Well, I would think I’ve probably got just enough time to write a short piece about these guys before my humble pie is just about ready. You see, I did a lot of pathetically misinformed bitching about recent record “Congratulations”, having never listened to it before casting it aside as ‘shit’. In my defence, the only reason I did this was because I was so antagonised by the duo’s proclamation that the record would contain ‘no singles’. It just seem utterly fucking ridiculous that a band would want to create something with that they intentionally do not want released as a single. It’s this kind of pretentious behaviour that increasingly is creeping into the music industry. I understand their argument that they’d like the record to be heard in full, instead of the highlights being preyed upon by commercial stations and played to death, unfortunately its one of the sad inevitabilities of today’s commercially-dominated capitally-focused media industry that they’re just gonna have to shut up and deal with. Excuse me while I take a deep breath and have a sip of water.
Uncontrollable rant aside, Zane Lowe tonight managed to lure me into unknowingly enjoying “Congratulations” by playing this cheeky effort. You can imagine by rage when, in typically enthusiastic fashion, he announced that I’d been listening to title track “Congratulations. The sneaky bastards. So this is to you MGMT; you might well be pretentious twats who I still have a deep personal problem with, but I can no longer deny that I have listened to your music. I feel really ashamed.
Here at NotManyExperts, we don’t commit many crimes. Copyright infringements and mild cases of extortion aside, we have a squeaky clean record with the authorities, but there’s one glaring offence we are yet to be punished for. Since the inception of this here blog, I fail to recollect when either of Phil or myself have written one teeny word about one of the most popular and influential genres of music in the world. Rap.
I have decided that I will make it my mission to filter through the inevitable piles of rap shit that are released on a daily basis and bring to you some of the finest articles of the genre which, for the most part, don’t get half the coverage in the blogosphere that they deserve.
The first of said articles of genius comes from one of my favourite rappers of all time, Lupe Fiasco. Real name Wasalu Jaco, Fiasco has made himself into one of the most respected and anticipated artists in the genre with his unique lyricism that often challenges the ‘guns, bitches & bling’ stereotypical mentality associated with Rap. Forthcoming album “Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album” was announced a few weeks back, via his Twitter feed, and this track is the first glimpse of what we can expect from Lupe’s 3rd studio album. Enjoy…
As a rule; free things are always, constantly and without exceptions absolutely depressing. By definition, they’re usually designed to make you buy other things which, obviously, is detestably sneaky and therefore worthy of hate. They’re almost by some unwritten rule of thriftiness underwhelming and weak, like that Chemical Brothers “album” of remixes by drugged up bedroom hermits that the Sunday Times seems to give away every week, and that watered-down free shot of beer brewed solely to force you to feel guilty about not buying an entire bottle. In fact, the only free thing that I’ve received recently that packed a punch was, literally, a punch in the face from a terrifyingly furious chav for trying to protect my idiotic friend who, quite predictably, had made some sort of perhaps unnecessary comment about said chav’s mother. I preferred it to the shot of beer, anyway.
I’ll have to admit at this point that I am actually lying. The term “without exceptions” above was probably misleading. There is an exception. Now, I think you probably know where this is heading. Except I’m not going to lead this into an anticlimax by giving you away a free impotent remix of a fey, untalented indie band who’s manager happens to be an old friend of mine. Downloading music for free, legally, is no longer new or exciting. Thousands of artists are struggling to grab your attention right now, each one trying to convince you to steal their music with their consent like some sort of musical self-flagellation that has become necessary to build a following of interneted music geeks, but I can barely remember the last time that a free EP was worth the listening time alone, let alone two enormous paragraphs of frankly irrelevant pre-amble.
London’s rising producer of the minute Entrepreneurs has definitely changed those perceptions. Of course we’d seen the name flung across all of the right places, and recently come across him again in the guise of FOE’s producer, but not once did we consider that it was possible he’d release an EP of ball-swallowingly terrifying industrial pop that, quite simply, is the most original, breathless and focussed EP we’ve heard all year. Somehow, it manages to be both as accessible as Lady Gaga pummelling her record label execs to death with the heel of her shoe and weirder than, well, Lady Gaga. For that feat alone you are sort of obliged to download the EP. And if you don’t agree with us, well, you can have your money back; because this is 100% guaranteed to be better than a punch in the face, but hit you just as hard.
