Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Courtney, Hilary & The Grove (First Impressions of The Cool)

There is one subject that is taboo for Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. You can talk to Bill about a lot of things. You can talk to him about the fast pace at which Google is extending its search and advertising Internet business while Microsoft is lagging behind. You can mention the muted adoption of Windows Vista. And you can even praise the piracy of Microsoft software products in his presence, just consider the example of Romanian President Traian Basescu.

However, there is one subject that is totally off limits. You cannot speak of it, comment on it and if possible, not even think about it in the presence of Bill Gates. What is it you ask? Well, the Mac ads of course.

It seems that Bill Gates is quite irate with Apple's PC guy vs. Mac guy video commercials that have flooded the Internet. So much so that he fails to retain the high level of diplomacy that characterizes him. At the beginning of February 2007, Gates simply smiled while the President of Romania applauded piracy. But when a journalist mentioned the Mac ads, Bill experienced something close to a blue screen.

Bob Garfield, a columnist with Advertising Age asked Bill Gates to comment on John Hodgman's character PC guy in the Mac ads. Bill Gates refused to answer the question, stating that he could not provide an opinion on Apple's ads.
Garfield did not let Gates get off so easily and he raised the stake asking about the resemblance between Gates and PC guy. Gates simply left at this point, and barely managed to utter a "goodbye."

Link here

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So the hangout today was a little less than exciting. I blame it on there being less boys there then there should have been (meaning just me).
They didn't even like taking pictures so I had to resort to pictures such as these (see above and below).
This instant snow stuff was cool though.

We saw Atonement which I enjoyed but I don't think they did too much. They hammered into the ground with critique, actually. But the thing about their critiques was that it was extremely small things.

Meh ... day was a little lacking in great conversation and entertainment, really.
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I got Lupe Fiasco's The Cool today after hanging out with Courtney and Hilary at the Grove. I have to be up and hang out with my gal tomorrow so I'm only going to make small notes on each track as I go passed them with my first impressions (that means my opinions can and probably will change).

Track 1: Baba Says Cool For Thought
- Another brilliant intro!
- Love the message
Memorable Lines: Freeze...
'Cause the problem is we think it's cool too

Track 2: Free Chilly
- Hmmm ... not sure about the placement or message of this song in the album as the second track ... perhaps if I listen further
Memorable Lines: None

Track 3: Go Go Gadget Flow
- Really really fast. I definitely need to listen to this a second time to grasp it.
Memorable Lines: Im on my go go go go go go go go go go gadget flow
I got my go go go go go go go go go go gadget flow
I got my go go go go go go go go go go gadget flow
I got my go go go go go go go go go go gadget flow

Track 4: The Coolest
- Really great song to reintroduce the character of the Cool.
- Great metaphors
- Great images
- Great allusions
- It's like a great poem!
- Eerie beat
- I'm setting it to memory!
Memorable Lines: Come, these are the tales of The Cool
Guaranteed to make you go and fail from your school

Track 5: Superstar
- It's alright. Too much hype. Don't get me wrong it's a great song.
- After hearing an interview with Lupe on how he feels about his fame and the bad things that have been going on I appreciate this song a lot more. He said that in the darkness of his father dying and his aunt and a bunch of his friends he didn't have time to grief in the light of his fame and all. Pretty sad. It's what inspired the darkness of the cool.
- Which makes this song great placement since it's near the beginning of the album!
Memorable lines: And ya' better wear ya' shaaades
The spotlights here can burn holes through the staaage
Down to the basement pass the Indian graves
Where the dinosaurs laid
Then out through shinin', nearly miss the airliners
Magnified times five, 'less its pointed at the ryhmer
Ricochets off the moon and sets the forest ablaaaze
Now that's important to say
'Cause even with all that most of us don't want it to faaade
We want it to braid, meaning we want it to grow
Meaning we want it to staaay

Track 6: Paris, Tokyo
- Love the beat
- Love the flow
- Feels really old school (90s, 80s? i can't put my finger on it)
Memorable Lines: None

Track 7: Hi-Definition
- Eh ... Snoop Dogg? Bleh
- Feels too poppy for me ... too mainstream
Memorable Lines: world in one hand, while the other hand throw a peace up
my other hand throwing We without the e up

Track 8: Gold Watch
- Damn! That thing that keeps coming in ruins it! That voice vver thing ... argh! I'm really lovin' these lyrics but they're interrupted for me whenever that voice over thing comes in.
Memorable Lines: i am American mentaly with Japanese tendencies

Track 9: Hip Hop Saved My Life
- Loved this song
- Fantastic lyrics!
- Could this be somewhat autobiographical?
Memorable Lines: A bass-heavy medley with a sample from the 70s with a screwed up hook that went "Stack that cheese"
Somethin somethin somethin "Stack that cheese"
Mother sister cousin "Stack that cheese"
He couldn't think of nothin' "Stack that cheese"

Track 10: Intruder Alert
- The first and third verses really got me (in a good way)
Memorable Lines: Before she reach the shore of the land of the free, where they feed you,
Treat you like equals, decieve you, stamp you and call you illegal,
and there's an, (intruder ... alert)

Track 11: Streets on Fire
- Woah this is intense. I can tell I will like it if I further analyze it.
Memorable Lines:
The scientists said it only infects the mind
The little boy said it only infects the girls
The Preacher said it's gonna kill off the soul
A bum said it's gonna kill off the world

The scientist says she all inside mind
The little boy said "What happened to all the girls? "
The preacher man says she gonna kill off the souls
The dope boy said it's the whole wide world

Track 12: Little Weapon
- That whole opening was sick!
- I don't agree with his stance on violent video games though! Haha! Great song!
Memorable Lines: Now little Terry got a gun he got from the store

He bought it with the money he got from his chores
He robbed the candy shop told them lay down on the floor
Put the cookies in the bag; take the pennies out the drawer

Khalil got a gun he got from the rebels
To kill the infidels and American devils
A bomb on his waist, a mask on his face
Prays five times a day and listens to heavy metal

Little Alex got a gun he took from his dad
That he snuck into school in his black book bag
His black nail polish, black boots and black hat
He's gonna blow away the bully that just pushed his ass

how old? well I'm like 10 or 11 been fighting since i was like 6 or 7
now i don't know much about where I'm from
but i know i strike fear everywhere i come
Government want me dead so i wear my gun
I really want the rocket launcher but I'm still too young.

Can't write they own names, or read the words that on they own graves.

Track 13: Gotta Eat
- Hmmm ... need to take another listen. Went over my head, I think.
Memorable Lines: None

Track 14: Dumb it Down
- Love this song!
- Great flow!
- Great beat
- Great metaphors!
- Great video!
- Great characters!
- GREAT GREAT GREAT!
- Could be my favorite track.
Memorable Lines: My snorkle is a tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside Poseidon, Westside beside'em, chest high and rising
Almost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilot
Lucky they make it flowered
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David Blaine
Make it rain
Make a boat
I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again..(Westside)

Track 15: Hello Goodbye
- Love the mix of rock in there
- Nice lyrics
Memorable Lines: And its well and its fine and its fine if you fail

Track 16: The Die
- Love the dialogue in the middle
- So this is how The Cool died!
Memorable Lines: Sittin' in this stolen car
Gonna rob this nigga
Shoulda let the mini mac with the shotgun hit him
I been waitin' all day, tryin' to spot this nigga
Can't let him get away, I'mma pop this nigga
UH!!

Well I heard like. . .cows
That all your enemies wanna shoot you down
They got AK-47's
And a bunch of Mac-11's
Semi-automatic weapons that produce ka-pows

Track 17: Put you on Game
- Eerie
- Wow this song is really deep
Memorable Lines: I am the American dream,
The rape of Africa
The undying machine,
The overpriced medicine,
The murderous regime,
The tough guy's front
And the one behind the scenes

Track 18: Fighters
- Awwww ... hearfelt
- NO!!! Why did he have to confirm just one more album and he's done!
Memorable Lines: So it's never me against the world

Track 19: Go Baby
- :) He gave a shout out to the ladies
- Wish it was a bit more inspiring
- Wasn't whatt I suspected it to be
Memorable Lines: We go back like a set of Ataris

My general analysis? It was good. Some great songs. Some good songs. Some okay songs. Nothing bad. I'm not completely sold on the album as a whole, just a few tracks. Food & Liquor, I think, felt more like an album then The Cool did. The Cool felt like a bunch of cool tracks but without a clear cut theme except for it being dark. Food & Liquor was a definite theme of Lupe be introduced into his own.

A must buy like Whoopi says ... possibly not ... but for Lupe fans it is.

Oh and I've been accepted to Cal State Los Angeles! I'm assured a college education!

Peace.

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