GZA

Let it stew in the subconscious, where the real Wu-Tang decoding begins, but to my ears GZA's new Pro Tools (Babygrande) sounds like one of the more delirious and imaginative Wu-Tang-related releases since GZA's own Wu-fan-favorite Liquid Swords (from 1995), a classic he's been performing live in toto this year. At least "Life Is a Movie" deserves the Gnarls Barkley-sized crossover it won't get, from its Gary Numan-esque synth whack to a funny born-loser chorus ("sometimes I feel like my life's a movie/I don't like to film/I don't like the film") warbled by Irfane Khan-Acito of the Parisian electronic group Outlines. "I contracted lung cancer from third-hand smoke," quips the Genius. "The man who hit lotto and lost his ticket/In a rainstorm, and struck by lightning trying to get it." With devilish local hero Muja Messiah, and special guests to be announced.
Thu., Sept. 4, 8 p.m., 2008