Game Theory is the Roots' equivalent of a Funkadelic playlist containing "Wars of Armageddon," "Cosmic Slop," "Maggot Brain," "March to the Witch's Castle," and "America Eats Its Young." It's a vivid reflector of the times, not an escape hatch (of which there are several readily available options). Spinning turbulence, paranoia, anger, and pain into some of the most exhilarating and startling music released in 2006, the group is audibly galvanized by the world's neverending tailspin and a sympathetic alignment with Def Jam. Batting around stray ideas and squeezing them into shape was clearly not part of the plan, and neither was getting on the radio. The songs flow into and out of one another to optimal effect, with an impossibly stern sense of peak-of-powers focus, as if the group and its collaborators instantly locked into place and simply knocked the thing out. With the exception of the elbow-throwing "Here I Come," nothing here is suitable for any kind of carefree activity. The extent of the album's caustic nature is tipped off early on, after glancing at the hangman on the cover and hearing Wadud Ahmad's penetrating voice run through lines like "Pilgrims, slaves, Indians, Mexicans/It looks real f*cked up for your next of kin." The point at which the album kicks into full gear, just a couple minutes later, arrives when tumbling bass drums and a Sly & the Family Stone sample ("This is a game/I'm your specimen") are suddenly overtaken by pure panic -- pulse-racing drums, anxious organ jabs, pent-up guitar snarls, and breathless rhyming from Black Thought and Malik B. "In the Music" exemplifies the deeply textured nature of the album's production work, with its rolling/roiling rhythm -- throbbing bass, clanging percussion, tight spirals of guitar -- made all the more claustrophobic by Porn's amorphous chorus and Black Thought's and Malik B.'s hunched-shoulder deliveries. Even "Baby," the closest thing to a breather in this patch of the album, arises from a sweltering jungle bog. After "Long Time," the ninth track, the levels of tension and volume decrease, yet the moods are no brighter, even if the surfaces leave a different impression. "Clock with No Hands" is introduced as a sweet slow jam with a light vocal hook from Mercedes Martinez, but it's as paranoid as anything else on the album. Jack Davey projects the chorus of the slower, Radiohead-sampling "Atonement" in a druggy haze while Black Thought speaks of "being faced with the weight of survival." The closer, an eight-minute suite titled "Can't Stop This," features a J Dilla production -- previewed on his Donuts, released the week he left this planet -- that opens and closes with testimonials to the musician's talent and humanity. Taken with or without this staggering finale, Game Theory is a heavy album, the Roots' sharpest work. It's destined to become one of Def Jam's proudest, if not most popular, moments.
A laid back but throughly swingin' groove hooked with some guitar work that wouldn't be out of place on Philadelphia International Record from the 70's(Many of which had writing or production from the featured Bunny Sigler), sets the table, but Black Thought's first verse makes this my fav track on the record.He mentions the statue on city hall (William Penn), calls out his neighborhood (Sout...
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Hey MOG, you're looking nice today. Was that for the weather? The weather goes up, the coverage goes down. I'm just saying, not meaning. You're like a metaphor, you're hard to get. I'm back. Put on your jam and chillllllll.1. The Legendary. The world famous.One week to the date, I was at the renowned NorVa concert hall, ten minutes from my house in South Norfolk, which is in Chesapeake. I went...
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So, turns out I can't go to the roots show on the 7th of February. I'm gonna be on a school trip to Olympic Park, Washington, which is cool, but it's unfortunate that they fall on the same week. For all of you who have not seen the roots live, I highly recommend fixing that ASAP. They are one of the best live bands I have ever seen.In other news, TV on the Radio is doing 2 shows in San Francisc...
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I'm back home, and I want to see live music. So, I went to the NorVa website to see what was up, possibly lowering myself to Senses Fail. What do I see on the front page? TICKETS FOR THE ROOTS AND LUPE FIASCO ON SALE TOMORROW today really).Oh, I'm going. Also, the songs list is a better reflection of what I'm listening to.
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A laid back but throughly swingin' groove hooked with some guitar work that wouldn't be out of place on Philadelphia International Record from the 70's(Many of which had writing or production from the featured Bunny Sigler), sets the table, but Black Thought's first verse makes this my fav track on the record.He mentions the statue on city hall (William Penn), calls out his neighborhood (Sout...
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WTF is up with MOG? David, fix this bad boy! I tried to do a search for these guys, and the hyperlink for the Roots Artist page took me to the "find people" link. And can I just take a minute to say the "nofollow" link on the login drives me STRAIGHT UP THE F***N WALL? I don't like cookies David.Ok, rant concluded. Back to the song that brought me back to hip-hop: the most brilliant Philly soun...
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yeah,its non-musical post time after the Eagles win the wild card game...... still high over last week's smackdown over the Cowboys though! other random thought: why would iTunes categorize this album as a compilation? some weird file managment things occur in itunes it seems to me.
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The Roots have consistently made great albums since I was in high school (I gruaduated in '95). This album is easily the best of their last few...but, is it gonna chart? The beats are still bangin'. Black Thoughts lyrics are still head-spinning. The soundscape is still unique. But, this isn't the album we've been waiting for...the album that finally combines incredible music with commercia...
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Gotta turn this song way up every time, sick drums.
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For your pleasure and disgust, here's the next installment of instant reviews based on your recomendations (they're just honest first impressions, kids, don't hate). Got an album suggestion? I welcome it!And we're off:*The Roots* - ??Game Theory?? (recommended by several MOGgers over the past few weeks)Instant rating: -blows- -ehhh- -whelming- -worth a few spins- you gotta hear this -buy it now...
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Hey MOG, you're looking nice today. Was that for the weather? The weather goes up, the coverage goes down. I'm just saying, not meaning. You're like a metaphor, you're hard to get. I'm back. Put on your jam and chillllllll.1. The Legendary. The world famous.One week to the date, I was at the renowned NorVa concert hall, ten minutes from my house in South Norfolk, which is in Chesapeake. I went...
More >
I'm back home, and I want to see live music. So, I went to the NorVa website to see what was up, possibly lowering myself to Senses Fail. What do I see on the front page? TICKETS FOR THE ROOTS AND LUPE FIASCO ON SALE TOMORROW today really).Oh, I'm going. Also, the songs list is a better reflection of what I'm listening to.
More >
So, turns out I can't go to the roots show on the 7th of February. I'm gonna be on a school trip to Olympic Park, Washington, which is cool, but it's unfortunate that they fall on the same week. For all of you who have not seen the roots live, I highly recommend fixing that ASAP. They are one of the best live bands I have ever seen.In other news, TV on the Radio is doing 2 shows in San Francisc...
More >
as a semi-local in the past, i would know...but you don't have be from the area to appreciate the smart lyrics and drop-dead beats from these hip-hop artists who actually know how to play their instruments (say what?!), but take it from black thought when he describes south philly, "...if you into sight seein don't visit there." he’s absolutely right.i was introduced to the roots in high school.
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I had originally written this as a comment to Spencer Owen's excellent post.Anyway, I spent Friday night at work going back and forth between listening to this and Pharoah Sanders Live in Nice (1971, from a French FM broadcast). I must have listened to Game Theory three times, but I don’t know which tunes I liked better because I was working and didn’t stop to look at the cover.It is always an
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Here is #2 by The Roots. Its from their latest album, Game Theory, and the track is Atonement. The sample is Radiohead's "You and whose army?" from their "Amnesiac" album. Enjoy
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My friend gave me the new Roots album, Game Theory, for my birthday and I love it. By no means a hip-hop buff, I can say nothing intellegent about the album other than that I really like it. In the Music is an awesome track, and if you don't get the whole album, everyone should at least find that song.
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Over the past decade, The Roots have positioned themselves as a great band who remain true to their "roots" even if it means less than stellar sales. So when they signed with Jay-Z and Def Jam Records last September, it was clear they were going for the kind of commercial success Jay-Z has. The question: Would they have to lose what made them special to take the step up in appeal? The answer: A...
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http://rap.about.com/od/intervie2/a/RootsInterview.htmI thought the Jay Z comments were interesting. Hov's putting a spin on the artist label dynamic: "Yo, I'm not Jimmy Iovine. Don't come here with no bullsh*t. If y'all come here with snap music, I'm snapping y'all the f*ck out of my audience. If I hear y'all remotely trying to jump on some trend or all of a sudden, Tariq got a southern acc...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Dilltastic Vol Won(derful) |
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| 2 False Media |
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| 3 Game Theory |
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| 4 Don't Feel Right |
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| 5 In the Music |
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| 6 Take It There |
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| 7 Baby |
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| 8 Here I Come |
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| 9 Long Time |
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| 10 Livin' in a New World |
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| 11 Clock with No Hands |
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| 12 Atonement |
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| 13 Can't Stop This |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Game Theory")
