May 16, 2012
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Reviews

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Reks


Straight, No Chaser
Brick Records
88

How is success defined in hip-hop?  It’s a question that has been debated on the message boards of this very site, at least once a week at exhausting length.  For those in the “doin’ numbers” camp, Reks is not considered a success but to the other school of thought, he’s a champion.  Straight No Chaser, Reks’ new LP with longtime collaborator DJ Statik Selektah, is the coronation of an emcee at his peak level of skills and maturity.  If there was ever a blueprint for new hip hop that pays homage to the Golden Age without sounding dated, this is it.  Reks and Statik Selektah combine to make soulful, honest, no-nonsense hip-hop in the classic mold.

Reks and his DJ start things off in sound fashion with “Autographs,” Reks bringing his signature precise lyricism and in-the-pocket cadence and Selektah on the boards with a beat that sounds like the bastard child of Pete Rock and DJ Premier.  While Reks definitely killed shit (and killed it again as a zombie) Statik Selektah put his foot in this one harder than Bruce Lee.  “Such A Showoff” featuring  Kalil, JFK, and Termanology has got sick punchline upon sick punchline over a piano-laden, African drum-heavy banger that perfectly exemplifies why Statik Selektah is one of those cats you should be up on.  He’s got a recognizable sound but every now and again he’ll throw something at you unexpected.  Reks manages the almost obligatory double-time title track “Straight No Chaser” and excels; spitting with passion, irony, and engaging narrative.  The last cut, “730”, is vintage Reks and Statik Selektah–they’ve worked together on virtually every project of Reks’ career so longtime fans will knowingly nod in recognition.

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Santigold


Master of My Make-Believe
Atlantic Records
86

In 2008, Santigold lit up the alt-pop world with an electric debut. In hindsight, Santogold served as a sonic pre-cursor to the cultural upheaval that would mark the subsequent months and years. As governments were overthrown, city streets were occupied, and Navy SEALs shot it out with pirates in the deep sea, the defiant eclecticism, unbridled energy and aural dissonance that characterized the Philly-born singer’s musical screeds made them feel suddenly anthemic. Four years later, Santigold returns with Master of My Make-Believe, an equally diverse, if more subdued, collection that feels like a reflection on the era of controlled chaos that her debut foreshadowed.

While the opener, “Go!” is vintage Santigold, complete with chanted vocals atop double-time percussion and sci-fi chase synths, “Disparate Youth” is the project’s true tone-setter. With jittery keys and drums belying a mid-tempo trance groove, lyrics of rebellion are delivered with world weary resolution as opposed to reckless abandon, as if sombered by a newfound awareness of the struggle that will come after the uprising. The same feeling is captured more explicitly on the album’s centerpiece, “The Riot’s Gone,” where the singer laments of “trying to loose the world inside, but it’s got no place to go,” atop a pensive track that gradually builds to ethereal falsetto catharsis.

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Kutmah Presents


Worldwide Family 2
Brownswood
85

Kutmah. Brownswood. Two names that guarantee something different in the music world, something cutting edge and, most importantly of all, something good. For the last couple of years Brownswood has been hipping people to what’s hot in the worldwide electronic scene in its Electr*c series while Kutmah established himself as a Don of the L.A. beat scene–before his forced relocation to England, where he’s become a highly respected DJ, producer and artist.

In a recent interview, Kutmah rather disarmingly said that to establish himself as a DJ, he had to play stuff that nobody else was playing (“you’re not going to be J Rocc, simple as that.”) That admirable philosophy runs through this collection, which is impeccably curated as you’d expect. Some of the names that Kutmah has championed in the past are now reassuringly familiar – Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke – but most of the names here are reassuringly unfamiliar.

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Various Artists


Listen Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power
Light In The Attic
85

Politically, Listen Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power is a powerful reminder of our ugly and not-so-distant past but also that the American Civil Rights movement was one that relied on a multitude of crucial figures, not just the names that get bandied about every February. Musically, the album recalls a time when some of the most radical, intelligent and courageous musicians and activists in the country were elevated to iconic status in popular culture. Somewhere along the way, things done changed.

This is far from a slapdash collection of well-known protest songs. On the contrary, archivist Pat Thomas painstakingly assembled the pieces of this puzzle. Along the way he  “befriended key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, dug through Huey Newton’s archives at Stanford University, spent countless hours and thousands of dollars on eBay, and talked to rank and file Black Panther Party members, uncovering dozens of obscure albums, singles, and stray tapes.” The effort was not in vain. Some of these recordings have never been released on CD before, while others recall obscure samples from the golden-era of hip-hop whose origins may have been mysteries to many listeners until now.

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Sene


Brooklyknight
Plug Research
79

Sene is a bit of anomaly amongst the younger generation of rappers. He is not the most dexterous MC nor is he swag-oriented like say his NYC counterpart, A$AP Rocky. His elocution is more subtle, with lines that speak to an articulate grasp of today’s universal frustrations.

His new project Brooklyknight showcases Sene as a hybrid of Digable Planets, Justin Warfield and pre-Yasiin Bey. The type of left-leaning album you wish you could dig on more in an era of conformity. The mercurial production flickers between the straight-ahead (“Backboards,” featuring regular collaborator Blu) to the experimental (the mind-melting “The Feel Real”). Many of the sung hooks are distracting, but there is something in the dissonance that supports the overall tone and push of the set.

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Odd Future


The OF Tape Vol. 2
Odd Future Records
72

To set things straight: The reasons for Odd Future’s breakthrough success are obviously deeper than their oft-discussed shock value. Sure, they took the willfully offensive rudeness of a young Eminem to a level befitting a generation whose sex-ed classes had been outsourced to Limewire. But the reason music listeners are still checking for Odd Future 2 1/2 years after Tyler’s Bastard mixtape made the first widely-recognized splash for the camp is that the crew hosts a remarkable amount of musical talent beyond the unholy trinity of Tyler, Earl and Frank. Having reached a head-count of 11–all of whom are featured on The OF Tape Vol. 2, the Wolf Gang’s problem is not one of lack but of overload.

Many of the individual members have gradually been developing their distinct artistic personas, shedding some of the immaturity that made their early group efforts both memorable and assailable. This maturiation is reflected on The OF Tape Vol. 2: Left Brain handles just as much of the production as Tyler and demonstrates an enhanced palette of sounds. Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats both flow with unprecedented focus, most notably on “Bitches” and “Hcapd.”  Tyler dependably delivers like a superstar. Mike G goes from being a fifth wheel to contributing a standout track. Frank Ocean needs only one 2-minute solo-cut to underline his status as today’s most naturally gifted R&B artist – but it feels as though there are just too many aspiring chefs in the kitchen.

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royceBirth


theREBIRTH
Third Charm Media
89

Chicago/Toronto emcee royceBirth’s new LP Rebirth is an album to be treasured, on par with Common’s The Dreamer, The Believer, Finale’s A Pipe Dream and A Promise, and Nas’ best output; staples of bona fide hip-hop, which simultaneously blaze trails of inspiration through the blockades of adversity and of life’s many dead ends.

RoyceBirth is hip-hop’s psychiatrist whose diagnosis (and prevention) are prescribed in the therapeutic Rebirth.  The album’s setting immerses the listener in melancholy as Royce lyrically journals his troubled life, the atmospheric production redolent of its sometimes disheartening nature.  “Ankh (Yesterday),” “Good Morning (Morning Glory),” “Brand New,” and the hurt-my-soul “For You” form the darker chapters of Royce’s sinister biography. The sound of crystalline piano keys in “Purpose” and the haunting guitar strings in “And Remember” are digested like pain medicine to an injured spirit as he questions his existence searching for a driven purpose life.  Drums brings hardened cement to life in the form of a “Brick In the Wall,” a single that metaphorically describes a human heart ostracized from an inhumane society.

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Amadou & Mariam


Folila
Because Music/Nonesuch Records
88

Over nearly forty years performing and recording music, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia have paired their eclectic brand of Malian blues with collaborators from countless countries and genres. So, it is only fitting that for their eighth studio recording, the husband and wife duo would deliver a free-flowing affirmation of the power of music in all its forms. Initially, Folila was conceived as two separate projects, one a traditional set built around African instrumentation, and the second a crossover endeavor recorded in New York and featuring assorted guests from the western pop world. Eventually the two sets were merged, resulting in a collection of musical bridges, bringing together genres, instruments and generations often at odds in the notoriously fickle world of music.

“Dougou Badia” is a superb tone-setter, pairing vintage African drums with searing electric guitars, providing a spellbinding backdrop for the tag team vocals of Mariam and urban alternative favorite, Santigold. “Metemya” unfurls with a more freewheeling, improvisational energy, but is grounded by precise percussion. The falsetto backing harmonies from Jack Shears of Scissor Sisters make a compelling counterpoint to the Amadou’s commanding baritone. “C’est Pas Facille Pour Les Aigles” explodes from the speakers like a crisp, two and a half minute Creole/Rock N’ Roll anthem.

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Snarky Puppy


GroundUp
Ropeadope Records
88

Classification is the process of grouping things according to their similarities.  The musicology of the savant band Snarky Puppy is made wildly problematical by their varied musical taxonomy, comprising jazz, swing, electro pop, rock, soul, funk, go-go, and a fraction of hip-hop.

The band’s latest experimental pet project is GroundUp, an album that cultivates true musicianship instrumentally–without features, guest vocalists or even lyrics.  The resplendent and tasteful “Binky” exemplifies the project; luxuriant with grooving percussion, the single fools listeners into thinking the song is ending just when its suspense climaxes to lustful horn and brass that will make lovers drool over each other.

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Apollo Brown & O.C.


Trophies
Mello Music Group
86

At no other time has hip-hop been so inclusive, its subgenres reconfigured for accessible radio-friendly formats. Though with that inclusiveness comes a different kind of rap music, not focused so much on hefty lyrics and grainy bass drums. In the pursuit of fame, some MCs have chosen to scale it down, fusing comprehensible rhymes with glossier beats for a more digestible sound. That reality has created an unfortunate rift within rap circles, mostly between older and younger listeners: those with traditional palates long for the “boom bap” and social commentary of yesteryear, while their counterparts revel in the current wave of “swag” rap. Certainly, hip-hop doesn’t belong to one community in particular, but never before has there been such divisiveness about its artistic direction.

Is hip-hop more about mixtape downloads and YouTube views, and less about artistic integrity? Is today’s MC more concerned with celebrity than creative depth? Detroit producer Apollo Brown and Brooklyn rapper O.C. seem to think so. “Everybody want their trophy,” grumbles an aggravated voice at the top of Trophies, Brown and O.C.’s collaborative album. “Is that supposed to tell me that you did something?” That criticism is the underlying theme of  Trophies, on which O.C. discusses real-life scenarios over Brown’s crackling percussion and enveloping bass lines. You won’t hear O.C. bragging about his material possessions; in fact, he chastises such excess. Nor will you hear Brown forgoing his menacing compositions for pop extravagance. Instead, Trophies is no-frills hip-hop for nostalgic fans: dope beats and sharp lyricism for the insightfully inclined.

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Norah Jones


Little Broken Hearts
Blue Note
81

Norah Jones looks amazing.  The only problem with this aesthetic impression is that it’s telling of the somewhat benign auditory mark left by her new LP, Little Broken Hearts.  Armed with production from Danger Mouse, a fierce new haircut, and the lyrical angst of a woman scorned, Jones seems to have assembled all the signifiers required of a rebirth.  Unfortunately only a few of the 12 tracks build upon the promise of Jones’ blazing cameos on Danger Mouse’s 2011 Rome record.  None of this is to suggest that the lovely Ms. Jones has drained the honey from her pipes; her voice is still as perfectly airy–with a touch of rasp–as it ever was.  See opener “Good Morning” for a pleasant refresher, or, depending on your opinion of this record, a semi-portentous glimpse into dreamland.

While Danger Mouse has lent career momentum, via kicks and overall sonic backbone, to everyone from Jemini the Gifted One to The Black Keys, not all of his collaborators have been blessed with such trampoline-type bounce – see Beck.  Despite more upbeat standouts like “Say Goodbye” and “Happy Pills,” Little Broken Hearts sounds wispy and balmy, not altogether unenjoyable or boring, just not quite actualized to its fullest potential, more Modern Guilt than Brothers.  Between the obvious hits and the Halcion fuzz however lays an interesting sound.  Album closer “All A Dream” is a smoked-out spaghetti-Western sounding joint befitting of that weird road side tavern in “Twin Peaks,” and that’s a good thing, a sound Rome capitalized on and Little Broken Hearts merely hints at in passing.

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Gypsyphonic Disko


NoLAPhonic Volume 2
Super Smart Produce
80

Let me be honest. There are moments when I listen to the first track on an album and decide right then and there, if I think it’s good or bad. I know, this is isn’t always the best way to gather an informed opinion about something, but there is value in thin slicing — in using a sample of something to determine the quality of its whole. And that’s what I did when listening to Gypsyphonic Disko’s, NoLAPhonic Volume 2, my initial reaction being one of confusion and dislike. Simply put, I thought the sound was corny. But. By the middle of the album, I wasn’t so sure.

Gypsyphonic Disko is made up of Ben Ellman, from New Orleans funk band, Galactic, and producer, Quickie Mart, and on this particular project, the two mash up New Orleans’s native, Bounce, Klezmer, and balkan music, to create a sound…unheard. Just from the first track, the one that threw me for a loop the most, they take Juvenile’s “Set It Off,” and mash it with “Hava Nagila,” which is awfully creative, but came across as trite and forced. Not to mention the intricate horn over the already bass-heavy and synthesized beat just seemed to muddy the song.

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