Anna Minard, our city hall reporter, claims to "know nothing about music." For this column, we're forcing her to listen to all the records that music nerds consider important.
Somehow the most important first thing about Digable Planets is that name. These are not planets that should be dug. Nor are they planets doing digging. They haven't necessarily been dug. "Here are some planets," say these people. "It is possible to dig them. They could, hypothetically, be dug. We're leaving that up to you." The planets are digable. They don't go so far as to say Dug Planets or Dig These Planets or You Are So Going to Dig These Amazing Planets. (That's the Buzzfeed version of the band name. First album: Track Seven Will Blow Your Mind.) Quietly, chilled-out, you can dig these if you so choose.
And dig them I do. That mood, that chill, permeates every second of this album. It's lyrically impressive, but the overall theme is so anti-hyperactive. The low tones, horn and piano lines, and calm beats burrow into your brain, pulsing like cartoon sound waves.
There's a female voice in here, and though I love nothing more than female swagger, she's as chill as the dudes...
