October 31, 2005
Asamov - And Now…
Released Oct. 18, 2005
on 6 Hole
According to Isaac Asimov’s Zeroth Law of Robotics, “A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.”
In the same vein, Jacksonville’s Asamov refuses to sit back and witness manufactured, inept artists harm real hip-hop. Determined to uphold the culture’s roots and redirect its future, these four emcees deliver an organic, soulful debut album.
“I feel like [nowadays] the bar is lowered in hip-hop for lyrics and originality,” J One-Da said in a recent interview. “Back in the days, you had to be dope on the mic to even speak.”
Each member of Asamov could easily put out a solid solo album, but the group’s chemistry reveals a truly cohesive collective. They all lend their talents to both the vocals and the production, feeding off of each other’s ideas without any one person stealing the spotlight.
The group’s aesthetic and production channels the Native Tongues Posse, recalling the golden era of hip-hop. The feel-good album has a more laid-back vibe than the high-energy live show, yet Asamov thrives in both settings.
Starting Nov. 5, Asamov will be supporting The Perceptionists on a two-week tour from Annondale, N.Y., to Jacksonville, Fla.
October 28, 2005
It looks like the end of a hip-hop rivalry.
A couple months ago Kanye West pulled off collaborations with both Jay-Z and then-nemesis Nas on Late Registration.
In an interview with MTV’s Sway, West admitted to putting Nas on the track behind Jay’s back.
“Good music can break through anything and maybe start to break down the wall between two of the greatest MCs that we have,” he said.
Just yesterday the two hip-hop stars aligned, performing together at Power 105.1’s “Powerhouse 2005: Operation Takeover.”
MTV News detailed the event, noting that “this is what Tupac and Biggie never had a chance to do.”
The fans in East Rutherford roared like the spectators at the Roman Coliseum after a gladiator finished off an opponent. Although both Jay and Nas maintained their composure and avoided cheese smiles, you could tell that under the b-boy cool, they too were taken aback.
And the walls came tumbling down.
October 25, 2005
Animal Collective - Feels
Released Oct. 18
on Fat Cat
Feels finds core Animal Collective members Avey Tare and Panda Bear reunited with Geologist and Deakin, both decidedly absent from 2004’s Sung Tongs. And yes, those are the names they go by. They’ve also been known to perform in animal costumes and masks.
This may all sound like the formula for a throwaway novelty act, but don’t shy away just yet. The music is often just as weird but not without direction or attention to detail.
Geologist explained the group’s antics in a recent interview:
Over the years we’ve done a little dress-up and make-up. It’s sort of about just having fun and a loss of ego. It’s not something we take too seriously, though.
Instead, the Collective focuses on sonic explorations. Slow-strummed guitars and cascading piano lay atop primal drum beats. Found sounds and electronic drones add to the atmosphere. Often-indistinct lyrics and wordless, memorable vocal harmonies soar atop it all.
Of course, not everyone will “get” it. Slant Magazine seems rather unimpressed. Yet last week the group was SPIN.com’s band of the day, and Feels was Stylus Magazine’s album of the week.
You may just find it strangely brilliant.
October 20, 2005
Blockhead - Downtown Science
Released Oct. 18, 2005
on Ninja Tune
Love affairs fall apart and pigeons take flight. Street musicians play rusted instruments, break-dancers flirt with sidewalks and commuters line subway cars. Some prefer to walk the city alone and breathe it all in.
On Downtown Science, Blockhead captures and arranges sounds as diverse as the people and sights found in downtown Manhattan. His sophomore solo effort serves as a fitting soundtrack to the city he has lived in all his life.
Strings and woodwinds mingle with synthesizers and horns. Harmonica and rock guitars add contrast. The funkiest track, “The Art Of Walking,” acts as a nod to the b-boy movement. Dusty vocal samples and downtempo breakbeats lace the album.
Despite the varied instrumentation and emotions, the ambitious work remains cohesive. Blockhead tells a magnificent story without lyrics. The music is enough.
“By the time [debut album] Music by Cavelight dropped I was already somewhere else musically,” Blockhead said in the new album’s press release. “The overall progression is a more complete sound.”
Downtown Science solidifies Blockhead’s status as a compelling hip-hop producer capable of standing on his own.
The CD comes with a DVD containing film interpretations of Music by Cavelight in its entirety.
Highly recommended.
October 18, 2005
Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
Released Oct. 11, 2005
on Epitaph
Two up-and-coming hip-hop superhumans joined forces to produce an album built around the surreal, late-night Adult Swim cartoons.
Beatmaker Danger Mouse came to prominence with the controversial Grey Album. Meanwhile, veteran emcee MF Doom teamed up with the equally-prolific Madlib to release 2004’s acclaimed Madvillainy.
The concept behind the aptly-named Danger Doom collaboration could have been catastrophic. In the end, it is both ludicrous and brilliant. The in-jokes, cameos and skits glue everything together. Listeners unfamiliar with the cartoon references may still laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Metal Face’s blunted wordplay never falters, and the often-missed subtleties make for repeated listenings. At the same time, DM’s whimsical production parallels the comic nature of the album. Neither sacrifices talent for novelty.
As expected,
The Mouse and the Mask polarizes critics.
All Music Guide calls it “the best album of the year in the hip-hop underground,” while
The Guardian remains unamused.
Pitchfork finds a balance:
Danger Doom won’t change your life. It’s not as revealing as Doom’s other work, and Danger Mouse’s big, Technicolor productions here are a little too trivial to be immortal. But for what it attempts–which is basically a comedy record with no-joke skills–it exceeds expectations.
This is a bizarre hip-hop album for the insomniacs whose Friday nights blur into Saturday mornings.
October 13, 2005
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Released Oct. 4, 2005
on Arts & Crafts
Broken Social Scene credits 17 musicians on its self-titled third album. That’s not including the four guests.
The combined sounds they produce are just as colossal, which can be the album’s best or worst attribute. It depends who you ask.
Despite high expectations following 2002’s acclaimed You Forgot It In People, the band refused to include single-worthy material. The album steers clear of any typical pop song structure, and the vocals often get buried in the mix.
Singer/guitarist Kevin Drew told MTV News, “Singles don’t really exist for our band; we don’t live in that world.”
Some will find the songs too busy. The New York Times said, “Broken Social Scene confuses integrity with indulgence, burying good songs under way too much studio tomfoolery.”
But the BSS Collective isn’t aiming at accessibility, and I think that the self-indulgence works.
Drew described the album as an “ethereal, distorted garage-pop record,” adding that “people are gonna (sic) think their speakers are busted.”
The songs swirl and burst. From the more delicate moments to the life-affirming crescendos, the densely layered songs sound best loud and in surround sound.
October 6, 2005
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
Released Sept. 27, 2005
on Sub Pop
Listen to this album lying in bed alone, staring at the ceiling. Or soon you may hear some of its songs blaring out the speakers as you stumble alongside the hipsters during your local club’s indie dance night.
Wolf Parade’s debut full length thrives in both environments. The album’s closing song captures this duality: “Sometimes we rock and roll. Sometimes we stay at home, and it’s just fine.”
Most of the songs build around keyboard-driven fuzzy melodies, driving percussion and repetitive sing-along choruses. The four members of Wolf Parade may break no new musical ground, but they do it so well. And maybe that’s enough.
Frontmen Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug share vocal duties, taking turns in the spotlight. Emotive deliveries and ambiguous lyrics abound. As the songs twist, build and howl, you’re left with their images of bus rides and lonely towns, ghosts and bodies.
Almost no review fails to mention that Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock introduced the band to Sub Pop Records and produced much of this album. Or that the group also lists the Arcade Fire among its friends and comes out of Montreal’s blossoming music scene.
In an interview with cokemachineglow.com, Krug addresses the hype:
I’d like to think we’re good enough to hold peoples’ (sic) attention long enough so they’ll actually listen to the album and come to a show and think about our band outside of [these] terms… I mean, all these different variables add to something, but they have absolutely nothing to do with “the band.”
Wherever you are when you hear this album, set aside your expectations and take it for what it is, regardless of the band’s indie credentials.