Check out My Gravel Pit, Then Oogle Michael Cera

Hands down the best album release of this week is Wu Tang's newest album, 8 Diagrams. I already told you guys the first single, "The Heart Gently Weeps" is pure audio orgasm; better than getting felt up for the first time in the backseat of your boyfriends Pinto. The eight of course refers the Wu member count - down one since the passing of Ol' Dirty Bastard in 2004. Lydia has always had her favorites: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon the Chef, Inspectah Deck, and an on and off love affair with the genius of RZA. The first two I respect as solo artists, as both have successfully translated the genius of the Wu into stand-alone efforts worth critical acclaim. In terms of the group, I can't get enough of Deck - always the standout lyricist with a heavy repertoire of metaphors to make his relaxed stylings go down even smoother. RZA deserves a respect and fear all his own. The producer extraordinaire has not only done wonders for the group's albums like Wu Tang Forever, but hes most recently dipped his talents into major motion picture score composition. Lydia absolutely adores the work he did on the fan-favorite flick Kill Bill. And yet, I remain terrfied of his reputation for involvement with the Gambino crime family, once headed by John Gotti, and the inspiration for FBI investigations and a general terror among fans. Some people get off on it, but organized crime is simply too messy for me. Jimmy Hoffa, I'm still looking for you.

I definitely give my go-ahead to purchase this notable album. I think you'll see a flickers of classic Wu, reminiscent of days when Flo-Rida didn't ride to the top of the charts with a shitty song called "Low." Of course, the album is not without its flaws. Several of the old-school Wu aspects are still sorely lacking, including the creepy sci-fi vibes thematic of past tracks, and the stellar collaboration chemistry between Ghost and RZA. I mentioned last week that GF's new album was somewhat of a disappointment - the rapper seems to have sacrificed his place on the 8 (hes only in 3 tracks) to concentrate on his latest, rather mediocre solo effort, The Big Doe Rehab. The magic of RZA and Ghost together is necessary. I would have preferred they collabed on one, outstanding album rather than one great album and another sub-par one for release.

I still recommend catching the group live if you can. Here are the relevant tour dates - snag tix if you're lucky.

Sun, 12/23/07 09:00 PM	House of Blues Sunset Strip Hollywood, CA	Wu Tang Clan	Find Tickets »
Sun, 12/30/07 08:00 PM	Showbox SoDo Seattle, WA	Wu Tang Clan	Find Tickets »
Thu, 01/03/08 07:00 PM	House of Blues Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	Wu Tang Clan

Other great albums this week include the lovable, and irresistibly sweet soundtrack to the motion picture Juno. I'm so upset I didn't plug this film sooner, as it has been sitting on my list of movies I'd actually sacrifice ten dollars to see for quite some time now. Michael Cera has been charming me since his turn on Arrested Development, seemingly always typecast as the awkward ______ (fill in the blank). And Ellen Page, the lead, has definitely left an impression on my psyche since seeing her terrorize a pedophile in the insanely dark comedy(?) Hard Candy. The official tagline for the movie is "A comedy about growing up... and the bumps along the way." The bump for Page's character Juno, turns out to be an unplanned teenage pregnancy. The film is a heartwarming exploration of Juno's relationships with the baby's father (Cera), her own family, and her subsequent decision to give the baby up for adoption. A special bonus for all you cult AD fans like me, is a little on-screen reunion between Jason Bateman and Michael Cera - this time in quite a different capacity than Bluth father and son. The film also stars the hilarious Rainn Wilson; may the Dwight fan in all of us rejoice. Me lovey the comedy! Go see it.



The Juno soundtrack includes tracks from favorite contemporary bands such as Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth, and The Moldy Peaches, as well as old favorites by The Kinks and The Velvet Underground. Could it get any better? Well, yes it can! Cera and Page have one folkish duet on the record entitled "Anyone Else But You," and we love it! We want to ball it up and put it in our pocket and sleep with it under our pillow each night. Many people don't know this, but Cera is actually quite a talented musician. He and a friend have a band called 'The Long Goodbye' and despite the low-quality of the lone leaked track, you can tell the boy's got the chops to make it as an indie rocker.

Belle & Sebastian - Piazza, New York Catcher

Sonic Youth - Superstar

The Kinks - A Well Respected Man

The Long Goodbye - Leading Man

Other notable releases this week:

• Boys Noize - Lava Lava EP
• Damian Rice - Live from Union Chapel
• Robbers on High Street - Seasons Greetings (Single)
• The White Stripes - Conquest EP
  

In the interest of further procrastination I seem to have become obsessed with HBO's Flight of the Conchords. Usually I think I'm ahead of the curve on TV and music, but this time I've jumped on board the phenomenon a little late. Sorry Jemaine and Bret. Heres a bonus track from their EP entitled The Distant Future and a sweet video to turn that finals-induced frown upside down. Hilarious.

Bonus Track - Flight of the Conchords - If You're Into It

Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros Video - Episode Three