“Blues for the Red Sun” is a stone-cold classic. It changed the very definition of heavy at the time and was a breath of fresh air for the metal scene, which was populated solely by thrash metal. Josh Homme and Nick Olivieri’s buzz-saw guitars create an atmosphere that is so dense; you will barely be able to breathe. Seriously, like I mentioned in another one of my reviews, Kyuss are literally unknown legends in the desert rock and stoner rock scene, the latter being a genre that they basically founded.
If the name Josh Homme rings a bell, it’s because he currently is the frontman of Queens of the Stone Age, but at the time he was in Kyuss, only he didn’t have to handle the vocal duties, which were already undertook by John Garcia, and concentrated on the guitar. “Blues for the Red Sun” is the band’s second album, and was recorded and mixed in only 3 weeks; the band went in the studio, and did what it had to do, which is to rock. It’s practically impossible that they didn’t know they were creating what would become a major milestone in heavy music. Tracks like “Thumb”, “Green Machine” and “Freedom Run” are clear examples of the band’s raw genius.
Overall, it is a very interesting album for any type of music listener, and though it never became a commercial success, Kyuss is slowly beginning to get the recognition they deserve with the emergence of the stoner and sludge metal scene. Even if the band was short-lived, its legacy is undeniable.
Sometimes people approach me and ask for a little favor: Recommend a Hip-Hop album. So I usually point out classic stuff like “Low End Theory” from A Tribe Called Quest or a more modern sound like “The College Dropout” by Kanye West. But after they listen to some of the songs on these albums I mentioned, you can see their face going from “Nice, let’s listen” to “Aw, this is not what I’m looking for”. When this happens my friends… spin “Tronic” in your sound system. “This is the aggressive stuff i want!” is what some will say… I wouldn’t define it that way, but I know what they mean.
Tronic is mind-blowing not only for the mainstream listener, but for the eager hip-hop fan too. Starting with the synth-heavy ‘Long Story Short’, the album is full of rich basslines and drums that shine all over the tracks. With such dedication to the sound of the heavy drums it’s not a surprise that one track is called ‘Give The Drummer Sum’, and features the instrument as the main highlight. But Tronic is not resumed to this definition. Actually this is a great piece of work that mixes futuristic aspirations, 80′s influence and keyboard use with boom bap rap and the characteristic Detroit sound. Tracks like ‘Hold It Down’ and ‘RePPiN For U’ clearly shows the heavy Prince influence in Black Milk’s growth the second one with AB singing a melodic chorus that could fit perfectly into any sexy groove of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. But not everything here is a change for Black Milk, ‘Try’ takes the producer to the usual soul based sampling, even if he kinda hesitates and admits that he wouldn’t use soul samples in this album. You can’t run from a fresh sample I guess.
Finally, on the rap side of the songs, we have a more comfortable Black Milk rhyming with good punchlines. Maybe the content it’s not the best, but Detroit native improved on his microphone skills. And if all of this is not good enough for you, ‘The Matrix’ brings two heavy weight producers and one legend DJ to help Black Milk.
With many “hip-hop album of the year” nominations and comparisons with Kanye’s 2007 album, Tronic is the perfect album to bump on your car sound system or just to enjoy on a sunny day. Actually calling this album the underground “Graduation” (by Kanye West), is not too far from the truth. But I’m pretty sure that Kanye never had such strong and ready-for-loud-speakers beats.
Because of a prison sentence for attempted murder, Slick Rick was to be sent away for 5 years – from 1991 to 1996. He was signed to Def Jam at that time, so Russell Simmons bailed him out and two weeks later, Ricky went to Riker’s Island and had completed a follow-up album to the classic “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick”. That could seem like quite a hasty decision to make an album, which should come after such a milestone in Hip Hop as his first was, in under 2 weeks. Well some might argue that it was, and the album got very mixed reviews at the time, but for me – this is his finest work.
I’ve yet to find an album with the same tempo and fast paste feel like this. Every single track has kick drums dropping faster than water falls, and that makes the whole ride very hectic – reminiscent of the earliest Hip Hop music with the simplistic break-beat patterns and the spare drums. With Run-DMC scratches, Slick Rick pronounces himself to be the “King” on the intro track, a bold statement. But then again, a pretty normal practice in that era since the game was all about proving your place at the top – and that’s what I love about the late 80’s early 90’s, you had to be dope to cope. So most of the releases had the MC’s going 200% in the booth, simply because of the fact that, you wouldn’t get far without tight rhymes and fluid flows. Slick Rick was no different, and to my knowledge he’s still one of the most original rappers to ever grab a mic. “I Shouldn’t Had Done it” which topped the billboards at the time, captivates just what Ricky D is capable of and what he does best – storytelling surrounding women. It starts out with: “Well I’ma tell you a story and I come out bluntly//What a ugly child, hey nobody would want me//I used to walk around and get upset and upsetter//‘Til I figured out ways to make myself look better//As I got older, my awareness expanded//I met this beautiful girl and my wish was commanded” and the last 4 lines of this song is some of my favorites, but I won’t spoil the ending for you.
Slick Rick goes through a dozen of stories spanning between everything from a song about “Moses” to one about “Top Cat”. “Mistakes of a Girl in Love With Other Men” and “Runaway” are personal favorites of mine, caught myself having these two songs on repeat for hours upon hours straight. Something about Rick’s flow with the combination of his characteristic voice, is just so soothing and even though you have to read many of his lyrics on paper before you fully get them, mostly because of his accent and his huge use of slang terms, his delivery just slows things down even on such high speed songs, as this album contains. I’ve stated before that this record is quite monotone at some points, and songs like “Tonto”, “Ship” and “Venus” might seem very similar and on more than a few spins they may blend together, all three share drum driven beats with close to no sounds besides the dry snaps. But looking back, a lot of productions were very simplistic and Vance Wright, whom produced the whole album, did it in less than 14 days and might have lacked the inspiration or even skills to produce 12 consistent tracks.
Overall this album is quite an experience. As hectic as it might sound, the record really gives you the feeling of a period of time, were Ricky was facing 5 years in prison and had to get a new release out along with 5 videos in 2 weeks time. Some might say his first album is the masterpiece, and I wouldn’t argue them, but this is a lost gem and everything about it screams out Slick Rick. You should check it out, go through the album, spin it again, after that – one more time, then again and again and again and again!
by Oskar
And by the way, peep that this legend is still doing his thing better than ever in ’09 – check out his track on Mos Def’s “The Ecstatic” and see what I mean (most of you probably have but.. you know!).
Without Kraftwerk, groups like Daft Punk would probably not exist today and this album really shows where the likes of Daft Punk got their inspiration. Kraftwerk’s music takes you into a cold futuristic world using electronic sounds and simple vocals. This trip into Kraftwerk’s mind is a really interesting experience. Whether you like electronic music or not, this is a really entertaining ride into a sci-fi musical landscape.
The first song drags you into this robotic universe slowly preparing you for what will come later. Slowly, you will discover that this album is not as joyful as the first track made you believe. You will then stumble upon a post-modern world that seems rather dark having the sole sound of synth and the cold voice of the singer acting as a guide. You might be a bit reluctant to fully enter this new universe that this music opens to you, but believe me it is worth the ride. Every single song is unique and quite complex so on every listen you might discover something new or experience this great album in a new way.
If you’re a fan of new electronic acts, you’ll be able to see where they got their inspiration. If you’re just somebody who’s interested in a discovering a brilliant 70s music act that left there mark on electronic music, this is in my opinion the best way to discover them, in one of their finest moment.
I first fell in love when I was 12. I never meant for it to happen, or did I? I think I was in love with her before her saw her or met her. A bit like this album, really. I loved what I heard that it was on paper before I listened to it, but sure enough, that love only burned stronger once it happened. I thought that first love would evaporate by the time the summer ends. It didn’t.
Honestly, even though nothing came of it I think it was a great thing, for sure. There’s a lot of pleasure to be taken from pain. We all love to be down, right? We all love a bit of unrequited love and the supposed suffering that comes with it, not to mention any sort of artistic medium that channels and feeds that back to you. I’m not sure it enhanced me as a person one bit, but there was some sort of inexplicable, torturous joy to the whole thing. I should have left it sooner rather than later, but it was the sort of high that I couldn’t do without. This album mirrors that, at times agonisingly.
I hadn’t even thought about the whole thing for, hmmm, let’s say around five years before I checked out this record. That was when it came flooding back. I’m not feeling any regrets about it to be fair, let alone any that are in danger of killing me. There were enough of those back then to sit around worrying now. I haven’t even seen her for five years, so I’m not sure any emotions would even be involved. Still, I can’t help wondering if a single glimpse would bring back three years of weird feeling, commonly called ‘love,’ I assume. It certainly wasn’t a side effect of the music.
No, I listen to music too much now, if that’s possible, but back then I didn’t. It probably would have coloured a lot more records for life, rather than this single one that bizarrely evokes a solitary time period of my life that it has little to do with. That’s a mere testament to this album, in truth.
It’s the one where every aching guitar chord bounces off your heart like a burning spark. It’s the one where dreamy vocals talk of distant neighbourhood struggles, set in bedrooms, until you realize that they’re actually under your nose. It’s the one which reminds you of when you’d stay home, and all that stood between you and her was a flimsy barrier of delicate snow tickling your December window. Well, that and social anxiety. It’s the one where every drop of music has a quality of gutting gorgeousness. It’s the one where perhaps someone else listening to this album hears a different nine tracks to you, because they feel impossibly personal, as if your brain plays music box and opts to soundtrack a period of your life nobody else experienced like you did. It’s the one where you use what is already a corny gimmick in your write-up of it, and badly, simply because you felt exasperated at the thought of trying to come up with something better than vomiting out your ideas while still desiring to thread something through them. It’s the one for anyone who has ever longed in a gated community.
What do you get when you connect an underground rapper from North Carolina with a relatively obscure instrumentalist from the Netherlands? The answer is simple, you get synergy. An entity which is more musically significant than the sum of its individual parts. And that is quite telling, as the individuals are incredibly gifted on their own. Phonte and Nicolay “Connected” on their first album, but in this one they choose to loosely portray a story about lovers drifting apart, only to be picked up again. Phonte transforms into his alter ego, Percy Miracles, and Nicolay turns down the tempo just a tad bit to create this masterpiece in modern RnB called “Leave It All Behind”.
Although it borrows most of its influence from neo-soul, the album is rooted in RnB with regards to content and structure. Its starts on the deep end of a relationship. In the soul baring intro, “Daykeeper”, you can hear a deeply confessional tone, but more importantly it foreshadows the emotional scars that would eventually follow. These issues would come to the forefront on tracks such as “Valediction” and “If She Breaks Your Heart”. The album is fairly linear so it is easy to follow the concept songs as they come in their unique order. The beginning is the first serious relationship which goes sour, leading way to some of the more remorseful tracks in the middle. Then in the end there is a return to a grace state where not only true love is found, but along with it comes the realization that it is best to learn to live with regrets. Phonte does not really drop a full verse of rapping until “Something To Behold”, which coincidentally became my favorite track and garnered constant replays.
The production never falters on this 11 track album. I would not be surprised to learn that Nicolay produced this album in one session as his instrumentation is wonderfully consistent. There is not one faulty tune or melody in all of 44 minutes. I must also mention the vocal contributions of YaZarah, Muhsinah, and Darien Brockington, as without them this album would not sound the same. Muhsinah contributes to three of my favorite songs in “Daykeeper”, “House of Cards, and “Something To Behold” and is certainly a perfect crooning partner for Phonte, who stretches his vocal chords ambitiously. There are few albums that can engage you in deep thought, keep you entertained, and teach you a few lessons about life. Add to that albums that can get you through chilly winters. This is one of those.
Call me shallow, but with a name like Acid Bath, I kind of hoped for the best and expected the worst. Sometimes you go out on a limb and get an albums’ worth of one dimensional bullshit and other times you’re pleasantly surprised with an unexpectedly great piece of music. This time around it was most definitely the latter. Hailing from Louisianna, Acid Bath released their first album entitled “When The Kite String Pops” in 1994 and followed it up with “Paegan Terrorism Tactics” in 1996. The band then broke up shortly after in 1997 due to the death of their bassist.
Topically, “Paegan Terrorism Tactics” is entirely dark and morbid, but this is evened out by the wide array of musical styles and a great lead singer. The album opens with “Paegan Love Song” which starts off as an up tempo track with vocals that are begging you to sing along, before unravelling into a bone crushingly slow outro. “Venus Blue” sounds like it belonged on rock radio in the mid 90′s, with a soaring chorus that is by far the most listener friendly moment on the entire album. Much to my enjoyment, the album’s catchiest song is followed by one of its most brutal. “13 Fingers” will punish your ears in the best way possible before the tempo takes a dive for a while, allowing you to recover, before things pick up again for a finale that will most definitely drive the point home. If this track doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit, I don’t know what will *wink wink*.
The album closes (not counting a disturbing spoken word outro) with the surprisingly beautiful “Dead Girl”. This track is nothing but Dax Riggs’ vocals and an acoustic guitar with hooks galore.
“Paegan Terrorism Tactics” is a great stepping stone for anyone interested in exploring the metal genre, as it is firmly rooted in ‘extreme’ music, but has its fair share of listener friendly moments. Although their existence was short, Acid Bath left us with two great albums and left a pretty noticeable influence on a few metal acts today. Don’t hesitate in picking this album up because you may just enjoy it.
Meshuggah raised the progressive metal label to an extreme level of complexity that has not yet been topped. With a mastery of genres such as math and thrash metal, as well as experimental jazz, the trademark of the band is without doubt their ability to create utterly complex polyrhythmic patterns that include all the instruments and even the vocals. Contrarily to other death metal bands, Meshuggah do not pledge any allegiance to Satan, in fact, their lyrics could relate more to philosophical themes that are highly esoteric and conceptual. Meshuggah’s distinct sonic imprint has often been praised by fans and critics alike, and even though their sound does not appeal to everyone, their talent is undeniable.
1998’s “Chaosphere” is the band’s third album, following the landmark “Destroy Erase Improve” which could be qualified as a masterwork of the math metal genre. The first thing that comes to your mind when you listen to the album is: how in hell do they manage to play like that? Yes, the dual rhythm really is disconcerting but it is not as complex as it seems. The secret lies in the fact that the drums usually play on a 4/4 pattern and the guitars, playing in a staccato style most of the time, on another pattern, for example 23/16 (“New Millennium Cyanide Christ”), with the bass drum mimicking the riff. The vocalist sings with a robotic and mechanical bark that usually just adds more intricacy to the whole wall of sound produced by the other instruments; all three components act in a different time signature to produce insane polyrhythm.
Overall, I think “Chaosphere” is a good introduction if you are interested in listening to some Meshuggah. Tracks like “New Millennium Cyanide Christ”, “Corridor of Chameleons”, “The Mouth Licking What You’ve Bled” and “The Exquisite Machinery of Torture” are highlights in my opinion, especially “New Millennium”. What really puts Meshuggah ahead of other death metal outfits is that they focus on tightness, tempo changes and instrumental ability instead of trying to outgrow and outspeed everyone. It may not fit your everyday tastes in terms of musicality and brutality, but this album is really worth a listen, at least.
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