Just Atomic Desert Lemonade (November 25th - 29th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm a little later than usual this week because yesterday was filled with super secret Christmas present purchase shenanigans. It's the wee hours of Sunday morning right now and I've just put this together.

I've been avoiding U2's 2004 effort since the first listen, so I figured it was time to try again. This Desert Life I haven't been avoiding, but have probably not listened to the whole thing in just as long. Yet another album that's been tucked away too long is Blind Pilot's sophomore effort. I recently gave a few Keb Mo albums a spin on Spotify - this is one of them. The latest album from Oz Hip Hop artist Illy is here and so is the newly released collaboration between Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) and Norah Jones. After my recent obsession with the Downtown scene and the early days of Punk, I grabbed a CBGBs compilation exploring those bands. Another new one from White Denim is on the list along with the soundtrack to Imagine, a documentary about John Lennon. One of my favourite rap albums from the last 10 years from Nas is my final choice for next week.

Check it out:

• Keb' Mo' - Just Like You
• U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
• VA - CBGBs and the Birth of US Punk
• Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead
• Blind Pilot - We Are The Tide
• Counting Crows - This Desert Life
• Illy - Cinematic
• White Denim - Corsicana Lemonade
• Billie Joe + Norah - Foreverly
• John Lennon - Imagine OST

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Motorhead
2. The Offspring
3. Jonathon Wilson
4. Tom Waits
5. of Montreal

Song of the Week : Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

My SOTW is arguably the greatest rock song ever written. I chose Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone solely because of the interactive video that was released this week which blew my tiny mind. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t ruin it, but ostensibly it’s a bunch of film clips in an interactive player where you can “change channels” mid song. A simple enough idea, but it’s what has been done with it that’s really impressive.

http://video.bobdylan.com/desktop.html

The innovation behind the video reminded me that the song itself was a real rule breaker. A rock song that hit big on the radio that went for more than 6 minutes, let alone more than 3. It was the near perfection of the electric sound that had been played around with on Bringing It All Back Home and which had gotten Bob in trouble with the folkies who saw it as selling out. Those cracking drums, the double keyboard sound and the angry sneer of Bob’s voice changed popular music in a way that’s still being felt. We all know the Beatles were one kind of band until Rubber Soul which was not long after they met electric Bob.

Watch the video and have a play around. I will most likely watch each channel in it’s entirety this weekend to make sure I see it all. I think there’s about 10 channels. 

Adios

Now it's Sunday afternoon and I'm just back from Nedlands and Perth Upmarket at UWA. Now I'm running behind and have to get these tunes onto my work laptop for the week's listening.

Onwards and upwards. Hasala malakim.

Another Wise Street Club (September 23rd - 27th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Almost didn't make this list today because it's been non stop since this morning. A doctor's visit followed by shopping and swimming lessons and then more shopping. It's about 5 minutes to beer o'clock right now and I'm just getting down to it.

First cab off the rank next week is the excellent new collaboration between Elvis Costello and The Roots. Another great album I've already streamed is the first disc of Bob Dylan's sort of 'apology' for Self Portrait in Bootleg Series 10. Believe it or not, I haven't heard Led Zeppelin Presence in 25 years.s, so that's here. Also here is the soundtrack to the brilliant Beavis and Butthead Do America, plus *more* Van Halen because who can get enough?! From a few years back now, I've got (Please) Don't Blame Mexico and from even further back, the greatest Talking Heads album ever. Finally, in Hip Hop's corner, there's Nas' 'comeback' album, Stillmatic and the all-important Street Sounds Hip Hop compilation - this one, volume 18 is from a couple of years after I found rap; 16 and 17 were my jam.

Check it out:

• Elvis Costello & The Roots - Wise Up Ghost
• Bob Dylan - Another Self Portrait (Bootleg Series 10) (Disc 1)
• Led Zeppelin - Presence
• VA - Beavis and Butthead Do America OST
• (Please) Don't Blame Mexico - Concorde
• Van Halen - OU812
• VA - Street Sounds Hip Hop 18
• Talking Heads - Remain In Light
• Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
• Nas - Stillmatic

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Motörhead
2. D12
3. Real Estate
4. Things Of Stone and Wood
5. Body/Head

Song of the Week : Sebadoh - Beat

I've picked a track from the new Sebadoh album for this week’s SOTW. Sebadoh you probably know is Dinosaur Jr bassist Lou Barlow’s band. The album Defend Yr Self is an enjoyable listen, even if it doesn't really do anything new for music. That is probably what I’m enjoying about it though – the nostalgia of that grimy 90s fuzz sound that Dinosaur Jr do so well. 

The song I picked is Beat, because a) it’s fuzzy and grimey and I dig it and b) it’s one of the only ones with a YouTube clip and I want to embed one on my blog. It’s a bit sloppy and stuttered and it feels like a busted cassette copy at times, but that’s what gives it a nicely authentic grunge sound. It’s also heavy on the bass levels and that’s what happens when the bass player is in charge I guess. 

Toodle Oooo

Look, there is a lot of purple in my neighborhood right now, so obviously something is going on with the mob down the road. Not for me to say, but apparently they have been a well-disciplined football side all year and they probably deserve a grand final berth. 

Damn if that didn't hurt like hell.

Hasala malakim.

Written Anti Eagle Pistols (August 5th - 9th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

It's another glorious "Winter" Saturday in Perth today and I've so far been stuck at a doctor's surgery, at shopping and soon at an indoor swimming pool. There's not much chance of making the most of today's sunshine, so tomorrow had better be just as nice - and what do you know, it is forecast to be. There are some positives about this city, it can't be denied. 

So what have I got for my listening pleasure next week? It was so good to hear the My Girl soundtrack last week, that I've got The Big Chill this time. Another compilation comes from Noisetrade and Anti Records. Some neglected albums again make the list; namely the first of 3 discs from Dylan's Biograph, the Sex Pistols' one and only Bollocks and Californication from the Chili Peppers. Sliding in nicely next to the Soul of The Big Chill is the first Charles Bradley album, because last week's listen of Victim Of Love just wasn't enough. I'm checking out Laura Marling after Rolling Stone called her the new Joni Mitchell; and Tori Amos' bonus LP from the Under The Pink tour should compliment Marling nicely. For my Rap fix, there's Nas. Lastly, I've included the new Ben Lee album, which I actually donated to Kickstart for. It's a weird kind of ambient thing and I wanted to give it another chance; because frankly it creeped me out the first time.  

Check it out:

• Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols
• Bob Dylan - Biograph (Disc 1)
• Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
• VA - Noisetrade: Anti Records Summer Sampler
• Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming
• VA - Big Chill OST
• Ben Lee - Ayahuasca: Welcome To The Work
• Tori Amos - More Pink
• Nas - It Was Written

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Nirvana
2. Orgone
3. Mazzy Star
4. Pearl Jam
5. R.E.M.

Song of the Week : Orgone - Strike (feat. Niki Crawfod)

This week has been hard to pick a SOTW because I’ve been a bit down due to being sick and sore. And when I get like that, I tend to cling to tunes I know and love that make me feel good. Which is all well and good, but doesn't make for an interesting SOTW. So I am deliberately choosing a new song (even if it sounds old). 

A little while ago I found a band called Orgone. They are a funk and r&b band who do a lot of instrumentals. The first album I heard from them, Fuzzed Up, sounds like the soundtrack to a Troy McLure 70s car chase film! Recently they released a new album called New You.  This time it’s not all instrumentals. There’s a bunch of guest female singers. What that sounds like added to 70s car chase music is a 70s Blaxploitation disco action flick. Something like Car Wash or Superfly TNT or Fioxy Brown. 

This song is Strike (feat. Niki Crawford) and it is jam packed with funky horns and a badassssss bassline for some wah wah to play around on. Ms Crawford sounds like Beyonce took lessons from Anita Baker and Mavis Staples. I can see this being the montage song from a film about workers who take over a factory in protest at conditions in 1970s Detroit. I hope you dig it, brothers and sisters.

Ciao
Well it's time for swimming soon and then I've got to race back to watch what might be the last West Coast win for Season 2013. I say we forget this year happened at all and next year the Eagles who turned up in 2011 and most of 2012 can get on the park again. Sound good? Cool. 

Hasala malakim.

Same Jazzmatic Rock Anthology (April 8th - 12th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

My list and the subsequent blog post are a bit of a rush this week. I've spent my Saturday running around trying to fix a problem with shoddy merchandise and terrible customer service. There's a losing battle in Perth if ever there were one.  

Given the rush, I probably leaned too heavy on old favourites, but strangely enough, two of my desert island discs have never made a Work Tunes list - August and Everything After and Paid In Full. Another couple of favourites that made the cut are Ryan Adams' Rock n Roll and U2's Zooropa (which I've not listened to in forever). I also grabbed a few CDs I only recently bought in the Divinyls, Cowboy Junkies and Shrek soundtrack. I am playing disc 2 of the Gram Parsons Anthology and, also in the Country vein, an artist I just discovered, Kacey Musgraves. The final selection comes from Funky DL and it is a free download from Bandcamp featuring Jazz remixes of Nas tracks. 

Check it out:

• Counting Crows - August and Everything After (Deluxe Edition)
• VA - Shrek OST
• Divinyls - Divinyls
• Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer Different Park
• Cowboy Junkies - Lay It Down
• Funky DL - Jazzmatic (Nas Remixes)
• Gram Parsons - Gram Parsons Anthology (Disc 2)
• U2 - Zooropa
• Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
• Ryan Adams - Rock n' Roll

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Counting Crows
2. Gillian Welch
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
4. Aphex Twin
5. Joni Mitchell

Song of the Week : Telekinesis - Lean On Me

To the music and it’s one of those times where I picked my song last minute after having some other idea all week.

If I had an Album of the Week, it would have been Wavves- Afraid of Heights. As a whole, it sounds like a Nirvana and Weezer supergeroup fronted by Nathan of Wavves. I was going to pick a song to illustrate that, but when I went to choose, nothing sounded like song of the week. I think because I'm in too good a mood for Wavves whiny grunge soup today.

Instead, from the new Telekinesis album, Dormarion, I've picked the upbeat, Friday friendly and spiritually uplifting Lean On Me. Jangly guitar and that dream pop Telekinesis sound with a fun little melody make this a great song to keep my good mood going all day. I will probably slip it on later this afternoon again just to recharge. 

If it elevates or sustains your moods, it will have done it's job. Enjoy!

Au Revoir

I just finished watching Before Sunset in anticipation of Before Midnight coming soon, so I'm feeling all French and stuff. 

Looking forward to a trip to AQWA in the morning for Miss 4's birthday outing. It will hopefully make her forget about not getting a working bouncy castle today to replace the faulty one we were given when we bought it. Oh geez, don't get me started on that this close to bedtime. 

Hasala malakim.

Secret Memory Cloud Flag (December 10th - 14th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Capitalism Christmas. You know what that means. It means I have to spend some Saturdays shopping for presents. It also means that my Top 10 for 2012 is not too far away. In actual fact, it will be next week. This isn't it though; this is a different list.

In preparation for refining my final Top 10 list, I have a few 2012 albums from Cloud Nothings, The Mountain Goats and Swans. Thanks to a recent Clay5 on Top 5 5th albums, I have Melissa Etheridge's fifth and probably best album. More Whiskeytown is here while I'm still reading the book. I've got the final installments for Dylan and the Stones. Pulling another selection from Kurt's top 50, I've got Black Flag. Finally, my Hip Hop taste buds will be tantalised with Wu-Block and Nas.

Check it out:

• Black Flag - My War
• Wu-Block - Wu-Block
• Nas - Illmatic
• Swans - The Seer
• The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
• Melissa Etheridge - Your Little Secret
• The Rolling Stones - GRRR! (Disc Three)
• Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Volume 3
• Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
• Whiskeytown - Stranger's Almanac

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Beastie Boys
2. Whiskeytown
3. Bob Dylan
4. The Notorious B.I.G.
5. Beach Fossils

Song of the Week : The Knack - Good Girls Don't

I've been digging a little into Kurt Cobain's top 50 album list for the last few weeks. This week's selection was The Knack - Get The Knack. Everybody knows the monster hit My Sharona, but it was another song on the album that caught my eye. 

As a young and impressionable lad of about 7 or 8, I had a cassette tape (still have it) called Chipmunk Punk. It was The Chipmunks doing "punk" songs. Except they were all covers of new wave songs from Blondie, Queen, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, The Cars and others. At the time I had no idea who usually sang it, but my favourite track was Good Girls Don't. It was The Knack, and I have only just heard the original song now for the first time. 

Imagine my surprise when the real lyrics were... well, let's say "adult" and "colourful". Listen yourself and then have a look at the Chipmunk version on YouTube. 

Enjoy my shattered innocence! :)

Addio, Amici

Thanks for stopping by. Have the best couple of days off you can muster. Don't forget to check in next week for the Top 10 for 2012. There could well be a mixtape, but don't tell the DMCA.

Hasala malakim.

Good Handwritten Passion Anthems (July 23rd - 27th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.


Not a lot to report this week. It was a big week at work with important presentations to be made and what have you. Oh and performance reviews (dun dun DUN!) Last weekend was the end of Rev and I managed to see Surviving Progress and finish it up with the locally produced Buff (congrats to Director, Gavin Bond on a really funny little documentary). That's about the whole week, so i suppose it's on with the music.


It's mostly new stuff this week. There's the solo effort from Angus Stone thanks to a workmate who hooked me up; I have some new rap from Nas and Public Enemy; American Songwriter put out a sampler for July and that is here; the latest from Passion Pit, Gaslight Anthem and Anaïs Mitchell are here; an old favourite from Josh Rouse; and finally there's the second disc of Neil Young - Decade and the best of Stevie Nicks.

Check it out:

• Josh Rouse - Nashville
• Angus Stone - Broken Brights
• Nas - Life Is Good
• Public Enemy - Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear On No Stamp
• VA - American Songwriter Muse July Sampler
• Stevie Nicks - Timespace - The Best of Stevie Nicks
• Neil Young - Decade (Disc Two)
• Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
• Anaïs Mitchell - Young Man In America
• Passion Pit - Gossamer

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Augie March
2. Neil Young
3. Ben Lee
4. Split Enz
5. JEFF the Brotherhood

Song of the Week :Wilco - Impossible Germany

This week's song is Impossible Germany from Wilco. I know, another Wilco track Corey, how novel. But this is one of those weeks where it couldn't have been anything else. 


Yesterday I finally managed to watch the DVD that came with my copy of Sky Blue Sky. Before a live in a lounge room performance of the song, Tweedy explained what it was about. It's about where you think you might be on the day you wake up out of denial and decide you have to fix what's wrong. For Tweedy of course, that was drugs. 


What I like most about this song is the extended instrumental break that closes it. In particular I like the solo which starts off so sweet and mellow and degenerates into metallic noise. Given the stated subject matter of the song, you could see the ending as representative of the journey of drug addiction; with the initial bliss of the drug at the beginning which takes a dive into nightmare by the end. 


Some comedian who I can never remember once said of Wilco something like 'Tweedy has deep and sensitive emotions that he tries to express through soft and gentle songs, but it's no good because someone always comes along and plays a solo with a chainsaw'. I think maybe they were listening to Impossible Germany when they wrote that. 

Bye Bye 

There's your tunes for another working week. Hopefully something sparks your interest and sets you on a new musical journey. Or not. Be excellent to each other. Peace be with you and all that good stuff.


Go Eagles. Hasala malakim.

Playlist October 17th - 21st, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

This week has been fairly unspectacular. I've spent a lot of it in a haze of hayfever/flu drugs while I fought off epic sniffles. I'm almost recovered now though, thanks for asking.

To the music and this week I have a band I just discovered, Real Estate, though they're not new. I have a soundtrack from a so-so indie sleeper; the latest from funky jazz rap outfit Us3; some Nas; a Rickie Lee Jones classic, Prince's 20Ten record that he released via the Daily Mirror in the UK, some good old-fashioned Sonic Youth and more.

See what you think

• Nas - Nastradamus
• Rickie Lee Jones - Pirates
• Ray LaMontagne - Til The Sun Turns Black
• Real Estate - Days
• Prince - 20Ten
• The Pleased - Don't Make Things
• Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
• Us3 - Lie, Cheat & Steal
  
• VA - Away We Go OST
• Band of Horses - Cease To Begin

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Digable Planets
2. Fela Kuti
3. Superstar Quamallah
4. Toy Box Scholars
5. Horse Feathers

Song of the Week : Cymbals Eat Guitars - Definite Darkness

My song this week came from the free Spin playlist for October. I don’t know this band, but this song makes them sound like Weezer maybe spent some time in the studio with Bush of all bands. What I like about it is it wouldn't raise an eyebrow if you took it back and released it in the early to mid 90s. When the kids are ripping off that kind of sound and doing it well, I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or not, but I like how it sounds.

There’s an obvious 90s vibe running through with the quiet loud distortion of it. Even the arpeggiated guitar under the verse. It makes me think that nostalgia is moving faster than ever before, but then I remember that 1991 was 20 years ago and that’s about how long nostalgia usually takes. There’s still a little bit of current style about it too, with an epic harmonised refrain of Ooooos and the swelling of instruments into that wall of sound orchestration we’re used to from Bon Iver, Polyphonic Spree etc.

TGIS

Well that's me for another week. I trust your week will be sunshine and lollipops; or at the very least, a light breeze and good coffee. If you get a chance, stream the Real Estate LP on NPR if you like mellow surf pop. It's quite an enjoyable listen.

Take care out there kids. Don't let the Man turn you around. Hasala malakim.

Playlist : May 23rd - 27th, 2011

Hello to all of you who didn't get picked for Team Rapture. Welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm writing all of this in a bit of a hurry on a Friday night. I'm not normally this rushed, but I lost a day of work on Thursday to look after Miss 4, so I've been playing catch up. That aside, I seem to be in a rush a lot lately. Instead of finding more time to review movies by paring down this blog, I have found less time even for this. WHo knows where the time goes.

On to the music anyhow. This week there's a lot of new albums I either stumbled across or had recommended to me. I'm glad I'll get to hear the new Bon Iver that everybody loves. There's also Michael Hutchence's side project Max Q from 1989, added after a conversation about how great INXS once were. I just now added Prince - Purple Rain because I have been watching the man himself carve up the stage playing the solo in a tribute rendition of Georg Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. If you haven't seen it, check it out - Prince channels Hendrix, I swear.

• Seapony - Go With Me
• Bon Iver - Bon Iver
• Max Q - Max Q
• The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
• VA - Bob Dylan - 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
• Tim Easton - Since 1966
• Jay-Z - The Blueprint
• Prince - Purple Rain
• Anthony De Costa - Not Afraid of Nothing
  
• Nas - Nastradamus

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Warner Brothers
2. Eddie Vedder
3. The Pretenders
4. INXS
5. The Rural Alberta Advantage

Song of the Week : The Rural Alberta Advantage - Two Lovers

This morning’s song comes again from a band I only just discovered. Apparently they have two albums out. The song came on AccuRadio on the Au Naturale channel that I put on as working background sometimes.

What caught my ear with the song was mainly the mix and the melody. There is a good deal of sonic warmth in the vocal track and it sounds immediate and close. I don’t know if that will come out in the lower bitrate version I have for you guys (the 320kbps is 8mb) but hopefully it will.

Two Lovers seems to be about dangerous obsession, though it’s a sweet sung ballad. It’s obvious they are apart with lines like “If I ever hold you again” yet he’s singing about holding her ‘tight enough to crush a vein’. It’s creepy as well as sweet. Weird. I dig it.

Are We There Yet?

If you still haven't received your pass onto the Mothership, don't worry. Those of us left behind get more resources, more land and less discrimination to go around.

If you check out anything on this list besides the new Bon Iver, give The Rural Alberta Advantage a go, they're very good if you like your music to twang. Bye for now.

Playlist : November 22nd - 26th, 2010

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

This week's list has a little bit of an Australian flavour with Bob Evans and You Am I, as well as some 90s classics from The Breeders and Pearl Jam. Check it out.

• The Breeders - Last Splash : The first Breeders song I ever heard was Cannonball, which made it onto the first JJJ Hottest 100 compilation. That great song plus Divine Hammer and Driving on 9 all appear on this LP. A little bit of early 90s alternapop never hurt anyone.

• Pearl Jam - Vs : Okay, a lot of early 90s alternapop never hurt anyone. It has been a long time between listens for me and Vs. I lined up in the High Street mall in Fremantle, at 7am, having gotten up at 6am just to get there on time from Kwinana and buy this CD on it's world-wide simultaneous release. Never managed to get stinking concert tickets though.

• Wilco - Summerteeth : Another of my most loved albums that has been criminally neglected of late simply because I haven't gotten around to putting it on my iPod again. The very brilliant Via Chicago and the warmly moody How To Fight Loneliness are standouts along with the chaotic jamming of Shot In The Arm.

• Bob Evans - Suburban Kid : I think it's a great idea for a front man or anyone in a band with their own ideas about music to break off and do something on the side without splitting up the group. As Bob Evans, Kevin from Jebediah gives us something a lot more country twang and a little more lyrical than the usual Jebs fare.

• VA - Uncut - We All Shine On : Just another great free CD from UNCUT magazine out of the UK. This one features new music (at the time) from Teenage Fanclub, The Gaslight Anthem, Deer Tick, Los Lobos and others.

• VA - Return of the Grievous Angel : A fitting tribute to the late country rock pioneer Gram Parsons. Cowboy Junkies, Elvis Costello, Evan Dando, Beck, Whiskeytown and a heap of alt-country acts who owe much of their art to Gram's influence cover Parsons' songs from Hickory Wind to $1000 Wedding.

• Camera Obscura - Underachievers, Please Try Harder : A few choice tweets from the very funny Sarah Silverman introduced me to this dreamy acoustic pop duo with Scottish accents. Their simple melodies and layered guitars make for good listening.

• You Am I - Sound As Ever : The last time I took a You Am I album to work it was the Best Of compilation, Cream and the Crock. Along with Hifi Way, Sound As Ever was the very first You Am I LP I got right into. Since then I've become a big fan of Tim Rogers' solo and side stuff (with the Temperance Union) but these old YAIs still rock.

• Main Source - Breaking Atoms : This is the 1991 debut LP from Main Source. The track Live at the Barbeque features the very first released recording of rap superstar Nas. This album sits somewhere between the conscious and funky rap of the golden age and the hardcore yrics of gangsta rap that came soon after.

• Nas & Common - Uncommonly Nasty : This 2006 release features tracks from both Nas & Common who are known (more so Common) for a little bit of jazz in their sway and a message to preach. Tracks on this album contain several of the barbs that Nas shot at Jay-Z which fuelled their infamous beef.

That's the week's soundtrack. I hope you find something new. No words of wisdom this week, except possibly... nope. Wait... no.

Hip Hop Appreciation Week Pt 4

Mixtape 4 of 5 Bling & Remebering

Welcome to part 4 of my tribute for Hip Hop Appreciation Week. At this stage in the game, I wasn't what you'd call a fan. I was off listening to Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, Hole and Soundgarden etc, wearing flannel and 'slacking'. It's also when I got into folk and Dylan for the story telling. But when Eminem dropped Stan, something that I had forgotten somehow resurfaced as I realised rap told many a great tale. It was just that now most of the tales seemed to be of little importance.

• Snoop Dogg - Still A G Thang : With the popular G-Funk style of synthesized melody and deep bass lines reminiscent of the 70s funk stylings of Sly, Parliament et al, Snoop Dogg told tales of the life of a G and his harem of 'bitches' and yards of bling.

• The Notorious B.I.G. - Things Done Changed : Cali may have been the in sound, but the Bronx kept a stamp on rap in the form of Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G., real name Christopher Wallace. Biggie talks here of how the streets aren't the place they used to be with kids punching on over territory. Using a sample from Dr Dre's Lil Ghetto Boy, BIG exerts "Remember they used to throw? But now they blast, right?" This is the violence and nihilistic attitude of gangbangers writ large

• Nas - N.Y. State of Mind : The West Coast v East Coast rivalry was in full effect by now and East Coast rappers had a penchant for burrough checking. Nas was very firmly in the East Coast camp having come up in Queensbridge. This song talks about the escalating violence of gang culture, as B.I.G. had, but without the swagger and with an added touch of disillusionment.
  

• Jay-Z - Izzo (H.O.V.A.) : An anthem of sorts with not much more to say than "I'm Jay-Z and I sell a lot of records but I used to be a drug dealer." A long way from the positive message of rap's 'founding fathers'. Famously, Jay-Z was involved in a feud with fellow NY local Nas and was later Nas' boss after he signed him to Def Jam in 2006.

• Eminem - My Name Is : Marshall Mathers aka Slim Shady aka Eminem burst onto the scene with this, for the time, controversial track which again had not much to say. It did later cost Eminem almost US$10M when later his own Mother sued him for the claim that she 'does more dope than I do'. While Eminem has a staggering talent for rhyme that helped suck me back into rap, he only occasionally has something important to say with his impressive tongue.
  

• 50 Cent - In Da Club : Many people may disagree vehemently with me, and that's fine, but as little as I paid attention to this kind of track, I think the new faux R&B / Rap reached its most vacuous low around about here. I have heard 50 Cent drop some tremendous flow, but this isn't it - and the dance track backing makes it all the worse. The backlash had to come, and it's coming still.

• Black Star - Definition : In 1998 two then little known MCs, Mos Def and Talib Kweli formed Black Star and released a self-titled debut. Much of their rhymes focused on reconciliation between the West and East coasts. This track talks about the inherent dangers of being a rapper and of life on Brooklyn's streets, while it takes a subtle swipe at the up and coming wannabe gangsters with "What a pity blunts are still Fiddy cents...".

• Missy Elliot - Wake Up : Just as guilty of the phony R&B but none-the-less starting to get on the positivity train, this track sees Missy Elliot and guest star Jay-Z reassure rappers and ghetto youth that "If you don't got a gun it's alright..."

• Common - I Used To Love H.E.R. : Telling the tale of a woman he once knew, Common lays down some soulful lamenting of how she went from a sweet young girl to a militant activist and eventually a drunken, crack-smoking gangster whore. The woman is of course Hip Hop. This was perhaps the most vitriolic track spat at Hip Hop culture up to that point.

• The Roots - Act Too...The Love Of My Life : The disillusionment turns to nostalgia and a longing for the long gone days of pure Hip Hop for the sheer joy of it. The Roots were proclaiming, it seemed in this track, that they would breathe life back into a dying art.

That's it for part four. In the final part, I'll take a look at how the ascendancy of 'Skip Hop' really sprung from the same thread of disillusionment that seemed to be running through much of the most important Hip Hop music coming from the States at the time. But it wasn't just Australia who wanted Hip Hop back, there were a number of Americans with the same idea.

Adios Amigos.