Sole is the archetypal anticon MC, rapping with urgency, causticity, white-liberal acuity, self-deprecation, self-consciousness, and skewed wit. He could fill half of XLR8R with his notable quotables. Live From Rome is Sole‘s most accomplished opus yet. This is partly due to Alias, Controller 7, Tepr, and especially Odd Nosdam‘s phenomenal production, which fuses psychedelically warped drones, guitar, cello, and organ samples to dusty-grooved funkiness. On “Manifesto 232,” Sole claims to be a “new-age demagogue,” and his voice bears the fiery certainty of an end-times proselytizer-and current events don‘t exactly contradict him. Here he reinforces his status as one of rap‘s foremost clarions.
Edo G Boston
Edo G has been making a lot of noise in the underground lately, but he‘s now poised to make a major comeback. His classic flow is as strong as ever, but this time he‘s backed by Pete Rock beats on both sides of the 12″. The A-side is an ode to his hometown and he describes Boston‘s grittiness as no one else can. On “Stop Dat,” he‘s joined by fellow Beantowners Krumbsnatcha and Jaysaun over a sparse track highlighted by strong rhymes and roughly harmonized hooks.
Various Artistst Indian Soundscapes
Insects, worship, coughing, hacking, rain, bells, bargaining, selling, laughing, birds, horns, train stations, music, children, monkeys, chai-wallah-ing, and commerce. Taken out of context, these sounds both repel and attract; even if you‘ve never been to India, you‘ll feel your stomach rumble in amoebic anticipation. India has almost four times the population of the US in a space one-third the size, and the ambient sounds of daily life are inescapable. One of the recordist‘s goals here was to try to avoid the sounds of engines, resulting in a pointed aural description of daily life in India. The two-disc set is worth it for the handpainted box (made in Varanasi) alone.
Thievery Corporation The Cosmic Game
Leave behind the hypocrisy involved in Thievery Corporation‘s dissemination of copy-encrypted CDs for review that will not play on democratic platforms like iTunes. Song titles like “Revolution Solution,” “Amerimacka,” “The Time We Lost Our Way,” and many more seem laughable in the face of Thievery‘s burgeoning P2P paranoia. The music is standard Thievery chill-out, except this time they front superstars like The Flaming Lips, Perry Farrell, and David Byrne. In other words, Thievery wants the adult alternative crowd on lockdown. If you‘re a lounge-hop head with a convenient sense of irony, this Corporation is a far cry from the one that worried about The Richest Man in Babylon last time around.
Hakan Lidbo The Worst Case Scenario
I‘m happy to announce fearless tech-house producer Hakan Lidbo has lost his marbles, at least if this EP is any evidence. “Lonely Clones” duplicates a thousand voice shards per second in your headphones as Bradley tank basslines bore craters in the track‘s aquamarine surface. “Combat Kittens” is minimal techno, sure-if that also includes extreme left/right-panned clicks and noises or frequencies off the EQ charts. It‘s a precarious expedition worth taking.
Typical Cats Civil Service
Chicago‘s Galapagos4 label relocated to Oakland last year and it seems that, stylistically, the Typical Cats aren‘t far behind. On their second full-length, the Windy City trio of Qwel, Qwazaar, and Denizen Kane expound spacey, sun-soaked philosophies over strutting, jazzy beats-a formula fit for the West Coast. The Midwest influence isn‘t lost on them-their flow suggests they were star pupils at the Slug School of Rapping. Smoky but unspectacular production, provided by the aptly-titled DJ Natural, augmented by a trio of live musicians, creates a comfortable cushion for this trio‘s clever verbal give-and-take, which would be at home anywhere.
Various Artists Genocide In Sudan
The sweep of death and destruction in Sudan has been broad enough to move people across the world, so the range of artists on this album-the proceeds of which go to aid international aid agencies-makes sense. Admittedly, the track placement isn‘t always so cohesive-it is odd to hear the dubbed out “Truth and Rights” from Thievery Corporation right after the ragingly guitar-driven album opener, “N‹GUNS” from System of a Down. The result is an album that leaves eclectic in the dust (Yoko Ono, Bad Religion, The Pretenders [remixed] and X-ecutioners), but with Sudan so maimed, any help makes a difference.
Various Artists Heartbeat: Mixed By David Harness
California stalwart Harness launches this new house series from San Francisco‘s Loveslap with an excellently mixed compilation that leans toward deep and soulful. Though solid, the album‘s generally low-key-the kind of music you can pace yourself to. The album‘s sounds are made for a night filled with velvet lounge chairs, quality dancefloors, and flickering candles; tracks like Scientific Soul‘s “Pimenta Malaguenta,” with its great accordion, are made for movement. Standing out is Harness‘ mix of “Black Music”-insistently gorgeous.
Various Artists Nickodemus Presents: Coney Island Love
For years, Brooklyn-based Nickodemus has been known for throwing parties where he totes instruments and musicians in from across the world; this album, compiled and mixed by Nicko, reflects his reputation. The obligatory (and damned good) Latin influence is here in the Nicko and Osiris-remixed “Tanguedia 3” from tango legend Astor Piazzollo, but the album ranges farther with “Balkan Hot Step” from N.O.H.A. (now in a Nike ad) and “All is One” by The Spy from Cairo. Nick represents NYC as well with his own deep “Cleopatra‘s Bonus Beats.”
A Guy Called Gerald To All Things What They Need
Gerald could probably make a great d&b album in his sleep. This is not that album-it‘s far more interesting. Always a boundary-pusher, Gerald ditches defined genres, going for a sound that feels alternately lush and sparse, atmospheric and moody. “Millennium Sanhedrin” features spoken word from Ursula Rucker, followed by the evocative (and aptly named) “Call for Prayer.” “Tajeen” pairs tabla and synths, and “Strangest Changes” reunites Gerald with Finley Quaye (who showed up on Gerald‘s “Finley‘s Rainbow” years ago). All hard to classify, but the album doesn‘t need labels to succeed.
