It’s weird man…it’s like Spotify read my mind.
No, I’m not taking about their recommendations. Sure, sometimes those recommendations are okay, but they’re largely a little bit of a stretch. I for one can’t really see why after listening to Rustic Overtones and JJ Grey & Mofro I’d then want to listen to String Cheese Incident. Or why it keeps telling me to check out Sublime. I know who Sublime is goddamnit!
In this case I’m taking about the non-Spotify premium version of the new Roots’ album …and then you shoot your cousin. It’s like they read my initial thoughts on the album when they decided which tracks should and shouldn’t be available to us free loaders who don’t fork over any loot for Spotify. Basically it’s all the hip hop tracks, which is great! There’s none of the atmospheric tracks/filler that in my opinion, cloud up the album and knocked it down to meh, not sure I’ll ever listen to this again status. The highlights of this Edited for Freeloaders edition are definitely the two Dice Raw tracks in the middle of the album, “Black Rock” and “Understand.” They snap, crackle and pop in such amazing ways that are lost when you listen to the album in it’s entirety.
What’s crazy is that only three tracks are omitted in the Edited for Freeloaders version of …and then you shoot your cousin. But that somehow makes a difference. I think the album is stronger and more of a heavy hitter without those tracks. It’s more focused and more tight. I’m sure some people dig the omitted tracks, but I’m perfectly happy without them. This Edited for Freeloaders version totally redeemed …and then you shoot your cousin for me. That probably wasn’t the intent, but whatever man. Intentions are for losers.
Oh and a total bonus and precursor to this discovery was the Roots performing the second track on the album, “Never,” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It was an incredible performance and adds some visual insight to the thoughts behind …and then you shoot your cousin. The Roots are definitely flirting with something besides hip hop these days, some kind of a redheaded step child of performance art. I’ll always side with the hip hop here, but I appreciate what they’re doing.
And I definitely appreciate Spotify’s Edited for Freeloaders edition of …and then you shoot your cousin.
Categories: Music
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