From the Library #2: The Roots - Rising Down

The Roots
Rising Down
2008 Def Jam Recordings

Hello, and welcome to the second installment of “From the Library”, where I discuss in-depth a record I’ve taken out of one of my local libraries. In the column’s debut, we took a closer look at Neil Young’s This Note’s for You album. Today, our subject is Rising Down, the 2008 album from rap-rock combo and Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots.

The Roots had been on quite a tear when Rising Down was released towards the beginning of 2008. Since their major label debut, Do You Want More?!!!??!, was released in 1995, the group had released a string of critical and commercial hits, their popularity continuing to grow with each album. 1996’s Illadelph Halflife, 1999’s Things Fall Apart, 2002’s Phrenology and 2004’s The Tipping Point each built upon the last with continued infectious beats, inventive rhyming, and a growing footprint of a rap group with something to actually say and the talent to back it up.

In 2006, Game Theory was released, which was universally beloved by critics but lacked the head-nodders of those previous records. Instead, it replaced them with a significantly darker and more methodical tone. The music remained strong, but Game Theory threw a curveball to those fans expecting more of what the group had done in the late 90s and early 00s. It wasn’t inviting as those earlier albums had been, and to me, the record was stale in its bleak poignancy and rather unmemorable overall, tempering my excitement for their follow-up, Rising Down.

Rising Down picks up where Game Theory left off, with dark, forceful and direct beats creating an aural minefield towards the beginning of the album. The tone is set by opening track “The Pow Wow”, consisting of audio from a recorded call between group members in which they scream and swear at each other. The title track and “Get Busy” follow, both suggesting that The Roots have not adjusted their attitude from Game Theory; these are angry and urgent songs. Some of the movements suggest music from monster movies, particularly the beat on “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”.

Rays of light do break through the murkiness occasionally. “Criminal” has terrific moments, boasting an airy beat that mixes well with the unchanged, perennially straightforward rapping. “I Will Not Apologize” continues the slightly lightened mood, and “Unwritten” strikes most similar to the classic atmospheric Roots beats of old.

But those moments are few and far between. Rising Down presents a very gloomy look at the world, and though much of the music is quite good, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by that. Though the entire album is solidly constructed and filled with good music, it becomes difficult to tell one muscularly downtrodden song apart from the others that surround it. I may have been spoiled by those earlier records, whose vibrancy in both music and message radiated from my speakers. Rising Down, for all of its strengths, doesn’t do that.

C+

John Lacey

The Biltmores - Providence

The Biltmores - Providence (2011)

It’s good to be back on the Musicarium. I’ve been pretty busy these last few months, so I apologize for my lack of contribution to this wonderful blog. Luckily, John and company have been picking up the slack. John sent me over an assignment recently, and I was excited for it. The assignment? Reviewing the new Biltmores record, entitled Providence.

(Note: I was given a brief list of some of the band members, so if I get any of that information wrong in the review, blame John.)

Opening with “We’re Home,” Providence starts with a laid back, melancholic guitar riff. Anybody who’s read my Random Ten entries knows I tend to veer towards the heavier side of things when it comes to my musical tastes, but every now and then I like to expand my horizons. “We’re Home” is definitely a track that I can see myself returning to again in the future. I love the verse riffs, and the refrain of “You should get over it,” stuck with me long after I first listened to it. At only 3:17, this was a song that left me wanting more.

Second track, “Static,” was not really my cup of tea, but at 2:16, it’s a good bridge between the first and third songs. It reminded me a little of Snow Patrol, and it was a little too laid back and mellow for my tastes. The instrumentation is top-notch, though. One thing that struck me during this track was that the production of this record is fantastic. The guitar tones are crisp but have a great dirty sound, and the drum sound is huge. All too often, modern rock records have an over-compressed, air-tight sound to the drums, which I usually hate (and it happens even more frequently in the metal scene). These guys went back to the John Bonham style of recording drums, in a big room, where there’s ambiance and room to breathe, or at least they did a great job of making it sound that way.

“Bonebridge” picks up the pace a little, which was needed after the mellow “Static.” The guitar break that starts at 1:12 is one of my favorite moments from the whole album. Also, the horns (or what sound like horns) during the last chorus add a great atmosphere to bring the track to a close. Very good song, and another one I wished was a little longer, which is definitely a good thing.

“Wasn’t It Funny?” is one song that grabbed me instantly from the lyrics, which begin with, “And no I just can’t get that song out of my head,” an appropriate line for a song as catchy as this. This track also features the first real guitar solo of the record, which reminded me a lot of Edge from U2 and how he uses few notes to maximum effect.

“Like You Do” follows, and it finds singer/guitarist Dan Baxter singing in his upper register, and on this track he reminds me a little of Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon. I know most people only remember them for the video for “No Rain,” but Hoon was a great vocalist, and Baxter’s expressive vocals are really solid throughout the album, and they shine on “Like You Do.” The piano also adds a great build-up to the end of the track.

“Always There” begins with some nice arpeggiated guitar work, and contains some nice dynamics throughout. The slow build-up of the drums throughout the verses really makes the loud choruses have a great impact.

“Jason” begins with another great two guitar riff, and drummer Brendan Leonard’s snare work is fantastic. You can tell this is a band who are all great at their instruments, yet they’re never flashy for the sake of being flashy. After about a minute into the song, I realized this was an instrumental, and it takes a lot for an instrumental song to a) not be boring, and b) be catchy, and this song manages to do both. Instrumentals on rock records are far from common these days, and all-too common on metal records (and are usually wanky and horrible), but “Jason” deserves its place on Providence.

“Ocean State” is a bluesy number, which is only appropriate for a song about Rhode Island; I mean, who wouldn’t get the blues being in such a shitty state? (Thanks, I’ll be here all week.) But seriously, after a bluesy and quiet first verse and chorus, the song adds layers of keyboards and vocals to its second half, and ends up rocking pretty hard by the end. Another winner on an album full of them.

Speaking of shitty states, here’s “Delaware”! “Hello. I’m in Delaware” – Wayne’s World. A more somber track than its predecessor, this song has some strings accompanying the electric and acoustic guitars, and it’s one of the more emotional efforts on the album. The end of the track with the quiet drums, guitars and strings is a beautiful piece of music.

Next song, “Right The Ship” starts off sounding like an introspective singer-songwriter ballad, but the rest of the band kicks in after about a minute, and the end of the song builds to a great crescendo of guitars and drums. It’s followed by “Day Old Newspapers,” which features another nice two-guitar intro. This is another one where the chorus sticks with you. The repetition of “I am unattached again” is a great accompaniment to the quiet guitar parts underneath. This song again ends with some nice loud guitar work, and some great lead guitar melodies.

“Clowns” closes the album with some melodic piano and guitar interplay throughout. Another strong track, the album closes on a fairly mellow note, but with no songs over 4 minutes in length, it’s a record that demands to be listened to again.

This was my first experience listening to The Biltmores, but I’m glad John sent this album over to me to review, because I can see it entering my current rotation of albums really quickly. Highly recommended for fans of great songwriting and well-played, laid-back rock.

Matt Steele