recorded in a claustrophobia-inducing closet. This gives each recording a very tight, close-knit feeling, with the band members essentially playing only to themselves. Because of this, it is much more raw and personal than many of Marley's studio recordings. "Talkin' Blues" borrows even more from traditional Jamaican music and instrumentation than Bob's previous recordings. My personal favorite song off the album, "Rastaman Chant", sounds like it was taken right off the streets of Kingston. Another aspect of "Talkin' Blues" that differentiates it from Marley's other work is the multitude of interview clips interspersed throughout. Marley, with his trademark Jamaican patois, talks about the meanings behind his music, as well as what was going on in his life when he wrote it. This makes the album feel even more personal to Marley, since you relate each song to his feelings.

SCORE: 5/5

HIGHLIGHT: "Rastaman Chant"

Kendrick Lamar -- To Pimp A Butterfly

Rapper Kendrick Lamar is one of the biggest rising stars of this decade. After enjoying modest success with his first album, "Section.80", Lamar changed the game with 2012's "good kid, m.A.A.d. city". Lamar's sophomore release was subject to insane amounts of critical praise, and is now considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever released. After a few breakout guest verses on other artist's tracks, he became one of the most hyped rappers in the industry. After having a few amazing years like Kendrick Lamar has had, many artists would cower at the challenge of living up to their own hype. When it was announced that the 27 year-old Compton native would release another album in 2015, the world waited intently to see whether this new release could possibly live up to Lamar's lofty standards. With "To Pimp A Butterfly", I would argue that the rapper absolutely did just that.

Kendrick Lamar's previous effort, "good kid, m.A.A.d. city.", focused on the harsh realities of life in the inner city. Lamar, having grown up in Compton, was no stranger to gang violence and organized crime as a teenager, and this showed in his music. Lamar continued this trend of social commentary with his newest record as well. While the drama that was "good kid" was set in the streets, "Butterfly" focuses on the sociological burdens of being a Black American -- specifically, a black artist in a white-dominated music business. The overarching motif of the record was introduced by the title of the album: the butterfly. The metaphorical butterfly is the black artist who evolved from a caterpillar -- the caterpillar being the symbol of the poor, black kid stuck in the ghetto. The title, "To Pimp A Butterfly", is a reference to the white music industry "pimping" their black artists to the American audience. Now, this analysis is not my own; I only noticed these themes after reading interviews with Lamar himself about this release. This shows how intelligent and subtle the artist really is. Another recurring theme of the album is Lucy, who is a mix between a seductress and Lucifer himself. Lucy tempts "butterflies" like Lamar to forget their roots and accept getting pimped to society, but Lamar isn't falling for Lucy's evils. Lamar almost feels guilty about the fact that he is enjoying so much success while his friends back in the city are struggling day in and day out.

While one could analyze the subtext of this album for pages and pages, there is also a wealth of music to critique. The first thing that I noticed of "To Pimp A Butterfly" is that it is much more eclectic than its predecessor. While "good kid" was aggressive at certain times and somber at others, it usually stuck with the melodic West Coast style popularized by Lamar's biggest influence, Tupac Shakur. However, "Butterfly" heads in a much jazzier and funkier direction -- in a way returning to the roots of African-American music. There are horns and guitars where "good kid" had mostly synths and tight 808 kits. The album's first single, "i", sounds like a full-fledged rock song at parts. Also, while the production on "good kid" seemed to mostly be a vessel to get Lamar's words across, the actual instrumentation takes a more central role here. Verses and verbal hooks are sparse on this album, but when they do occur, they are powerful. Kendrick also flaunts his skills as a character rapper on this release, playing the part of a sad alcoholic on "u". While most of "Butterfly" is assertively calm, tracks like "The Blacker The Berry" show Lamar at his breaking point, employing the use of screamed vocals and abrasive beats. Ultimately, the album ends with a bone-chilling "interview" with the late Tupac, where Kendrick used samples of Shakur's voice and interplayed it with his own.

I do believe that Kendrick Lamar lived up to his hype with "To Pimp A Butterfly". While it was not "good kid" -- there were fewer instantly classic tracks -- the album was just as good in different ways. The subtext beneath Lamar's words is what elevates this album to greatness. Also, the more experimental nature of it feels like the exact direction in which Lamar was supposed to go after such a monumental effort in 2012. Here's to you, K-Dot; the hip-hop's most interesting man.

SCORE: 4.7/5

HIGHLIGHT: "The Blacker The Berry"

American Football -- American Football

I feel like everybody has that one album that they can listen to whenever their heart desires. For me, this special album is American Football's eponymous 1999 release. Ever since I first listened to it, the album has held a special place in my pre-frontal cortex (or whichever region of the brain houses long-term memory -- anybody a science major?). The way it infuses the heart-wrenching lyrics of emo music and the intelligence of math rock and post rock creates something magical in only 40 minutes worth of time. But enough with the sentimental talk -- let's get into some context behind the album.

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American Football started out as yet another side project of emo-entrepreneur Mike Kinsella. By the time of AF's conception, Kinsella had already been in two bands: Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc. Kinsella formed Cap'n Jazz with his brother Tim in 1989 when he was only 12 years old, and with the release of their first and only album, “Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards In The Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped On and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over” (seriously), the Kinsella brothers became cult heroes in the Chicago area. When American Football released their self-titled LP, they received heaping amounts of praise from critics, but little mainstream fanfare. Then, in true Kinsella fashion, American Football disbanded after one record. This early exit from the music industry propelled American Football to mythical status among indie music fans.

Musically, “American Football” is a departure from what other emo bands had been doing for a long time in that it is achingly mellow. Kinsella avoids raising his voice above a wholesome croon over the course of the entire album. Also, the backing tracks and instrumentation are as fulfilling as they are haunting. The actual high point of the album, in my opinion, is the intro track “Never Meant”. It kicks things off with a casual conversation by the band members and occasional drum spurts, but once the actual music begins, you’re immediately hooked. The lilting arpeggios and somber vocal performance from Kinsella draw you in even before the one-minute mark. This enchantment continues with tracks like “Honestly?”, with its coda so drawn out that you forget which album you’ve been listening to. Finally, the album culminates with a gorgeous instrumental piece titled “The One With The Wurlitzer”, featuring a trumpet solo so melancholy it sounds as if the horn itself is weeping.

Now, if you haven’t realized it yet, this is my favorite album of all time, so you’ll have to forgive me if I seem over sentimental during this review. Something about American Football just clicked with me the time that I discovered this band and record. I would recommend everyone to at least give it a listen.

SCORE: 5/5

HIGHLIGHT: Never Meant