Bob Dylan - We Better Talk This Over

The show behind us, but still ringing in my ears, we move on back to kickin the funkiest jams from all genres.  To take us there is our old friend and musical mastermind Zach Ainsley, diggin up unknown classics to show you new things in places you thought you knew.

To label anything Bob Dylan has produced as “underrated” is a bit of a misnomer. From his first steps on the path blazed by Woody Guthrie to the southern-tinged grumbles of his latest album, the man has consistently churned out masterpieces. Take a peek at any serious rock critic's “all-time best albums” list and you will undoubtedly find records such Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, and Highway 61 Revisited jockeying for position near the top. What you will likely not find, however, is 1978's underrated (there's that word again) jam-fest Street Legal.

Washed Out-New Theory

Our friend and fellow blogger Lydia Cruz has some serious musical knowledge and wanted to share a song by one of her favorite artists, Washed Out. Thanks a lot Lydia, we hope to hear more from you soon.

When Ernest Green moved back home with his parents in June of last year, no one could have predicted that only a few months stood between obscurity and buzzworthy musicianship. Adults living at home face plenty of stigmatism, and America doesn’t generally crown pop stars bunking down in their childhood bedrooms. But even artists can crave the comforts of home, and the move would ultimately prove itself a renaissance.

Despite Green’s previous experimentation with ambient, dance, and even hip-hop music, it was the return to his rural Georgian roots that sparked his production of lo-fi synthpop, reflecting both the extent of his talent and environmental influence. Ernest quickly settled on the new, nonsensical moniker “Washed Out”, and with the help of a small Charleston-based record label called Mirror Universe, he released a limited amount of material on (wait for it) cassette.

Just like Bon Iver/Justin Vernon was inspired by an isolated Wisconsin cabin (For Emma, Forever Ago, 2008), and Jason Lytle was enkindled by his relocation to Montana (Yours Truly, the Commuter, 2009), Washed Out quickly became the artistic reflection of a laidback, peach-filled, Georgian summer. With a sonically distinct nod to the eighties - a tasty acid groove that hits like a soothing dose of Nyquil and recalls a refreshing, rolled-down window breeze – Washed Out breathes new life into the best part of the John Hughes era.

I have to single out “New Theory” from Washed Out’s Life of Leisure EP as a truly influential jam. The lyrics are simple, yet powerful. The rhythmic/synth production grabs a hold quickly but clandestinely, lulling the listener into a vivid, dreamlike state of auditory adventure. And like any great dream, you, the participant fear the inevitable ending, the all too-rapid return to consciousness.

Lydia Cruz

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Raekwon - Incarcerated Scarfaces

Straight from the slums of Shoalin, a force so cryptic and mystical that a single title fails to encompass all it represents. Im talkin about Raekwon, the Chef, Lex Diamonds, Louie Diamonds, Shallah Raekwon, the Black Stallion, or simply Rae. The master of slang forms one ninth of the original Wu Tang Clan, but it is off his debut solo album Only Built for Cuban Linx that the Chef cooked up a track that would become an all time rap classic. "Incarcerated Scarfaces" is simply the definition of what Rae is all about: (1) kickin the hardest, grimiest, most thuggish raps around, lettin everyone know how it happens in Staten; and (2) spittin one of the most frenetic rhyme styles around.

Few cats have the dexterity of lexicon to include so many rhymes and keep the flow fresh, but Rae relishes each line, fillin em up to the brim. The RZA cuts one of his vintage beats to accompany the chef mixing influence from the far east with the simple and rugged style that he has become so well known for. The combination is an explosion of street flavor and fly rhymin that left a mark on the rap game, that still hasnt faded for those who know where to look. I did hear that you could catch it in Ceaser's Palace eatin salads...
(For best results listen with the lyrics)

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Outkast-ATLiens

There was a time when Outkast really was “Outkast.” Not too long ago actually. That was before this whole “Put out a double cd, break up, get back together, make a bs period piece, break up, come back and put out a classic jam and a half (Art of Storytelling Part IV), break up, supposedly work on single album and a joint album” phase they’ve been on since after Stankonia. Big Boi’s been around; but Andre 3000’s been missing, on the reg. But god dern, when Outkast was really “Outkast,” they were the greatest musical duo of all time…

Outkast’s second album, also called ATLiens, was a bridge between their insanely promising debut, and their polished masterpiece, Aquemini. With a general theme of outer space and extraterrestrials among us, Outkast included, jams such as Elevators, 13^th floor, Two Dope Boyz define and highlight ATLiens. The breadth and depth of ATLiens is unparalleled in rap history, and the ease that Big Boi and Andre are able to completely switch sounds, content, and style on individual tracks shows their unreal musical versatility. While the whole album is one giant jam and a half, and many song could have higher lyrical merit, or a sicker beat, none of them are more a jam of a half than the album’s title song.

Outkast is what Southern Rap could be…no, Outkast is what Rap should be. Over a pounding Outkast/Earthtone Ideas beat, both Dre and Big Boi lay down lyrical magma. Big Boi starts off, laser beams blazing. Did he just say he was cooler than a polar bear’s toenail? Yeaaa he did. Did he say it tickles to see you try to be like Mr. Pickles? Uh huuu…Did Dre tell you that he put his glock away because his lyrics are “a stronger weapon that never runs out of ammunition”? Si chaval. ATLiens (the jam, not the album) may not be the most introspective, otherworldly Outkast jam of all time, but play it a couple times. It's two rappers, who on only their second album, are asking the world, who better? ATLiens is the jam and a half.