All this for being what they euphemistically call being a ‘responsible citizen’; responsibility may shove itself up the taxman’s posterior in the form of a pinpoint laser beam which defies the laws of physics and diverges its dimensions to an infinitesimal limit to result in a supernova of anal disproportions. That would probably be the least the taxman could do to sooth the excruciation which started off from my rectum and has gone on to successively conquer my spine and now my entire psycho-sensational ability; a feeling which climbs another step on the winding staircase of agony at the ascension of the understanding that this is just one more in the list of quite a few contributions we make towards the Saving of the Whorehouse; a Whorehouse which turns the conventional definition of its affiliation inside out; you aren’t the one here who solicits gratification of your social necessities, rather it’s the Whores who strip you bare and rip apart all orifices and any possible resemblances thereof on your physical and mental being, and that however still might have been somewhat comforting had there been some manner of reciprocation for the fulfillment of the Whore’s carnal instincts, which just goes on to classify this act under what is conventionally defined as Rape, but funnily, you are the one who pays to get Raped, now what would you call that – I seriously want some more expansion of the lexicons of vocabulary.
The Joker had started raising its head during the time the Whorehouse was drowning itself in a fit of gleeful abandon rubbing its hands together in anticipation of self imposed sadistic necessities. And as he lost himself in incessant spasms of lip smacking cackles which pierced a permanently etched ear to ear smile, something which make even Macavity wince in horror, all he had to ask was, Will the real Batman Please Stand Up?
Stand up please, will you, else make your peace and never speak again.
A tale of two brothers going their different paths while growing up and each one establishing a mark for himself – Blues going on to raise Rock and R&B going on to raise Hip Hop, followed by the usual climactic union to create a force whose power is unstoppable. A classic open and shut tale which forms the pulp of most stories created on celluloid, ain’t it? Ironically, the same phenomenon goes on to portray this reunion on the soundtrack of a little known Hollywood production by the name of Judgment Night which despite portraying some bigwigs (Cuba Gooding Jr., Emilio Estevez) failed to register itself on the box office partly due to a slightly faltering storyline of a group of friends on the run after identification as witnesses to a murder committed by the chasing goons.
Released in 1993, this soundtrack came forward in a bid to claim public attention at a time which could be termed as fledgling for the Hip Hop and Hard Rock genres – a time when both were considered as two separate entities, but the boundary lines between their characteristics had gradually started showing signs of erasure. The absolute standout feature of this soundtrack is the fact that each track is the result of collaboration between a mainstream metal/hard rock band and a hardcore rap hip hop group, which wasn’t something exactly novel for the time (remember the highly influential 1991 coming together of Public Enemy and Anthrax on Bring tha Noize), but this marked an inflection point in the evolution of the rapcore, which till now had existed only as additional tracks to an existing piece of usually a hip hop base, with jaw breaking riffs and bone breaking kick beats added later – never was their a compilation completely dedicated to this sound till then.
What emerges when you peel the outside does tend to leave you a bit struck when confronted with the amazing power of great artistes, diverse though they maybe. The alternative nature of Faith No More combined with the energy of Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. on ‘Another Body Murdered’, the fast paced drum heavy ‘Disorder’ created by Slayer and Ice-T, the grunge stringed ‘Real Thing’ with Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill, all go on to cut pieces which can distinctly be heard in a multitude of spawns today. Heavyweights like Run DMC and De La Soul integrate rock based rhythms to get heavy (‘Me, Myself & My Microphone’) and soulful (‘Fallin’) effects, which is something that never ceases to amaze you when examining the influence collaboration has. Standing at the top of the pile is the title track ‘Judgment Night’ (Biohazard and Onyx), a belligerent hardcore rap vocal style infused with hard rock in a result certain to send spasms of delight down your spine.
So while you may not have seen the movie (or heard the name either – we couldn’t care less), but then if you give this one a miss, you surely stand a chance of not witnessing the Evolution of Species.
Idiosyncratic is an adjective which has been heaped layer upon layer to mammoth proportions on the multi instrumentalist artist Beck ever since he embarked upon a backpacking tour of visiting new sounds and presenting them to the world in an interpretation he best found rightly suited to his musical leanings. And it’s exactly this adjectival attribution which goes on to absolve his musical style of any possible confinement within the boundaries of any particular genre of popular music. Having been dismissed as a mere ‘one hit wonder’ following his defining single ‘Loser’, he went on to defy prevailing thought and delivered Odelay whose legacy he carries forth till this day, and which has pervaded all of his subsequent works.
Modern Guilt could not have had a more fitting title, considering that Beck has been the forerunner of a post modern sound and that, like music, guilt too manifests itself in various forms, each of which bears a direct relation to the prevailing times. Staying true to the image which he has cultivated through all these years, Beck goes on to paint a picture of a counterpoise carried around on shoulders bearing a head which doesn’t really know the reason for the feeling of guilt (‘Modern Guilt’) to the opening track where he laments the sense of possible estrangement from materialism (think I’m stranded but I don’t know where/I got this diamond I don’t know how to shine) as well as being forsaken by the maker (‘Orphans’). The feeling carries itself through on ‘Youthless’, a relatively fast paced pop based track and the breakbeat heavy ‘Replica’ building into a crescendo on the sparse ‘Chemtrails’ and the bass heavy ‘Gamma Ray’. Again, Beck has gone on to create a dark and minimalist papier mâché sound which sticks diverse components together in an avant garde art piece worthy of being showcased.
Ellipse - Imogen Heap
I Look to You - Whitney Houston
Battle Studies - John Mayer
