Janelle Monáe "Metropolis: The Chase Suite" (2008)

 

Prelude to The Archandroid and first installment of a conceptual series of records, Metropolis is a fair introduction to Janelle's quirks as an artist. For this listener, the spoils of what follows overshadows its charms. Metropolis plays as another union of instrumentals reaching into a diverse past for inspiration, paired with sharp, groove inducing percussion, its a fantastic reinvention of timeless musical expressions.

With March Of The Wolfmasters, the thematic premise is laid bare, somewhat spelt out. Outlawed robotic romantics, a vision of science fiction imagined future, plucked from the 20th centuries early decades and intermingled with a very human narrative. So to does the music plunder gloriously with trumpeted Swing band elements, theatrical string sections and stabbing horror organ melodies spun to a jovial rhythm.

Although a brief EP, its focus slips at the end with Mr. President. Pivoting to a plea on current social woes, the shift in tone is jarring. Then proceeded by a cover of Smile her incredible voice sadly doesn't quite suite. It was however an excuse to learn about a song covered many times, going far back to Charlie Chaplin. On Metropolis, Its clear the groundwork was laid for great things to follow, however the core three songs that merited this thematic inspiration was ready for more at this point in time.

Rating: 5/10

Humanoid "Remembering Universe" (2008)

Reaching out from years gone by, my music archive now has many callings, records that carve their own niche and frequent the mind of this explorer. How I found Remembering Universe is a mystery to me now but I fondly remember the fascination with its cold and sombre astral temperament. As a Metal adjacent project, this acoustic guitar performance and its reverb soaked atmospheres glide from grace into tangles of abrasive complexity not far from metallic onslaught. With flourishes of cosmic sound design wedged in between its blooms of warm color feel chained to the shivering tone of its steel acoustic strings. Despite the name, it feels all so impersonal and inhuman, like an alien observation of wonders found through the universe.

The music is an indulgence of stringed instrumentation. With the textured bends and moody slides of a fretless base guitar accompanying this twelve string acoustic and "synth guitar", the Canadian musician operating under the name Humanoid pulls a warm range of texture and style from a small collection of instruments. Its style and atmospheric execution always felt so distinct to me yet with analytic ears I now hear similarities to the dexterous fretwork of Animals As Leaders & Gru. However this predates both of those, suggesting deeper origins in the Progressive Metal scene.

That is, however, just a footnote on this meandering journey of exotic, Jazzy instrumentation exploring ambiguous melody and distant moods through sways between simplicity and complexity. Its musical arrangements wander aimlessly, perusing its own passing by. Its most structured songs arrive in the four part Passages. It brings onboard distortion guitars for texture and an artsy, expressive drumming performance, devoid of simple beats to rock with, they groan and moan with surges of energy and moments of quite that lull between.

All in all, Remembering Universe is a very distinct project that's hard to put a finger on. Similar to some yet oddly alien, cosmic and cold. Although I have never been too overwhelmed by its company, the inhuman beauty and flushes of atmospheric winds have always called back to me. Its spell is calming and clambers into the background when one is preoccupied. The flow is sporadic, unstructured and its best moments are sprinkled throughout, however they have always warmed me.

Rating: 8/10

Earth "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull" (2008)

With the pandemic slowing the pace of new music by the artists I follow, I've noticed the freed time has had me picking out forgotten treasures. It is much fun to revisit old favorites and after blowing the dust of Hibernaculum we get to revive the one about the bees and the lion! I never got deep into this one upon release and the reason is swiftly apparent - Its all to similar. Earth's slow, drudging pace and methodical unraveling of suspended, elongated chords and melodies brews a warm atmosphere. Once familiar with the niche, it dissipates too a mood, one to be conjured but hardly encapsulated by.

With its axis a little more woven into the softly distorted guitars, texture and aesthetic ooze from the speakers as its melodies clime to unleash brooding chords that ring out in slow motion. In its simplicity, amalgamating layers of ambiguous hazy noise gush forth from its crashing power. Heard best in its opening songs, the charm wears off as future songs pivot more so to the piano as the lead instrument and in this relegates itself to a less imbued form.

Rise To Glory introduces a remarkably hazy guitar solo that ebbs and flows in its shoe-gazing presence, sluggish and reflexive, its grasp on tension and human expression is suddenly cut short as a sudden pivot ushers in the pianos phase. Hung From The Moon goes there again with the piano but its not quite the same. This additional layer, free from the grinding pace yet flowing with a complimenting looseness is wonderful, a stand out element that doesn't get much time to flourish. With this they had something but without, its all to similar and the record tends to drift to the background, where it sets a fine and soothing mood of calmness and ease. A good record but its clear now why it didn't stick with me back then.

Rating: 6/10

Shade Empire "Zero Nexus" (2008)

 

Released five years before their almighty Arcane Omega, Zero Nexus is another fumbling block on a patchy path of production hell that seems to drop the ball for the same reasons once again. Putting forth its extreme elements in imbalance, it is the snarling snout of Harju that groans its guttural filth loudly with a textured harshness to drown out the quite and underwhelmed synths. The distortion guitars too have subtlety drained as the details of its fretwork get lost under the mechanical rattle of pounding drums.

Its musical ideas are lost in the muddy wash of sound that pivots on a lot of Industrial grooves. Interchanged rhythmic pummeling drives on harshly as the strike of snares and kick drums flood the music with aggression. Attentive ears can pick out the pianos, strings and electronic tones dispersed between, all blemished by a lack of power and presence. Even direct focus doesn't let the chemistry elevate but it does yield a certain curiosity about them. When the music parts from its charging instruments, often with a percussive break beat of sorts, even then does seem tamed.

Its worst element are the vocals which could really do with being toned down behind other sounds. The range of gutturals displayed tend to lack power and potency, instead hinging on a throaty roughness, especially dialing up the cringe on its halfway clean attempts. Its god awful and a constant distraction from interesting song structures and arrangements that take place in the ebb and flows. Of the handful of spins I've given this I just can't get past its awful production, so disappointing.

Rating: 4/10

Fellsilent "The Hidden Words" (2008)

With The Double A being my go too record for youthful nostalgia, memories of this, the bands debut album, are somewhat foggy. I seem to remember its release closely linked to their announced split but these events were over a year apart. Whatever I thought beforehand, returning to The Hidden Words as been another delight from a group I'm keenly fond of. Its amazing how much time has lapsed and love not lost!

The album essentially feels like an extension of the EP, four original tracks, four new and three "linking" interludes has the band simply expand on the persona established. One big change is the arrival of a second vocalist who slips in almost unnoticed. With a similar tone and candour to his partner Neema Askari, Joe Garrett feels neither essential or overlooked, his inclusion works without any bright sparks of ingenuity.

As with the EP, Fellsilent slap together an arsenal of pelting Djent riffs, loaded with groove and rhythm that plays between atmospheric and melodic trade offs. They move from pummelling metallic assaults to steadying backdrop shuffling fretwork as their dynamism flourishes in these mostly straight forward song structures. Often do they keenly lead to a belting breakdown to slam your head along with! The linking instrumentals also serve up riffing delights with infusions of acoustic string plucking.

Returning to this record gave me a greater appreciation for the balance of complexity when chopping up polymetered grooves into 4/4 patterns. So sweetly do they push both angles. The power and persuasion of rhythm is without any burden yet many riffs have puzzling arrangements. Like with Meshuggah I am sure the mystery would unravel a little learning to play their songs on guitar, something I hope to find time for!

Its such a shame this was the end of the road. The band certainly materialised a fine execution of sound and style but where to go from here? Who knows... In all likelihood it may have never surpassed this moment given how fantastic they where at this point, perhaps they exhausted all they had? I remember the statement at the time indicating that everyone involved felt like they had seen it through and wanted to move on. Some music elitists make comments like "they should of quit after XYZ". Maybe that's exactly what these guys did? Go out on top.


Rating: 9.5/10 

Metallica "Death Magnetic" (2008)

With a new album on the horizon and a couple of fantastic singles, the legendary Metallica sound like their heading back to form comparable to their glory days over twenty years ago. With the new single "Moth To Flame" it sounds as if the bands inspiration is without reflection to previous standards, allowing them to move forward in a new genuine direction. And that's what we thought of Death Magnetic eight years ago. I binged this record and caught Metallica playing live several times in the year but then eight years strolled by and I realized Ive never listened to it again. The reason why? Well having dug this one out again its become quiet apparent where its short comings are.

Two big factors stand in the way of this albums potential, one is production and the other is song structure. I remember at the time there was a lot of emphasis on long songs during the promo and each song is six or seven minutes with one ten minute song amounting to well over an hour long record. The problem is a lot of this length is needless repetition. Not all riffs are fantastic but there are definitely belters in here but they come between the drawn out song structures that make a meal out of appetizers. There is simply not as much core material for the length and so the record feels tiresome despite being genuinely energetic and interesting in the beginning stages.

Its second short coming highlights a problem that's cursed a couple of other records, ...And Justice For All's toy drum kit and baseless production has haunted what was a brilliant record and in someway comparable to this one with some needlessly lengthy songs and complex song structures. The other is St.Anger and its clanger snare and dense thudding base kicks. They went for a garage sound and certainly got that. So Death Magnetic joins them with its horribly over loud and over compressed production. Anyone could see this by taking a glance at the EQ with constant peaking across wide ranges. It sucks the craft and texture into a blunt aggression as the guitar texture competes with the crashing snare and drum kit in general. The fast guitar picking sounds fluttery and most instruments suffer from this poor production choice, tiring the listener with a constantly difficult distortions from peaking.

Underneath it there's some great music and memorable riffs in the albums opening songs, however as it stretches on either the music isn't as good or the tolerance for its aesthetic starts to hamper the listening experience. "Cyanide" its a rather weak song and that's where Death Magnetic never picks up steam again. "Unforgiven III" is a pretty lousy third part that bares little resemblance to the original. Its got its strengths but overall id say the record was a disappointment however it has its moments which were pretty exciting back when it was released.

Favorite Songs: That Was Just Your Life, The End Of The Line, The Day That Never Comes, All Nightmare Long

Rating: 5/10

Meshuggah "obZen" (2008)

Pioneers of Djent, the Swedish Extreme Metal act Meshuggah found their crowning moment with 2005's "Catch 33" and bar the "Nothing Remake" their follow up "obZen" may have just reached technical ecstasy on the abrasive front. It and "Catch 33" are the bands best critically received records and in 2008 the band were at a peak of popularity and exposure that was just perfect for this, their sixth full length. At the time I wasn't terribly keen on it, It felt like they were retreading the Nothing / Chaosphere era after a big progressive shift. And that may just be true, in a way its a step back in time but executing old ideas to new extremes with a clinically brutal production aesthetic and crafting even more elasticated, neck snapping grooves out of odd time signatures and extreme musicianship.

The texture, tone and timing of these instruments is paramount to its brilliance. Here we will hear the precise firing of instruments through polyrhythms lapped against the 4/4 at fast and brittle speeds. This includes the mind numbing pedal performance by drummer Tomas Haake who plays a unfeasible fast poly groove on "Bleed". The guitar tone is typical devoid of color but brimming with metallic intensity as its texture squeezes into every crevice of audio space. The clarity is stunning and with the drums neatly fitted in around them Jens monotone screams glide over the top of a menacing and punishing sound to assault the listener with the bands unrivaled grooving nature.

Its rhythmic nature feels primal and infectious as one is compelled to bang along in a confused state induced by polymetered bliss as elasticated momentum propels back and forth in unequal measures. What "obZen" has that makes it so much more enjoyable as a record is variety. Each song seems to distinctly offer up a different flavour of chaos. "Combustion" opens the record with an acoustic riff to quickly transition us into inferno as fifty seconds later the snare is crashing down over a thunderous groove. "Electric Red" slows the temp down forging a dark atmosphere with drawn out discords. "Bleed" is the album's show off track, dragging us through riff after riff of mind melting precision of guitar picking and drum pedals. "Lethargica" is the mammoth track with lengthy bar spanning grooves leading to an almighty, unforgettable "heavier than hell" riff in the middle that will tears your ears off.

Past this point each track again offers up a different flavor, the band experiment with speed, tempo and chords. "Pravus" rattles away on the snare with unforgiving guitar riffs that push the abrasion to extremes before transiting to some swift technical grooves. Its unrelenting and that is the charm, "obZen" never lets up, the band execute their most sticking ideas at full tilt. Truly brilliant moment for the band, however I don't think it tops their more experimental and progressive "Catch 33".

Favorite Tracks: Combustion, Bleed, Lethargica, Dancers To A Discordant System

Rating: 9/10

Revocation "Empire Of The Obscene" (2008)

With the band releasing their sixth full length in just a few days I thought it would be fitting to revisit the album where it all started, their debut. At the time I thought it was a godsend, a breath of new life that Metal music needed but around the time of their forth record my love for them started to fade. Its peculiar to loose interest but I reflect its when my interest in other forms for music really started to expand. Revocation are a balls to the wall Metal outfit with a modern style that unites the flame of old school Thrash Metal energy with a modern aesthetic and expanded song writing approach. I will always remember fondly discovering this record through music sharing blogspots on the day of its release. The cover screamed epic and what was inside was just what a fanatic metalhead like myself wanted at the time. All these years later its still fun but I am not expecting to be thrilled by their next record "Great Is Our Sin".

The album opens with a blast of energy, a vile angry scream roars out and the drums and guitar kick into a mean riff setting the tone for wild thrashing brutality. The second scream starts as a bree and transforms into a regular one before the song settles into itself at a fast pace. At the time it was to be expected, on reflection the hangover of bree's and squee's from the trending Deathcore scene sound stale and uninteresting. Its the records only downside, everything else still sounds as wild, energetic and fun as it did back then. The production should be merited for its clarity of all three instruments, the base has texture and is audible as a separate entity operating in the grooving realm below the guitars which as a lone force sounds mammoth in the rhythm riffs and with the backing of the bass still sound full on when playing out solos or leading the riffs into melodic phases. The drums sound crisp with a tight snappy snare and punchy kicks. There's lots of light hi hat cymbals rattling away, maybe only the crash and chine cymbals sound a little over loud at times.

Although a three-piece at the time, the band is essentially the brain child of guitarist David Davidson. As a classically trained musician his knowledge and ability to express shines through these songs which take a path from riff to riff and go through fantastic phases of tight, technical riffage with plenty of room for melodic leads and guitar solos to develop a grander scale. They feel without restraint and David fleshes his riffs and songs out with plenty of variation and progression that feels at times unnoticeable in there authenticity. Another aspect of this record I adore are the guitar solos. Almost every track has one and they are fantastic, a real throw back to the days where every song would feature a wild guitar solo. Whats best is that they are always relevant to the song, rather than being stitched in over a repeating riff, they often help the song get from a to b and more often than not in memorable style. These licks burst to life and erupt from the already energetic music. A personal favorite is "Exhumed Identity" where after a couple of illuminating solos have played out and the song is returning to its main theme, the instruments drop, a cry of "Guitar!" calls out and everything bust back into another wild solo to end the song with a classic attitude!

Reinforcing David's blinding guitar riffs the drums make a memorable show with a tight and precise performance. They are distinctly different in the way their groove and rhythm exudes from the fast shuffles and rapid pedal blasting that alternate restlessly through the songs. Lots of lighter cymbals are rustled with intricate patterns. Mini blast beats flick off and on like a light switch to create an overarching sense of groove. They are much like what you'd expect on a Technical Death Metal record and bring about a refreshing energy to the mostly Thrash sound at play. The chemistry of the three is crucial and for a debut this is a fantastic record to crash into the scene with, unfortunately for Revocation the critical response has been far ahead of their slowly growing fan base. I would of said it back then, I wouldn't of been surprised if this band would be grabbing main stage slots at festivals in 2016. Listening to it again Ive released in their development over the years this sound is now behind them and perhaps I never drifted away from it but from their newer material. Solid album without a moment of filler. Still exciting across the fifty five minutes all these years later.

Rating: 9/10

Eternal Lord "Blessed Be This Nightmare" (2008)

Well, its all over now. "Blessed Be This Nightmare" marks the groups first and final full length record, at the time I found it to be a stinker, a real disappointment. After revisiting their fantastic, stylish and unique debut EP "Eternal Lord" I set out to listen to their discography. Their two track "Split With Azriel" showed promising signs of a symphonic direction for the band before their 2007 "Demo" took a turn for the worst. There are no twists and turns at this point, the album takes off where the demo left, with the tracks that featured on the demo only sounding a hair better on the full length in terms of production. 

The record suffers the fate of the Deathcore cliches and fails to make itself more remarkable than the breakdowns every song seeks out. Chugging palm mutes and crashing china symbols pound away the same routine with various variations, mustering no more than the occasional palm muted discord to spice it up. Its far from terrible or offensive, something to bob along to and forget the next minute. Between it the band show signs of trying to expand there horizons but it all feels aimless and unfocused. Acoustic guitars crop up in "I Am The Deciver" and "Amity" with a vastly different vibe that are only to be dispelled by pummeling Deathcore brutality in the songs next phase. Some creative guitar work and riffs do momentarily pop up, "Set your Anchor" has some interesting melodic guitar leads but again just falls mercy to incessant Deathcore cliches.

If you not giving it your attention it may be half entertaining but ever grace it with thought and consider whats going on its little beyond hap hazard ideas lost in a generic brutality fest. Its ironic that its strength is in what holds it back, the Deathcore is well executed, just no longer to my taste. Any signs of breaking away from that are far from interesting. This record wasn't for me, Its not awful but I think I'm just tired of this sound which is now a decade old!

Rating: 3/10

Agalloch "The White" (2008)

Browsing through my archives I stumbled into and old gem, a lost treasure, something that must be shared for its intrinsic beauty and deeply spiritual sound. Agalloch are a highly praised American Black and Folk Metal band who released this record between a string of noisier counterparts. Not being that familiar with anything else in their discography I remember it as a u-turn to the roots of their Folk influences, a tribal, pagan ethereal experience that places one at the heart of nature.

The record establishes its Pagan theme immediately opening with a sample of children chanting "We carry death out of the village" from the movie "The Wicker Man" about a Pagan community on an isolated island. Its followed by bright, infectious acoustic guitars, vivid and clean they swoon simple melodies and chords with a Folk charm. It reminds me of the acoustic moments present in Metallica's "Battery" and "To Live Is To Die", a similar tone but a loud and strongly plucked playing style.

Aside the core instrument, the guitar, there is a imaginative variety of sounds that give each track its own dimension, "Birch Black" has swirling synths falling from the sky, a crunchy theatrical baseline signaling the tribal drums that pound the way for a tremolo plucked lead to crash into and narrate the song from a soaring height. "Hollow Stone" plays with brooding ethereal noises that sound like soft winds with distant voices in a choir, morning a lost beauty. It paints a picture of great loss in the cold foggy moors of the countryside as night is setting in. "Sowilo Rune" has a warm, adventurous but tamed piano playing of a soothing chemistry between the ethereal synth and strummed guitar chords. Whispering voices and a deep base moog give it a touch of mystery and mysticism while remaining an upbeat and positive song.

The final song ends where it all started, with a sample from "The Wicker Man" and often it is my cue to return to track one and enjoy it all over again. Its a record of substance and inspiration, one could of wished for more but of the thirty two minutes, not one moment is wasted. Its a mesmerizing, spiritual record, isolated in a bands discography, unlikely to be returned to again. Either way its a treasure I've enjoyed countless times and will continue to as time races on-wards.

Rating: 9/10

OverClocked ReMix "Doom II Delta-Q-Delta" (2008)

 Here's a record I almost passed over but curiosity got the better of me. "OverClocked ReMix" is an online community of musicians who re-imagine the soundtracks of computer games in their own vision. Despite hearing nothing but praise it didn't appeal to me much, but how foolish could I of been? I picked out the Doom soundtracks since its my favorite game and just after a couple of listens I was sucked in! The vibe and atmosphere was very fitting of the game, and the instrumentals had a level of craft and care similar to the C&C soundtracks composed by Frank Klepacki.

As a community driven record there are many musicians at work here, sometimes collaborating but mostly working on their own, each with a level song to rework. Despite a range of aesthetics and approaches, the record has a strong flow as the themes and mood shift through track to track. Even going from chirpy electronic led tunes to pounding on metallic guitars the record flows well with one exception, "31 Seconds" sounds out of place, its indie guitars, bright pianos leads, light drum kit and voice samples had me thinking I was listening to "Public Service Broadcasting". I thought id messed up my records playlist!

The atmosphere is ripe and the songs stroll through with an ambient quality that has subtle leads, chords and arrangements working around one another a typically soundtrack fashion, letting your attention focus to whatever is at hand while these songs steadily build and grow with a few distinctive melodies and moments cropping up in between. The whole soundtrack is a mash up of styles that has many dynamic components working together. You can hear elements of Metal, Noise, DnB and Big Beat around the predominantly Electronic and Industrial tracks.

The chemistry between these styles is executed with a vision and on "Icon Of Sinewave" we hear samples of our hero and the demons that create a dark and gruesome scene of the game before crashing into the main theme which amplifies the grueling intensity before breaking to an uplifting fast tempo beat that reminded me of being "in the zone" playing Doom. The samples could of featured more but it may have been overkill to do so. This is a fantastic soundtrack that produced a couple of real gems I will be returning to fore times to come.

Favorite Tracks: Westside Archvile, Crushing Headache, Silent Healer, Icon Of Sinewave, Ablaze

Rating: 7/10

IGORRR "Moisissure" (2008)

Continuing my backwards exploration of French multi-instrumentalist Igorrr's discography we come across the second full length, "Moisissure". This record was ultimately what I was expecting to find at some point, a reverse engineering of the unique chemistry that mezmorized on "Nostril" and "Hallelujah". Here the contrast is still rigid, and the experiment obvious, but their is clearly potential and of course we know it was fulfilled.

Thinking in reverse progression makes my opinion somewhat bias knowing the direction Igorrr would move in and its been hard to get away from pointing out where this record falls short of its predecessors. To merit its good points, it has atmosphere, a calmer vibe and great sample selection that allows one to indulge in the Baroque and Renaissance eccentric moments without being overheated by the hammering electronic glitching and break beats. And thats where the fun ends.

The moments where the frenetic glitch blasting and audio oddities come up against the sampling is where the rigidity of the experiment shows itself, the glitching often dispelling the atmosphere rather than creating it. The beats previously had the listener at their mercy, but on Moisissure they tend to rattle alongside without manipulating much of the songs flow. Its easy now to see where Igorrr was going, but at this point its yet to work and "Brutal Swing" would be the best example of this experimentation falling flat as ludicrous blasting goes up against chirpy pianos and swing vocals with no excitement born from their union. Worth the listen, but not something ill be returning too.

Favorite Songs: Putrefiunt, Huile Molle

Rating: 4/10

Cloudkicker "The Discovery" (2008)

Bomb sirens cry out in desolation as an eerie suspense unfolds. An underlying noise creeps and crawls amounting into a rising, atmospheric guitar ring out, then suddenly busts out into a gorgeous, tight, rhythmic thrashing of djent tonal guitars oozing in reverb and crushing out a simplistic repetition. Straight away I got that feeling like I knew exactly what this record was about. Several listens later that initial appeal is still here and this record is everything I thought it would be. 44 minute of enigmatic instrumental djent with a vibrant splash of color and melody. Cloudkicker is the one man band project of Ben Sharp, mutli instrumentalist who releases all of his music for free through the bands official website.

"The Discovery" is a polarizing formula, a crushing rhythmic assault is carried out by the low end guitars and forceful drumming, while the leads and high range notation color and climax these songs with rich and absorbing melodics that wash together in a sea of immersible abrasion. Its a formula that is set down from the first moment and fails to stay far from it. Through the record each of the songs offer up some different approaches, riffage and ideas that make this very enjoyable if the sound is your cup of tea. Theres some melodic, lighter, more acoustic tracks in between the heavier songs that really help this album flow and transition between tracks.

Asides some great instrumentation and songwriting, this record has a great sound to it. It comes with an "amateur" overtone to it that I can only describe as being warm and loving. It feels like someone put a lot of heart and energy into the production which sounds great, but has some technical flaws, none of which are even a big deal, but that amateur vibe stays present, and I like it very much so. One of the most notable features is the use of a drum machine that sounds like "Drumkit From Hell", having worked with this before it is certainly a hard sound to disguise but even though its noticeable the drumming is well programmed and fluent with the songs. Overall this is a fantastic record that has a lot of personal charm and one that has me yearning to seek out more from this talented artist.

Favorite Tracks: Genesis Device, Dysphoria, The Discovery

Rating: 7/10

The Cool Kids "The Bake Sale" (2008)

The Cool Kids are a Hip Hop duo who both rap and produce all of the music. Hailing from Chicago, the duo gained some acclaim and recognition for their debut mixtape "Totally Flossed Out" and this EP which they dropped in 2008. After hearing good things about the pair, I decided to check this EP out which starts with an attentive track that sets the tone for the listener with a touch of class. The beat is constructed of vocal samples pronouncing the instruments name that have been pitch shifted and stretched to emulate the tone of said instrument. It gives the record its premise and a touch of humor that lets you know there is not much to be taken too seriously.

The two create a sound that is heavily influenced by the golden era of Hip Hop, recreating it with a modern twist that gives them a fresh and unique sound. Production wise the beats are crisp and audible, emulating the style and grove of those classic beats with a nice set of modern kits that give it some flavor and character as opposed to strait recreation. Across the 10 tracks they unload all the tricks, revisiting many different styles reminiscent of the era, including the classic big sound hits.

Vocally I didn't find the pair too exciting, they both have good tone and flows but a lack of energy and enthusiasm leaves the laid back style a little lackluster for my taste. Theres a few good lines here and there but most of the lyrical content failed to engage me, the raps are rarely serious or deep, and that lack of substance left me feeling like something was missing, however thats really not what this music is about, and in the right mood their fun and oldskool style can be enjoyable. The approach and execution of this retro themed EP was decent and served a fun listening experience but fell short of giving me something to return too.

Favorite Songs: 88, Basement Party

Rating: 3/10