Welcome to Staff
Trax
, the weekly feature here on DC9 where we shed some light on the music we've been enjoying of late, regardless of the touring or album release schedules that tend to bear the focus of most of our coverage. Consider it a chance for you readers to get some more insight into our own personal tastes. Maybe you'll find something you like, ya dig?Yesterday saw the stateside release of Spanish quartet Delorean's fourth full-length release in six years, Subiza, a pretty phenomenal collection of spaced-out, perfect-for-summer dance jams. The best song on the album? Tough call, actually--it's a pretty great collection. But, surely, lead single "Stay Close" is a contender. Check the video above for a taste. I think you'll agree: It sounds a little bit like Animal Collective on ecstasy and valium at once, and a lot like something you'd expect to hear while partying on a yacht off the coast of Spain. Both good things, for sure. Oh, and full credit to where it's due: Our pals at Gorilla Vs. Bear were hyping this song back in March. Of course they were. --Pete Freedman
Tripping Daisy -- "My Umbrella"
On a seemingly random night in Dallas, Slobberbone, The Toadies, and the Old 97s all played shows at various venues within a few minutes of one another. No, that wasn't in the mid-1990s; it was just this past December 30. There have been a few other notable area reunions of bands who reached some excellent heights in the '90s, but one band that will never fully reunite, for unfortunate reasons, is Tripping Daisy. While the continuation of the aforementioned acts are certainly appreciated, it would be a massive lie to say that hearing these guys one last time at Trees would be anything less than pure ecstasy. I doubt that I have listened to any other song more in my entire life than I have with "My Umbrella." Same might be said for the album it is featured on, Bill. --Kelly Dearmore
Brooklyn rap group Das Racist is probably one of the most divisive trios currently in the game. But unlike controversial rappers in the past, their reputation has nothing to do with rapping about litigious subject matters like homosexuality or shooting police. Quite the contrary actually; the group's lyrics range from inane (see: their 2008 breakout hit, "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell") to hard-hitting commentary on subjects like mass consumerism and gluttony (see: "Chicken and Meat") that are often overlooked by their laidback delivery. Audiences either "get them" or are confused as to why a Kim Thayil lookalike would choose to lazily rap lines about fast food joints over and over. Me? I like it. Their debut mixtape, Shut Up, Dude, is available for free download on the group's MySpace page. My favorite track has got to be "You Oughta Know By Now" which features one of the best Billy Joel samples I've heard yet. Because of their lethargic loquacious style, the boys can't keep up with Joel's "You should never argue with a crazy mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mind" and resort to uttering nonsensical jabberings. By the final chorus, the group gives up on words all together opting instead for muttering gibberish. It's my favorite part of the song. I think I get it. --Cory Graves
Long before Van Morrison got pigeonholed as the classic rock artist who did "Brown Eyed Girl" and long before AC/DC and Ted Nugent covered "Baby Please Don't Go," Them was throwing that same sound out and killing with it. Them was every bit as psychedelic as Quicksilver Messenger Service, as brash and bluesy as Big Brother and the Holding Company, and as loud as Blue Cheer. And their songs were more rock and roll than anything Van Morrison ever recorded. Bank on it. --Alan Ayo
I've been a fan of the Boss since Born in the U.S.A. came out--it was the first rock CD my parents let in the house. Since then, I've only bought the Born to Run reissue, the Greatest Hits compilation, the three-disc Essential compilation, and the Tracks box set. That's right, no Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, or even The River. I'm holding out for a nice remaster job of those records to drop someday. And, while I sit out for that, I finally gave his last three albums with The E Street Band a spin. Argue all you want about how good they are (or aren't) when compared to the records that made him a legend, but I've enjoyed The Rising quite a bit. Same with Magic and Working On a Dream. There's no doubt what The Rising is about, and I'm glad it doesn't fail to be moving all these years later. --Eric Grubbs
