Albums of the Week for 3/11/24

Birthday Week

Mar 11, 2024

Hey, it’s my birthday on Friday. I’m turning 38 and finally seeing Dune 2. It’s also supposed to be like 70 degrees, which is wild considering how the Winter and Spring has been.

Anyway, I’m celebrating, you can celebrate with me.

This past week we got sick again, though it was incredibly minor. This happens when you have a toddler, I suppose!

This week you’re getting a couple of my favorite albums from my youth that I really do still adore, both released this week in history. One is celebrating 30 years this year and a childrens’ board book about the iconic singer is the absolute bedtime favorite for my child. The other is celebrating 29 years this week and is the high water mark for one of the most iconic figure in rap history. Both of the artists were victims of murder and taken way too young.

In other news, I finally started my Pet Shop Boys discography project and it’s been SO good. There is a lot there, a lot of b-sides and remixes and what not and it’s actually just been a joy. I’ve only started, but I expect it to be really fruitful and will do some posts checking in a few releases or “eras” at a time.

Also on the horizon: one of my best online buddies Kevin recently made me a list of 100 of his favorite Hardcore records, with a lot of variety and distinctly to his taste. Hardcore is one of the genres I genuinely know the least about and I pester him and my other buddy Drew for recommendations frequently. This will be a long project and I haven’t formatted exactly how I want to do it - but expect a review for every 10ish on the list and an ongoing (and arbitrary) ranking. I’m really stoked to get started.

As always, thanks for checking out the post and the feedback you give me in whatever location do so!

Thoughts on Albums of the Week from 3/4:

Gang Starr - Hard to Earn

Look, basically every Gang Starr album is pretty great. They are a duo consisting of one of the most consistent rappers of all time and perhaps the single best hip hop producer. That all said, growing up and in my biggest REAL HIP HOP ONLY phases, Gang Starr was never a group I really went in deep with. Random songs here and there, absolutely ("Now You’re Mine” from this record, for instance). Albums though, while I’ve always enjoyed the classic 90s records, I have probably listened to both volumes of Guru’s "Jazzmatazz” series like a hundred times more. Of those classic records, I’ve probably listened to Hard to Earn the least, though it might feature the best DJ Premier production work as a whole project. And look - it’s great, but I still don’t love it like I love Jazzmatazz Vol. 1, Step in the Arena or Moment of Truth. This does have “Speak Ya Clout”, “DWYCK” and more and it’s a great listen, but I never fully get into it when just LISTENING to it. Gang Starr is one of the ultimate hip hop acts that works best as like backing music. You could choose almost any Gang Starr track to make a sick sports highlight video, skate video or something like that. They are great to play on a boombox outside when you’re just chillin’ with friends. They’re good DRIVING music, but for a full album LISTEN, I wind up getting a bit bored here and there. Whatever, it’s great despite that.

Amaro Freitas - Y’Y’

I’ve been trying to plan what I was going to say about this album all week and even before I chose it for album of the week and I haven’t solved it. So I’m going to keep it really short:

This may very well be my single favorite record of the entire 2020’s.

You don’t have to feel the same and I don’t really expect anyone too. I have listened to this about a dozen times in the past 2 weeks and I genuinely feel this. I haven’t felt like this about a new record in a long time. The entire way it’s constructed and builds to one of the most joyous final tracks in memory is just…look, this is something that is connecting with me so strongly, I am genuinely having to scratch my head and look deep into my collection to see if I can think of any piano record I like more, ever. Maybe a Keith Jarrett, maybe a Wynton Kelly, maybe a Bill Evans or Bud Powell - but I’m not sure. I cannot imagine something taking this from my number 1 album of the year. Easy 5 stars.

Elizabeth Cotten - Live!

I don’t remember the first time I heard Elizabeth Cotten, though it was definitely the 2004 re-release of Shake Sugaree and I was smitten. It was the most soulful, personal, uplifting instrumental guitar music I had ever heard at that point. I still hold all 3 volumes of her records really near to my heart, the first two being legit contenders for records I would take with me to a deserted island. For whatever reason, all these years of loving her music - I had never listened fully to this live recording of Elizabeth, near 90-years old. I love the Arhoolie label, I love her and I love EXPERIENCING live folk music like this, but I just never pushed play. This is great and I have zero doubt that if I would’ve somehow been live in the crowd for this performance or one like it that I would revel in life-affirming feelings. However, as a RECORD, it is probably my least favorite Cotten document we have and that’s because the music is broken up too much with stories. And I love that, I do! I just love the music more. The songs with the crowd singing along are so peaceful and heavenly, the finger-picking is so natural and pastoral and the stories are cute, bless her - they just take a bit too much time sometimes! Anyway, you should still listen to this record and any other Elizabeth Cotten music you can find because she is the best.