Revisited: Jessica Bailiff - Jessica Bailiff (2002)

Revisited: Jessica Bailiff - Jessica Bailiff (2002)
(Revisisted is a feature in which I rediscover old albums in my collection and see how my opinions of them have changed)
The problem with trying to review one of my favorite albums is that the words to describe them seem to escape me. I find myself in this position now. While there are many words that can be used to describe Jessica Bailiff's self-titled album -- beautiful, passionate, personal, ethereal, dreamy, psychedelic, heavenly, etc -- none of them seem to work quite as well as I want them to. So I'll just resort to storytelling. I'll call this one Jessica Bailiff: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love This Album.

It was the spring of 2003. Or maybe summer, I don't remember. It was hot outside and I went to a year round art college in Arizona, so it could've been any season since they're almost all the same there. Between classes I went to the computer lab to partake in the usual routine of finishing design projects last minute while listening to songs on the then functional Epitonic.com (which soon became defunct, and then years later became functional again, and now looks defunct again). I would search for artists I already liked and then view the websites recommendations for similar artists, often times going to the similar artists and checking out their similar artists and so on and so on until I ended up at an artist that sounded nothing like who I started with.

But one fateful day, sometime in 2003, in the middle of a maze of recommendations I stumbled upon Jessica Bailiff's page, where the song "Disappear", among others, were available to stream. One listen to that song and I was hooked. It was the most haunting, disturbingly enchanting thing I've heard...perhaps ever. The kind of song that just makes your surroundings seem to fade away and replaces them with the dead air of another realm. For five and a half minutes, I didn't feel like I was in a computer lab that stank of the wretched body odor of your average Game Design or Computer Animation student, I felt like I was floating at the bottom of an ocean, or maybe to another dimension altogether. It was one of the few times I can remember being truly moved by a piece of music.

Surprisingly, the whole album had that effect -- the effect that made it seem as if it could not have been recorded on this planet -- and it made for the perfect chillout listen. Still, the album hadn't really hit me just yet. I listened to it very often, yet barely considered it when thinking of the best albums I purchased that year. And I listened to it all throughout 2004 and 2005, my musical tastes changing drastically in that time. Listening to less and less indie-rock and replacing it with more and more metal and classic rock and other, more exciting genre's than what indie rock was offering at that time. Yet still I kept coming back to this album. Using it to fall asleep to or study to, the most perfect soundtrack to such things but in the best way possible.

It wasn't until sometime in 2006 where I -- recent college graduate, still in Arizona, still hot all the time, working to pay the bills, working to find a job that means more to me than something that just pays the bills -- came to realize that I've listened to this album more so than any other album in my collection. And also realizing, probably for the first time, just how incredibly good it was. And not just "Disappear". I noticed how "Swallowed" was so effective in how it introduces the album, aptly titled for how it envelopes you in its sound. I realized that "Mary" was every bit as haunting and effective as "Disappear". I fell in love with the very subtle sitar use in "The Hiding Place", and the reversed drum hits in "Time Is An Echo". There was so much to like that had never come to my attention until then. Maybe I had noticed before somewhere in the back of my mind, but now, for some reason, perhaps with the openness of a mind newly freed from the stresses of college, it was all clear.

As I write this, I have yet to buy another album with or by Jessica Bailiff. I'm almost afraid to ruin the effect of the perfection she's reached here. Sometime down the road, I'll more than likely pick up her other albums and her Clear Horizon work, and maybe they won't be quite as good, but at least I'll still have this one to come back to. The same way I've been coming back to it for years. One of the few constants of my collection. Old reliable.



"Disappear"

Links:
Jessica Bailiff at Brainwashed
MySpace

One Be Lo - Project F.E.T.U.S. (2002)

One Be Lo - Project F.E.T.U.S. (2002)

I didn't really expect much from Project F.E.T.U.S. (For Everybody That UnderStands) when I picked it up. Though I thought it'd be worth my time I figured that, having already been involved in two near-classic albums in S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music) and Binary Star's Masters Of The Universe (M.O.T.U.?), One Be Lo couldn't possibly have sustained himself for three in a row. In hindsight, I realize how foolish this was, as Project For Everybody That UnderStands finds Lo in a transitional period, thus combining some of the best elements from both albums.

What immediately stands out is the beats. I've never payed much attention to One Be Lo or Decompoze's production on Lo's other albums, but here they command more attention. That's partly because of how varied they are, which could be seen as a flaw since the album has trouble establishing much in the way of harmony as far as production goes. But considering this was originally supposed to be a mixtape, it's easy to forgive. For what must have been a fairly low budget recording, overall they're well done. Fittingly, the re-released version of the album comes with a second disk of instrumental tracks.

Lyrically, Project For Everybody That UnderStands has more in common with M.O.T.U. than Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music, as Lo is still more of a battle rapper whereas on Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music he moves onto the more conscious rap route. There are several clever, "dope punchline[s]" on this album that I wish I had thought of myself, including, but not limited to:

"For every promise made I fulfill with the skill
No matter what the doctor prescribe I stay ill."

"Them cats know they ain't live
Like Bruce Willis in Sixth Sense."

"You're rhymes worth piss in a pot
If knowledge was the key you'd be picking the lock."

"I'd probably have to get a second job
And you know I got a felony so it's like 'Hi! Welcome to Burger King!'"

And my absolute favorite:

"You wanna battle me? What for?
I rock heads like Mount Rushmore: for (four) dead presidents."

Of course, One Be Lo is no stranger to occasional absurdity, as is displayed in the song "The Grinch That...", a cautionary tale warning about the evils of Santa Clause. It's such a silly song (aimed less at the listener and more at the listeners six year old nephew) that if I didn't know any better about him and his devotion to his faith that I might question if it was thrown on the album as a joke. Lo is usually prone to an out of place, ridiculous lyric or two from time to time, but here he just got a little too excited. He's never come off as preachy on other albums that I've heard, but he came closer than ever with this song. Thankfully, this is the albums' only misstep, which he makes up for almost immediately with the mostly spoken word "Candlestick", a type of song that I'd love to hear more of from him.

Overall, this album is almost as good as M.O.T.U. and Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music. You'd be hard pressed to find a more prolific artist in the first half of the decade than Lo.


Score: 8/10


"Anybody"


"Fast Food Remix (featuring Magestik Legend, DeCompoze, Illite)"

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

Wow, this album is so inoffensive! I can't remember the last time I've been so thoroughly unoffended while listening to an album. This is so devoid of anything the least bit controversial or out of the norm that even the most staunchly conservative spokesperson for all that is good, moral and decent would have a hard time finding anything wrong with it. First thing that popped in my head while listening to Don't Give Up On Me: I'd be shocked if this album was not nominated for a Grammy when it was released (just checked online and...yup; it won, too). Second thought: I didn't go into a Starbucks in 2002, but if I did I would not have been surprised to hear this album playing in store.

That's not to say that this is a bad album. Fundamentally, there's really nothing wrong with the music, which is incredibly solid throughout. Burke has been at it for a long time, and it shows with how skillfully interpreted these songs are; emulating the blues and eventual wisdom that can only come from someone with life experience, and the ability to turn that experience into a strong, soulful statement. There's not a bad track to be found here, and a few of them are exceptional. I guess I just mean to emphasize that this album fits the "Adult Contemporary" tag to a T. And in being so unoffensive and safe, it actually appeals to me less than would something more unconventional. Maybe if he threw a theramin in there somewhere or something man I don't know.

Good album, but this is totally what your granddad wishes you "whippersnappers" would listen to instead of "that awful racket".



Score: 7/10


"Flesh And Blood"


"The Judgement"

Count Bass D - Dwight Spitz (2002)

Count Bass D - Dwight Spitz (2002)

In 2004, Madlib and MF Doom released a collaborative effort under the name of Madvillian. The album, Madvilliany, was met with thunderous approval in the world of indie music. Backpackers all over hailed it as one of the best hip hop albums of the year (which I could agree with), and one of the best hip hop albums of the decade thus far (which I could agree with) if not one of the best hip hop albums of all-time (whoa there). Two years earlier, Count Bass D released this album; similar in style and equally as good, yet largely ignored.

I'm not sure why is this album not as revered in the indie hip hop world as Madvilliany. The similarities between the two are notable, especially in the rapid fire album flow with punk song lengths (and partially because both albums feature MF Doom). I'm not prepared to argue that Count Bass D is better here lyrically than Doom is on Madvilliany, because he isn't, but whereas Doom trumps him in skill they are both about equal when it comes to appeal. Bass D's slightly nasally yet ultra-relaxed baritone delivery exudes tons of personality. And with a host of guest rappers by his side (including Edan and the aforementioned MF Doom), the album feels fresh throughout. Production-wise, Dwight Spitz is at least on par with Madlib's effort in Madvilliany, meaning lots of off-kilter beats layered with obscure and not so obscure samples, but the use of live instruments (played by Bass D himself) give it a feel all its own.

Fans of Madvilliany will be doing themselves a favor by checking this out. It's similar enough to feel familiar but still has it's own unique personality.

Score: 8.5/10


"Subwoofer"


"Real Music vs Bu11$#!+"


"Blues For Percy Carey"