3001: A Laced Odyssey by Flatbush Zombies

With what is easily one of my favourite album covers of the year thus far, the hip-hop trio Flatbush Zombies gave perhaps the most accurate look into the style of music they create. It's colourful, it's cartoony, and unlike the usual wavy, drugged out cloud rap you're used to hearing, while still containing many of the same elements. All three members, Zombie Juice, Meechy Darko, and Erick "Arc" Elliott bring their own unique style to every track the Zombies have recorded. Juice's spastic flow and high pitched vocals contrasts Meech's dark and dreary approach perfectly, and when met with Erick's phenomenal production it has resulted in two fantastic mixtapes with D.R.U.G.S in 2012 and BetterOffDead in 2013.

With all the hype and excitement surround Flatbush Zombies sound, as well as their participation in the "Beast Coast" movement alongside rap collective Pro Era and hip-hop duo The Underachievers, the release of their debut studio album has been something I've been anticipating for quite some time. Now, two years since their last release, the Clockwork Indigo EP which they released as a collaborative effort with The Underachievers, the long awaited full-length album 3001: A Laced Odyssey see's the light of day.

The confines of drug rap are pretty snug to begin with, in my opinion. While the Flatbush Zombies have always taken quite a bit of artistic freedom with their sound, lyrically they have never strayed too far from topics such as drugs, money, and spirituality. While I went into this project hoping to hear the group branch out a bit from the genre and try to tackle some more mature and creative subjects, the lyrical content instead stayed true to what the members have always done. It wasn't too big of a disappointment however, as Meech and Juice both delivered some of their best verses yet, and accompanied them with rather unique flows on tracks like the opening cut The Odyssey. It's a great choice to kick off the project, as it sets the tone without giving away too much of what's to come. The strong start continues with the third track R.I.P.C.D, which is the Zombies ode to the death of the CD as a media format.  As always however, the lyrics tend to venture off topic and range from religion, to the state of rap music, and to drugs as well.

The album begins to really slow down for me about half way through, as there are a couple of throwaway moments that feel rather out of place in the context of the record. The two and a half minute cut Fly Away features a simple, straight forward piano beat and has Meechy Darko taking a soulful vocal approach throughout. It doesn't add much other than feeling like an unnecessary interlude, much like the actual interlude Smoke Break does as well. Perhaps Juice and Erick felt that if Meech got a chance to sing, they should as well, and I'm assuming that's how this track was born. It's their ode to marijuana, and is easily the corniest track on the record. It's one of the few outright skippable tracks that Flatbush has produced so far in their career, and the odd use of feedback on the vocals doesn't help to boost the track whatsoever.

Fortunately the two weak moments are rather short, and are broken up with two decent cuts. Ascension, the better of the two tracks that separate the interludes, features some flamboyant production and an incredibly in your face hook that features Meech claiming his goal is to be better than God. Trade-Off, the latter of the two is still an enjoyable cut, and the ambient influence found in the background during the first few moments of the beat is a rather impressive inclusion from Erick Elliott. Through the chorus the beat takes on a  much harder edge, but fails to really connect as the production seems to be a little too thin and uninspired. That, accompanied with the laughable hook of "it's the work hard play hard, I just got a blow job" holds this track back from being all that memorable.

The record finishes off strong with cuts like New Phone, Who Dis? and This Is It which lead into the epic 13 minute closing track Your Favorite Rap Song which for the first six or so minutes definitely is my favourite cut from the album. The old school New York street influenced production is accompanied with the best pure rapping that the trio deliver on the project, and definitely brings the album to a solid finish. However, the biggest, and perhaps only problem I have with the song is the decision to include 5 minutes worth of fans praising the trio at the tail end of the track. It's something I only bothered listening to in complete perhaps once or twice, and while there were some funny moments, and I'm sure provided a cool moment for those featured, it just doesn't add anything to the project, except for making an overly long project even longer.

I've given this album a couple weeks now to change my thoughts, and unfortunately it hasn't been for the better. We get a couple stellar cuts, and a few others that are worth multiple listens, but ultimately 3001: A Laced Odyssey is bogged down by some of the least interesting moments I've heard the trio deliver. I could easily pick out four or five tracks that, without their inclusion would make the album much more enjoyable, but because of how much was forced into an album that got stale rather quickly, it just doesn't resonate with me the same way that the Zombies did on their two earlier mixtapes.

Rating: 3/5

Listen to the track The Odyssey below:

Before A Million Universes by Big Ups

The long awaited return album from iconic post-hardcore act Slint... oh wait a minute, that's right, it only sounds as if this album were recorded by Slint. Instead, Before A Million Universes is the second full-length release from New York based post-punk outfit Big Ups. While the four-piece band don't bother pulling any punches when it comes to showing off their influences on this record, they also look to incorporate just enough of their own sound to allow them to make this project their own.

Let me preface by saying that I personally consider Slint's Spiderland LP to be amongst the best post-hardcore albums released, and seeing a band influenced by them isn't anything new, nor do I consider it to be a bad thing. However, it becomes immediately evident on this project that it's preventing Big Ups from defining their own sound as not only are they borrowing the vocal style, but many of the guitar riffs also seemed to be pulled right out of Slint's playbook. 

Throughout the album we see frontman Joe Galarraga uses the same lo fi, raw, loud vocals that Slint's Brian McMahan brought to the post-hardcore genre to help bring the sound from quiet, slowcore indie-rock to ruthless post-hardcore onslaught. Ultimately, Galarraga does quite well with the vocal transitions, but because they seem so familiar, and are already an integral part of a such a well-known act, it's hard to not imagine you're listening to someone else when you hear them. 

The album's opener, Contain Myself is one of the better moments on the LP in my opinion, as Big Ups balance the Slint inspired spoken word quiet to loud vocal approach with some heavily distorted guitar play and a booming bass line that plays a huge role on this album. In fact, the group's prominent use of the bass guitar is easily my favorite element from this project, as I felt it was by far the most unique aspect of their sound. After we move past that track however, the album takes and more of a dive into the same borrowed elements I've already mentioned.

The latter half of Meet Where We Are, the fifth track on the record, see's the group make a bit of progress and leave the slowcore moments behind to instead deliver a crunching, hardcore influenced post-punk sound that proves they're capable of being more than a glorified cover band. Once again on this track, it's the bass guitar that not only makes for a fantastic groove, but also gives the band a very loud punk sound. 

Unfortunately, these moments of more ruthless and angered post-punk are few and far between and instead the group dedicate most songs to following the same formula laid down by their predecessors. We do see more glimpses of their real punk side on tracks like the fast-paced chanty anthems Negative and Hope for Someone, but unfortunately about a minute in they both break down into more moments of Slint worship.

For some, the way the Big Ups chose to wear their influences on their sleeves may be an intriguing element, but personally I find the borrowing from other artists to be a little bit too heavy on this album to allow it to truly click. The album plays as a tribute rather than a unique listening experience, and while their is clearly potential with the group's musicianship and songwriting, it feels like they took a step backwards from their debut album with this one. There are a couple tracks worth hearing, and I can see myself coming back a few times because at the end of the day, it is an enjoyable record, but it fails to distinguish itself in any meaningful way which leads to dismiss Big Ups as a band who really need to discover their own sound.

Rating: 3/5

Listen to Big Ups National Parks below:

You can stream or download Before A Million Universes here.

Painting With by Animal Collective

It's been over 15 years now since the Baltimore based experimental pop outfit Animal Collective released their debut album Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. Now, after a four year span without a full-length release, they have released their tenth studio album Painting With. Four years is the longest gap the group has even taken between releases, and they've used the extra time to reinvent their style, to some extent at least. David Portner, one of the group's co-founders who started in his own side project Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks while the group were on hiatus, stated that the goal whilst recording the album was to simplify their sound, and do away with the long passages and use of reverb that had developed into a very prominent element of their past material. While the decision to change such defying characteristics of their sound didn't hurt the music on Painting With, it didn't do much to help it either, as Painting With is perhaps the most average album the group have released.

The colorful, upbeat and cartoony tracks FloriDada, The Burglars, and Spilling Guts all still feel like Animal Collective, but are elevated by their simplicity, in comparison to the band's other material that is, as well as their short overall lengths. Painting With is the trio's shortest release, coming in at a modest forty minutes, which is proof enough already that they have done away with the use of extended passages. While the music is as mentioned, a tad simpler than those familiar with the band's previous albums may expect, they still create very lush, layered soundscapes that can be challenging at time to listeners. Unfortunately that doesn't always work well with the direct and to the point nature of the tracks, as throughout the album there are quite a few moments where the band have too much going on. On the opposite end of the spectrum, tracks like Hocus Pocus (which features Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale) and Vertical feel as if they're missing something, as if they're empty when stood up next to the rest of AC's musical catalogue.

The album does contain some fun moments, as well as a handful of well-crafted enjoyable pop cuts. Despite that, the music is constantly bogged down by the similarities found throughout the record, as it constantly feels as if the band decided to confine their songs and are frequently holding back intentionally rather than expanding their sound as they have previously done with every new release.

At it's core, Painting With is the poppiest and most fun that Animal Collective have ever been, but it's also the simplest and most direct record that they've released thus far. It's not the fleshed out, unique, experimental pop record that the band are known for, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a listen. It's hard to get through the full project without tapping your foot and singing a long to at least one of the peppy, upbeat songs, and while Painting With isn't quite their best, I wouldn't say it's their worst release either.

Favorite Tracks: FloriDada, The Burglars, Spilling Guts, Golden Gal

Least Favorite Tracks: Vertical, Summing the Wretch

Rating: 3/5

Check out the album's lead single FloriDada below:

You can preorder Painting With, Animal Collective's 10th full-length studio album here.

The Life of Pablo by Kanye West

It seems as if The Life of Pablo, Kanye West's 7th full length LP had a release that was based more so around the spectacle itself than it was actually around the music being created. From the way that the man known as Yeezy decided to handle the release, premiering it at Madison Square Garden alongside his latest fashion venture Yeezy Season 3 (which you watch in full over at TIDAL here) to the multiple name changes of an album that began as So Help Me God, which then became SWISH, and stopping at Waves before finally ending up with the title The Life of Pablo. It seemed to be a lot of ego stroking, and left expectations varied among those waiting for the album's release.

While West has had a history of successful releases, with his debut full-length effort The College Dropout winning him one of his many Grammy Awards and giving him his first hit single with Jesus Walks, it wasn't until 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that Kanye truly came into his own as an artist. The album was an introspective and dark look in at the life of a man who had transcended being a rap artist and had now become an infamous pop culture star thanks to his outspoken ways, and in particular his run in with Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards. He continued to impress critics and fans alike after the release of MBDTF with his following album Yeezus, a record that saw the GOOD Music founder experiment with elements of abrasiveness and noise rap for the first time. It was yet another standout release, and managed to convert many former unimpressed listeners into bonafide fans. 

On his new release The Life of Pablo, we're getting what feels like a reflection on his career as well as a combination of all the sounds he's incorporated in the past. Tracks like Father Stretch my Hands and Highlights are both reminiscent of his early material, the Graduation record in particular, and the I Love Kanye interlude takes a similar formula to the skits found on his aforementioned full-length debut The College Dropout. That interlude is one of the most interesting moments on the album due to the way that Kanye embrace his reputation as a self-centred egotistical man much like he did on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, while also poking fun of it in humorous fashion. Unfortunately, aside from that single track we don't hear much more of that same introspective side of the rapper throughout the LP. We do however get a few cuts similar to those found on the album Yeezus, as both Feedback and FML bring out that same abrasive and a touch more experimental side of Kanye we've seen before, making them enjoyable cuts worth hearing.

While there were many artists recruited to collaborate on the album,(Kid Cudi, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Post Malone, and The Weeknd to name a few) it's the guest verse of rap superstar Kendrick Lamar that really steals the show as far as the star studded features go. His appearance on No More Parties in L.A, which was released as a snippet earlier on, is one of the best moments you'll find on the album. K.Dot has constantly proven himself as one of if not the premier emcee in the game, and he does so here yet again on another artists record. 

That does however lead into the biggest problem with the project, as many of the best tracks found in the listing were already released as singles. Not only have you already heard the core of the album by listening to the tracks that have already been released, but you've also heard the best moments. When Kanye originally tweeted out the track listing, the album contained just a mere 9 tracks, and some of the singles which had already been released had been left off. No More Parties for example, was originally not going to be on the album, yet ended up being one of the best tracks, making it appear as if the singles were just thrown on either from fear or nervousness. The final single released from the album, 30 Hours, ended up being one of the least impressive moments found on The Life of Pablo, as the song clocks in at five and half minutes, yet feels as long as the name would imply it to be. Like quite a few other cuts scattered throughout, it doesn't bring anything new to the album, and the beat is nothing more than generic and boring filler. Kanye killed a lot of the momentum found on the original album by making the decision to add so many tracks at the last minute, as quite a few of them fail to stand out on their own, and hardly justify the delayed release. 

Most of what's found on the album feels very familiar, as if it's already been heard quite a bit before. Even the most controversial moment on the album, the line from the track Famous where Kanye states that not only might he still have sex with Taylor Swift, but that he in fact made her famous, it feels as if he's living in the past of something that was relevant over 7 years ago. All of the emcee/producer's former releases are enjoyable for their own reasons, but when placed into one single project, it feels more like a convoluted mess than anything new.

At the end of the day, The Life of Pablo is not Kanye's best release, and when compared to his last two albums, it seems like a step backwards. Is it a bad release? Not by any means. But when considering the roll that the Chicago native has been on over his last few albums, and the hype that was surrounding one of the biggest rap releases of the year, it can't help but leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth.

Favorite Tracks: Feedback, I Love Kanye, Real Friends, No More Parties in L.A

Least Favorite Tracks: Highlights, 30 Hours

Rating: 3/5

If you've heard the album, what did you think of it? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down below, if you disagree tell me why I'm wrong or just call me mean names.

EVOL by Future

If there's one thing that can be said about Future, it's that he's among the most frequent releasers in the hip-hop scene. Since 2012, he's released three full-length albums and eight mixtapes alongside a plethora of singles and guest features. With all these releases coming so frequent, the Atlanta born emcee has proven his consistency, but is also beginning to border on overstaying his welcome. Now, just over six months since releasing what is easily is best project thus far in his career, DS2, Future is releasing EVOL, his fourth LP.

Less than a month ago Future released his Purple Reign mixtape, and the general consensus on the release was that the trap artist needed to slow down on his musical output. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and because of the lack of diversity in Future's sound, and for the most part, the trap genre itself, there's nothing new being brought to the table. On EVOL, it's much of the same we've already heard. Albeit there's much less filler and throwaway tracks than Purple Reign, but even the best tracks on EVOL fall short of what the rapper is truly capable of. 

The unfortunate byproduct of releasing an album the caliber of DS2, is the heightened expectations that come alongside the success. With so much music being released, he's smothering his listeners with subpar material instead of giving us the quality we know that he's capable of making. Some of the tracks on EVOL are catchy trap anthems that are worth a listen. Cuts like Maybach and Xanny Family are both incredibly catchy and certainly contain some replay value. The problem is that plenty of the other tracks fail to differentiate themselves from anything else found on his other material, and despite being an album, the project doesn't have the feeling of being any more than another mixtape. 

The track listing also gives us some completely obnoxious tracks, and Lie to Me is the first one that comes to mind. The spacey-synth based instrumental is way too busy and distracting thanks to the heavy bass line that feels as if it's been turned up way too high, making for what is overall some messy production. The lyrics aren't much better, although no one should go into a Future record looking for in-depth or impressive lyricism. Program is the only cut that rivals Lie to Me for the least enjoyable on this project, as the fact that every line ends with "program" drives me insane due to the lack creativity lyrically. 

Future turns it around with the following cut Low Life, that features The Weeknd, straight off of the success of his latest album Beauty Behind the Madness. It's by far the longest track found on EVOL, clocking in at over five minutes, but still managing to remain interesting. The album finishes with Fly Shit Only, a song that features one of the most impressive beats I've heard Future use since DS2, as there's some piano, some electric guitar, and even some distorted, glitchy noise to be found within the instrumental. 

Ultimately Future came up a little short on his latest effort, but EVOL is still nothing to scoff at. There's some entertaining tracks, and some not-so-enjoyable moments as well. If there's one thing to take away from the album however, it's that Future continues to prove that he needs to slow down on his releases. Quality over quantity is what his fans are looking for, and while his frequent output is very impressive, it's leading to more lacklustre songs than necessary. 

It's worth noting that fellow Atlanta, Georgia based rapper Young Thug also released a project this past Friday, and has been quite vocal about his issues with Future in the past. To find out my thoughts on Thug's latest, make sure to subscribe to the blog or follow me on Google+ as I will be reviewing I'm Up soon!

Favorite Tracks: Maybach, Xanny Family, Low Life

Least Favorite Tracks: Lie to Me, Program

Rating: 3/5