Day 2.5, Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt, Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

I have set aside the weekends for “free listening” when I don’t have to force myself twice through an album. Not to say this is really a chore, but if I ignore listening to what I really want to listen to, then I fear music may become strictly academic, which would ruin the entire purpose of this whole endeavor.

But this weekend I half-cheated. I listened to two albums that were on the list, but I already knew them well : Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt, and Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago. Jay-Z is my favorite hip-hop artist, and it’s not just because he made a cameo experience with Phish in 2004. I love him because his flow seems incredibly musical. People often argue that he is too “pop,” but so is Michael Jackson, so are the Beatles. I don’t find that argument valid. Lyrically, he may not dive too deeply into the human psyche, or rap about sun gods and whatnot, but I often find that stuff distracting, anyway. To me, hip-hop is the best scat solo you ever heard, and the words are often just vehicles for the feeling—like a distortion pedal would be for a guitarist. (**Reading this over, I cannot really say I subscribe to this 100%, but I have to leave it in because I like the idea.)

Reasonable Doubt is not my favorite record of his, though it is essential in order to get to know the Jigga Man. I wouldn’t say he was still developing his style on this early record, but I just like other styles he adopted better. He slowed his flow over the years, which leaves more room for nuances of both production and voice. But there is no reasonable doubt—shit is filthy.

Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago is a godly blend of DIY production, melancholy falsetto, and lyrics of a bitter, fallen angel. It is an emotional workout for the heart, but easy on the ears. I sometimes wonder if For Emma, Forever Ago is what every musician’s soul would sound like after heartache, depression, and being isolated in a cabin in the woods for a while. I often consider trying it, but I don’t have enough to be sad about. Which is why I find this album a little overwhelming at times. Its graceful sorrow swoops through the entire thing, and I cannot emotionally match it. And this is not strictly regarding the lyrics. In fact, I can’t understand what the falsetto-singing homie is talking about most of the time (especially when he is singing in unison with himself). He could be singing “I just got laid and I came three times. My girl made me a sandwich afterward and I got backstage tickets to see Wu-Tang Clan tonight” and I would still think he was sad. But “too sad” is no real criticism. Albeit, this is a truly gorgeous album.