Quick Hits, Vol. 140 (Big Boi, Nothing But Thieves, Foo Fighters, Prophets of Rage)

Big Boi - Boomiverse.  Man, why can't Outkast just keep doing their thing?  Andre 3000 said that he felt dirty doing their big reunion shows a few summers ago, but they freaking ruled.  Their show at ACL was amazing. My memory of how much my entire body vibrated during the bass in that show is still cool.  So Big Boi keeps making music, and bits of this are good, but its nothing like the killer duo was making back in the day.  Andre 3000 says he is likely done with rap, he just can't get interested about it anymore at 42 years old.  Too bad really, because he was the freaky weirdo that perfectly balanced out the rough Big Boi.  The second song on this album just jumped right of the speakers and grabbed me by the ears and started making out with my face.  It just so happens that my taste is good, since that is by far the most listened to track on the album (at 16.0 million streams). Here is "Kill Jill."

I swear, I just got goosebumps when that beat kicked in and Killer Mike started getting it.  "I'm repping that Zone Four though with a .44 on your bro though, Cause that dodo thought that he could rob a player for some dough though."  And then Big Boi's verse: "Usually I don't do this, dumb it down, go stupid, Since 17 been countin' M's, my bank account's on Goofy, They say Cosby gave 'em roofies, Now who know what the truth is (what?), Chicago's full of shooters, My garage is full of hoopties."  I love it.  The beat, the lyrics, even Jeezy can't ruin it.  Now, some of the tracks on here are pretty weak, going onto some techno/electro garbage or using Adam Levine (or other bad hook singers), so you can't just let the whole album play (in my opinion), so just bump the tracks with Killer Mike, the one with Pimp C ("In the South"), and the piano-heavy (reminds me of "Cash Machine") "All Night."

Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine.  If you've followed my thoughts for a while, you can by now pretty well predict the kinds of things that I like.  And after finding this band last year for the first time when they were at ACL, I've been on board.  British alt-rock stuff, the music is in the neighborhood of Muse and Foals.  That original album was great, with some heartfelt anthems and then a bunch of high energy rockers.  You might remember one that was on the radio a ton - "Trip Switch."  This one is in the same neighborhood - they are best when they are jamming out.  I really like "I'm Not Made by Design" and "I Was Just a Kid," but I'll give you the most popular track so that you can get in with the rest of the world.  This is "Amsterdam," with 10.1 million streams.

Not the top song I would have chosen, but I enjoy the way that they bring a danceable beat to otherwise driving alternative rock sounds.  This is a good album that I'll keep around.

Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold.  I can already taste the bile building up in my friend Joseph's throat as I prepare to write this entry.  It is energizing.  So yummy.  The thing is that I understand some of the criticism against the Foos, they frequently lapse into the realm of cheesy lyrics and tired tropes.  Their sound has been done before.  Dave Grohl seems self important.  Yo comprende.  But when I listen to the first song on this album, which is a cock-tease of epic proportions at only 1:22 long, I can't help but feel a primal need to raise my arms in the air to flex and crack the sky with my primal scream as the song goes from a short acoustic plucked ballad and then erupts into a Pink Floyd meets Queens of the Stone Age wall of sound riff factory turned up to 11 that still gives me goosebumps after listening to it about 40 times.

The portion from 1:00 to 1:14 is the absolute shit.  I need that to be the backing track for a 30 minute long song that I listen to until I die of a stroke from clenching my fists and forcing all of the blood in my body to my junk.  Death by rock boner.  But sadly, right when you think this is about to be an epic classic rock throw down, that ten seconds of bliss is over and the song is done.  I got my daughters to listen to this with me the other day, hoping they would feel the innate ROCK POWER slither into their veins.  Nope. This is way too high level for their puny brains.  The hit from the album is the less amazing "Run," which already has 20.2 million streams after less than a week on Spotify.  

Grampa fight!  And a Thriller-esque grampa dance scene at the end!  OK song, I'd like it better without the screaming bits, but the underlying track is good.  I can say the same about most of the other tracks on here, like "La Dee Da" or "Arrows," although I think I can do without "The Sky is a Neighborhood."  Overall, the album is fine, sounds pretty much like their other recent stuff - a classic rock-style record.  I'll keep listening.

Prophets of Rage - Prophets of Rage.  This is such a cool thing.  You get the majority of Rage Against the Machine (the whole band, just no De la Rocha), plus old school rap rabble-rouser Chuck D from Public Enemy, plus fellow classic rap alumni B-Real of Cypress Hill.  The sound is very similar to old Rage songs, with Tom Morello's signature guitar sound and the heavy groove from the bassist and drums, and honestly B-Real sounds a lot like Zach de la Rocha.  Most of it is overtly political, like Rage used to be as well, with them railing against racism and lying politicians and corporate greed and homelessness and government overreach/spying.  The top track is a good one, with a very Rage-esque guitar solo in the midst, called "Unfuck the World."

Man, that video is legit.  Go watch that.  And check out the crowds at those shows.  I bet I'd break both ankles nine times, but it'd be worth it to jump and holler out that chorus.  This si good stuff.  I like old Rage, and so this clicks into the same spot.  I think those older tracks were better, just because these are pretty derivative of that sound, but these are still good and it feels good to rail against the bullshit going on right now in the world.