Album Review: Fire! Orchestra - Exit!

Fire! Orchestra is a 24 member avant-garde, free jazz group that emerged from the Scandinavian jazz scene. Their album "Exit!" is my favorite  record of its genre to have come out of this year. The albums flows in a very post rock manor. With gradual build ups and repetitive riffs as well influences ranging from a wide array of genres such as metal and noise. This record's main attraction is its eerie thought provoking vibe. The vocals are almost all comprised of strange and beautiful cries that seamlessly fly above all of the hectic instrumentation. Each horn player on the album sounds as if they are striving to be the star of the show. Normally this would sound horrible, as it is the custom of orchestras to work together in synchronization. But this is free jazz, it is every instrumentalists duty to sound unique. The only really consistent instruments on this record are the drums and the bass, and they do a damn good job of holding down the beat. Whenever I am performing a task and listening to this album, it is incredibly easy find myself subconsciously picking up the pace with the music. The majority of the album's forty-five minutes consists of long nearly perfectly executed build ups and plateaus. The one exception to this pattern is the very odd and awe-inspiring breakdown in the second half of the second track. In this section, all of the instruments work together to create a low key atmosphere. To accompany this change of pace, the vocalist really lets loose. She spouts off vague lyrics in a high pitched and almost freaky tone. She also has the very unusual ability to raise her voice to very high pitches and utilize a very, very fast vibrato. She drops any ounce of hesitation and viciously raises her voice up and down over and over. This long played out ending for the album would be a real challenge to any unseasoned listener of the genre. It is fascinating to hear the brutality of the band when it comes to being appealing. It is clear that Fire! Orchestra is not making this music for anyone. If the listener enjoys it, fantastic, and if not, go back to your radio and quit complaining. 9/10.

Ep Review: Young Black Preachers - YBP Ep

I'll be completely honest. I really don't know anything about Young Black Preachers except that they are an underground hip hop trip on the Brainfeeder record label. I stumbled upon this ep on the Brainfeeder website while searching for something new to listen to. I was pleasantly surprised. The first thing I noticed when I listened to this ep was the unique production. All of the beats have tasty, catchy bass lines and weird scratchy samples. All of the beats sound as if they are being played through an old television set from the 90's. This group's music easily fits the description of lo fi. The lyrics are not particularly high grade but they are definitely interesting. The trio definitely has a lot of charisma. I feel like if I were to hang out with Young Black Preachers, they would be very cool and I could learn from them. I can see YBP receiving a lot of recognition from the underground in the future and I hope they do. 8.8/10.

Album Review: Shigeto - No Better Time Than Now

It seems that 2013 is more than just a year full of decent hip hop releases. With OPN's R Plus Seven on the way and Shigeto's recent No Better Time Than Now, it is safe to call this year well rounded. This is Shigeto's third album and by far the most interesting. 2012's Lineage was a solid electronic ambient release but was lacking in originality. This new release succeeds at solving this issue while still remaining very mellow and relaxing.
The first notable characteristic of No Better Time Than Now is the jazz influence. An electronic house style keyboard opens up the intro with a long smooth jazz sounding chord. The rest of this progression is followed by some more authentic electronic sounds as well as some glitch hop. This intro seems to sum up the album as a whole. It is truly a great way to kick off the album. My mental image of this track is somewhat like a person diving into a pool relaxation and peeking curiosity. The second track, "Detroit Part 1", maintains the jazz feel and brings in a tight hip hop beat. The electronic influence returns in full force on the song, "Perfect Crime", with a very rigid synth lead. It is the type of synthesizer in which the wavelengths are very easily heard as the notes a held.
No Better Time Than Now is a perfect fix for any glitch hop/beat music fans. For me, this record is my solution to hearing too much Flying Lotus. Though his music is nearly perfect, I cannot listen to it forever. This is what makes Shigeto so great. 7.8/10

Track Review : Danny Brown - ODB

Announced along with the release date of Danny Brown's up coming album, Old , set to be released on september 30th. This is actually the second released from his soon to be new album the first being kush coma which featured A$ap Rocky.

ODB, which stands for "Old Danny Brown" sounds quite particular from start to finish, it's production in particular. The song features a mixture of production styles which sound like a fusion of chill wave, ,electronic, of course hip hop ,and even seems to sample a slowed psychedelic down tune most likely coming from the 60s. The production also fluctuates in speed, adding a sort of melting and mind bending effect. During my first listen, I found that Danny's flow wasn't fitting the beat as it seems too fast, but this thought quickly disappeared into my second listen. This song is arguably more serious and innovative then anything he released in XXX, which was not set in the same direction as Danny Brown wants Old to. The delivery to this song is definitely fast, energetic and really hits you verse after verse. Danny Brown's easily recognizable voice fits the production as they both sound a bit deranged, or crazy. This song got me a lot for excited for Old and made it, for me, an anticipated 2013 release. 7.9/10