As soon as I got home from class today I listened to DOOM‘s Born Like This straight through for around the 5th or 6th time. I was feeling peculiar all day; headaches mostly, and I NEVER get headaches. I guess for a lot of people a man speaking practically in tongues with such a rasp would create headaches, not alleviate them. But there’s something very relaxing about MF Doom’s voice that I’ve come to admire and adore since really truly getting into him. That being said, this is perhaps the darkest of all his solo stuff, probably his darkest ever since KMD (and Black Bastards). Writing on/speaking about/explaining MF Doom is probably one of the hardest things to do, so I won’t go on too long. Let’s see… There’s something awfully dark and penetrating about this album lyrically and musically. Although the album references things like comic books, super villains, those old Ernest movies (he even mentions “Vern”), Jake the Snake (the wrestler), and all sorts of other goofy pop culturisms, it still includes topics like homophobia, greed, death, crime, and racism. In fact, I’d argue the majority of the album is about race. Not in the same way Nas’ self-titled album or Murs’ …For President were of last year. No, this is simultaneously more subtle and more powerful. I suppose the Charles Bukowski monologues throughout don’t exactly make for the most light hearted concepts.
I’m listening to the new Mastodon album right now which has been getting a lot of good attention. The concept of this album – it’s called Crack The Skye – is somehow more specific than Born Like This, yet harder to describe. (I’m making no fucking sense right now, and you’d be smart to stop reading NOW) Again – Let’s see…. I guess a paraplegic man’s only chance at self-imposed travel is on the Astral level, so he leaves his body and ends up in trouble (basically). A sort-of Astral Plain committee says they can help him, but they end up putting him into Rasputin’s body, then somehow they run into the Devil and…. I don’t know. See what I mean? But apparently “Skye” (hence the “e” in the title) was also the name of a band member’s sister, who committed suicide at the age of fourteen. Very sad. Nevertheless, this is an amazing block of music that MUST be listened to sequentially. It’s complex yes, but not at all in a pretentious type of way. Not at ALL. Time signatures change frequently, exact same riffs are played once, only to be played once more ten minutes later. It sounds outrageous, but somehow it all makes sense. The concept, the riffs, the production, the organization (songwriting), the lyrics, even the album art. I know there are some metal dudes out there who wouldn’t consider this “metal” for one reason: the singing. Well- in my opinion (Obviously Sonny, if that’s even your REAL name… Why else would be here besides expressing your BULLSHIT opinions, you dipshit. Don’t make me stuff you down my trumpet fuck-face…) it’s really damn refreshing to hear an album of metal with singing that… actually SINGS.
Screaming’s cool, but it started being overdone after the fourth track on your new EP didn’t stop. Ever. Same tone. Same rhythm. Same words for all I know. Can anyone understand those guys??
-Sonny
