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Remember Afroman? Unless you are an exchange student from Latvia, the answer is of course you do. It was this lovable court jester who entertained millions with "Because I Got High."
His ode to getting really blown and ignoring responsibilities sparked a ubiquitous catchphrase some six years ago. Simply excuse your ineptitude with "because I got high" and your worries were washed away through sidesplitting laughter.
"I was gonna pay my tuition ... but then I got high."
Believe it or not, today, the man born Joseph Foreman releases his eighth full-length album, all coming after 2000's "Because I Got High." Still Drunk and High finds Mr. Fro well, and still very much drunk and high. Song titles include "Let's All Get Drunk," "I Live in a Van" and "Scrollin' Thru My Bitches."
This album is especially odd because he's a one-trick pony.
You can just picture the A&R representative's excuse - "I was gonna drop Afroman from our label's roster ... but then I got high."
During his closing Saturday night set at South by Southwest, Chris Carrabba was feeling under the weather. Deciding his best option was to perform an old-fashioned acoustic set (the kind that made him famous), Carrabba took the stage strapped with a six-string and a wealth of mini-romance novels suited for sing-alongs.
Four numbers into the show, the wristband-sporting faithful grew bored and walked across the street to catch Ghostface Killah at La Zona Rosa.
Dashboard Confessional has smoothly morphed into a radio powerhouse, but in doing so they've effectively ended an era of grassroots-driven emo. It is simply impossible to take one sad dude with tats and tears seriously anymore, given the sheer volume of imitators.
At 31, Carrabba knows this better than anyone. His solution is simple: Start writing breakup anthems for the general public rather than alienated 17-year-olds.
Dusk and Summer is an album full of the earnest sentiments expressed on "Vindicated," Dashboard's mush-tastic, cathartic ballad from "Spiderman 2." Therein lies Carrabba's genius: He brings out the inner-Peter Parker in people. This time with piano and violins to cement the sentiment.
"Don't Wait" climaxes to an emotional roar like the last argument in a strained relationship. "The Secrets in the Telling" demands to be blasted from a boom box outside your crush's apartment and both show why the heart-broken emo hero is now a heartstring-pulling puppet master.
Artist: Z-Ro Album: 4/20 the Smokers Anthem Label: KMJ
Z-Ro's "From the South" was a seriously underrated single from summer '05. Sadly, it's a good indicator of Z-Ro's career as the "king of the ghetto" was unable to benefit from last year's Houston boom.
He raps like 2Pac with a harsh growl, providing the perfect soundtrack for drive-by shootings, pick up basketball games and Sunday cookouts - sometimes all on the same song.
Unfortunately for connoisseurs, Z-Ro publicly announced his retirement immediately following the Rap-A-Lot Records release of his final album. Said record hits shelves in August.
4/20 the Smokers Anthem is his ninth compilation release done with members of the Screwed Up Click {Background}. While it pales in comparison to classics like Z-Ro vs. the World and even last year's Let the Truth be Told, it thoroughly bumps, and has quality smoke-out songs.
Often times, the best way to describe an album isn't by trying to be highbrow and witty. In fact, more often than not, reviewers come across as cynical jerks trying to bite better publications.
For example, the most direct and effective way to describe Billy Talent is as follows: They seriously kick ass.
Like AFI, Billy Talent is spending their summer on the Warped Tour (though skipping out on the Texas dates) in support of a new album. Like AFI before, they incorporated synthesizers and became mascara-clad chumps. Billy Talent is a bruising, street punk band with Goth imagery and fist-pumping chants to spare.
"Devil in a Midnight Mass" jump-starts the Ontario quartet's second album with the furious pace of a drunken jog through a cemetery. Meanwhile, Billy Talent unapologetically embraces clichés like lip rings and "Atticus" tees as they grippingly rock out for 40 minutes.
Artist: Lostprophets Album: Liberation Transmission Label: Columbia
These UK heavy-hitters spend their third album aggressively trying to get made by MTV through simplistic songs like "Everybody's Screaming." Lyrics include rhyming "screaming" with "breathing" repeatedly, and lines like, "I'm trying to see the world through blood shot eyes."
It didn't have to be like this. 2001's The Fake Sound of Progress was released amidst a dense fog of rap-rock, yet refreshingly did its part in exposing the pretenders.
But now, their carefully orchestrated "angry parts" are as meticulously layered and styled as their faux-hawks. Lostprophets are joining the ranks of Avenged Sevenfold and The Used with middle school metal.
Where "Shinobi V. Dragon Ninja" came with raw energy and passion, tracks such as "Rooftops" now draw influence from Story of the Year. The results are watered-down screamo with a British accent.
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Four Tet is actually just one DJ, a guy named Kieran Hebden. For his fifth album, the laid-back, experimental craftsman has decided to present a mix tape of his favorite songs.
While this move may sound a bit indulgent and lame, the fresh electronica spin he gives artists ranging from Curtis Mayfield to Stereolab makes the project a triumph in ambient noise.
Artist: Lil' Flip Album: I Need Mine Label: Sony
The self-proclaimed freestyle king has been able to carve himself out a career with signature Texas singles like "Game Over." This time around it's more of the same: hardcore rants about street life, cars you can't afford and an outpouring of love for his hometown of Houston.
Flip's thug credibility may have been recently called into question but I Need Mine brashly reclaims it. Don't expect him to play any more UT frat parties.
Artist: Ray Cash Album: Cash On Delivery Label: Sony
Cash is too talented not to be a long-time force in rap. Conversely, he's too gangster for bubble gum BET shows. As such, his label has no idea how to package him.
He's also from Cleveland, which is just weird.
Artist: Balun Album: Something Comes Our Way Label: Brilliante
This San Juan indie-electronica trio cooks up crazy-delicious textures on a debut on par with the genre's greats.
Artist: John Lee Hooker Jr. Album: Cold As Ice Label: Telarc
Detroit blues from the son of a legend. Though if he weren't John Lee Hooker's son, most would write off junior based on the absurd cover alone. Just picture a black man draped in all white, arms crossed, standing atop a glacier.
Let's hope the album isn't as literal.
Neo-soul is a tough genre to pin down, but artists who are black and shop at thrift stores always get lumped in, no matter the sound.
Not as smooth as D'Angelo or technically gifted as Alicia Keys, Arie spends Testimony trying to be Lauryn Hill and comes close on the better songs like "These Eyes."
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