Straight Up Hood Rich

Welcome Back

Pretty Tony hit up some sweet new design elements. And I’m finally shaking off the holiday rust. I very seriously raped my insides this weekend, and I apologize for taking some time off.

As for posts, I’ll deliver a Hiatus Watch sometime this afternoon/early evening, so stay tuned. For now, indulge in what I ended up doing this entire weekend: consume mind-altering substances, sit on a comfortable chair, and play this track on repeat:

Animal Collective – Street Flash

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Don’t Believe the Hype, Ep. 3

This week’s column concerns an album that’s a bit more of an “instant” classic, and by instant, I mean the past two years. It was released in fall of 2007, so it’s a bit more recent than our previous installments, but there’s good reason for it.

As it’s the end of the decade, every cunt with access to a pen and paper is making their “Best of the Decade” lists and I’ve noticed something on all of these lists that’s been a bit disturbing: the presence of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now, it’s not because this is a less-than-stellar album. Far from it. Merriweather is a brilliant album (although I usually contend that it’s difficult to properly judge an album within the first year of its release, therefore making its presence on a decade list somewhat troubling). It’s disappointing because of a notable absence on just about every list I’ve seen: their previous (and much better) album, Strawberry Jam.

Strawberry Jam is suffering from a post-hype machine hangover, struggling to get out of the shadow of its excellent successor. But, that’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t get caught up in the critical circle-jerk and remember to enjoy the great shit that doesn’t get the treatment it deserves. Continue reading…