Hatchet reporter Patrick Rochelle shares his latest musical obsessions.
The mantra for the New York-based rap group Das Racist is complexity, and it’s no secret: “I’m complex. I’m intelligence in the age of the Internet, where you’re as smart as how quickly you can use your smart phone. I’m complex.” But Das Racist doesn’t stop there. It’s also simple. Besides the convoluted wordplay, the group relies on simple beats and catchy melodies you’ll find yourself humming hours later. It’s this pleasant sort of tension that makes this song the perfect kind of ear candy.
After Weezer’s 2009 album “Raditude”, many fans were begging the band to stop before they hurt themselves. But on their new album, “Hurley”, the group seems to have rediscovered their old sounds. Yes, frontman Rivers Cuomo is still writing quirky lyrics about how “love hurts” and the band is chalk full of screeching guitar riffs and the occasional pleasant static, which so perfectly epitomizes early hits like “Say It Ain’t So” and “Pink Triangle”. Simply put, this sounds like the old Weezer. And it’s nice finally have them back.
While listening to Pandora the other day, my iPhone suggested I listen to this song, which I hadn’t heard in several years. To give the little guy some credit, it was right. But this is nothing new. In truth, I’ve been obsessed with Death Cab since I was 13. In some ways, the group used to provide me with a sort of melancholic pleasure that often defines teenage adolescents. Now, I’m older and have put away my childish things, but when I hear a song like this, I realize just how removed I am from my younger years. And with that said, all one can do is shrug and sigh and agree with Ben Gibbard when he sings, “So, pack a change of clothes ’cause it’s time to move on.” And I think that’s just what I’ll do.
