Free Album of the Week(end) #2

This week(end)’s album comes to us via Neurotangent, an ambient electronic project by a fellow student at The Evergreen State College. His album/demo is called First Tangent, and it’s pretty impressive for a first release, nevertheless one recorded by a student on an outdated laptop.

This is clearly more of a starting point than anything else, but I like Neurotangent’s foundation for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the sounds here come from a wide variety of influences. While the mood of the album is certainly mellow, there are quite of few different styles of electronic music being merged, and I appreciate producers who can incorporate industrial sounds in more relaxed pieces of music. The other aspect of First Tangent that impresses me is the way the that the beats build. Far too often amateur producers either repeat the same sounds until they become boring and repetitive, or they add new sounds before tension can be created. The latter is especially common among ambient producer, but Neurotangent avoids both traps.

Again, it’s a starting point, but I like what I hear. It’s rare that a producer has interesting beats that change and evolve at just the right times, and I expect great things from Neurotangent in the future. Fans of ambient/electronic music can download First Tangent right here

A long overdue review of “Goblin”

Looking back, I think this review was one of the reasons I stopped posting for so long. It was one of the most challenging I've ever had to write, as there was a period initially where I was more divided than I think I've ever been on an album. I ended up forming a stronger opinion, and giving it a recommendation, but writing this was still an obstacle that I wasn't able to overcome. After ignoring my initial draft for months, I've gone back and edited it with a clearer mind, and I'm now posting it. Hopefully there’s still someone out there who is interested in my opinion of this one.

Tyler, The Creator- Goblin (3/4)

The first time I listened to Goblin, the second solo album and first paid release from Odd Future’s Tyler, The Creator, I had honestly no idea what to think of it. I had heard Bastard, Tyler’s near cult-classic of a first album, and had a pretty similar reaction- a mix of intrigue, awe, and distaste.

Goblin picks up right where Bastard’s story left off, with Tyler in a therapy session. The dialogue between Tyler and his therapist was used interestingly on Bastard, but Goblin greatly expands on the concept. There is some real depth to the conversations, and even throughout the ridiculously over-the-top lyrics about rape, murder, and the occult that soon follow, Tyler shows himself as a relatable human being right from the start. The setting of the therapy session is never abandoned, and it’s interesting to hear Dr. TC or one of Tyler’s many alter-egos argue with him throughout the album. It’s clear that Eminem is an influence, and not since his early material has this sort of multiple personality rap worked so well.

There is also a defined narrative here, and many of Tyler’s fellow Odd Future members appear. Other than Hodgy Beats on “Sandwitches” and Frank Ocean on “She,” however, none the guest spots add much past advancing the story. This is especially true for a good 15 minute stretch towards the end of the album, where the listener is treated to such tracks as “Boppin’ Bitch” and “Bitch Suck Dick.” These tracks are intentionally bad, as evidenced by the inclusion of non-musical Odd Future members Taco Bennett and Jasper Dolphin (seriously), but that doesn’t make up for them being, you know, bad. Goblin is a fairly lengthy album, and even though it ends perfectly with “Golden,” a heated back-and-forth between Tyler and his therapist, I suspect that listeners who are not obliged to finish the album may simply turn it off part way through. That’s unfortunate, because for all of its flaws, there really is a great album here, or a at least part of one. Much of Goblin’s first half is downright brilliant, merging hardcore flow and lyrics with unique borderline drone beats, and the aforementioned humanity often lacking from hardcore rap albums.

“Yonkers” may be the song that everyone has heard, but there’s more her than just that track, and honestly its quality is worth noting. Very rarely does a hip-hop single with such a unique beat become big, and just as rarely does one with strong lyrics become a hit as well. “Yonkers” has both, and they come together to form what is truly one of the best songs of 2011. Again though, that’s no the only gem here. “Nightmare,” a personal reflection of what’s changed in Tyler’s life since his last record, is far more powerful and shocking than any of the “shock value” tracks, and even the pure shock values tracks have some merit. “Tron Cat” revels in its immaturity, but it’s entertaining throughout, and fits surprisingly well in the middle of what could be described as a very personal album. The way that Tyler merges the shock value with more personal moments is actually pretty incredible, and again, a skill that made the hip-hop world embrace Eminem just over a decade ago.

Hype has nothing to do with how an album turns out, and it’s irrelevant whether Tyler or Odd Future lives up to their hype. The fact of the matter is that they’ve become huge doing things their way, and I have to respect that. What matters here, though, is the quality of the music. Goblin is certainly not for everyone, in part because it’s so different from what else is out there, but also because it’s hard to stomach some of its readily apparently flaws. It’s hard to say whether the good and bad of Goblin outweigh each other, but it’s certainly something I feel like should be given a fair chance. There are moments of pure brilliance and creativity here, and I encourage any open minded hip-hop fan to give it a serious listen. I can’t promise that you’ll like it, but I doubt you’ll ever hear anything quite like it.

Free Album of the Week(end) #1

In a new feature for Sound Writer, I’ll be linking every Friday or Saturday to a quality free or name-your-price album, all available 100% legally.

Most of the time I’ll be linking to a lesser known artist that deserves some more exposure, but I’ll start things off with a big name for the first week. Immortal Technique, one of the artists that helped get me into hip-hop back in high school, released his latest album this week. It’s called The Martyr, and it’s available to download free of charge right here.

In terms of quality, I’d compare it favorably to The 3rd World, Technique’s collaboration album with DJ Green Lantern back in 2008. That is to say it’s a solid collection of political and hardcore hip-hop tracks. It’s nowhere near his Revolutionary albums, but it really doesn’t need to be. There are guest spots from Vinnie Paz, Brother Ali, Chuck D, and plenty of others, and Immortal Technique himself is still in fine form. I’d recommend it, even as a paid album, and the lack of a price tag makes it pretty much essential.

Cormorant- Metazoa…for free!

One of my favorite metal albums of the last decade is free for a limited time. If you like metal, do yourself a give this album a listen.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/08/04/download-cormorants-metazoa-for-the-low-low-price-of-free/

Sound Writer on iTunes

The good folks at Apple have concluded that our podcast is not an hour long discussion of plans to destroy their corporation, and have subsequently approved the Sound Writer podcast. You can download the first episode and subscribe to our future endeavors through this link (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-writer/id436960176),

If you’re like me and don’t use iTunes all that often, we also have an old fashion RSS feed that you can subscribe to (http://feeds.feedburner.com/SoundWriter).

And make sure to give us some feedback on the first episode. You can do that by leaving a comment, voting in our poll, posting on our Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sound-Writer/180811535291002), or sending an e-mail to soundwriter1@gmail.com.

Thanks to everyone for your support, and especially for Matt, Noah, and Tad for taking time out of their schedule to appear on the podcast.

Sound Writer Podcast 5-9-11

For the first ever Sound Writer podcast, we introduce our panelists, mourn the passing of Gerard Smith, and discuss new releases from Odd Future, Fleet Foxes, Blue Sky Black Death, and others.

http://ia600606.us.archive.org/30/items/SoundWriterPodcast/Podcast5_9_11.mp3

You can listen to Noah’s radio show Sunday’s at 4 AM PST (7 AM EST) at http://wobc.org/
You can listen to Tad’s radio show Sunday’s at 12 AM PST (3 AM EST) at http://uclaradio.com/
You can listen to the station Matt assists at, KEXP, at http://kexp.org/Default.aspx

Here are some songs or tracks from albums mentioned in this week’s podcast:
IAM- Libère Mon Imagination (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-cks-daWHY)
Tyler, the Creator- Yonkers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw
Beastie Boys- Make Some Noise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgLMslbDuY
Rhea’s Obsession- Nightshade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJMRy2Qm3w)
Blue Sky Black Death- Sleeping Children are Still Flying (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4qICd3ldLU)
CunninLynguists- Beautiful Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKanlj4tRE4
Cybo- Stripped (http://soundcloud.com/djcybo/stripped)
I Monster- Heaven (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NGMBP0Mk4I)

More Reviews- Hip-Hop

There will be plenty more coming, including some for metal and alternative. and electronic albums,

 

Atmosphere- The Family Sign (3/4)

The Family Sign is a polarizing album, and one of the hardest albums I’ve had to grade this year. On one hand, The Family Sign contains some of Atmosphere’s best work, especially at the beginning and end of the record. It starts out with “My Key,” a remarkably beautiful tribute to the late Eyedea, and then proceeds to two equally powerful tracks in “The Last to Say” and “Became.” The lead single “Just for Show” follows, and while it may not have the power of the first three tracks, it’s an exceptionally well written song with a great lively beat. At this point, Slug’s lyrics and Ant’s beats (now featuring a full band to match their live show) are the best Atmosphere has ever been. That makes it all the more disappointing when the filler starts to set in. Slug’s incredible storytelling and passionate delivery descends into lazy and overly simply rhymes for a few tracks, and the beats start to become predictable and forced. While the album does have a few solid songs in the middle, it doesn’t really find its stride again until the third from last song. That’s when the jaw-droopingly beautiful side of Atmosphere shows up again, especially on the indescribably powerful “Something So” and closer “My Notes.” It would be easy to call The Family Sign a disappointment, just as it would be easy to call it one of the best albums of the year. The truth is, there’s a little of both here, but the former prevents this dark and deeply personal album from reaching the level of When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold or God Loves Ugly.

 

Blueprint- Adventures in Counter-Culture (2/4)

Adventures in Counter-Culture is a puzzling album to say the least. Blueprint is a talented emcee, but he does a surprisingly poor job of showing it here, instead going for a type of experimental hip-hop that doesn’t suit him well at all. The beats are mostly electronic-influenced, and while a few might work better with an emcee who has more experience rapping over electro beats, most are either boring or obnoxious. A few of the songs contain no rapping whatsoever, but just singing (some heavily auto-tuned, some not), and those are unfortunately all awful. Blueprint works best from the element we heard in his work with RJD2, rapping over trip-hop and traditional hip-hop beats with a steady flow and insightful lyrics. When he resorts to singing and rapping one or two word lines over electro beats, Blueprint is completely out of his element, and it comes across as forced. Adventures in Counter-Culture contains moments of vintage Blueprint, but only those moments save it from a being a complete disaster. Far too much of the album just doesn’t work.

 

Raekwon- Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (2.5/4)

If the point of Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang was to prove that Raekwon can rap without the RZA, it achieves the exact opposite of what it intended. The beats aren’t done by the RZA, but instead by a variety of producers trying way too hard to sound like RZA. It would be one thing if Rae would flow over a different type of beat, but poor RZA knockoffs just don’t cut it. Aside from the production, Raekwon is on his game, but much like the far better Only Built for Cuban Linx II it’s the guests that stand out. This time around the guest spots are a mixed bag, mostly being either incredible (Black Thought on “Masters of Our Fate”) or downright terrible (Rick Ross on “Molasses”). Much like Talib Kweli’s Gutter Rainbows from earlier in the year, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang’s mediocrity may only farther prove that Rae is a great emcee, as even with the disappointing beats, obnoxious hooks, and a few awful guest spots, there are enough solid verses from Raekwon himself to make this album listenable.

 

Sims- Bad Time Zoo (2.5/4)

Every hip-hop group needs a straight man. Wu-Tang Clan had Inspectah Deck to hold things together and allow more famous emcees like Ol Dirty and Ghostface to experiment. N.W.A. had the always consistent Ice Cube starting most songs off, and even Cypress Hill wouldn’t have been as good if the admittedly much better B-Real took all of the verses. Sometimes you just need a consistent rapper to take a verse and build to the more unique ones. In Doomtree, Sims is the Inspectah Deck, Ice Cube, and Sen Dogg. Dessa has her unique rapped-sung verses, P.O.S. has an aggressive punk edge, and Cecil Otter has one of the most distinct voices in underground hip-hop. Often times, Sims delivers that solid opening verse to get things going, and lead into the more memorable emcees. Much like Deck and Sen Dogg, however, Sims is somewhat disposable as a solo artist. When he gets two to three verses per song, as he does on Bad Time Zoo, things can get a little mundane. Even on his own album, Sims is far outshined by P.O.S. (who has the only guest verse on the entire record) to the point where after three listens I can remember more about P.O.S.’s one than the 30 or so Sims verses. All things considered, Bad Time Zoo is not a bad album. Sims is a solid lyricist, his flow is fine, and the production from Lazorbeak and other Doomtree regulars is quite good. It’s just that there are more memorable hip-hop albums out there, and it’s hard to recommend something so ordinary to anyone other than the underground faithful.

 

Wiz Khalifa- Rolling Papers (1/4)

Maybe I’m not the best person to review this album. I don’t smoke weed, and the Penguins are the only Pittsburgh team I’ve ever rooted for. However, I feel that my problems with Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers have less to due with its subject matter and more to do with a lack of quality parts that make up just about any good hip-hop album. Namely, the beats, the flow, and the lyrics (again, regardless of subject matter) are all terrible. The beats are identical to that of most mainstream hip-hop, generic and obnoxious in equal measure. Furthermore, they do nothing to help the content of the songs. When Snoop and Dre rapped about weed, they would have a beat that you could vibe out to while under the influence. You could tell just by the beat itself when Cypress Hill was about to rhyme about marijuana. The beats that Wiz rhymes over are completely interchangeable with other pop rap artists. This puts more emphasis on Wiz himself, which makes it harder to stomach just how bad of an emcee he is. His flow is safe and predictable, often using only a few words in a line. He says practically nothing, with no clever lines or interesting wordplay to speak of. Hip-hop albums about weed are nothing new, and there are far better rap albums that fill that niche. “Rolling Papers” is a repetitive and completely pointless album, but more than anything it’s an incredibly boring one.