Beginning with an incendiary speech by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Dälek’s Gutter Tactics brings the tension while offering only a few moments of resolution. Much like the polarizing preacher who kicks off the LP, dälek (the MC) unflinchingly documents America’s hypocrisies over denser-than-lead beats provided by the Oktopus, the other half of the alt-rap duo. Read more…
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On We Are to Answer, German hip-hop duo Ancient Astronauts explore the abstract spaceways of hip-hop, dub and electronic, bringing back with them an evocative set of instrumentals and vocal collaborations. Album opener “From the Sky” features gritty kicks and scratched-up vocal samples that slice through an otherwise tranquil instrumental. Here, the layering of seemingly incongruous musical elements combine to make a satisfying whole, setting the table for the many sonic juxtapositions throughout the album. Read more…
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Welcome to Scokland, Keak da Sneak’s fourth release of 2008, finds the forever-grinding Oakland MC in collaboration with San Francisco-based rapper San Quinn. Over 19 skit-free, subwoofer-certified tracks, the Bay Area veterans rep the hyphy movement to the fullest. Read more…
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On Universal Mind Control, Common revisits the electro-based beats featured on 2002’s Electric Circus. Soliciting the Neptunes for the majority of the tracks, Common abandons his trademark ’70s soul-sample backdrops for keyboard-driven future-funk. Unfortunately, the aesthetic clash results in an uninspired and unnecessary album that adds nada to his impressive discography and will likely leave his die hard fans scratching their heads. Read more…
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Everything is Borrowed, the fourth LP from The Streets, aka Mike Skinner, ditches the bitter self-loathing from his last album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living, in favor of refined self-reflection and philosophical gibberish. Throughout the album, Skinner wrecks potentially good tracks by nonchalantly dropping pedestrian verses straight out of 9th grade creative writing class:
“The wind of change won’t whistle me away
If I spin my tails and sail
And sail away
Let yesterday become today”
The production quality is also suspect. Skinner has always been accompanied by sparse beats and Everything is Borrowed is no exception. But since he has taken some heat off of his vocal fastball, the over-compressed backing tracks sound particularly static. “The Way of the Dodo” and “Never Give In” have all the makings of quality music, but their mixes don’t hit hard enough. This leaves Skinner and his apathetic voice sounding naked on the track.
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Following back-to-back underground classics, Murs for President finds Murs with a larger constituency to which deliver his message. The album marks Murs’ major label debut, and while there are plenty of good tracks here, Murs for President is too calculated and far-reaching to compete with the lo-fi excitement of his indie work. Read more…
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Suffer in Style, the debut album from duo Look Daggers, is a Los Angeles-centric take on the live hip-hop blueprint crafted by the Roots. Instead of the smoothed out jazziness that was a trademark of the Roots’ early style, Look Daggers lean heavily on L.A. musical multiculturalism. Think genre blending Southern California acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ozomatli and Sublime as a signpost for the Look Daggers sound. Read more…
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Three albums in, Kanye West has built his empire on alternatively criticizing and celebrating his contradictions. This duality, which often manifests itself annoyingly in public, but brilliantly in his music, has made ‘Ye the self-proclaimed “voice of this generation.” If his first three records were a celebration of his rise to the top of the pop heap, then the fourth, 808s & Heartbreak, is the come down.
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On The Bake Sale, MySpace and music blog sensations The Cool Kids live up to the critical geekage by resurrecting the sound and spirit of hip-hop’s golden era. The Cool Kids, consisting of Chicago duo Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, work primarily within the minimalist boom bap template of late ’80s hip-hop. Every woodblock, 808 kick drum, and punchy snare on the album is meticulously placed with old school vibe in mind. Read more…
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