Sep05

Grieves – Together/Apart (Review)

Grieves

Together/Apart

Released by Rhymesayers


Operating in the same lane Atmosphere has been paving and maintaining for the past 15 years, Seattle-based emcee Grieves has begun to tap into his vast potential with his third album Together/Apart. Though the record doesn’t boast as many standouts as his last full-length, it is his most fully-realized project on a whole. The lush keys and horns of producer Budo crash precisely against Grieves’ stark narratives on love and addiction.

Share/Bookmark
Sep01

David Dallas – The Rose Tint (Review)

David Dallas

The Rose Tint

Released by Duck Down Records


If listening to The Rose Tint without a fine tooth comb, you might miss the fact that David Dallas came from New Zealand obscurity to ESPN and HBO co-signed phenom virtually overnight. While Dallas shares characteristics with some of NYC’s strongest punchline emcees, he distinguishes himself with his earnest approach, subtle accent and sincere appreciation for the fans who help him “keep the lights on” as he relays on “Life Is...” Dallas is backed by mainstream, radio-friendly production on his second full-length, but mostly strays from the braggadocio and ...

Share/Bookmark
Sep01

Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse (Review)

Thundercat

The Golden Age of Apocalypse

Released by Brainfeeder


South Los Angeles bass-playing virtuoso Stephen Brunner loved the ’80s cartoon Thundercat so much that he named himself after it. He’s better known as the bass player for Suicidal Tendencies and on the polar opposite; sideman for such artists as Snoop Dog and Erykah Badu, and edgy hipsters like Sa-Ra Creative Partners and J*DaVeY. We heard him last year on Flying Lotus’s Cosmogramma and in return FlyLo is behind the controllers for Brunner’s solo debut The Golden Age of Apocalypse. “HooooooO” opens the ball as a short intro ...

Share/Bookmark
Aug25

Azari and III, “Azari and III” (Review)

Azari and III

Azari and III

Released by Loose Lips Records


Full disclosure: I know Azari and III. But even so I wouldn't be afraid of telling it as it is about their new album. You know what they say about the people you know. The reality is that this Canadian group functions more as a band than two producers who rotate singers like they rotate neckties. Azari and III is comprised of two lead singers and the two people who play the instruments and produce the beats. Many people keep referring to them as a sort of mimic or ...

Share/Bookmark
Aug24

Paul White – Rapping With Paul White (Review)

Paul White

Rapping With Paul White

Released by One-Handed Music


Part hip-hop, part electrofunk and part space-jazz, UK producer Paul White’s new record Rapping With Paul White, is a genre-bending mixture of geographically diverse sounds. Featuring Detroit’s heavy-hitter Guilty Simpson of Stones Throw and Random Axe fame on the single “Trust” as well as the Motor City rapper Danny Brown on “One of Life’s Pleasures”, Paul White cooks up some delectable selections for our audible consumption—from straightforward hip-hop bangers, to more methodical and introspective instrumental tracks. In addition to the already mentioned stellar collaborations, there are some intelligently composed tracks ...

Share/Bookmark