No Cure "I Hope I Die Here" (2024)

 

 Ears perked by Spotify's shuffle of heavy freshness, No Cure's brief 8 track, twenty minute EP I Hope I Die Here has been a curious listen among a sloth of modern aggressive music. Much of it lacking sparks of originality. Hang Me From The Bible Belt, the track that drew me in, fires up this romp of sludgy brutality with a bold mix of Metallica Hardcore and Melodic Death Metal. This feels like a misnomer as the annals of a tired Deathcore swiftly reveal their ugly head on following tracks. Gruff deepened guttural shouts, gritty low-end axe grinding riffs and filthy pig squeals light up the aesthetics among obnoxious angular harmonic pinches and other genre tropes.

It plays out among a reasonably excitable mix of influences, from Hardcore gang-shouts to Metalcore grooves and Slam Death Metal breaks, the record picks up some character in brief moments. No Cure bridge minor stylistic gaps that seem obvious in hindsight. The collaborative nature of this EP may explain its inconsistency in tone as songs sway between engaging constructs and the "race to the bottom" filth of Deathcore. Each track includes another band, presumably of the local music scene.

Sadly, only its opening track won me over. The rest of its heaviness played mostly as a curious throwback to Deathcore records now approaching twenty years old. In contrast, there are signs of promise, moments of light, however it doesn't come to fruition in a flavor I'm looking for right now. To much grime, not enough substance!

Rating: 4/10

Novelists "Okapi" (2024)

 

Spotify is doing a mighty fine job figuring me out with its algorithms. Lurching in the shadows of Deftones, Lacuna Coil, with flashes of Prog guitar reminiscent of Plini, French outfit Novelists bring the stunning voice of Camille Contreras to this current Pop Metal trend. Contrasting heavy Djent tones with shimmering melodies, their songs sway from soft and serine to punchy and powerful with great conviction.

Contreras is the main charm, her compassionate lyrics and dynamic voice guides the instrumental gracefully. Bellow her, a similar yet toned down creativity akin to yesterdays Chaosbay. Part of the "Progressive Metalcore" crowd, its a seamless fit, leaning more on the traditional guitar virtuoso side. Prisoner's a keen example pivoting from a typical aggressive Metalcore track with a wild burst of dance-floor rhythm.

It ends up exploring an expressive, flamboyant side, with lavish fretwork - something each of these four tracks finds its way to. They are all individual, creative tracks, moving from typical constructs to vibrant compositions with an effortless ease. Not as fiery as others in the scene do it, however its better suits Contreras' temperament.

Rating: 4/10

The Madd Rapper "Tell Em Why You Madd" (1999)

First surfacing on Life After Death, Producer Deric Angelettie's agitated alter ego has appeared on a spread of Bad Boy records. The frustrated character, running his mouth, serves well to sprinkle comedy between the music. Having laid the groundwork for this debut, it could have been something special. Instead, skits and jokes land flat, unable to flesh out his personality to comedic effect. So to do the Madd Rappers' verses lack a spark to muster humor. Unless this persistently irked personality is your comedy gold, the joke will get beaten to death across its CD filling seventy minutes.

Its clearly ambitious, bringing a massive array of guests beyond his record label peers. Featured routinely come armed with slick mafioso adjacent lyrics, painting flamboyant lifestyle pictures with their lyricism. It sands in stark contrast to the central theme. Eminem however, meets him at his level, the unhinged Slim Shady persona has the two aligning their lyrics on self destructive energy. Given the date, this flow is a gem for fans, hearing Eminem evolving into his classic Marshal Mathers flow.

Fun fact, a young Kanye West produced that track! Its a rare highlight among an endless string of average bears. Its other merit belongs with 50 Cent on the criminally unabashed How To Rob. Fifty name drops a lot of big names years before his breakout. Other than that, its sadly a missed opportunity to do something unique. Poor execution on a wonderful idea. It seems the last of The Madd Rappers steam was spent on the first Big Boy hits compilation, where his player hating energy musters amusement between the East Coast's record labels greatest songs.

Rating: 4/10

Thirstin Howl The 3rd "Skilligan's Island" (2002)

 

Named after a Gilligan's Island character, this Brooklyn rapper has quite a rugged, playful appeal. Hitting hard rhymes with aggressive enthusiasm, a variety of verses occasionally plunge into impressive strings of mischievous wordplay. Often comical, routinely absurd, Thirstin grabs attention but lacks lyrical depth and flow to bring one back. Unfortunately, Skilligan's Island is as inconsistent too. Plowing through punchy 90s inspired beats, mediocrity compounds as short chorus hooks come obnoxiously repeated, grinding my enjoyment to a halt. A stylistic choice I am totally at odds with.

In stints, the lyrical content gets deplorable too but not to dwell on negatives, what kept me around for a couple of spins was the curious recycling of memorable Hip Hop beats, including one from fellow Brownsville veterans M.O.P. The best of Thirstin's rhymes come out The Polo Rican, yet the show is unsurprisingly stolen by Eminem on Watch Deez. Its how I discovered the record, a classic Slim Shady flow telling tales of deranged individual collecting prescription drugs with a severed limb. How I wish for more of that era. Sadly there isn't much else to take away from this flawed record. I was entertained along the way but that's about it. Thirstin has potential but this ain't it.

Rating: 4/10

 

Clown Core "Toilet" (2018)

 

 

Predecessor to a similarly structured Van, Toilet's waning novelty grounds its impact, having listened Van prior. Elapsing from crunching bursts of garbled Grindcore mania into esoteric Jazz and beyond, the blaring toy horn, jolted timing stunts and frenzied ghoulish growls sadly fall short. On a joke turning stale, the moments of musical magic shy from a curious wonderment achieved in its successor. The many pivots into bass drum grooves or scenic Smooth Jazz interludes have charm but lack a maturity.

Toilet, possibly recorded in a porta-loo, reeks of youthful adventure. A bold plunge into a vision, mostly realized but leaning on its own oddities too much. Jarring synth noises and unhinged blast beats drop all to frequently, the counteracting moments of gratification only mediocre. Although I have hindsight tainting my perspective, it really feels as if Van is a rework of this piece, going back to the architecture for a redo.

Rating: 4/10

Soley "HEX" (2024)

 

Its been a minute since we've heard from Soley. This short movie soundtrack lures us back into her creepy side. The opening theme conspires a soft whirl of 60s sci-fi horror synth with haunting layers eerie voices. It has just enough strangled percussion to muster a Victorian freak show theatrical charm. Powerful but brief. After a stint of tense dark ambience, Entering Of The Witches reignites this flame, a spaghetti western guitar spangle soured by mischievous choral voices floating through limbo. It to is halted by short duration not looking to flesh out the experience into a full song.

Desert is different, starting out a quirky oddity of childlike innocence, colliding with thee obscure. Soley's voice enters tame and gentle, getting lost as atmospheric ambiguities melt into the forefront with cursed shapeless intensities. As crescendo approaches, never arriving, she disappears, only for the cackle of crows to cry through the eerie ether. Her return brings harmony to this restlessness, a powerful resolve.

Nostalgia briefly dabbles in spooky de-tuned piano melodies but ambles back into the shadows swiftly. The nature of this format forces Soley into brief compositions, complimenting the cinema setting. Even with those limitations, flashes of brilliance still arise, a reminder she has much to offer. A craft still strong from chilling inspirations.

Rating: 4/10

Knocked Loose "Pop Culture" (2014)

 

You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To has become a recent obsession of mine. Its been years since a band has pushed the envelope on the extremes of "heavy" music. Logically its time to do the deep dive, starting with bands first release, a five track EP.

 Entertaining but far from memorable, Pop Culture only has retroactive flickers of a genius yet to unravel. Playing like typical beat-down Hardcore, the group barrel through angered stampedes of syncopated rhythmic assault. All roads lead to Rome, each song finds climax through slam grooves fit for hardcore dancers swinging limbs.

With knowledge of whats to come, one can hear their subtle rejections of typical song structure flow. Taking apt opportunities, linear strings of dissonant riffs often divert from anticipated grooves. Lacking the gravitas to rip up the rule book, they sound off-kilter but yet to evolve into the unhinged beast frothing anger at the mouth.

Aesthetics and production suffer too, dulling their intensity, a amateurish affair typical of debut low budget records. The ending of All My Friends offers a whiff of textured atmospheric chaos to come but its brief. Most of the time, power chord guitars fall into cushioned palm muted distortions that lack teeth for a sharper bite.

Its lyrical themes mostly hinge on conflict with religion, unanswered questions stiring deep unrest. Garris' high pitched shriekish bark is still jarring but yet to encapsulate that livid frustration put forth later. Its clear he and his band mates have much maturing to do but their is no denying the foundations of whats to come were laid here. I'm seeking a tipping point in their evolution! However this didn't win me over.

Rating: 4/10

Gothminister "Pandemonium II: The Battle Of The Underworlds" (2024)

 

Excitement swiftly squashed, another cast iron installment diminishes my faith once again. In retrospect, my expectations were unreasonable, considering this is a direct follow up to Pandemonium. Unable to grow past this Gothic symphonic Trance fusion with Rammstein style Industrial Metal, Gothminister recycles their blueprint with even less pizzazz than usual. Scenic interludes play underwhelming, attempting to raise theatrical stake yet any deviation from the tested formula sadly felt stale.

 The word of the record is "we". More so than ever, this perspective illuminates itself, a Gothic horror inspired realm of witches, demons, ghouls, zombies and monsters of the underworld. These flag waving war cries paint a protagonist's voice for these unsavory beings, rallying them together in the shadows. Its fun but at this point driven into the ground. Repeated lyrical cadences and thematic stagnation churn the whole anthemic angle into rigmoral, as track after tracks repeats itself with little new to offer.

When bands fail to evolve, they run the risk of writing themselves into a corner. It's a shame, a few albums back they hit a nerve. That spark is lost. Every song here lingers in its shadow, saying nothing new and often making you feel a sense of Deja-Vu.

Rating: 4/10

Arcanist "Avero​í​gne" (2024)

 

An unshakable grin emerged upon arrival of this record. Sadly, a single listen shattered that excitement and its not returned since. Avero​í​gne is a drastic departure from Poseidonis and Hyperborea. Gone is the Berlin School 70s electronic mystique. That esoteric tension has been dissipated, replace by Fantasy melodies and Folk instrumentation evoking ancient cultural charms. In brief stints it find charisma and conjures vivid visions. With other strides, an absence. The occasional clumsy folly of odd ideas spew in bursts, breaking up what spells it briefly builds anticipation for.

The first four songs feels separate. The acoustic guitars, akin to the Diablo soundtrack at its conclusion, define its new direction yet rarely does the music stirs much emotion. Its a meandering mess of ideas that lacks the grip on me to express its own purpose.

With the arpeggio rumble of old school synth, the two part Colossus Of Ylourgne feels like a bridge between the new direction and old. Its dramatic opening upends a monster of tension as fiery choral voices cry with demonic intent. Sadly, this dissipates swiftly, never to return as the music again meanders in many directions, even into a blast beat led Black Metal stint, reminiscent of Blut Aus Nord's Saturnian Poetry.

I've struggled to enjoy this one. Its has its moments but they are disconnected by a slew of ideas that to my memory feel less fleshed out and layered that what came before. You could tell me Avero​í​gne was made by a different artist and id believe it!

Rating: 4/10

Moutain Realm "Frostfall" (2024)

 

A soft, recent fondness for Greyshadow Ruins had initial excitements lulled by the subdued nature of this tempered beast. Mountain Realm caught my ear for a shapely craft of Dungeon Synth venturing into the darker leanings of Fantasy themes with a meditative quality. Frostfall aptly achieves this again, yet to less fanfare with familiarity taking hold. This similarly structured set of short synth pieces is the quieter of the pair. Routinely drifting into glacial strides devoid of any urgency, a glum dankness steadies as its main thematic feeling, fit for the damp dark dungeon realms it clearly aspires to.

Stripped out are the moments of reprieve from a gloomy yet meditative nature. On the prior record, sparkly melodies would flux from ambiguities into focus, creating a sense of spectacle among these sullen tones. Here they are suppressed, present but drawn further into retreat. We trudge through fuzzy murmuring of ambling bass. Organ like synths drone with sombreness, even choral chants seems burdensome and lonely.

The whole record dials into its own shadow. Seemingly a negative, yet only when trying to focus on its present merits. Leave this on in the background and calmly, without notice, will it delicately transcend your surroundings, ascending to somewhere sequestered, cloudy and dead yet spiritually soothing and serine. Its an odd record to enjoy, brilliant in its own peculiar way, yet tired on these old ears for now.

Rating: 4/10

Spiritbox "The Fear Of Fear" (2023)

 

From the outset The Fear Of Fear expresses itself as a heavier incarnation, casting aside the delicate yet persuasive balance of intricate Etheral aesthetics that graced the moody lulls of its successor Eternal Blue. In what feels like two steps back, Spiritbox trade in their originality for trendy heavy tropes and poppy song structures that are all to familiar. When leaning into aggression and brutality, the sways of exuberant Djent abuse takes hold. Slams, breakdowns and stomps arrive throttled and ferocious but tend to swallow up the intricate details other instrumentation offers from the dense lurching shadows. When LaPlante gets to salivate on the throws of her melodic contributions, the tone shifts somewhat in the direction of Bring Me The Horizon's now mercilessly copied Pop Metal blueprint. A sore disappointment.

Despite many repetitious listens, this record couldn't grab me beyond the gravity of its darkest plunges into metallic weight. Sadly, that rhythmic assault has become an all to familiar formula forayed by many bands before them. The record is split about 50/50 between this beast and its lighter side tarnished by a heavier wall of sound tone. These stints of color didn't have the sparkle heard before either, its easy melodic lines and soft ascending singing seem to drift by on cruise control, competent yet oddly forgettable. Sadly, it seems the band lost that unique character they had last time out. At least they are not repeating themselves as artists and trying new things.

Rating: 4/10

Mnemic "Mnemesis" (2012)

 
Disbanded not long after, Mnemesis is the Danish outfits final chapter. Initially Bideau's expanded vocal range caught my attention, feeling like a departure from their distinct "Future Fusion Metal" sound. With familiarity the rough cleans, burly shouts and tuneful inflections nestled in, however an underlying shift remains. Subtly toned down aggression leaves space for melodic flavors to capture ones attention. These songs run into frequent stretches of dulled world building stints. Mediocre in intensity, they fail to arrive at gratifying destination. The result is a set of songs that amble through the motions, landing only a handful of memorable riffs or vocal hooks.

Illuminated by subtle eerie synths, the dystopian tone is withdrawn from its previous extremities, creating a luke-warm atmosphere, rarely broken out from. Its mood is a sluggish, sunless, shadowy trek, emotively depressive when aggressive guitars depart on melodic refrains. That's not to de-mark its merits, Mnemesis is a competent set of songs ruminating on burdensome emotions. A listen, of which I've had many, passes by entertaining yet uneventful. Its closer, Blue Desert In A Black Hole, gets a thumbs up for fantastic song writing that steadily brews its sense of finality to close upon.

Rating: 4/10

Ziggurath "True North" (2024)

 
With a swift and sudden departure from their prior Jungle Synth effort, Ziggurath pivots again. Now venturing on a chilly expedition, True North tentatively explores desolate atmosphere from a sullen, lone perspective. Glacial pace sets tone as broody bass synths, howling winds and distant gulls guide lonesome melodies on its journey. Pace is sparse, its ninety minutes frequently linger, drawing out its main sound design. The album sleeve feels fitting, a ghostly ship on a lost voyage, the lingering presence of icy death incarnate through a menacing skulls gaze.

Aptly named Hearthfire Inn, fire-crackles and lutes warm the bones, a refuge from the relentless frost that awaits. From here on, only glimmers of cultural instrumentation echo in the distant fog. Howling dogs, swirling winds and rehashes of its brooding atmosphere drag on. Through Halls Of Ruined Splendour offers shimmering sounds of wonder over the backdrop of crashing waves and the creaks of aged floor boards.

From here, iterations on the established sound design intensify, shying away from anything vivid, only offering glimpses of music to latch onto. Then Someone Dies offers a passing funeral dirge, a glum, drained march of sadness. The final track, True North, goes all in, attempting to offer a gratifying conclusion but coming up short. A surge of melodies underpinned by choral synths and soft organ hum doesn't quite land as intended, given the lack of build up to this final concluding moment.

Its obvious to see the intention here, to really lean into this chilling abandon. When giving True North little attention, its somewhat achieves this. Its sparse moments of melody and scenic sounds perk the ears but its sluggish pace and lack of animation doesn't carry much gravitas in the forefront of ones attention. Curation and more musicality could of elevated its presence. Otherwise, this is a soft miss to my ears.

Rating: 4/10

Mase "Harlem World" (1997)

 

A long overdue followup on No Way Out, I've finally picked up Harlem World, Mase's solo debut. He'd made a soft impression, a voice fit for variety in the mix but unsurprisingly tame on his own. The casual carefree laid back spoken raps didn't amount to much across a lengthy CD filling record. Although it went multi platinum, its legacy feels like a byproduct of the era. Mase runs through the typical themes apprising his status, playing himself as a ladies man and taking shots at his haters.

His cadence is smooth, easy on the ears but rarely does his words muster up the energy to really grab your attention with standout rhymes. Harlem World mostly rolls by a pleasant ride on average beats spliced with goofy interludes. Stated as such in a lyric, the albums best tracks are simply recycled hits from the past decade. That and many of its instrumentals highlight this Bad Boy Records formula candidly.

With typical features from Puff, DMX, Jay-Z, The Lox and many more, the album gets by on a run of the mill routine. The later, however, elevates! 24 Hours To Live lays down a firm concept, asking a question and letting everyone run through their answers verse by verse. Its a great setup for visual raps that The LOX dominate! The following I Need To Be sinks to a low with very questionable topicality that seems to just slip under the radar of controversy when it comes up in Hip Hop music.

The closing Jealous Guy is an amusing piss take. A tongue in cheek jab at "the haters". These rappers drop some ruthless off key singing over top of the smooth R&B singers beneath. Fun once but an earache after the third spin. Overall, this album felt very average, with little memorable to take away. It feels like the hype and promise of the record label made this one a success. Not bad but firmly average at best.

Rating: 4/10

Poppy "Zig" (2023)

 

Still one to follow for her creative ensemble of pop sensibilities and abrasive tones, Poppy returns with a similar set of mashed up sounds. As a pleasant vocal presence, one is drawn to the lyrics. Lightly cryptic, suggestive and occasionally humored, they rarely yield depth when wrapped up in a hook or catchy cadence. Her direct words muster more meaning with plain language, however none of it amounted to anything memorable for me. At times, a sense of reaching for a mischievous truth emerges.

Either way, the record doesn't hit on this front and neither does its bass groove oriented stints of cold calculated Electronica. Trading in overdrive guitars for distorted synths, the instrumentals often converge on flickering rhythmic drives, lavished in dispassionate texture, lacking emotion and accompanying melody. On occasion, atmospheric synths layer in some compassion but without its a rather lifeless stint.

After the droning disharmony of Zig passes, Poppy's voice opens up, some songs focusing on her melodies. A pleasant direction but only Motorbike strikes a nerve. Its soft Disco Funk grooves elevate the hook and color the song with an interesting subtle sway. On a better record, this might have been felt as a weak cut. Loaded with mediocrity, Zig was sadly somewhat of a bore, doing little to make itself known.

Rating: 4/10

City Morgue "My Bloody America" (2023)

 

Still one to check in with, City Morgue return recycling a familiar flavor of feisty aggression. Fusing Trap with Horrorcore and touches of Metal, the duo deploy harsh percussion aesthetics again. Rattling hi-hats and distorted base kicks thump no longer a novelty. Meeting spooky samples and lean distortion guitars, beat production paints ghoulish, nightmare scenarios for their unapologetic lyrics to reign a boisterous noise. Priding its content on death, hate, gunplay and machismo, a lack of depth is hardly a surprise. Most verses simply load in vile obscenities on aggravated flows spat hard.

Among its various leanings, a sense of something curious lingers but never arrives. Despite being a rather dull thirty minutes, the record has a certain foul charisma fit for horror but lacks substance. Its instrumentals fail to lean into its intriguing elements. Only Wicked elevated this unsettled energy to a catchy level. A banger among mediocrity. Its short looping melody illuminates when all instruments fire together. I still think this duo have something great to offer but currently I'm just not feeling it.

Rating: 4/10

Janelle Monáe "Dirty Computer" (2018)

 

As the last of Janelle Monáe's offerings, Dirty Computer signifies a departure from its established android protagonist narrative. Where that theme evaporates, so does its 70s Psychedelic, Soul and R&B elements. In essence, an entirely different sound with Janelle operating on the level of an 80s Pop powerhouse front-woman affirming her stature. Intermingled with trendy tones of the times, its instrumental offerings ran a little weak for my taste. Many musical elements are striped to a mild resonance, energies muted, with a hyper focus on catchy hooks and empowered braggadocio.

It does however kick off with three decent numbers. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys lends his iconic swooning vocal sways to the background of a tender, harmonious introduction. Gears then shift as a dazzling mix of modern production collides with echos 80s Synthpop. This luminosity fades as the lyrics become bold, overt and obvious. Substance is inherent but its musical chemistry rubs me the wrong way. From here the record leans hard into the Pop trends of the time. To my ears, all to dull.

In its final third, the gears shift once again. Brushing shoulders with great songs from nostalgic eras, the influences come obvious and stiff, failing to ignite. This stripped compositional approach sours here, leaving its songs instrumentally underwhelming. Janelle seems unable to spark the magic either. Little of the conjured greatness beforehand is present. Clearly a different vision, one I'm sore I didn't connect with.

Rating: 4/10

$uicideboy$ "I Want To Die In New Orleans" (2018)

 

$uicideboy$ rock a rapid release schedule that signifies a different approach to distribution. Since 2014 over forty or so EPs and mixtapes have emerged. It creates a daunting task in search of there best material, yet its where their most popular songs reside. I'm unsure of the significance the album format offers but this debut arrives with a clear concept to tie in their notoriety with home state Louisiana. Interlaced with locational references, tales and affirmations, the radio and news snippet interludes grounds a grizzly reality, illuminating the harshness of growing up in the south.

Sadly, my experience has been a dull one. On this debut record, both the gritty horrorcore beats and harrowing rhymes lack a sharp potency they land with on later projects. The sullen moody aesthetics and unabashed honesty with difficult subject matter remain in tack. Their vision is evident, a distinct individuality reaching out yet those infectious sung hooks and energized flows are yet to be honed and harnessed.

The record feels tied closer to its cultural roots with many southern tropes lining the instrumental design. Vocally, the pair drift into lazily spoken registers. Dull, softly delivered monotone raps distract from the subject matter itself, unenthused in nature but sometimes seeming conceptually relevant in a defeatist sense of overwhelming struggles. Despite analysis, the stars did not align for this listener. Clearly the foundations have been laid. In this manifestation, their expressions failed illumination.

Rating: 4/10

Various Artists "Loud Rocks" (2000)

 

Here's one for my youth! Loud Rocks is a Hip Hop & Metal crossover record I'm somewhat flabbergasted to have not discovered years back. Release around the peak of aggression in the millennium music scene, dictated largely by MTV, it features popular Nu Metal bands and Rap artists collaborating in varying shades of success and failure. I'd actually heard a few of these from the Napster mp3 trading days, for example Wu-Tang Clan linking up with System Of A Down and Tom Morello to perform their songs in a metallic context. How I'd not learned of the record is beyond me.

The brief 90s Rap and Nu Metal collision was a strange affair yet the holly grail of my youth... If done right, a rare occurrence. I think the crown might belong to Cypress Hill with the second, metallic, half of Skull & Bones. Most other crossovers are novel and occasionally decent but Loud Rocks mostly seems conceived to serve a niche through remixing Rap tracks, often giving the stems to an artist to re-arrange and work in metallic elements. I think Wu-Tang are the only exception, however the remix of one of their finest tracks, For Heaven's Sake, is handed over to Black Sabbath for a strange mix of two sounds that clash awkwardly with sudden eruptions of dense distortion guitars and Ozzy singing that simply cannot resolve to the mood of its rap verses.

Xzibit seems to have the most success. Something about his tone and cadence mixes well with guitars. His songs too have a meaner demeanor allowing the original samples to blend. Far from fantastic yet hearing Sevendust and Endo scream out his chorus hooks had a little gratification. Hardcore legends Sick Of It All bring an interesting touch to the Mobb Deep sound, however its sense of rhythm often looses the lyrical cadence. Everlast reworking Shook Ones Part II might be the albums one solid track, however it plays more like a moodier incarnation than anything metallic.

With the Rap Metal era being so disliked, this record will sound like trash to most. My observations on its various chemistries were simply a vent on my curiosities. I wanted this long forgotten musical movement to work out so bad, however the reality is very little of it did. Discovering another piece of the picture will always be a delight for me, even if the fruits of collaboration were far and few between. In the case of Loud Rocks, it mostly feels forced to serve an audience. A fun listen but I'll move on swiftly.

Rating: 4/10

Len "You Can't Stop The Bum Rush" (1999)

If mid 80's Hip Hop with its clunky grooves, fun but dated rhyming tropes is your niche, then You Can't Stop The Bum Rush might just float your boat. I'm quite partial to the era, however Canadian group Len's millennium offering has little to add aesthetically, essentially a stiff nostalgic resurrection. Its bizarre his how eclectic and interwoven with other genres this record is, however the music isn't all as fluent.

Echo's of classic 70s Electronic music to the likes of Kraftwerk emerge, as a string of songs foray into crossover with Hip Hop the likes of Afrika Bambaataa once flirted with. Loaded with body popping vibes and vibrant 808s, the authenticity should be sky high with legends Biz Markie and Kurtis Blow hopping onboard to lend their voices. Despite this, the lack of reach to new territory has a stale energy about it.

After Cold Chillin the flow looses pace, ditching the Hip Hip beats to explore Rock, Punk Rock, Pop and Jazzy vibes to see the record out. Although its nice to hear such diversity, only June Bug swoons with its easy flow and gentle singing. Of course, the albums star is Steal My Sunshine, a massive hit known the world over. An oddity, considering how little of its charm gets echoed elsewhere. Worth a listen but quite mediocre.

Rating: 4/10