Stay cool motherfuckers y'all know the rules: The Roots

[darth_vedder]

I really love The Tipping Point. I know a lot of critics dismiss it as too conventional, but it's got some of my favorite Black Thought performances, especially on "Boom!" and "Web."

"Boom" is one of their best songs.

[VinylGuy]

can we have a full dvd with this please?

[liebzz]

I'm a big fan of the entire catalogue big time. The jazzy early stuff can border on annoying only in the sense that the music is so far ahead of the lyricists, but that divide certainly slowed as they started to mature. Organix, Do You Want More, and Illadelph Halflife fall into this category for me - even though I enjoy all three albums quite a bit.

Things Fall Apart and Phrenology are two absolute masterpieces. Things Fall Apart just sounds right from the get go and never lets up, while Phrenology had me questioning whether they were even allowed to do what they did after it seemed like every track. I think the fact that Phrenology couldn't possibly be followed up is what lead to the more commercial Tipping Point, which in its own way hosted an album full of great moments. Game Theory and Rising Down were also really great albums for me, except I still find they are full album experiences and it is hard to pull out tracks out of that context.

How I Got Over to me was an amazing synthesis of their abilities today as a band combined with all of that growth on the lyrical side. This is them at about the peak of their powers. Undun is a great follow up in terms of experimenting with concept. You just can't go wrong. I love the title song and Dear God 2.0 which demolished the Monsters of Folk version - which I also enjoy.

Plus, they also did a bang up job collaberating with John Legend on the Wake Up album.

[liebzz]

Another thing I failed to mention, the live show: almost second to none. I have probably seen them 7 or 8 times, and each show has not only been different, but they really follow their own whims live. I've seen them play sets where they only play loose covers - everything from rap/r&b, rock, you name it - to playing both opening and closing sets on their day long festival shows. And they extend and meld and do all sorts of wonderful things, not to mention nicknaming their tuba player Tuba Gooding Jr. which always makes me laugh.

[VinylGuy]

The music from most of the Do You Want More?? album is fucking amazing.

[TheDapperGent]

I got into The Roots through skateboarding videos (on VHS!) and my first album was Illadelph Halflife and it may be my favorite record of theirs still. Everything they put out has some really strong material on it though. Things Fall Apart was amazing and I really like Phrenology as well. I haven't kept up with them much beyond seeing the band on TV.

[VinylGuy]

I got into The Roots through skateboarding videos (on VHS!) and my first album was Illadelph Halflife and it may be my favorite record of theirs still. Everything they put out has some really strong material on it though. Things Fall Apart was amazing and I really like Phrenology as well. I haven't kept up with them much beyond seeing the band on TV.

you shoud listen to Undun. Its that good.

[TheDapperGent]

I got into The Roots through skateboarding videos (on VHS!) and my first album was Illadelph Halflife and it may be my favorite record of theirs still. Everything they put out has some really strong material on it though. Things Fall Apart was amazing and I really like Phrenology as well. I haven't kept up with them much beyond seeing the band on TV.

you shoud listen to Undun. Its that good.

I'm rained out again today. No work no moolah.

Today I will undo this oversight and listen to Undun.

[VinylGuy]

I got into The Roots through skateboarding videos (on VHS!) and my first album was Illadelph Halflife and it may be my favorite record of theirs still. Everything they put out has some really strong material on it though. Things Fall Apart was amazing and I really like Phrenology as well. I haven't kept up with them much beyond seeing the band on TV.

you shoud listen to Undun. Its that good.

I'm rained out again today. No work no moolah.

Today I will undo this oversight and listen to Undun.

Share your thoughts after.

[VinylGuy]

" i will not apologize" is fucking awesome.

[contamination]

Undun is fantastic

[TheDapperGent]

I still haven't listened to it

[Gods' Die]

Undun is fantastic

Troof.

[VinylGuy]

I still haven't listened to it

Please do.

And come back after with your thoughts.

[TheDapperGent]

I still haven't listened to it

Please do.

And come back after with your thoughts.

Now I feel pressured!

[VinylGuy]

I still haven't listened to it

Please do.

And come back after with your thoughts.

Now I feel pressured!

yeah, its your responsability.

[dissident32]

New song from Wise Up Ghost. I'm a little disappointed, honestly. Elvis's vocal inflections are taking me out of the melody and the lyrics are pretty lame (especially compared to the protest songs on their collab record with John Legend).

The Roots sound great though. Beautiful little flourishes everywhere.

[VinylGuy]

New song from Wise Up Ghost. I'm a little disappointed, honestly. Elvis's vocal inflections are taking me out of the melody and the lyrics are pretty lame (especially compared to the protest songs on their collab record with John Legend).

The Roots sound great though. Beautiful little flourishes everywhere.

Yeah, somebody shut Costello and leave The Roots´s music alone.

[Kevin Davis]

Something about it does feel a little off--I can hear the good song in there, but Elvis and the band seem to be doing this little dance that never quite syncs up. Undecided at the moment.

[Jorge]

As a huge Elvis Costello fan, I can say that this reminds me of some of my least-favorite EC songs ("Abandon Words", "The Bridge I Burned", "Dust", "The River in Reverse") where it seems like EC abandons his melodic dexterity in favor of a more rhythmic, heavily syncopated approach-- that said, it sounds great and I enjoyed listening to it. I dig it more the more I play it.

I guess my expectations for this collaboration are very high. I want it to sound like this amazing version of "Stations of the Cross" that they played together-- "Stations of the Cross" being a much better song than this new one.