Another example today of an artist that just seems to draw the roll of the dice. I have five albums by these guys, and this is already my 4th review. Yet still...no...Blue Oyster Cult!
Disc 177 is...III: Temples of Boom
Artist: Cypress Hill
Year of Release: 1995
What’s Up With The Cover?: A lone robed figure walks a raised staircase toward an archway. Whither does this eldritch archway lead? It could be only one place - the Temple of Boom! As temples go, a temple of boom ranks pretty high on my list.
How I Came To Know It: Having written earlier about how I came to know Cypress Hill dating all the way back to Disc 57, I'll just say - via Spence, and buying "Temples of Boom" is just me logically drilling through the collection. This is their third album, and I bought it third. See - logical - like the terminator offing people named Sara Connors, only in this case no one dies (but they rap about it a lot).
How It Stacks Up: I have five Cypress Hill albums. I'd put this one middle of the pack - so third.
Rating: 3 stars.
I'm not sure what new there is to say about Cypress Hill. As I've mentioned before, they rap about three main topics; killin' folks, smokin' dope and killin' folks tryin' to steal your dope. They cover these topics thoroughly and well.
"Temples of Boom" is no exception, and this album lays down the usual themes with some surprisingly bluesy laid back beats to match them. This time around, I also noticed the hollow, fuzzy sound to their beats - like you're hearing it through a haze of some kind. I'm sure that metaphor would well-please the band.
This album also features the song "Illusions" which is not only a good rap song, but also delivers a great rap opening:
"Some people tell me that I need help
Some people should fuck off and go to hell."
Yeah - Cypress Hill aren't really big on the psychotherapy, I guess.
Anyway, other than this, I also enjoyed a nasty track of the 'killin' folks' variety called "Boom Biddy Bye Bye." It has a harsh rap depicting graphic violence, coupled with a very bluesy relaxed back beat. It is a strange, but effective pairing which is indicative of the vibe throughout the record.
I also enjoyed "No Rest For the Wicked" which is one of those famous rap battle songs of the nineties - this one aimed at Ice Cube. Best of all, neither Ice Cube nor Cypress Hill had to die over it - it is just a tough rap, which is how rap should be - no actual violence necessary.
There are quite a few good tracks, although Cypress Hill once again samples in little bits of dialogue before and after songs (but part of the tracks) which are a little distracting.
Best tracks: Throw Your Set In The Air, Illusions, Boom Biddy Bye Bye, No Rest For the Wicked, Let It Rain.
Disc 177 is...III: Temples of Boom
Artist: Cypress HillYear of Release: 1995
What’s Up With The Cover?: A lone robed figure walks a raised staircase toward an archway. Whither does this eldritch archway lead? It could be only one place - the Temple of Boom! As temples go, a temple of boom ranks pretty high on my list.
How I Came To Know It: Having written earlier about how I came to know Cypress Hill dating all the way back to Disc 57, I'll just say - via Spence, and buying "Temples of Boom" is just me logically drilling through the collection. This is their third album, and I bought it third. See - logical - like the terminator offing people named Sara Connors, only in this case no one dies (but they rap about it a lot).
How It Stacks Up: I have five Cypress Hill albums. I'd put this one middle of the pack - so third.
Rating: 3 stars.
I'm not sure what new there is to say about Cypress Hill. As I've mentioned before, they rap about three main topics; killin' folks, smokin' dope and killin' folks tryin' to steal your dope. They cover these topics thoroughly and well.
"Temples of Boom" is no exception, and this album lays down the usual themes with some surprisingly bluesy laid back beats to match them. This time around, I also noticed the hollow, fuzzy sound to their beats - like you're hearing it through a haze of some kind. I'm sure that metaphor would well-please the band.
This album also features the song "Illusions" which is not only a good rap song, but also delivers a great rap opening:
"Some people tell me that I need help
Some people should fuck off and go to hell."
Yeah - Cypress Hill aren't really big on the psychotherapy, I guess.
Anyway, other than this, I also enjoyed a nasty track of the 'killin' folks' variety called "Boom Biddy Bye Bye." It has a harsh rap depicting graphic violence, coupled with a very bluesy relaxed back beat. It is a strange, but effective pairing which is indicative of the vibe throughout the record.
I also enjoyed "No Rest For the Wicked" which is one of those famous rap battle songs of the nineties - this one aimed at Ice Cube. Best of all, neither Ice Cube nor Cypress Hill had to die over it - it is just a tough rap, which is how rap should be - no actual violence necessary.
There are quite a few good tracks, although Cypress Hill once again samples in little bits of dialogue before and after songs (but part of the tracks) which are a little distracting.
Best tracks: Throw Your Set In The Air, Illusions, Boom Biddy Bye Bye, No Rest For the Wicked, Let It Rain.
1 comment:
Freaking love this album. In first year sociology, we had to write our term paper on a song - deconstruct it, tie it in to the literature and sociological method, etc. I chose "Throw your set in the air" because it starts with the gang initiation/hazing ceremony (the beat down).
I got totally carried away with this. I produced twice the paper required (25 single space instead of double), disecting every lyric and tying it into studies of chicano gangs, and even managed to cite Ice T's "The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck" (A surprisingly good book, btw).
The T.A. who marked me must have been a fan because I got 108% (100 plus 8 bonus points). I still have it and have always been tempting to nerd out hardcore and mail it to the band somehow.
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