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Album Review: Quasimoto - Yessir Whatever

If someone asked me how I felt about a new Quasimoto album/compilation consisting of material created between the years 1999 and 2013, I would tell them I am ecstatic. The debut album of Madlib's pseudonyn, Quasimoto's The Unseen, is a classic hip hop record. No other producer's skill on an mpc can come close to rivaling the crackly, obscure samples used by Madlib. Upon hearing the news of this record, I was a bit concerned with exactly it would sound like. Madlib is well known for releasing mind boggling amounts of material such as the Madlib Medicine Show series, Yesterday's New Quintet, Madvillainy, Champion Sound, and an impressive amount of free material. This in mind, it was hard to tell for sure what Yessir Whatever would be like. Having heard the album a number of times since the release now, I can say I am very pleased. After nearly a decade, Madlib is still sticking to the original Quasimoto formula. Certain tracks on the album are interrupted by samples of television shows and movies, just as they were on the first two albums. Many samples of people speaking on one of Lord Quas's favorite topics, marijuana. The beats still have an old, dirty quality to them as if they have been left out in heat. The bass drum sounds still punch through the speakers in a rich and satisfying manor. The timing of the snares are guaranteed to have any true hip hop fan's head bobbing. Yessir Whatever, is exactly what it should be, more Quasimoto material for any hungry fans craving it.

8/10

Favorite Tracks: Seasons Change, The Front, Catchin' The Vibe, Sparkdala

Album Review: Grouper - The Man Who Died In His Boat

Since her 2008 release, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, Grouper has been known for her spiritual, droning, soft melodies with sort of haunting vocals which results in songs that really resonate, feel mysterious, and  evoke emotions. Her last release did just that. For The Man Who Died in His Boat Grouper takes the folk elements from 2008 and the electronic elements from the 2011 double album (a1a), giving songs that orbit around slow, fuzzy guitar strums accompanied with soft vocals by Liz Harris (Grouper's sole member) as well as some synth ambient noises in the background. The results being feelings of loneliness and of mystery and curiosity; feelings perfectly fitted for a rainy/snowy afternoon. This blending of sounds is very easily recognizable in songs like "Differences" where the song starts out with very hazy guitar playing with prominent reverb and echoes quickly followed by ghostly vocals which throws a kind of sound-net at you. Although this release is arguably her most melodious and diverges a bit from her usual work, Grouper stays true to her music and delivers an enjoyable album to listen to. 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Vital, Being her shadow, Differences, The Man who Died in his Boat

Album Review: Joey Bada$$ - Summer Knights

If there is one thing New York rappers have in common, it is consistency. Whether talking about individual verses, songs, or records, Pro Era rarely disappoints. Joey Bada$$'s new mix tape, Summer Knights, is another solid release from the Pro Era crew. On this new tape, Joey is taking his rapping to the next level. On his previous release, 1999, he laid verses over beats very smoothly and easily. On Summer Knights he strikes every track fiercely with a much more sharp and mature flow. Almost every aspect of his music has become much more developed. Most of the tracks have a very specific message that comes through loud and clear. The production is clean and easy to enjoy. It is not hard to tell that the Era's Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers have been improving their beat making skills. This tape manages to be surprisingly eclectic without sounding disjointed. The only part of Summer Knights that really isn't enjoyable is the Collie Budz feature on "My Yout". His voice is tolerable but the way he pronounces the lyrics in this track is beyond annoying. I am embarrassdd to listen to this track in my car with anyone. Aside from the awkward feature from Collie, Joey and Chuck created a solid track here. One of the last few tracks, "Longlivesteelo" is a tribute to the late Capital Steez. As a fan of Steez, this track gives me some slight chills. This track features a vocal at the end of the song that is a clever reference to another song by Capital Steez called "47 Elements". As a pretty big fan of Pro Era, Summer Knights is another solid release from the group. If you are not already a fan, this would be a fantastic place to start.

8.5/10

Favorite tracks: Death of YOLO, Sweet Dreams, Sit'n'prey, 95' til infinity

Album Review: Hieroglyphics - The Kitchen

Del's distinct voice on one if his own funky beats is the perfect way to start this album. It is absolutely safe to say Hieroglyphics have still got it. It's been 10 years since they released their last record. Incredible is the fluency that the group manages to maintain over all these years. With Hiero, it is always the combination of different mc's that makes that makes them so great. It seems like just about every track on this album has every member of the group on it. They switch off verses so much that it's nearly impossible to be bored with any verse on the album. Not only is Hiero keeping up with what made them so great a decade ago. They are growing as well. The most notable difference between this record and their last 2, is the production. the samples and beats are still catchy and interesting. But they are much more polished. 3rd eye vision featured a handful of dirty and fuzzy vinyl samples. These beats sounded fantastic, of course. But it is the year 2013 and hip hop has changed. Since the release of 3rd eye vision, We've been hit with glittery and clean production from artists like Kanye West. Hieroglyphics seem to be aware of this and have kept up. Most importantly they do so without compromising their signature style. The Kitchen should be a treat for previous fans and a solid record for hip hop fans in general.

8.5/10

Favorite tracks: Highway Five, Golden, That Merch, It's Partly Me, The Mayor