Smokin’ Sound Bites

 

DJ Swamp “Never is Now” Decadent
Records

He’s still got two turntables and a microphone, and all
seem to be serving DJ Swamp well on his new album. Not content to
simply mix and scratch techno and hip-hop beats like most DJs, he
pushes the realm of his art into electronica with rap-rock hip-hop
beats with a bit of punk, creating a sound very much his own. DJ
Swamp held down the mixing responsibilities for alternative rocker
Beck since 1996, but has now gone solo. While certainly a far cry
from the music of Beck’s lighter instrument-driven rhythms,
DJ Swamp has seemed to have picked up on some of the novelty of
Beck’s lyrics. Many of his songs speak of his own DJ skills,
but his shameless self-promotion is OK because he has the ability
to back up his own claims. The album as a whole is rather dark,
giving the feel of being lost in some blackened swamp, with despair
settling down upon the listener. And while DJ Swamp does excellent
work as a straight DJ, his work with Beck was certainly more
dynamic and varied. If he brings any of that versatility to his own
recordings, and perhaps a little more innovation than those
turntables, DJ Swamp could potentially create any number of musical
hybrids and set new standards for DJs everywhere.

David Holmberg  

Long Beach Dub Allstars “Wonders of the
World” Dreamworks Records

Anyone out there looking for a soundtrack to Southern California
life can find it on Long Beach Dub Allstars’ newest album,
“Wonders of the World.” It has it all, from the
sunshine to the drugs, the superficiality and the honesty, plus
some good old fashioned menage a trois thrown in for extra
authenticity. Well, maybe not the threesome, but the rest of the
album exists as a sort of realization of a metaphorical auditory
SoCal. It hits off with “Sunny Hours,” which is a
pop-ready tune with a beat questionably similar to “What I
Got,” their own hit from the Sublime days. The song is tight,
containing happy and infectious lyrics, making it hard to dislike.
As the album progresses, it moves into a monotonous drone of
pleasant but dulling beats. It is almost possible to see the rays
of sun washing out the minds of the poor inhabitants of Los
Angeles, as even mediocre starts to sound all right. It rounds off
with a reprise of “Sunny Hours,” which is appropriate,
given it is the most memorable song on the album, so why not play
it twice? Sometimes, when there is just not anything better, play
the good ones again. It is easy listening, Southern California
ska-rock style. While far from horrible, it would seem the once
promising Long Beach Dub Allstars are on their way to becoming a
modern version of the equally washed out Beach Boys.

David Holmberg  

Afroman “The Good Times” Universal
Records

Don’t let this album play anywhere near your mother.
Afroman, the Palmdale rapper who has made a name for himself with
his song “Because I Got High,” has released an album
that covers in detail the world of sex and marijuana. “The
Good Times” is a CD that sounds like it was recorded in one
all-night session of first takes ““ with some substances
involved. Yet despite the “laid-back” feel, which by
the way works very well with the material on the album, the music
is produced quite meticulously. This is not just a comedy album or
rap CD. “The Good Times” comes off as a serious joke
that is fun to listen to. Anyway, there really is something about a
song that sounds like gospel and discusses explicit sex. The second
track “Crazy Rap” causes the listener to laugh along
with the freestyling verses, which sound like the dirty
conversations of a male locker room. Afroman also has a song
dedicated to his hometown of Palmdale. Afroman displays his unique
chicken impression abilities throughout the album. James Brown had
grunts; Afroman has ba-GAWKs. With his new album, Afroman lets the
good times roll.

Chris Moriates