With sports I like to celebrate those little surprises that sometimes get thrown my way. Don't we all love when teams or worrisome outcomes unexpectedly turn out to be awesome! To explain in particular what I mean by this, I want to start by introducing you to four albums I recently listened to.
Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More
Radiohead- King Of Limbs
Talib Kweli- Gutter Rainbows
Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (And they're French!)
Each was equally amazing in its own right. Rhythmically and musically mesmerizing in the way each played their harmonies off of the instruments; they reminded me of four religions all battling for supremacy. Or say, like how the top four teams in East are all presently battling it out for the top spot. Each is a different breed of basketball, yet each could very well raise the Larry O'Brien trophy this summer. One of these teams will represent the East in the Finals, just like one of these albums will hold the title of My-favorite-album-to-play-right-now-on-my-IPod-while-riding-the-train-to-work. Both are TBD.
Now I don't claim to be a musical expert by any stretch of the imagination so don't go looking for a breakdown of production mechanics and musical inspirations. For the record, my musical talents don't go north of a situation involving the fourth grade, a terrible rendition of Hot Crossed Buns on a recorder, and an embarrassing amount of young Dunn's tears. (Aren't elementary aged children the best!) Moving on, what this boils down to is I play instruments terribly, but I love music and can understand the grasp it has on many of us. Kind of like sports you could say. More importantly, like the Eastern Conference in the NBA has over the current sports-stratosphere.
Let's compare shall we:
Boston Celtics- Mumford & Sons (Sigh No More)
This was probably the easiest of the parallels. Just as banjo's bounce off guitars with perfection on this album, I could only equate this to the serene chemistry that this team envelopes. Just like Mumford manages to hit highs and lows at just the right time, The C's can lull you to sleep with their fundamental basketball, or allow Rondo to go ape shit and pick apart your defense with a fierce uptempo style. Either way, they both score, and with relative ease. After seeing Mumford give the best performance I've seen on the Grammy's in a looong time, I knew I had to hear more. Was this mixture of Bluegrass with Folk gonna work for an entire album? No way old school musicality and pristine lyricism could win over a mind that has been corrupted with high hats and beat machines for the better years of its life. Just like there was no way this old team of fundamentalists could take down the new age teams that ran up and down the floor like some kind of new NBA spread offense. Unfortunately, if you agreed with me in both instances you'd be terribly wrong. The title track(Pierce) displays exactly the type of simple destruction that defines this team. What starts off as a simple track, suddenly explodes into a instrumental orgy and before you know it Pierce has netted 30 and you are left wondering how something you were about to bypass, left you panting in anticipation for more. Or, you could deal with that sweet breeze of Winter Wind(Jesus Shuttlesworth) that is such perfection that you HAVE to repeat it because what you just witnessed is exactly how it is supposed to be done. Furthermore, just when you thought the team was soft and homely, they bring out their Little Lion Man(KG), who yells, complains, and curses his way into your heart. You may not want to bring this emotion out all the time, but in the right circumstance, it can be the difference between a cohesive unit, and backyard shenanigans. And just to band it all together, they bring out the glue to it all. There was a reason The Cave(Rondo) was chosen to introduce this band to the world. Every great team has to have their nucleus. And hearing this song was what made it all work.
Chicago Bulls- Radiohead (King Of Limbs)
Ever since MJ retired, the Bulls have been looking for a new champion. Someone who night in and night out delivers. To parallel, I have been looking for a band who can consistently deliver gems, the way The 'Stones once did. Album after album of solid gold. (And you damn skippy I just compared MJ to the Rollingstones!) Whether injured, or on hiatus, or working on solo material, both found ways to bring it. Always. Before the season started I had my doubts about the Baby Bulls, just as I had doubts about a new, rushed, Radiohead album. Sure they both had two proven bangers (Rose/Boozer-OK Computer/In Rainbows), but that didn't mean they could be be successful in this new age of overblown commercialism. They weren't media whores(aside form both having subdued commercial television spots) and neither seemed to be hungry for the ego driven tile of "The Best". They both just always seemed to deliver the goods upon their releases. And presently, this is exactly what we are getting. The Bulls, compliments of another Heat meltdown, have stormed to second place in the East and are looking dangerous. Radiohead? Oh they just produced arguably the album of the year, complete with surefire hits. Lotus Flower(Rose) has his Morning Mr. Magpie(Boozer) and Separator(Deng) along with great supplementary tracks to help them all gel. Come June, the league better watch out for these guys, just like next February, I have a feeling the boys from England might just see another Grammy nod. One side note: If Derrick Rose dances anything like Thom Yorke, he needs to have his ghetto pass from Chicago immediately revoked.
Orlando Magic- Talib Kweli (Gutter Rainbows)
The Magic are a tough nut to crack. They should be better, but they aren't. D Howard should be a bigger star, but he isn't. This is a team that usually goes all or nothing in its approach, which at times can be quite poetic. Though if overrun, this style can seem forced, as if they have seemingly strayed too far from their comfort zone. This folks is why I compare them to Kweli. Never has there been an artist(thanks to the premature demise of Big L) who bordered on genius, yet couldn't get over the commercial hump. Talib Greene at his peak is arguably the best at his sport, just like if the Magic are rolling, just give up. But when Kweli goes too club or too thug, everything seems a little off. Gutter Rainbows was a perfect example of this. Some tracks went right for the jugular. Others tried too hard to stray from the team concept, and got lost in transition, if you will. But those that got it right, made it an absolute joy to take in. Ain't Waiting(J Rich) is the perfect place to start. This team likes to get up and down the court and no song on this album better defines the attitude of going and getting what's yours. And if there were ever a player on this team who can't wait to shoot, Rich is your man. Oh No(Jameer) gets a shout simply because he has always been a beast, like Jean Grae, yet no one wants to give him his respect. This song, just like a hot streak from Nelson, eliminates any negative perceptions. The bench(Friends and Family) is always there to provide amazing support. Palookas(Howard) is the obvious banger on the album. The beginning is smooth and the tempo is something you can ride to. It's almost throwback in its delivery, just as Howard's new Dream enhanced game is very early 90's in its head fake, spin move, throw down or baby hook presentation. He'll not only assassinate your character, but a Fifty Cal versus a squirt gun is a suitable line when comparing him to most defenders. That example of thunderous throw downs can only be heard through Sean Price's third verse introduction. And like Price states early in his rap, Howard is indeed mad nice. Why? Cause apparently you and your man some Palookas.
Miami Heat- Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
What made me pay attention to this album basically had everything to do with MLB 2K10playing Lisztomania so much that I slowly went from humming the instrumental to downloading the entire album. This song was in a word: fun. Nothing more, nothing less. If I tried to listen to them while writing I'd probably get three letters down before I started to dance my ass off. The hooks are so damn catchy and the melodies so appealing that I can't help but to listen when they're on. This inability to look away ladies and gents is why they are this seasons Miami Heat. After having one certified party starter (Wade-Lisztomania), and adding your commercialized import LBJ-1901(thanks to the 19 car commercials that sampled it), and just for good measure an added slow moving, sweet shooting star (Bosh-Fences), you just knew everything was gonna go swimmingly. Errrr, get your life preservers because that's where we were wrong. Suddenly it seems as if someone has punched air holes in our three-pronged life raft! The rest of the album, as the rest of the Heat, is leaving alot to be desired. The bench has yet to provide the main cogs any offensive support, just as the rest of the album does a lame job of backing up the obvious standouts. Girlfriend has to be compared to Mike Miller for the obvious girl comparison, but also because it can be a good song, and just might be the fourth option this album needs. But I can't quite see myself putting it on repeat. Yet. Just like I can't see Mike Miller hitting three's consistently. Yet. And because I do tend to like a song more the more I replay it, I think Miller will get adjusted to the offense and come around. The album, like the Heat, seems like it's missing something. Not sure what that is, but until the.....
(Damn Lisztomania)
So who wins? Not sure. I guess we'll all know come June. And remember, the Lasers, oops I mean Lakers, could always come out of nowhere and win out. Hmmm, Lupe as Kobe? Interesting.
Til next time.
