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Philadelphia Weekly
August 30, 2003
Old Is the New New

Fresh takes on deathless tunes.

In these days of retro this and vintage that, the thought that everything is cyclical has never seemed truer or more relevant. Although the discs covered here span different musical genres, it's impossible to deny the presence of the cycle theory at work. Young dirty Southerners take a shot at channeling the legacy of Ronnie Van Zant, while Robert Pollard turns back the clock on Guided By Voices. On the hip-hop tip, a handful of promising underground artists take it back to the old school--which is right where Digable Planets began. Then again, they were only trying to recapture the spirit of '50s bebop and make it relevant in the '90s.

Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
RCA

Sometimes it really is all about swagger. Case in point: Although Youth and Young Manhood doesn't contain a single original musical concept, the Kings of Leon come off so fucking cool it almost doesn't seem to matter. Their influences are many and varied, ranging from an Allmans drawl to a bit of Petty pop to the incorporation of a vocal style seemingly copped from Dylan on one track, but sounding more Iggyesque on the next. But it's the overall sense of youthful invincibility shining through this entire disc that lends it such charm. While the brash lyrics and raw energy don't completely overshadow the shameless '70s throwback style of the Kings' music and fashion sense (a "That's Incredible!" T-shirt is prominently displayed in more than one press photo), an enviable devil-may-care attitude blankets every song. Not only does listening to them leave you feeling they'd be cool to chill with over a handle of bourbon, it also calls to mind Steven Wright in Reservoir Dogs droning about the station "where the '70s survived." In the case of the Kings of Leon, not only did the '70s survive, but they continue to thrive. When lead singer Caleb Followill growls, "I'd give you the news but nothing's changed," on the oddly infectious "California Waiting," you can't help but regard it as a good thing.

Various Artists
We Came From Beyond, Vol. 2
RAZOR AND TIE

Compilation discs are always risky, especially those of the hip-hop variety. In keeping with that rule of thumb, We Came From Beyond is somewhat of a hit-or-miss affair. Fortunately, the dope jawns outnumber the duds, and a few of the tracks are packed with lid-flippin' beats and lyrics that hit with the force of a supernova. The hands-down champ in this collection is a Maroons track titled "Matter of Time," featuring the pairing of Blackalicious DJ Chief Xcel with MC Lateef the Truth Speaker of the Quannum crew. The beats are so fierce and Lateef's flow so smooth, it almost seems wise to keep this one safely contained in hip-hop's underground. Though "Matter of Time" is worth the purchase price alone, J-Live's "School's In" and "Miss by a Mile"--featuring Aesop Rock, Eyedea and Slug--also rank high among the unmined gems on this collection.

Guided By Voices
Earthquake Glue
MATADOR

It's hard to believe that after 19 albums, the Guided By Voices sound is still developing. While a statement like that could be considered heresy in some indie circles, a fact it is. Consider 1999's Ric Ocasek-produced Do the Collapse, an album that appeared to represent the final shift in GBV's slow departure from ultra lo-fi homemade four tracks to highly polished pieces of studio trickery. Fast-forward four years and let Robert Pollard bend your ear for a bit with a few tracks on Earthquake Glue. This may not be a complete reversal of the trend of moving toward a cleaner sound, but it's not Alien Lanes or Bee Thousand either. Conversely, Earthquake Glue seems to have recaptured, in part at least, the unbridled and breezy joy of the early GBV pop experiments. Along with a nod to the past, there's the slightly more mature Pollard, penning thoughtful lyrics within GBV's signature power-pop structures. There's still a formula here, but it remains a work in progress.

from the vaults

Digable Planets
Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
CAPITOL

Ten years later, Digable Planets' first release still stands strong as the benchmark of jazz-infused hip-hop. With due respect to Gang Starr, there's something about the almost naively earnest DP approach that puts these guys in the highest echelon of hip-bop. The effortless flow achieved by the "insects"--Doodlebug, Butterfly and Ladybug--remains remarkable. The fact that they incorporated lyrics that challenged all comers, from their target audience to contemporary policymakers, upped the ante one more notch. Their collaborative efforts served to increase the visibility of hip-hop on the musical radar "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" garnered DPs a Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group while simultaneously educating young listeners about the jazz of the '50s and '60s, an integral part of hip-hop's foundation. In this disc that clocks in just under the 60-minute mark, the group manages to tackle some of the most incendiary social topics of the day, from abortion ("La Femme Fetal") to racial unity ("Where I'm From"). Conversely, they also breeze through less radical tracks that perfectly showcase the insects' pipes and lyrical chops. Ten years later and still cool like dat.