| 9. Method Man, “Torture.”
Whereupon we get a small taste of the real thing. For my money Method
Man is the most underrated MC in the business, with the possible exception
of Planet Asia; his voice has an incredibly inviting quality, and
his delivery has all the nuance of Ice Cube or DMX with only hints
of the declamatory nature that makes either of those difficult to
take in high doses. (Truer, admittedly, of DMX than Ice Cube, what
with Ice Cube being, like, a total genius and everything.) Listening
to Method Man pronounce the word “Torture” in this song
is like hearing a young poet discover that words have power apart
from their use in context; it was the difference between using this
song and “Release Yo’ Delf,” which is also quite brilliant,
but which would have jacked things up a little too high for what we
had in mind. 10. Anonymous 4, “Miro Genere.” What is a compilation without some chant or plainsong? Nothing, I say. Nothing. 11. Lifter Puller, “Plymouth Rock.” Do I have to say it again? Best band of the nineties. Best band ever to come out of Minnesota. Best band since the Birthday Party. “Plymouth Rock” does in forty-nine seconds what most bands can’t do at all. Brutal, sudden, beautiful. Perfect. 12. Chris Watson, “Spotted Hyena - Contact Whoops.” Chris Watson was the tape loops man from the greatly underappreciated early eighties band Cabaret Voltaire. Evidently he found work as a sound recordist for nature documentaries, and kept a stash of favorite sounds, which have been released as two CDs on the Touch label. If you’ve taken lots of acid, this will make you wish you hadn’t. |
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