by Brett Reese
Sometime victor of national rap battleground “Grind Time,” Eau Claire Battle Champion, one of the founding members of the Background Noise Crew and 2009’s Twin Cities Hip-Hop Awards’ “Best Kept Secret” are all notches in local rap star Analyrical’s belt. And he’s about to add one more: first solo album. With a title like First Date, you can bet Analyrical will be taking us out for than just dinner and a show.
To compare Analyrical’s First Date to an album by say, Eminem, wouldn’t be fair. Eminem can only manage one or two good songs per album. Most of the songs on First Date on the other hand, could easily find their way into my rotation. The strongest component First Date's songs is by far the music. From the standard rap style in “Sky Is Burning,” “Tick-Tick” and my favorite track, “Cruisin’” to the deeper electronica of “Pre-Game” and pensive tones of “Poet Laureate” and “More Than.” First Date pulls off a wide variety of styles, yet has a cohesive feel to it.
A couple of general observations about style. There was one point where I was listening to my album shuffle, and I heard “Sky is Burning” from First Date. I had to check to see what the name of the song was, as I had been listening to the Gorillaz prior to this album. “Sky” came on, and I seriously thought I heard Damon Albarn’s 2-D character singing background. The rest of the album has some similarities to the BNC Everybody Does This but stretches into many other styles. Stylistically both in terms of rap and music, it's as if someone has pieced together Royksopp, Eminem, Ludacris and Sir Mix-a-Lot. Seriously. Analyrical’s flow and sometimes background music has a style, confidence and playfulness that somehow seems like a functional mélange of these styles and more. This lends the album accesiblity and makes it enjoyable.
As far as lyrics go, it’s easy to see how Analyrical’s been able to hold his own when battling. There’s no hint of hesitation in any of his rhymes. He has some fascinating lyrical choices, such as a very descriptive and erotic song in "The Panther" and some Star Wars references elsewhere. The words “Padawan” and “Jedi Knight” are always a nice surprise, though it has been done before. The variety in the vocabulary is also pretty diverse as well, and thankfully not too far into GMAT territory.
First Date appears to be a good foundation for a relationship with Analyrical’s music. Strong music and concrete rhymes make for an album that I can listen to all the way through and also makes for an album that should appeal to a wide audience. If you’re a fan of any of the above mainstream artists it’s worth checking out. It’s not an exact match by any means, but the comparison is close enough.
Analyrical has made a name for himself by opening for other local stars: Brother Ali, Tech N9ne and Big Quarters. First Date comes out on December 15 and will be followed by a CD release party on December 19.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Review of Elephant Vanishes
This collection of short stories is like that clichéd box of chocolates. There are stories that are rich with just the right flavors, and then there are those ones that don’t taste all that good yet they get eaten anyways because they’re chocolate. Overall most of the stories were fun to read leaving just one or two that were not so much fun to read. All of the stories are unique and full of original ideas and thoughts.
The stories that didn’t work so much for me were Sleep and The Last Lawn of the Afternoon. Sleep is the story of a housewife who suddenly becomes unable to sleep and fills her extra time drinking brandy and reading Anna Karenina (a staple of many Murakami characters). Sleep had no breaks in it, and was a rather long, short story. Reading it was almost like experiencing sleeplessness myself, growing crazy with that mind numbing, cannot sleep feeling. What it did well though is show how monotonous two weeks without sleep would be like. The difficult parts of reading this story also made it more real, but it is a story I wouldn’t read again.
The Last Lawn of the Afternoon is another similar story, giving many frivolous and repetitive details, this time about lawn mowing. Details about this young man’s obsessive-compulsive need to no only cut the lawn, but get in with shears for a perfect length. Potentially this character could have been interesting or funny with his desire, but instead he is just a normal guy cutting lawns. Having mowed many lawns in my time, I found I could care less about this obsessive compulsive lawn cutter.
What the rest of the stories do well is offer a fairly wide range of characters that are fairly unique from each other. Even similar characters react in different ways. There are several young single guys, with somewhat similar morals, but they all treat their girlfriend and themselves in different ways. The housewives or single women all act in different ways as well. What all of these characters have in common is they are generally average people who find themselves in unusual and repetitive situations yet bring an original point of view forth. The name Noburu Watanabe also seems to pop up here and there for no apparent reason, but it provides a common thread through the stories, even if Mr. Watanabe is never the same being.
The Elephant Vanishes is also full of imagination. Almost every story is strange somehow, some are funny and one or two are kind of sad. I have never seen such a wide range of events outside of the Twilight Zone. The stories I liked best were: The Wind up Bird and Tuesday’s Women, a story about a man in search of his cat, but the man runs afoul of unusual and often times frustrating women. I found this story playful and fun. The Second Bakery Attack, another fun story about a couple that holds up a McDonald’s for food yet pays for their soda. To contrast, On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning was quite heart warming and almost made me cry at the lost love. The Silence was another tense story that I enjoyed.
The Dancing Dwarf is about a man that works in a factory that makes elephants. Real elephants. In this same story, he submits himself to a fairytale-esque bargain with a dwarf to win the heart of a beautiful woman. The tale takes enough directions to be interesting and the descriptions of working in a factory that makes elephants was an interesting feature. The story’s twist ending would be perfect in the Twilight Zone.
TV People was for me one of the most interesting stories. TV People (who are about 20% Xerox copy-esque smaller than normal people) deliver TVs to people and are ignored by everyone except the narrator. The TV’s pick up nothing but static, and the TV people are bizarre themselves. When the narrator brings them up, he is ostracized or ignored by others. Is there some sort of symbolic meaning here? Is the author saying that people who watch TV get nothing of value and if you realize it you become an outcast? The narrator never reveals the answer, ending instead on a bizarre program and an ambiguous ending. Sleep, mentioned earlier, has an ambiguous ending making me wonder if Murakami ended these stories that way on purpose or just wanted to make us think. Both stories imply a bad ending but it is never explicit.
While reading Murakami’s stories I have to admit I wasn’t looking for any hidden meanings or symbolism, though I am sure it is there. I would have to read it again several times. If I had to guess, I’d say there were a few that could be fairly obvious. The McDonald’s robbery begins with a husband and wife’s ravenous hunger. Could this hunger be related to some unfulfilled need in each other?
The stories that didn’t work so much for me were Sleep and The Last Lawn of the Afternoon. Sleep is the story of a housewife who suddenly becomes unable to sleep and fills her extra time drinking brandy and reading Anna Karenina (a staple of many Murakami characters). Sleep had no breaks in it, and was a rather long, short story. Reading it was almost like experiencing sleeplessness myself, growing crazy with that mind numbing, cannot sleep feeling. What it did well though is show how monotonous two weeks without sleep would be like. The difficult parts of reading this story also made it more real, but it is a story I wouldn’t read again.
The Last Lawn of the Afternoon is another similar story, giving many frivolous and repetitive details, this time about lawn mowing. Details about this young man’s obsessive-compulsive need to no only cut the lawn, but get in with shears for a perfect length. Potentially this character could have been interesting or funny with his desire, but instead he is just a normal guy cutting lawns. Having mowed many lawns in my time, I found I could care less about this obsessive compulsive lawn cutter.
What the rest of the stories do well is offer a fairly wide range of characters that are fairly unique from each other. Even similar characters react in different ways. There are several young single guys, with somewhat similar morals, but they all treat their girlfriend and themselves in different ways. The housewives or single women all act in different ways as well. What all of these characters have in common is they are generally average people who find themselves in unusual and repetitive situations yet bring an original point of view forth. The name Noburu Watanabe also seems to pop up here and there for no apparent reason, but it provides a common thread through the stories, even if Mr. Watanabe is never the same being.
The Elephant Vanishes is also full of imagination. Almost every story is strange somehow, some are funny and one or two are kind of sad. I have never seen such a wide range of events outside of the Twilight Zone. The stories I liked best were: The Wind up Bird and Tuesday’s Women, a story about a man in search of his cat, but the man runs afoul of unusual and often times frustrating women. I found this story playful and fun. The Second Bakery Attack, another fun story about a couple that holds up a McDonald’s for food yet pays for their soda. To contrast, On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning was quite heart warming and almost made me cry at the lost love. The Silence was another tense story that I enjoyed.
The Dancing Dwarf is about a man that works in a factory that makes elephants. Real elephants. In this same story, he submits himself to a fairytale-esque bargain with a dwarf to win the heart of a beautiful woman. The tale takes enough directions to be interesting and the descriptions of working in a factory that makes elephants was an interesting feature. The story’s twist ending would be perfect in the Twilight Zone.
TV People was for me one of the most interesting stories. TV People (who are about 20% Xerox copy-esque smaller than normal people) deliver TVs to people and are ignored by everyone except the narrator. The TV’s pick up nothing but static, and the TV people are bizarre themselves. When the narrator brings them up, he is ostracized or ignored by others. Is there some sort of symbolic meaning here? Is the author saying that people who watch TV get nothing of value and if you realize it you become an outcast? The narrator never reveals the answer, ending instead on a bizarre program and an ambiguous ending. Sleep, mentioned earlier, has an ambiguous ending making me wonder if Murakami ended these stories that way on purpose or just wanted to make us think. Both stories imply a bad ending but it is never explicit.
While reading Murakami’s stories I have to admit I wasn’t looking for any hidden meanings or symbolism, though I am sure it is there. I would have to read it again several times. If I had to guess, I’d say there were a few that could be fairly obvious. The McDonald’s robbery begins with a husband and wife’s ravenous hunger. Could this hunger be related to some unfulfilled need in each other?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
RANT: Star Wars books
Hi,
I’ve been reading star wars books since they first came out and have overall enjoyed them. There were some dry spots in the 90’s, towards the later parts, but the New jedi Order really was (in some spots) good. I went back and bought all the old books I missed, really cheap at the used book stores, and full price paperbacks when I couldn’t find those. To keep up I started buying some of the NJO and then Legacy of the Force series in hardcover thinking those were a rare event for me to buy those.
Well, LOF was kind of a let down, I mean another jedi (anakin’s grandson no less) turning to the dark side. Big surprise. Why? Anyways. My rant is that the series was more or less supposed to stop and let the Legacy Comic series take over for a time.
Well then comes Fate of the Jedi. These books have great cover art, but seem kinda short on content. the first three books came out really quickly, but they ARE ALL IN HARD COVER!!!! WHY???? Not just this series, but even stand alone novels like Matthew Stover’s and Luceno’s new books are 2. In the last year, maybe 8-9 star wars books came out (that’s already a lot) but they are all HC! How can anyone afford that?
This has helped me realize that however fund SW is, it is really just a vehicle to make more and more money for whoever is making money on it. I love Star Wars, but can we 1) stop making every flippin book a hard cover? 2) can we just end the series at some point? Or at least can we have like a 2 year hiatus on Star Wars? The market is flooded with SW books and I will never catch up!
Now I understand why lucas says the 6 movies are all there is. It’s a lot easier and cheaper!
And don’t get me started on Death Troopers! OK, I started. Zombies. In SW. OK. Not only was this done once in the Galaxy of Fear series, but of course one of the “big three” gets pulled along for the ride. If SW novels must persist, can’t we get some original characters and storylines? Why not someone not involved with the big three, something like Peter David’s New Frontier Star Trek series?
Any way, that’s all I got.
I’ve been reading star wars books since they first came out and have overall enjoyed them. There were some dry spots in the 90’s, towards the later parts, but the New jedi Order really was (in some spots) good. I went back and bought all the old books I missed, really cheap at the used book stores, and full price paperbacks when I couldn’t find those. To keep up I started buying some of the NJO and then Legacy of the Force series in hardcover thinking those were a rare event for me to buy those.
Well, LOF was kind of a let down, I mean another jedi (anakin’s grandson no less) turning to the dark side. Big surprise. Why? Anyways. My rant is that the series was more or less supposed to stop and let the Legacy Comic series take over for a time.
Well then comes Fate of the Jedi. These books have great cover art, but seem kinda short on content. the first three books came out really quickly, but they ARE ALL IN HARD COVER!!!! WHY???? Not just this series, but even stand alone novels like Matthew Stover’s and Luceno’s new books are 2. In the last year, maybe 8-9 star wars books came out (that’s already a lot) but they are all HC! How can anyone afford that?
This has helped me realize that however fund SW is, it is really just a vehicle to make more and more money for whoever is making money on it. I love Star Wars, but can we 1) stop making every flippin book a hard cover? 2) can we just end the series at some point? Or at least can we have like a 2 year hiatus on Star Wars? The market is flooded with SW books and I will never catch up!
Now I understand why lucas says the 6 movies are all there is. It’s a lot easier and cheaper!
And don’t get me started on Death Troopers! OK, I started. Zombies. In SW. OK. Not only was this done once in the Galaxy of Fear series, but of course one of the “big three” gets pulled along for the ride. If SW novels must persist, can’t we get some original characters and storylines? Why not someone not involved with the big three, something like Peter David’s New Frontier Star Trek series?
Any way, that’s all I got.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
"The Elephant Vanishes" by Haruki Murakami
Coming soon is a paper I wrote for Murakami's "The Elephant Vanishes." I would have posted it, but the version on this PC is the wrong one. later!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Music Review for T.Q.D.
Music Review of T.Q.D.’s “Clench, Grit, Breathe”
By Brett
Proving that hip hop and rap doesn’t have to be ear busting loud, T.Q.D.’s (short for The Quiet Dude) new album “Clench, Grit, Breathe” is full of subtle sounds and smooth rhymes. But don’t listen to it without a decent sound system or you might miss some of the catchier beats and background melodies.
When I first listened to this disk, it was on my cheap PC speakers, and I didn’t really hear much beyond some of the higher melodies and the lyrics. This album didn’t come alive until I played it in the car or with my headphones. There the restrained beats and finer elements came to life. Many of the tracks have a much deeper sound and in some cases revealed an emotional edge that wasn’t there before. Once the finer points present themselves, the album becomes a pleasant surprise.
Without judging T.Q.D. by his previous albums, his vocals on “Clench, Grit, Breathe” are solid and consistent. For much of the album his vocals are fairly smooth and laid back, which complements the music. His voice also has intensity on a few songs when it needs to. T.Q.D. has a good voice that rhymes with authority and offers no apologies. It is what it is, and it fits the music more often than not.
Looking at some of the tracks more closely, “Baby Boy” and “Fall Asleep” offer up smooth vocals while “Fall Asleep” has a lonely melody that is quite catchy. “Contradiction” later in the album has a similar feeling while staying fresh. Continuing with the more emotional tracks, “Second Fiddle” carries on the emotional tone with lyrics rather than music, being about a misfit son surviving while the favored son has passed on. It evokes the tragic feelings of Anthony Hamilton’s “Georgie Parker” while doing something new.
Bringing on the intensity, “Hide & Seek” has a tough beat with haunting background vocals, while bringing out a touch of Dr. Octagon in the last part of the of the song. Followed by the song “Speed Bump” probably the rawest track. The vocals have plenty of pain and anger while the music is reminiscent of Ennio Morricone at times. “Pity” also has strong vocals with another excellent melody. By far though, “Saunter” is the most memorable track. The mournful cry of the cello provides a great contrast with the vocals and adds to the gravity of the song.
“Clench, Grit, Breathe” brings out some strong emotions for those who listen deep. A decent sound system is a must for this album, or you’ll miss the good parts of this album. T.Q.D.’s style is unique and befits the moniker of “The Quiet Dude.” Quiet dudes may be hard to hear at times, but when you hear what they have to say it’s usually worth listening to.
http://www.myspace.com/tqdraps
By Brett
Proving that hip hop and rap doesn’t have to be ear busting loud, T.Q.D.’s (short for The Quiet Dude) new album “Clench, Grit, Breathe” is full of subtle sounds and smooth rhymes. But don’t listen to it without a decent sound system or you might miss some of the catchier beats and background melodies.
When I first listened to this disk, it was on my cheap PC speakers, and I didn’t really hear much beyond some of the higher melodies and the lyrics. This album didn’t come alive until I played it in the car or with my headphones. There the restrained beats and finer elements came to life. Many of the tracks have a much deeper sound and in some cases revealed an emotional edge that wasn’t there before. Once the finer points present themselves, the album becomes a pleasant surprise.
Without judging T.Q.D. by his previous albums, his vocals on “Clench, Grit, Breathe” are solid and consistent. For much of the album his vocals are fairly smooth and laid back, which complements the music. His voice also has intensity on a few songs when it needs to. T.Q.D. has a good voice that rhymes with authority and offers no apologies. It is what it is, and it fits the music more often than not.
Looking at some of the tracks more closely, “Baby Boy” and “Fall Asleep” offer up smooth vocals while “Fall Asleep” has a lonely melody that is quite catchy. “Contradiction” later in the album has a similar feeling while staying fresh. Continuing with the more emotional tracks, “Second Fiddle” carries on the emotional tone with lyrics rather than music, being about a misfit son surviving while the favored son has passed on. It evokes the tragic feelings of Anthony Hamilton’s “Georgie Parker” while doing something new.
Bringing on the intensity, “Hide & Seek” has a tough beat with haunting background vocals, while bringing out a touch of Dr. Octagon in the last part of the of the song. Followed by the song “Speed Bump” probably the rawest track. The vocals have plenty of pain and anger while the music is reminiscent of Ennio Morricone at times. “Pity” also has strong vocals with another excellent melody. By far though, “Saunter” is the most memorable track. The mournful cry of the cello provides a great contrast with the vocals and adds to the gravity of the song.
“Clench, Grit, Breathe” brings out some strong emotions for those who listen deep. A decent sound system is a must for this album, or you’ll miss the good parts of this album. T.Q.D.’s style is unique and befits the moniker of “The Quiet Dude.” Quiet dudes may be hard to hear at times, but when you hear what they have to say it’s usually worth listening to.
http://www.myspace.com/tqdraps
Thursday, May 7, 2009
5-7-09
Hello, I've been gone awhile toiling under the lashes of this thing called school. Not much time for reading, but I have been writing some music reviews for Rift Magazine. Check'em out. more book reviews eventually.
http://www.riftmagazine.com/?s=brett+reese
http://www.riftmagazine.com/?s=brett+reese
Monday, March 2, 2009
Update 3/1/09
So, it's been a little while since my last post. OK a long while. Well, I haven't been totally sloughing off it's been a rough go at school, very busy. In addition to the avalanche of school related things, i have also been reviewing CD's for Rift Magazine. here are the links if you are intereseted. Don't mind the fact that my pen name is different.
There will be a third one soon, and not long after that possibly a 4th and a 5th depending upon what the editor says.
http://www.riftmagazine.com/?p=474
http://www.riftmagazine.com/?p=470
There will be a third one soon, and not long after that possibly a 4th and a 5th depending upon what the editor says.
http://www.riftmagazine.com/?p=474
http://www.riftmagazine.com/?p=470
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