Soundtrack of Your Life: Luscious Jackson - "Citysong"

LUSCIOUS JACKSON - "CITYSONG"

After mentioning the Beastie Boys art tribute, it looks as if it's a Grand Royal kind of day, so I want to talk about one of my very favorite 90's bands, Luscious Jackson. Known as "The Female Beasties" for a good part of their early career (drummer Kate Shellenbach was a member of the Beastie Boys in their incipient hardcore days [way back in 1979!!]), they ended up being a semi-controversial (critics often railed on their sometimes lacking live shows and flat vocals) but always empowering and influential (Northern State, M.I.A. and Santogold owe a little something to L. Jackson) group.

Though I was introduced to the band by their 1992 EP "In Search of Manny," I was hooked in as a fan by the single "Citysong" off their 1994 album "Natural Ingredients." Though it is worth talking about this excellent record in its entirety, "Citysong" is unique to the adventurous spirit of 90's rock music.

What I love about this song is that I totally related to it as a young girl forging her identity in New York City. It manages to capture the hazy laziness of a miserably humid NYC day, coupled with the contradictory itchy frustration and elation that residents feel at the frenzied pace of the city. It's one of the loveliest musical snapshots of the city ever taken, and it's got a hot beat that you can actually dance too. And, white chicks are playing it.

This last aspect I felt was harped on too much with this band: I loved the quintessential New York-ness of four white women creating street-credible, attitude-laden hip-hop and rock. New Yorkers transcend boundaries and categories of every stripe, and they were no different. They were kind of like the white version of ESG (70's and 80's South Bronx-based post-punk/dance/hip-hop band), whom you should also check out by the way.

Here's the perfect video that accompanied "Citysong" back then:


Tamra Davis (who happens to be married to Mike D of the Beasties), who so ably directed this fine video, also directed a slew of memorable 90's videos, including a bunch for Sonic Youth and The Lemonheads, and one of my fave 90's films, "Guncrazy" (1992), featuring the then-newly-skinny Drew Barrymore. She also directed "Half-Baked" (1998), which garners her points in my book.