The Haute Critique

Welcome to a new feature on The Haute Critique. It is called Pack and Play. The idea is a short preamble for a groovy time. So gather your wares and prepare to pack, because it is time to play.

Now that you have your stuff in front of you, hit play below at any time.

We start with Eagles of Death Metal. A crass crash. Rusty swagger. Take that ‘tude and feel the tiny bop as you take a hit.

Dissolve. Exhale. Again.

We will slide into the Dirty South with OutKast. Known for kitschy songs about shaking Polaroid pictures on VH1, but the depth and chops Andre and Big Boi have are real. The musicality is top notch. This is not slap dash. That VH1 frenzy is a lost leader. Dive deeper into OutKast and you find rewards of an unparalleled authenticity matched with a musical craft that bubbles up from a soul full of taste. Impeccable taste. Soul Food.

While the groove fills the gaps, lets talk about the rest of this aperitif. Dirty South. Often seen as less than sophisticated, from on high you see it has a secret message. Hear it? No? You will. OutKast stepped up from the low country. A backwater, even for the south. The stew that was heavily seasoned first by slavery, religion, racism, poverty. From this oppression was born self reliance and community. A fierce drive infected the music scene that became The Dirty South. OutKast set the stage for where this generation is going, and it is no mistake that weed is their talisman.

They are followed by Lil Wayne. Holding close to altered states, he is building. Not like a storm, but more like an academy. How do you tap into the alternate world of the spirits that meet at Robert Johnson‘s Crossroads? (hint: this space intentionally left blank) More importantly, what do you do with your enhanced understanding of the power of music? You party!

Today’s lesson: That’s how you let the beat build, bitch.

A powerful message. Hair standing on end. Chills down your spine. It goes boom… ba-boom, boom. The physical sensation alone is the lesson. And there are other disciples.

Lil Wayne stokes primal fires. Death Cab for Cutie and the Akron Family each plumb the same lesson from their smokey lairs. Death Cab with the iced precision of modern alt-pop, and the Akron Family with neo-Manson Family glee.

Liberation through music. That is the goal of this Pack and Play. At sea level, you can catch the hints, but feel that no point exists. Let your feet leave the ground and the true message will implant itself. And that is how you let the beat build.

Playlist –

1. (I Used to Couldn’t dance) Tight Pants by Eagles of Death Metal from Heart On
2. Liberation by OutKast from Aquemini
3. Let the Beat Build by Lil Wayne from Tha Carter III
4. I Will Posses Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie from Narrow Stairs
5. There’s So Many Colors by Akron Family from Love is Simple

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