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Parliament
Funked Up, The Very Best of Parliament
Universal
The funk era of the mid-70s might be a time some of us would like to forget. But funk is essential to the music we listen to now. George Clinton and Parliament were the ultimate representation of what funk was all about.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers played funk all through the 80s before hitting the big time in the early 90s. Their second album, Freaky Styley, was even produced by the ringleader of Parliament, George Clinton himself. This music had a lot to do with hip hop becoming a genre. There would be no Snoop Dogg or Outkast without Parliament.
In Funked Up, The Very Best of Parliament, you can sit back, blaze one and just chill out to the beats. Everyone knows the hit “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker).” It’s like “Freebird,” you’ve heard it and know it well, whether you like it or not.
The track “Do That Stuff” is classic funk, tight drums, the wah-wah of a guitar, harmonizing vocals and funky slap bass. The live version of “Let’s Take it to the Stage” is a great example of how Parliament gets the party going on every stage, having the crowd become the vocal section for part of their songs.
-Schuyler Dean
t.A.T.u
200 Km/H in the Wrong Lane
Interscope
t.A.T.u’s debut 200Km/H in the Wrong Lane is as bad as their ridiculous name indicates. You have probably heard their single “All the Things She Said” on the radio– you know, the lyrics are “running through my head, running through my head.”
t.A.T.u. is comprised of two Russian teenage girls named Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. The album is mostly techno-rock, with the girls’ squealing, high-pitched voices layered over fuzzy guitar riffs and programmed beats.
Each song on the album sounds basically the same, but on “30 Seconds” and “Stars,” the group tries its hand at Enigma-like synthesizer and vocal arrangements — but fails miserably.
Some of the songs are in the duo’s native Russian tongue, so you can even be annoyed in another language. The album also features a Russian version of “All the Things She Said” and don’t worry, it’s as bad as the original.
What might be of interest to many male crappy-techno aficionados is the album’s overt girl-on-girl action. The CD’s jacket features photos of the two girls embracing in erotic positions.
The album features lyrics like “They say it’s my fault, but I want her so much,” and “I long for you to hold me like your boyfriend does.” The CD also features the music video for “All the Things She Said,” which mostly shows the duo making out with each other in the rain. I’m not sure if either of them are 18 and can legally be filmed in this manner, so I didn’t watch the entire video. Honest.
-Nate “Head Coffee Boy” Webster
Zwan
Mary Star of the Sea
Reprise
Zwan’s christening album, Mary Star Of The Sea, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The band is made up of some of the best “leftovers” in rock music: former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, former Skunk guitarist Matt Sweeney, former guitarist for Slint, David Pajo, former bassist of A Perfect Circle, Paz Lenchantin, and former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.
With such an all-star crew in the band, it’s no wonder Zwan is probably the best thing the alternative rock community will see this year.
“Lyric” starts the album off on a rocking note, easily settling into mature anthems like “Settle Down” and the radio-friendly “Honestly.” Corgan seems to tap into his spiritual muse, as he prods his own conceptions of faith and what life means in songs like “Declarations Of Faith” and “Ride a Black Swan.”
“El Sol” is a bit too easy to not like. While it offers a nice look into the band members’ vast potential as musicians, “Heartsong” and “Of a Broken Heart” are more the touching caliber most Corgan fans are used to.
Besides “Come With Me,” the album ends on one of the best musical notes in a long time. “Endless Summer” emotes the freedom few people can capture in music and “Baby Let’s Rock” breaks into Zwan’s ability to seriously rock without being angry.
While tracks like “Desire” show us the musical prowess of each member, “Jesus, I/Mary Star Of The Sea” is the crowning achievement of this album. It rocks, it slows down and then comes back to kick you in the head — it’s perfect.
Zwan is made up of musicians some people only dream of. With such a strong album having just come out, hopes for a future album will keep fans warm until the awaited summer tour.
-Marshall “No Diggity” Dury
