Best in Music: August 2006 Edition

The Roots – Game Theory (Def Jam)

Even though they’ve always been critically praised, The Roots’ lack of recognition in the charts may explain their label relocation over to Jay-Z’s Def Jam prior to the release of their latest LP, Game Theory. As a matter of fact, the album title may even be insinuating their intentions (in economics, Game Theory is the study of the actions players make in order to interact with the environment they’re in); but surprisingly, there has been no attempt to dilute The Roots’ product. Game Theory is their rawest and most noncommercial effort since 1999’s Things Fall Apart, stripped-down from the rock-influenced anomalies of Phrenology and the pop compromises of The Tipping Point. ?uestlove’s drums skillfully explode with exigency, establishing a foundation for the guitars and keyboards to swell on. Equally matching the percussion’s urgency is Black Thought who, in technical skills and rhyme writing alone, should be discussed as one of the top emcee’s alive today. As always, his street sociology are dense, inviting, and vigorous; but he sounds more determined here, unimpeded as if he hasn’t been let loose for years. I suppose, letting The Roots loose is what Def Jam wanted all along and from the looks of it, perhaps Game Theory is the action The Roots and Def Jam are making in response to how the rap environment should be changed.

[False Media | Long Time | Can't Stop This]

J Dilla – The Shining (BBE)

There’s a tendency to look at a posthumous album as what will be missed instead of what is; and because of this, every affirmative detail is usually hyperbolized and every blaring shortcoming is usually forgiven. A nonpartisan commentary is even harder when the legacy is as immense as J Dilla’s, a.k.a. James Yancey, whose creative production was largely responsible for the success of hip-hop notables such as Madlib, Common, and De La Soul. What is helpful towards an honest review though is that The Shining doesn’t really have a “rest in peace” vibe. It’s highly forward-looking and it proudly displays an artist on his way to the pinnacle of his craft. Unlike February’s Donuts where Yancey’s beats was embedded on the spotlight, the 12 tracks here are thanklessly ensconced behind a celebrated collection of vocalists such as Dwele and D’Angelo and MCs such as Common, Black Thought, and Pharoahe Monch. The guest vocals have taken Dilla’s signature soundscapes of subtle beats, live instruments, and obscure R&B vocal samples and they’ve gratefully added their own inspired flavor, refusing to let the unreleased tracks go to waste. The album’s marvelous and I’m relieved that that’s obvious without the need to overrate it, but it’s bittersweet to think that The Shining is an album that's what could have been.

[Baby | So Far So Good | Body Movin']

Ratatat – Classics (XL)

The instrumental music that combines the laptop beat engineering of Evan Mast and metal-guitar shredding of Mike Stroud have given Brooklyn-based Ratatat credibility in the music scene ever since their self-titled debut released in 2004. With their brashly-named follow-up, Classics, they’ve maintained the sound that brought them success the first time around. Their trademark product can be described as an ugly younger sister of M83: some similarities exist, but Ratatat’s not as lush nor as intricate nor as decorated. It doesn’t convey mood as effectively as most ambient pop or post-rock bands do, but it’s a livelier record, thanks to the danceable hip-hop influenced beats. The harmonized electric guitar riffs that front the production is spread thick over the layers of drum samples and erratic synths, which makes it ideal for the crowd too “rock” to dance to Daft Punk. Classics feature a wider array of instruments—such as a cello, sleigh bells, pedal steel guitars, and wildcat roars—but they’re competently complimentary. They never distract away from the tracks’ principal layers, which is a testament to the duo’s savvy in collecting the right instruments, operating at the right tempo, and hitting the right notes. The album is far from “classics”, but it’s entirely enjoyable.

[Gettysburg | Loud Pipes | Kennedy]