Kanye West – Graduation (Roc-A-Fella, new release)
Kanye West has a massive ol’ heeeead but then again it is quite justified – two almost classic albums and a slew of superfluous beats for other artists. However, after this album it might be time for a wee scamp with a pin to deflate young Mr. West’s head somewhat. Street single ‘Can’t tell me nothing’ (actually spelt with the G) is a cracker, with a great spoof video on http://www.kanyewest.com/. But chart single ‘Stronger’ quickly got annoying, even with its quite original deployment of a Daft Punk sample (I say original but Busta did the same a while back with ‘Touch it’), and ‘Drunk and hot girls’ is the worst thing he has ever done. Everybody seems to have picked up on his use of synths on the album. These do make for a slightly different sound in comparison to the last two albums but they could have been used to more a more interesting end. The album also lacks the strong songs of the first two records and Kanye’s crate digging appears to be getting lazier – the use of Steely Dan’s ‘Kid Charlemagne’ on ‘Champion’ is catchy but a bit obvious.
Having said all that Kanye’s third is still better and more packed full than most other hip hop artists out there. It’s just with a track record and ego like Kanye’s I think he could and should have done better.
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (Domino, new release)
The Animal Collective are not a rag-tag gang of assorted misfit mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds but a bunch of noisy yanks that might quite an interesting and original racket. Their sounds is hard to describe but they are almost like The Shins meets Clap Hand Say Yeah with a pinch of a less jazzy Battles…if such a thing can be imagined. They’re an experimental group with an apparently shifting line-up. The album doesn’t make easy listening but it does make rewarding listening, with new qualities and touches revealed upon each listen. Worth peepin’ if you like that sort of thing (I certainly do) but if you want summat snappy and instantly catchy then look elsewhere.
Elmore Judd – Insect Funk (Honest Jon’s, new release)
This really is quite an original little album from an artist, I must confess, I had never heard of before. The album title pretty much sums up the album’s sound neatly in two words. It’s on some creepy-crawly, white boy soul type vibe – and is all the better for it! Opening track ‘Pirate song’ is a soul funk sea shanty replete with accordion that creeps right under your skin. The rest of the album follows a similar lo-fi funk direction with hushed falsetto vocals and lots of brushed cymbals. One tune (‘Funky nerd’) features the lyric ‘I’m a sneaky freaky geeky human being’ which is pretty much spot on, as there is a sexiness in the organs, synths, horns, strings and funky bass lines. A mystical stew pot of an album that is definitely worth checking out.
Blak Twang – Help Dem Lord (Rotton Production, new release)
Mr Taipanic can be a bit hit and miss. Luckily though this is one of his hits; not that it’ll be a hit though, its UK hip hop for god’s sake - about as saleable as a big barrel of Aids. The main reason for the tracks success in pleasing my little ears is the beat from Firstman, which is based on a sample from ‘Happiness Stan’ by Small Faces, from the brilliant Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake album. Righteous lyrics and a dope beat – not bad.
Beastie Boys – Electric Worm b/w Suco Detangerina (Capitol, new release)
The album this single was taken from (The Mix-Up) got decidedly average reviews when it was released, which in my (possibly slightly biased) view were quite harsh. The Beastie Boys make a decent noise when they hit their lounge style up; and the album features their best playing to date. Apparently they’re gonna re-do the album with ‘a bunch or British people’ laying down vocals over their instrumentals…should be interesting. Anyway, these are two of the most memorable tracks on the album, but as a single are for completists only.
Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass (Def Jux, new release)
Aesop Rock is a bit of a divider of opinion. This album may well be what unites opinion on the exceptionally gifted emcee. The beats are more accessible and funky, while his flow has become less jarring and nasal. The vast majority is handled by Blockhead as with previous career high Labor Days, however the man at the helm of Def Jux, El-P, does appear for a track and a handle of tracks are self produced (something that bogged down last album Bazooka Tooth a bit, but works well this time around).
The production definitely has a less claustrophobic, more feel good feel compared to Bazooka Tooth but could never be called poppy. The style is dark but open and very much bass line driven over the 14 tracks. Title track ‘None shall pass’ is a definite highlight, as well as the appearance of Breezly Brewin’ (star of Prince Paul’s opus A Prince Among Thieves) on ‘Getaway car’.
This is Aesop’s most accessible album to date, right up there with Labor Days. That’s not to say he’s gone soft though, he still kicks it hard over hard beats. Probably a good album to introduce you to the Def Jux sound.
Kid Acne – Romance Ain’t Dead (Lex, new release)
Once again another quality little Lex release packed full of originality – imagine Run DMC meets Sham 69, with a South Yorkshire accent… The beats have a distinctly old school feel (BDP, Slick Rick etc) with ‘South Yorks’ even sampling ‘South Bronx’ by BDP. While the lyrics and flow kicked by the Kid are similarly rudimentary. And it’s this back to basics approach that makes it such a refreshing release in the sphere of UK hip hop, where most other mcs try and fit a million syllables into every line. This album is straight up fun, a fucking rarity in UK hip hop. The punk tracks fit well next to the hip hop tracks – most of which have damn catchy choruses. The album also weighs in at a meagre 30 minutes, which is almost like an EP in the hip hop world, but hip hop albums are too long any, so safe – another nice change. Basically a great hip hop album this ain’t, a whole heap of fun and good humour it is.
Gallows – Orchestra of Wolves (Warner, 2007)
Punk is dead. No matter what any hardcore fan tells you, punk really is dead. This, however, is a great punk album. They do still get made you know. I wish I’d seen Gallows live (I will be at the next opportunity if Frank Carter doesn’t decide to jack it in), as lot of my friends have and sing their praises highly. This is an album FULL of energy, and while a lot of bands of their type can’t back up their energy with songs, Gallows certainly can. ‘Abandon ship’ and new single ‘In the belly of a shark’ are both fucking crackers but don’t massively outshine the rest of the album, which is a testament to its strength in depth. If you haven’t bought a ‘punk’ album in a while, buy this fucker. It’ll kick you fucking face off. Yes.
