Sound Bites

  Pharcyde ”Plain Rap”

Pharcyde “Plain Rap” Delicious
Vinyl We’ve all got to grow up some time. It’s
too bad Pharcyde did, too. When the goofy L.A.-based rap outfit
exploded onto the scene in 1992 with its raucous “Bizarre
Ride II tha Pharcyde” it seemed that the group could do no
wrong. Tight production, crazed rapping and energy that blew
speakers out of cars marked this debut as an instant classic.
Unfortunately, the quartet used all of its mojo a little too early.
The follow-up album, “Labcabincalifornia,” was
well-received by critics but lost the exciting wildness that made
“Bizarre Ride” so irresistible. Even though
“Plain Rap” has taken five years to evolve, Pharcyde
still hasn’t taken the hint that it has already hit the big
one with “Bizarre Ride.” The latest venture, now
missing the gravel-voiced rapper Fatlip, is just as mature and
tight as “Labcabin,” but knowing what the group is
capable of, that’s not a compliment. Make no mistake, the
remaining trio, Imani, Slim Kid Tre and Booty Brown, is still a
bunch of awesome rappers. You’ve got to give credit to anyone
who can rhyme “hungry like the wolf like Duran Duran”
and “your plan is see-through like Saran in the Sudan”
as the group does on “Misery.” This was one of the
things that made “Bizarre Ride” so good ““ it was
weird. “Plain Rap” has touches of that, but it just
doesn’t have that extra something to keep listeners moving.
Even with this in mind, “Plain Rap” isn’t bad.
The production is seamless throughout and the rapping is top notch.
If you’re looking for a sensible, grown-up rap album that
appeals to the head, this will suit you just fine. For those
looking to move their bodies and their minds, keep hoping that
Pharcyde will give up on growing up and go back to where it came
from.

Brent Hopkins Rating: 6

Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles “(Just another
band from East L.A.)” Hollywood Records They say
it’s just another band from East L.A. Well, if that’s
the case, East L.A.’s got a whole lot of good music. Over the
past 20 years, Los Lobos has done quite a job of ingraining itself
into America’s musical consciousness, both as a traditional
rock group and a heritage revival project. The original foursome,
comprised of David Hidalgo, Conrad Lozano, Cesar Rosas and Louie
Pérez Jr., has always been extremely successful in bringing
Latin folkloric music to the rock audience. But this album, pulled
from the group’s archives, shows Los Lobos before all of
that. This album is back in 1978, when they were just a bunch of
long-haired high school kids looking to have a good time ““
and sounding damn good doing it. Most groups would have a hard time
pulling something off this accomplished, even after a few decades
of performing together, but Rosas and company sound absolutely
amazing. On “Just another band,” the local favorites
aren’t looking back at their Mexican roots; they’re
playing them straight ahead. As they pluck at their
guitarrónes and pump their requintos románticos,
they’re playing the good times party tunes that they grew up
on. Too bad you’ll probably never find a party band this good
again. The real attraction of “Just another band,”
isn’t the music ““ though it is superb ““ but the
atmosphere. As the quartet jams around on “El Cuchipe”
and “El Bon Bon de Elena,” you can almost feel them
having a good time. They pop beers, laugh in the background, and
generally live it up while creating some excellent tunes. So while
it isn’t a surprise that Los Lobos could make an album this
good, it’s sure fun to listen to. If the band could do
something like this before its members hit 20, then it should be
fun to hear them again in another 20 years.

Brent Hopkins Rating: 10

Various Artists “Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce
Springsteen’s “˜Nebraska'” Sub Pop
Bruce Springsteen leaves awfully big bootprints to fill. He’s
influenced just about every rock singer-songwriter who’s
followed him, much through his landmark “Nebraska.”
Recorded solo on a four-track recorder, it brought new depth to his
raw, dark persona and spawned a rash of imitators. While a tribute
such as this could be filled with Springsteen wannabes, re-playing
his own material note for note, “Badlands” is
thankfully refreshing. Instead of being just lukewarm facsimilies
of the Boss’ originals, as most tribute albums are,
“Badlands” showcases talented artists. Hank Williams
III masterfully reworks “Atlantic City” into a new
country song. Raul Malo sinks his teeth into “Downbound
Train,” which was recorded for the original sessions but was
not included on the final album, and cranks out a rocking new take.
For the most part, everyone latches onto the depressing road that
Springsteen was going down. Dar Williams’ “Highway
Patrolman” is frighteningly sparse, showing off the ugly side
of America that the Boss loves to conjure up in his music. The
husband-wife team of Michael Penn and Aimee Mann do the same on
“Reason to Believe,” sounding folksy and dark on an
eventually uplifting tune. Purists will likely prefer the original,
but newfound Springsteen fans will enjoy what the followers have
done. Besides, any album that has Johnny Cash (“I’m on
Fire”) alongside Los Lobos (“Johnny 99″) is worth
checking out.

Brent Hopkins Rating: 7

Marilyn Manson “Holywood” Nothing/Interscope
Records You can say goodbye to the airbrushed androgyne on
the cover of “Mechanical Animals” because Marilyn
Manson is done paying homage to David Bowie. Manson’s latest,
the entertainment-as-religion themed “Holywood,” makes
this clear. Not even a hint of the catchy electro-pop culled from
Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust days remains. What’s left is a
more refined “Antichrist Superstar,” lyrically and
thematically richer, and wisely stripped of the sonic abrasiveness
that, at times made its forerunner such a hard listen. To give
credit where it’s due, “Holywood” demonstrates
Marilyn Manson’s maturation as a musician. While the album is
billed as experimental, it retreads far too much material to
contribute to the sort of evolving artistic vision glimpsed on
“Mechanical Animals.” “Disposable Teens,”
the first single, recaptures the genuinely threatening aura that
surrounded the band when it was a fringe act; when Manson hisses
“the more that you fear us/the bigger we get/and don’t
be surprised when we destroy all of it,” listeners believe
him. How could a man who wears taxidermied animals not be deathly
serious? There’s no denying that it’s a good rock song,
but its militant beat and Manson’s alternating quiet-loud
delivery are lifted straight from his previous hit “The
Beautiful People.” Likewise, “The Fight Song”
would seem terribly effective in provoking some heavy moshing, but
it’s nothing Mansonites haven’t heard already. The
album’s experimental credibility rides on several tracks
that, with varying degrees of success, incorporate acoustic guitar,
techno, and even hip-hop beats into the music. As improbable as it
sounds, songs like “The Nobodies” and “In the
Valley of the Shadow of Death,” which forgo the usual
industrial wall of sound and require Manson to actually sing,
impart a haunting quality and work rather well. Who’d have
thought he was actually a diva at heart? Ultimately, those who
scrutinize Manson’s latest offering will be left feeling a
little empty. But for those in the Goth crowd who are simply
looking for a solid album, Marilyn Manson has given them a reason
to rejoice.

Anthony Camara Rating: 6