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Show I t f l C I i " . I" f .•!•••• ARTS&ENTEP I 1 ', ' «-t Tuesday. January 9,2007 oriT> 's hard to yell with the Best Of 2006 in your mouth! Eryn Green Chronicle Asst, A&E Editor i) TV on the Radio—Return to Cookie Mountain When TV on the Radio released its debut LP, Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, the band was widely speculated to be the savior of indie-rock. ., With Return to Cookie Mountain, the boys from Brooklyn made good on the prophecy: This is a sonic masterpiece, executed with precise attention to detail and enough creative huevos to let a gamut of ethereal sounds run free. The band one-upped itself by releasing a sophomore album not only headier and more ambitious than its debut, but significantly more cohesive, too. And with the slew of production credits added to its name (working with everyone from The Yeah Yeah Yeans to David Bowie), it seems evident that TV on the Radio isn't simply another fashionable flash in the pan. Just listen to "Wolf Like Me"' and tell me it isn't the sound of the second coming. I dare you. Tied for 2) Clipse—Hell Hath No Fury . The line is so often cited now, it's almost impossible to ignore: "These are the days of our lives/ And I'm sorry to the fans, but them crackers won't play 'em fair—Jive." Pusha T and brother Malice disappeared off the face of hip^ hop following one of the most outstanding mainstream rap albums in years (lord Willin'), leaving real fans jonesing for a solid release from a non-WuTang-affiliated emcee. 2006 saw the duo come back with ire and an ever-growing chip on its collective shoulder. The indictment of Jive Records on the Neptunes-produced "Mr. Me Too" was only the beginning. Far from just marking the return of Pusha T and Malice, Clipse's record marked the return of innovative, combative, intelligent, felonious rap to the mainstream. Make no mistake, Hell Hath No Fury takes no prisoners. The record label that delayed its release and almost silenced two of the distinctive rap voices of a generation? Called out. The "so-called" famous rapper who went straight and now's tryin' to tell you how to live?" Called out. The endless wave of imitators biting the Caribbean weirdness of Pharrel, Chad Hugo and their favorite VA cohorts? Called out. Chock full of hits, smoldering with fury, smart enough to package all its emotion into an album that speaks as effortlessly to hipsters as hustlershow could Hell Hath No Fury be anything BUT one of the best albums of the year? Tied for 2) Lupe Fiasco—Food & Liquor Time was, being kinda nerdy and riding a skateboard was considered, let's say, less than gangsta. Oneunexpected"Kick, Push" later and all that changed. Lupe Fiasco, by working with the best and most varied See A L B U M S Page 5 |
