September 8, 2009
Jay Z | “Run This Town”
IN THE TUBE
The blog world went into a bit of a frenzy last week as a video surfaced of Jay Z attending a free Grizzly Bear concert at the Williamsburg waterfront. Jay seemed like he was having a good time, and looked almost creepily in-place: big sunglasses and a trendy checkered shirt are pretty standard fare at those things – if you put a Pabst in his hand, and gave him a neckbeard, he probably could have gone unrecognized.
Now, on the day of The Blueprint 3’s much anticipated release, it seems like Grizzly Bear and the Hova have more in common than a mutual affection for all things Brooklyn. Both managed to appear at the top of their respective genres, coming out of a couple years of inactivity. Both Veckatimest and The Blueprint 3 managed to go months without leaking onto the Internet. Both Jay and Grizzly Bear built massive amounts of hype around their records, and neither could quite live up to it. And, most importantly, both albums suffered from the same basic problem: they’re overdone.
Yes, I’m going against our own Chris Kiehne’s opinion of Veckatimest, but the point stands. Grizzly Bear put so much effort into constructing dense, intricate sections, that they lost what made 2006’s Yellow House such a great record: effortlessness. Sure Yellow House had attention to detail, but it seemed incidental. Recognizing it was special, and demanded extra listens from the album.
The Blueprint 3 pushes effort down your throat. I’ll save conclusions on the album for a full review, but Jay, for maybe the first time, seems like he’s trying. For an artist with absolutely nothing to prove, Jay pulls out nearly every trick in the book. Purposefully separate yourself from the pack? Check (Death of Autotune). Heavily feature up-and-coming chart toppers? Check (Kid Cudi and Mr Hudson). Change up the way you usually rap, a la Lil Wayne? Check (practically every song). It’s a dense album, for sure, but it’s void of all the packed, effortless freestyle that made Jay a legend in the first place.
More on Jay Z | “Run This Town”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz! Tour Won’t Hit Brooklyn [The Tripwire]
The Scoop on Snoop [NYTimes Arts]
Rihanna Tries to Reclaim Rocks [Rolling Stone]
New iPhone Apps Search Blogs [CNET] and Spin Records [Prefix]
Village Voice Siren Fest Still at Coney Island - Initial Lineup Announced [Brooklyn Vegan]
Eminem’s Relapse Track List Leaked [Prefix]
No Age, Deerhunter, and Dan Deacon, Oh My! [Pitchfork]
Decemberists Appear on Colbert Report [Videogum]
Destroyer and Sunset Rubdown Schedule (Separate) NYC Shows [Brooklyn Vegan]
Sonic Youth Summer Tour [Prefix]
Rooftop Films Returns [Brooklyn Vegan]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
