majesticons - C or D

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I just heard a couple of tracks of tha album. Its supposedly Mike Ladds post-jiggy thing with Timbo-like beats and lyrics about conspicuous consumption. Anyone heard the whole thing?

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah I got a promo today. Hard to form an opinion after one listen on teensy little office computer speakers but what I heard absolutely bounced.

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Got the promo album at uni today. Leaning heavy on the C side at present.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 27 January 2003 22:02 (twenty-three years ago)

you can read all about it and listen to 2min clips of each song here: http://www.bigdada.com/release.php?id=653

i think it's pretty funny that all songs end in "party", and the second track sounds identical to something off of the n.e.r.d. album.

i'm not necessarily convinced by the clips

― JasonD (JasonD), Monday, 27 January 2003 22:37 (twenty-three years ago)

wow I gotta hear this ... love Welcome to the Afterfuture.

― phil jones (interstar), Monday, 27 January 2003 22:52 (twenty-three years ago)

this record has been fucking with my head solidly for the last week or so. i've heard it at least 10 times and i *still* don't understand it at all - it sounds like it's been beamed in from some crazy special place where all accepted notions of what makes a tune unique and compelling have been totally ignored in favour of Mike Ladd doing his best to create the noises going on in his head to the exclusion of all else. it's all a little overwhelming, but it's taking over my brain.

― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 27 January 2003 22:58 (twenty-three years ago)

It's on some advanced shit, it's hard to grasp all the levels on which it's funny & mocking but still legit. Track 3 where he's ripping 50cent style totally convinced my Hot 97-listening coworkers. Hilarious schtick about hip-hop aesthetics taken to the next level, the affectation of old-money upper crust socer mom fashion & politics.
Listening to it more than anything else. Apparently he put together a whole album of stuff built on like George Winston & Kenny G samples, but it was too wack & got scrapped for a much more relevant concept. Who are the rappers on it?, esp. the female rapper & the cats on MajestWest Party. I don't have the liner notes.

― autovac (autovac), Monday, 27 January 2003 23:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Its very smooth, smooth rapping and very slick production full of synth sounds, i like it a lot at the moment.. is the infesticons album any Good?

― [email protected]___, Tuesday, 28 January 2003 09:18 (twenty-three years ago)

It's better than the infesticons album. That album (it seemed to me) was more like, um, avant garde slam poetry or something (only much better than that description would make it sound). What's exciting about the majesticons album is that several of the tracks could easily top the pop charts. I don't think the production is a parody of timb or the neps or anything (although there are songs where you can say "oh this sounds like SB" or whatever); it's just really good in it's own right.
The best part is the energy level. Almost every song just drives itself forward. It's almost more a dance record than hip hop; I get the feeling Ladd was listening to a lot of garage (see Fader Party) while making it.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 10:04 (twenty-three years ago)

oh fuck this is the 'original thread' im going to be linking to in two months isnt it
-- ep (52yth@fe2t), November 12th, 2002.

yes: majesticons - piranha party

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 10:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Four tracks in already and if the rest is like this then FUCKING STONKING!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 13:28 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not sure I should post to this thread at the moment in case I say something wildly overexitable and completely uninformative like HOLY SHIT THIS IS INCREDIBLE IT'S THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR ALREADY!

Ahem. Needed to get that out of my system. It's probably not going to be the album of the year, sorry, but if many people put out a better pop record this year then 2003 is going to a be a vintage year. Timbaland/Neps comparisons are definitely apt, the whole thing has a very shiny mainstream feel but with a decidedly Mike Ladd-ish spin put on it now and, well... it rocks. Majestwest Party in particular (every track ends in 'Party' for a reason) is one of the most irresistably bouncy things I've heard in ages.

Significantly, I think both the Trife's and the Patrins of this world will love this record.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 14:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, and grebt bleepy noises as well, which always helps.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 14:25 (twenty-three years ago)

whatta flop. aagh i wanted beans covering luchini! but instead of a epic blingout sequel i get "this is it! what?" (ok laugh fuckers that was good!) i mean when u think about it how can beans not be on this lp? huh? really now. infesticons was more than the sum of its parts, with this one i'm struggling to pick out tracks like mike screaming aaaagh in the intro was good, 'brains party' is great, ahhh there's some other ok ones but all of you trying to say it'll hit the charts are crazy... "even real black guys are fooled. haha nigga!" uh, no

"i guess i lost cos i'm still... mad at you (dum dum dum)"

yup

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 22:41 (twenty-three years ago)

ladd bottled it as far as i'm concerned, why didn't he go all out

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 22:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Significantly, I think both the Trife's and the Patrins of this world will love this record.

YES. Amazingly I'm not sure if I like it more for the bling-mockery or the sick sick SIIIIICK beats. "Brains Party" is easily going to reach my Top Ten singles, "Majestic West Party" is King of All Studio Gangsta Disses, and oh fuck this is like This Is Spinal Tap meets We're Only In It For The Money meets In Search Of... and I am going to FUCKING FLIP OUT when this hits stores and buy like eight copies even though I downloaded/burned it off slsk. I LOVE YOU MIKE LADD PLEASE BE MY FRIEND.

PS: El-You-Know-Who, aka "Nate's Own Personal Killing Joke", somehow manages to work in the term "apricot exfoliator" into his verse on "Suburb Party". "Humorless Def Jux" that, mufukas.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Thursday, 30 January 2003 01:02 (twenty-three years ago)

:( i'm sorry nate, ladd only gives a shout out to "def jux cats who get it"

― zemko (bob), Thursday, 30 January 2003 01:58 (twenty-three years ago)

if "prom night party" wasn't tongue in cheek it'd be the great lost vanity 6 reunion single. i feel this way about many tracks on this record. (and no, not necessarily vanity 6.)

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 31 January 2003 00:05 (twenty-three years ago)

also, the pet shop boys riff on "brains party" is funny and works as a hook (obv), but doesn't it seem a little, i dunno, obvious?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 31 January 2003 00:09 (twenty-three years ago)

also, the pet shop boys riff on "brains party" is funny and works as a hook (obv), but doesn't it seem a little, i dunno, obvious?

I thought that too - however, the majority of people I've spoken to who've listened to the album, right down to Mike Ladd's Australian PR guy, didn't realise that "Opportunities" lift was a PSB steal...so maybe it'll just be taken at face value by yer common-or-garden hip-hop-headz. gah.

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 31 January 2003 00:32 (twenty-three years ago)

how does knowing it's a pet shop boys lyric skew the song for a uncommon nextlevel hiphop luminary like yourself charlie? like jess sez, it is kinda obvious

― zemko (bob), Friday, 31 January 2003 17:54 (twenty-three years ago)

what's the 'brains' value?

― zemko (bob), Friday, 31 January 2003 17:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Sounds like it would be entertaining enough. I like what little Ladd I've heard...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 31 January 2003 18:25 (twenty-three years ago)

don't get me wrong, it's a good record. haha i'm trying to review right now as we speak and trying to figure out my feelings on it is proving hard enuff

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 31 January 2003 18:29 (twenty-three years ago)

how does knowing it's a pet shop boys lyric skew the song for a uncommon nextlevel hiphop luminary like yourself charlie? like jess sez, it is kinda obvious

er...wha? it's only obvious if you already know the PSB song, surely? Otherwise there's nothing "obvious" about it - a little prosaic, perhaps, but still it's

a. a wittyish observation of avaricious hip-hop

b. a wittyish steal off an 80s pop band

either way, wittyish, no?

― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 3 February 2003 06:34 (twenty-three years ago)

it's both really, but i just thought you were saying that knowledge of the sample throws a new twist on the the 'witty' observation angle, which sadly i think it does: mike ladd thinking "ho ho those mersh rap kids unknowingly bumping to pet shop boys!!! haha they're weak and gay you know, did i say i like charles stepney zzzzz" instead of ACTUALLY enjoying the sample and using it on a SERIOUS album. but who likes brains party for the verses? kanye west just rocked over "we are the champions" for fux sake!! everyone's way ahead of you being witty, ladd! i wanted this album to bring it all closer, for undeniably talented underground oddballs to storm the mainstream and enjoy it, unlike this stupid "tongue in cheek"/passive hatred go-nowhere slab of pointlessness

― zemko (bob), Monday, 3 February 2003 09:04 (twenty-three years ago)

fact: mike ladd beardless is an ugly guy

― zemko (bob), Monday, 3 February 2003 09:05 (twenty-three years ago)

haha i managed to sneak the phrase "still afraid of the middle of their bodies" into my review

― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 3 February 2003 09:31 (twenty-three years ago)

(unless it gets cut)

― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 3 February 2003 09:31 (twenty-three years ago)

throw in the "i guess i lost cos i'm still mad at you" line, it's the last line of infesticons! he fucking knows he's ducks the punch and he did it anyway

who's the review for, jess?

― zemko (bob), Monday, 3 February 2003 09:48 (twenty-three years ago)

they have a naked WOMAN tm on the cover making you feel bad for ever liking breastssss = how's that for body image security!

― zemko (bob), Monday, 3 February 2003 09:51 (twenty-three years ago)

further thoughts

- is 'in search of' now hiphop code for whimsical now?! wrong on both counts here

- talking of which, how UTTERLY does vanity 6's sly 'bite the beat' CRUSH said useless repressed undie hiphop ethos!!!

― zemko (bob), Monday, 3 February 2003 11:23 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm going to try to rebut here without sounding like a spastic.

mike ladd thinking "ho ho those mersh rap kids unknowingly bumping to pet shop boys!!! haha they're weak and gay you know, did i say i like charles stepney zzzzz" instead of ACTUALLY enjoying the sample and using it on a SERIOUS album.

Doubt it. It seems to me more like a more obvious (but less patronizing) stab at the "plunder the '80s" routine, as well as the tendency for some acts to steal the hook of a song, strip it of the original's tongue-in-cheek/sarcastic/sinister nature, and present it as something a lot more straightforward and 'sincere'. No gay-mockery is necessary (but I do laud zemko for his valiant efforts to expose the potentially problematic spectre of homophobia in rap and, possibly, curb it before it spreads from the underground scene).

they have a naked WOMAN tm on the cover making you feel bad for ever liking breastssss = how's that for body image security!

Yeah, it's obviously not a mockery of hypersexualized "tits'll sell anything"/"you must have this size bustline <---------------> to be on our record label" attitudes. (cough "Parlor Party" hack)

fact: mike ladd beardless is an ugly guy

Damn, I knew it was a mistake to buy his albums.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 01:12 (twenty-three years ago)

This isn't so much a "har har chart rap is DUMB" concept* as it is "oh shit, hip-hop is being gentrified and homogenized and all the 'unpretty' 'broke' people are being evicted by yuppies, and all these artists are selling out their principles just to get by" etc etc. Not necessarily truer, but

The joke about the beats is that they're obviously mock-Neps/Timbaland/etc but they're just SLIGHTLY weird, maybe to sort of subliminally address the narrowness of the gulf between chart and indie rap production?

*Fear of a Black Hat: Classic or Dud?

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 01:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh no! Unfinished sentence!

Not necessarily truer, but less obnoxious, maybe. (Compare who gets mainstream press/respect/sales now vs. 1993. Would anyone care about the Pharcyde if they'd started today?)

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 01:22 (twenty-three years ago)

blackalicious fans would

― boxcubed (boxcubed), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 02:11 (twenty-three years ago)

There are not enough Blackalicious fans to make "Passing Me By" as big as it was. (Or Blackalicious, for that matter.)

On the other hand, Gift of Gab et al started around '93 and didn't get much attention until recently so yeah, a tossed-off possibly-mocking aside about my taste in hip-hop has somehow thrown a possible monkeywrench into my theory. Dammit x 1000

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 02:21 (twenty-three years ago)

they wouldn't sound anything like the pharcyde, for one (if the pharcyde's inventiveness is what's going to define them here)

― , Wednesday, 5 February 2003 02:53 (twenty-three years ago)

so i've just had a thought [applause] amid the utter conviction that this is The Best Record Ever Made right now. I couldn't give a monkey's arsehole that it's meant to be ironic or something - in fact, the concept of "ironic" music offends me greatly - I'm just happy that it *sounds* so fuckin' brilliant. To hell with high-concept meta-criticism, shake your white middle-class butts, c'mon!

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 02:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Aw, he had us all thinking there for a minute, eh? o well, back to the dancefloor...

― gaz (gaz), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:01 (twenty-three years ago)

baby steps, charlie

― boxcubed (boxcubed), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:01 (twenty-three years ago)

B-b-but this is the thing - yes, Mike Ladd's a clever, uh, lad, and he's got lots of interesting, funny and perceptive things to say about the world that surrounds him (insert tediously inevitable Pulp comparison here), but is there any place for irony in pop? I don't mean in the - hey, dovetailing references alert - Pet Shop Boys/Saint Etienne sense, I mean lyrically and conceptually.

I just don't understand who it can benefit. If you're a hip-hop fan who knows nothing about Mike & The Majesticons (now of course, if he'd lifted some lyrics from "The Living Years"...), you'll dig the beats and the bling-overload lyrics and thus miss the point of the exercise; but if you "get" the "joke" you lose the enjoyment factor cos - ugh - you've got to *think* instead of enjoying it.

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Charlie: I'm not sure if I agree about you on that last point but i think i listened to it in the same way you did (and loved it)

― gaz (gaz), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:11 (twenty-three years ago)

it's not subtle enough and far too subtle at the same time

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:12 (twenty-three years ago)

also, how can hiphop fans chew gum and walk at the same time?

― boxcubed (boxcubed), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Thinking gives you wrinkles!

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:24 (twenty-three years ago)

don't ask me, i'm just a fan of fun

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:29 (twenty-three years ago)

now let's all forget our problems with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:30 (twenty-three years ago)

it's not subtle enough and far too subtle at the same time

see, i could've just said that instead of waffling on for ages.

also, how can hiphop fans chew gum and walk at the same time?

yeah yeah, point taken - i'm not dissing anyone who doesn't see the jokes, such as they are - quite the reverse in fact, they'll get a purer listening experience. me, I love the lyrics, i love the beats, i don't care why they've been made...much. 'tis all.

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Anybody call for a webslinger?

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:34 (twenty-three years ago)

too bad, that, about the wrinkles. but i wonder if you've given much genuine thought to the record or if you've just taken it for exactly what you've wanted to

― , Wednesday, 5 February 2003 03:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, I'm not thinking when I listen to it. How am I losing exactly?

― Dan I., Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Which is to say: pop music can be whatever the fuck it wants. Are you actually going to claim that successfull pop has never been pretentious (if that's what we're automatically going to call anything that seems like it might be a little too smart to fit into our preconceived notions of what pop should be)!? I play the POP ROCKIST card!

― Dan I., Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:28 (twenty-three years ago)

I meantt too sayy successful.

― Dan I., Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:30 (twenty-three years ago)

anyone here heard the Cherrywine CD? played it once and it's fucking weird--words are very bling-parodic (almost bitter sounding, tonally and expressionwise) and the music is minimalist funk. reminds me a bit of Quasimoto without the dreaminess; stuff said on this thread reminded me of it. don't know anything about it except what I've heard (I throw away press releases almost always)

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 09:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Who cares whether or not the production/MCing is tongue in cheek or not? I think the good thing about this record is that can enjoy it while completely overlooking the subject matter. In any case, assuming the lyrical content is ironic, does that necessarily mean the production is? It feels more like a homage to Timbaland and the Neps than anything else.

More to the point, does anyone criticise The Infesticons for self-consciously and exagerratedly austere and distorted and po-faced in places in the same way that this new album is self-consciously and exaggeratedly bling-bling?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 09:28 (twenty-three years ago)

i wish George Clinton had made a concept album dedicated to letting Sir Nose and the Blahs have their say.

― gaz (gaz), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:29 (twenty-three years ago)

matt, your question is faulty because - as i remember anyway - the infesticons album actually gelled.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Matos: You know, of course, who Cherrywine is, right?*

[pause for the people who already know]

*The artist formerly known as Butterfly from Digable Planets, that's who. No wonder he's bitter--his group is the most hated-on rap act with a huge hit single, like, EVER, no?

(Although I know several ILMers, including Matos himself, who like it. Me too.)

― Neudonym, Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:34 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

I just bought this album and am really enjoying. Anyone have info about the emcee's and which tracks they rap over? I know El-P and Vast Aire are on there, but that's about it.

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 01:41 (twenty-three years ago)

Murs is the first MC on "MajestWest Party", but other than that I'm not too sure (which, considering I reviewed the album, is probably not a great thing to admit). I'm assuming Ladd does vocals on some of the tracks, which is pretty impressive considering how he usually sounds.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 01:46 (twenty-three years ago)

thinking bad. feeling good. never shall the twain meet.

― jack cole (jackcole), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 01:59 (twenty-three years ago)

how has noone mentioned kenny loggins yet?

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 03:36 (twenty-three years ago)

this album is great by the way (POO 2003 for now), although not nearly as funny as you muhs made it out to be (Prom Night Party fave track, that or the one with the snes sound affects)

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 03:46 (twenty-three years ago)

zzzzz

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 03:54 (twenty-three years ago)

i tried listening to this four times since reviewing it and it was such a chore

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 03:55 (twenty-three years ago)

(not in a row, obv)

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 03:56 (twenty-three years ago)

obviously

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 03:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I kind've agree. The first track I got off of it was Game Party, and I assumed the rest of the album would be the same sort of thing. :(

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 04:37 (twenty-three years ago)

you people don't like kenny loggins = you people are insane and true enemies of the modern cinema

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 04:39 (twenty-three years ago)

you fool, highway to the dangerzone taught us to love music

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:03 (twenty-three years ago)

it taught us to love DANGER!

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:10 (twenty-three years ago)

and naked volleyball

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:15 (twenty-three years ago)

phil spector taught us to love kelly mcgillis

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:16 (twenty-three years ago)

i thought that was my raging prepubescent hormones

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:16 (twenty-three years ago)

you're thinking of anthony edwards

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:19 (twenty-three years ago)

he taught me the POWER OF FILM when this girl with incredibly teased up bangs at summer camp cried, yes, CRIED at his untimely demise

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:23 (twenty-three years ago)

GOOOOOSE! NOOOOOOO! NOT GOOSE! hold me jess!

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:30 (twenty-three years ago)

it'll be okay baby, let me work on that forehead with my gums for a while

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:33 (twenty-three years ago)

that's almost a grosser image than nacho girl

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:36 (twenty-three years ago)

you spurn my gummy love

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:38 (twenty-three years ago)

and mother love

― jess (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:38 (twenty-three years ago)

you grossed out the blount

― boxcubed (boxcubed), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:55 (twenty-three years ago)

nacho girl has me dry-heaving at anything

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 March 2003 06:56 (twenty-three years ago)

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