iiiDrops by Joey Purp

Over the past few years, the SAVEMONEY collective has been one of, if not the, most exciting things to come out of the diverse, ever thriving Chicago hip-hop scene. Spearheaded by the rise of emcees Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, the lesser known members of the group have also quietly managed to put together a pretty solid body of work. Now, it's member Joey Purp's turn to step up to the plate, and on iiiDrops he proves that it is him who is next to step into the limelight.


From the bright organ keys and horns on the opening track Morning Sex, into the Pharell-esque dance beat of Girls, Joey Purp stretches his sound far beyond what's popular in Chicago right now. While you might go into this thing expecting the rattling hi-hats, blaring 808s, and bumping bass, you're instead presented with the same kind of varied, flamboyant production you might find on a project from the likes of Vic or Chance. Speaking of those two, they both pop up on the track listing, Chance on the aforementioned track Girls, and Vic on the album's victory lap Winners Circle, a track that's elevated by a wonderful piano melody and shining synthesizers. Fellow Chicagoans Mick Jenkins, Saba, and theMind also lend a helping hand on the project, with all three delivering solid contributions when given the chance.


It is, however, Joey Purp who truly shines on this 11 track collection, as the 20-something year old artist comes through sounding like a true veteran of his craft, swinging his pen like a dagger of sorts as he delivers lyrics that don't aim to impress, but instead aim to provoke feeling and resonate with the listener, something that is accomplished on nearly every track. His swaggering confidence is evident, while also digging into his tough upbringing with lines like "I sold crack/I'd be damned if I can't sell a rap" on the closing track Escape.

Cornerstore, the sixth track on the mixtape is the real showcase here though, as the jazzy, street rap instrumental features a prominent use of horns and is one of the finer beats that producer Thelonious Martin has given us up to this point in his young career. Purp is joined by Saba and theMind, and the three work together to paint a picture of their childhood in Chicago, a city which has constantly been identified as one of the most violent and dangerous places in the US. On this track however, Joey isn't looking to give a PSA on the dangers of his hometown, and instead is simply presenting you with an idea of where he came from, and how it's impacted him to this day. The song presents perhaps the strongest lyrical display on the album, and is highlighted with the lines like "and white kids deal with problems that we never knew to bother/arguing with they dads, we pray we ever knew our fathers" a line which allows Purp to again put an emphasis on his upbringing while also touching on rather personal and emotional topics without coming off as soft.

Going into iiiDrops, I was quite far from being a fan of Joey Purp, but I can't deny his abilities after giving this release multiple listens. From his brash delivery to his rugged voice, the young emcee exudes Chicago, while having the charisma and lyrical strength to separate himself from the rest of the crowded pack looking to find their sound in the streets of city. 

3.5/5

Check out the track Cornerstore below:

You can stream iiiDrops in full over on Joey Purp's soundcloud page here.

Hella Personal Film Festival by Open Mike Eagle & Paul White

I find that the best way to describe Open Mike Eagle's approach to hip-hop as the type of rap that is enjoyed by men who wear scarves in the summertime and rap fans who also enjoy anime and Discovery channel documentaries. The Chicagoan emcee's blend of dry humour and intellectual lyricism with stories that present the irony of every day life never fail to provide both a laugh and some thoughtful discussion. Just last year with the release of his EP A Special Episode Of, Mike released one of the better rap projects of 2015 while only giving us about 20 minutes worth of material.

This time he's back with a lengthier project, and he's joined by producer Paul White, who is perhaps most know for his work with the always eccentric hip-hop artist Danny Brown. With Mike Eagle tackling topics such as technology, death, racial stereotyping and more, he still manages to stay as fresh and quirky as ever, and over the upbeat, childlike production of Paul White, the duo deliver an excitingly enjoyable hip-hop project.

It's hard to point a finger at exactly what makes this album work so well. Is it the varying production that swings between moments of being soulful and nostalgic to channeling inspiration from indie rock and 8bit video games, or is it the lyrics themselves that are among the most polished we've gotten from Mike thus far in his ten plus year career? Regardless, both contribute to the ever changing scape of Hella Personal Film Festival, and result in some fascinating moments. The track Check to Check for example, see's Mike explore the world of technology and our dependence on it. He states he's living "check to check" as he always finds himself in between checking some form of media. He constantly rides the line of lyrics that contain just as much humour as they do truth, and even at his silliest on cuts like Smiling where he claims to be avoided like a ghost fart because of his race, there still seem's to be a fair bit of sincerity in the lyrics. It's this mix of social inspection with Mike's tendency to poke fun at himself that grabs the listeners attention, and regardless of the instrumental backing him, remains the highlight of the project.

As the album progresses, the duo's consistency becomes highlighted as they deliver track after track that tells a story of it's own, both lyrically and instrumentally, and contributes to the overall theme of the album. That is, until the lackluster track Protectors of the Heat, which finds a tribal inspired instrumental with primarily loud percussion. It is also perhaps the only moment on the project where Mike seems to rely a little too heavily on a catchy chorus instead of delivering exciting, off the wall verses. Typically he presents just a simple couplet for the hook on these songs, and with their relatively short lengths (only Protectors of the Heat surpasses four minutes in length) it seems to fit quite well. Nonetheless, it doesn't take long for the two to get back on track and finish the album just as strong as they kicked it off. On Dive Bar Support Group we find Mike discussing both machoism and gentrification, while also dipping into themes such as alcoholism. It's a rather ambitious lyrical piece that showcases just what the emcee is capable of, and the sadness from the vocals seep into the poppy instrumental that backs him, making for one of the best tracks on the whole project. We see just how easily Mike can transition from deep topics to self satire on Drunk Dreaming, where he discusses just that, being drunk. The track is silly, fun, and lighthearted, an approach that these two seem to handle incredibly well on multiple occasions on this record.

When listening to this album it feels as if Paul White and Open Mike Eagle were a collaboration that needed to happen, despite it being a full-length album that I never expected us to get. The way the lyrics flow through the warm and fun production is a welcomed addition to Mike's always impressive approach, and helps make this a stand-out in both artists discography. To some it could seem a bit gimmicky, and that's fine. It isn't a project that everyone will get, nor will all rap fans enjoy, but to those of you who fall into the categories mentioned above, this is definitely a project worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5/5

Check out the track Check to Check below:

You can stream and download Hella Personal Film Festival over at Open Mike Eagle's BandCamp page here.

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:

Imperial by Denzel Curry

Florida based hip-hop emcee Denzel Curry has been a breath of fresh air in the rap scene ever since the release of his debut studio project Nostalgic 64 in 2013. On that project, we saw the artist blend aggressive, in your face trap inspired verses over some very spacey, dark, and surprisingly intricate production. His blend of cloud raps and gang related bars contributed to what was one of my favourite hip-hop projects of that year, and put him on the map as one of the better up and coming talents on the scene.

He followed up his debut album with the double EP 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms just last year. While this project was still quite enjoyable and showed off Denzel's growth, it was perhaps a bit too ambitious, as he spent the first half crafting some of his best trap inspired songs yet, but on the more laid back and drugged out second half, he delivered some of his most lackluster material to this point. It was made clear on that record that he's at his best when he's bringing loads of energy and raw, violent lyricism into the recording. So, with that being said, going into his newest project Imperial, I was hoping to see Curry take an approach more similar to that of Nostalgic 64.

While there are traces of older material on this new release here, it more so stands on it's own. We see a return to the southern hip-hop we've come to enjoy from Denzel, and he's certainly relying more on the trap influence than he is on the cloud raps. Nevertheless, he also looks to find his own style in terms of production, as we get rather wonky, spacey, trap influenced beats that are unlike anything you would find on his other releases. We also see a much more ambitious approach in terms of the guest features, as rather than bringing along past collaborators such as JK. The Rapper, Mike Dece, or Lil Ugly Mane, the former Raider Klan member instead enlists the help of some of the more popular hip-hop artists around, in the form of Rick Ross and Joey Bada$$. Not only is that an ambitious choice that is sure to bring Curry a bit more exposure, but it is also a risk that pays off extensively as both rappers deliver very solid verses without stealing the show. Knotty Head, the track that features Rick Ross is one of the moments of production that caught me off guard initially, thanks to the unorthodox sound of the synths and the transition into an old school 90's hip-hop beat during the last 20 or so seconds.

Lyrically we're seeing much of the same Curry we've come to know, as he discusses gang violence, drugs, racial issues, and things of the sort. It's not the meaning behind the emcee's lyrics that has made his music stand out however, and instead it's been the catchiness of his hooks and his always impressive flow. While his fantastic flow does carry over into this project, I feel personally that this record hosts some of his least flashy hooks that he's recorded. They aren't necessarily poorly written, but often times they feel a little too simplified and watered down when compared to past tracks like Parents, Threatz, or Zone 3, all of which were stand out takes on Nostalgic 64. There are quite a few decent hooks here nonetheless, Story No Title contains a fairly strong chorus, as does Pure Enough, a track that besides the hook, doesn't offer as much as most of the other tracks on the record.

This Life is a track worth noting as well, as it see's Denzel detailing a love interest as well as talking about his friends and the state of the world. He takes a much less aggressive approach for this track, but still manages to impress with lyricism that's a touch less over the top and anger driven. The real standout on this project though is easily ULT, the lead cut that opens the project with a bang and serves as a basis for Curry to showcase his vocal gift as quickly as possible. It's not the best production found on the album, but it's easily the most similar to his former body of work and definitely still stands out after multiple listens. That last track I want to point out is Zenith, which features Pro Era artist Joey Bada$$ and contains an instrumental that you'd be more apt to hear on a Joey project than one from Denzel Curry. Nonetheless, both rappers capitalize on the fantastic beat by delivering some great lyrics, which helps to bring some real life to the final few tracks of the project. While Knotty Head  with Rick Ross was a solid track, and the laid back old school vibe of the closing cut If Tomorrow's Not Here stands out as well, it's Zenith that gives us the best track with a feature on the record. The meshing of Curry's southern influenced style and the New York origins of Joey Bada$$ makes for a fantastic collaboration, and something I'm hoping to see the two rappers do more of in the future.

There's quite a bit to take away from this project, and any fan of hip-hop music should enjoy it quite a bit. It certainly has shades of the same rapper who gave us Nostalgic 64 and 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms, but it also see's new risks and a lot of aspects we've never seen from Denzel in the past. If anything, Imperial shows he's continuing to reinvent himself and mature as an artist, and no longer needs to rely on flashy, loud, bass driven production, and can instead carry a track on his own. It's not quite on par with his commercial debut, but it leaves a better impression than his last release for sure.

Rating: 3.5/5

Listen to the track ULT below:

You can download Imperial here for free.

Disguise the Limit by Nyck Caution

If you couldn't tell by the wordplay in his stage name, Nyck Caution (get it? NYC, like New York City) is a New York based emcee who has gained a fair bit of exposure in the past few years thanks to his work as part of the hip-hop ensemble Pro Era, a group that also houses the likes of Joey Bada$$, Kirk Knight, and CJ Fly among many others. Despite the plethora of gifted artists who belong to the collective, Nyck has always managed to stand out thanks to his slick flow and unique voice that always brought a nice change of pace whenever he would appear alongside his label mates on a track. With that being said however, much like many other of the emcees that occupy the Pro Era roster, he has been relatively quiet over the past few years, and it has really been Joey Bada$$ who has brought the group their popularity. That's not to say others haven't been releasing projects, as Kirk Knight's Late Knight Special was released just last October, and CJ Fly has a project of his own under his belt with Thee Way Eye See It. For Nyck however, he hasn't taken on a full project of his own since Pro Era's come up, and with his release Disguise the Limit, he's looking not only to make a statement, but also to remind those who had long forgotten about his impressive performances on other emcees projects' that he's still around.

If you're already tired of hearing me discuss Pro Era, then chances are this project won't be for you. Not only is it filled with guest verses and production credits from friends of Nyck's, but lyrically the record is cluttered with references to his peers as well. Most of these prove unnecessary and serve no purpose other than to remind those not familiar with Nyck that he is a member of the collective. While that's a rather minor issue, it unfortunately isn't the only problem I found with the lyrics on this thing.

One of Nyck's strongest suits when it came to his guest features in the past, were as I mentioned, his flow and his lyrics. However, when you get fourteen tracks that present almost the exact same formula of songwriting and subject matter, there isn't much room for surprises or anything impressive, as we've heard it all so many times before. Many tracks simply deal with his past or how skilled of a rapper he is, aside from the emotional Out of Reach that deals with the death of the late Capital Steez, who was also a member of Pro Era before his passing in 2012.

The beat selection throughout feels fairly mediocre in terms of what I've come to expect from a Pro Era project, which is rather surprising especially considering the production is handled by the likes of Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers who both lend instrumentals to the record. For the most part, it feels as if there's an uncertainty of what style the project is going for, as we get the more traditional gritty New York street style beats at certain points, but also get a fair share of cloud rap instrumentals and at other times production that is rather alternative and unexpected. The Kirk Knight produced cut Wordsmith see's Nyck spitting over a dirty, distorted guitar instrumental, something that certainly stood out, but also could have been cleaned up a little bit as the guitar did sound rather rough around the edges and does distract from what's being said on the song. The track Church also see's a rather adventurous risk as the instrumental progresses from your traditional hip-hop beat into a electronic dubstep breakdown.

There's not much to discuss in terms of individual tracks or the lyricism, as everything on the project is competent, which may be the biggest problem I have with it. Everything feels the same, and while there were a few tracks that differ instrumentally, Nyck himself stays the same with his approach throughout. I still think he has a ton of skill, but his songwriting remains very raw and until he is able to prove he's more than just a rapper who can drop a nice feature on someone else's track, he will continue to fade to the back of Pro Era's line up.

Rating: 2.5/5

Check out Nyck Caution's track Church below:

More Rain by M. Ward

Folk singer-songwriter M. Ward of both She & Him and Monsters of Folk fame has always managed to deliver his most impressive material by himself, in my opinion at least. During the span of what's now been an illustrious 15+ year career, he's managed, as a solo artist to avoid releasing anything less than an enjoyable record. On his newest project, his first under the M. Ward alias in four years, he looks to continue that streak while also incorporating many new elements into his traditional folk sound.

The pitter patter of rain pouring down in the (More Rain) intro leads us into the album's first real track, Pirate Dial which is one of the expected signature folk tracks. It features some fantastic layered acoustic guitar with the ambient sound of rain fall heard in the background. One of the most visceral and beautiful tracks on the album, the sparse instrumentation helps create a wonderful atmosphere while Ward's vocals contain just enough reverb to make the indie influence evident. He follows this track up with Time Won't Wait Up, a much more upbeat americana track that features multiple vocal tracks from Ward and his chanting of "do do do" almost evokes a certain doo-wop feeling, something that certainly is a new addition to his ever changing repertoire. This same feeling reoccurs on the track I'm Listening as well.  It's one of the slower tracks on the album, and the enchantingly quiet guitar work in the background is met with Ward's whisper like vocals which help to deliver yet another impressive cut.

The album certainly does start off hot, but there are a fair share of not so impressive moments as well. A perfect example would be the fairly generic cut Confession, which fails to stand out thanks to the lack of lyrical substance and some of Ward's weaker guitar play on the album. Despite the intriguing electronic elements that comes with the use of a synthesizer, Girl From Conejo Valley also fails to make all too much of an impression, and at this point in the album it becomes clear that Ward is capitalizing a bit more on the slow-paced, atmospheric tracks than he is the upbeat, heavily instrumentally layered moments. Fortunately, there's no shortage of the slower tracks throughout, and they're covered with Ward's echoey, distant yet inviting vocal approach that causes you to feel if he's singing to you, rather than at you. At times, the album reveals a certain familiarity to fellow folk artists Father John Misty's work, yet with a much more serious and accessible tone.

At only 38 minutes in length, there's no need of the album overstaying it's welcome, and it's a good thing that was the approach taken. The layered vocals make for a nice change, but they're used in such an abundance throughout, that one or two more tracks tacked on at the end could have resulted in overkill. Instead we find a nice mix of a plethora of different instruments, ranging from horns, to violins, to moments where we actually get some rather loud and booming percussion. It's when Ward puts his focus into his trust guitar that we really hear something special though, and on a track like Phenomenon, a song that is closer to honky-tonk country than it folk, that we see why. When complimented with light use of an organ, a banjo, a bass, we see how much can be put into a track while still keeping it simple and precise.

The variety of genre influence and overarching introspective theme of More Rain makes it a welcomed addition to what is already a superb musical catalogue for the accomplished song writer. There are certainly some moments stronger than other, and it feels as if more effort went into a handful of tracks than did the rest of the album, but ultimately it doesn't stop the record from being enjoyable.

Rating: 3.5/5

You can listen to M. Ward's track Girl From Conejo Valley below:

untitled unmastered by Kendrick Lamar

From the groovy opening bass line and spoken word vocals to the concluding chants of "pimp, pimp!" Kendrick Lamar manages to make untitled unmastered one of the most cohesive hip-hop compilation albums released in quite some time. The eight songs featured, many of which have been performed on live television recently during the Grammy's as well as on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, were recorded at different times over the last three years. It becomes very obvious the influence that Kendrick's last project To Pimp A Butterfly had on the recording, as there are moments of very similar instrumental progression and spoken word passages that K.Dot experimented with on the album. That's not to mention the use of many direct references not only to the album's title, but also to tracks like Mortal Men and King Kunta.

The surprise release of this project not only serves as an unexpected gift for all fans of the Compton born emcee, but it also proves his versatility and consistency. These tracks aren't driven by the same overlying theme that surrounded the recordings on TPAB, and yet they still work as both songs that could easily be hits, and deal with some very interesting and important subject matter.

The album's opening track, which can't be called anything but that, since the tracks are all untitled, is an ambitious effort that finds Kendrick discussing the future of the world over a deep bass line and haunting piano play. Eventually we get to an interaction between the emcee and God himself, who asks "what have you done for me?" The track is reminiscent of TPAB's How Much a Dollar Cost in it's introspective discussion of faith, and Kendrick's apparent fear of not being accepted into heaven. Not only does it start the project off on the right foot, but it's one of the most memorable moments throughout the album as well.

The second track on the album see's a beat more similar to something you would have found on TDE label mate Jay Rock's recent album 90059, and yet with the few moments of freejazz influence, you're reminded exactly who it is you're listening to. The lyrics on the cut see Kendrick exploring his fame, and how his own life has changed while the life in the hood remains all consistent. It's also the first time on the project we hear the chants of "pimp pimp," something that becomes a reoccurrence as the album moves on. 

The following track is one of the most impressive lyrically, and was debuted quite some time back live on the Colbert Report. Kendrick discusses encounters with members of many different races, and the advice they give him on how to live his life, yet when he arrives at the white man, all he wants is a piece of the emcee. The song is clearly being used as a metaphor for record labels and the music industry, and as far as the songwriting goes, it's one of my favorite moments on the project.

After a short interlude, we get the fifth cut on the album which see's an appearance from Anna Wise, an artist who many will recognize from her contributions on TPAB. The dynamics on this song are quite impressive, as we see Kendrick aggressively handle the laid back jazz lounge instrumental, while Wise delivers a much more beautiful and traditonal hook to the song. The duo are also joined by rappers Punch and Jay Rock later on in the track, and both drop solid verses to bring the cut to it's conclusion. Up next is the sixth track, which instrumentally reminds me a lot of the For Sale interlude from TPAB, but quickly expands to much more thanks in part to a feature by R&B/soul artist Cee-Lo Green. The song digs deep into the concepts of human flaws, as well as embracing unique traits with lines like "look at my flaws, look at my flaws, look at my imperfections and all. Look at how you think my mystique is a round of applause." This track in particular is an example of Kendrick's ability to step away from the misogynistic stereotypes that surround the hip-hop music and culture, and instead make something that can be seen as positive.

The album takes quite a turn stylistically for the seventh track, as the eight and a half minute long cut begins with much more of a "banger" beat than we've heard thus far, which is somewhat ironic considering producer/rapper Swizz Beats claimed it was his five year old son Egypt who actually provided the production on this one. Nonetheless, it isn't long before the instrumental transitions into something much broader, as the eight minute track fails to ever get repetitive, and in fact is more like three separate songs placed into one album slot. The final third of the track provides one of my favorite moments from the project, as we get a very lo-fi, direct cut from the studio audio from Kendrick. You can hear background noise, speaking, and chairs squeaking among other things, but it feels so organic and natural that it's almost as if you're in the studio as well, which is just another example of K.Dot incorporating elements of other genres into his own style.

That brings us to the closing track, which some may know as Blue Faces, which was debuted just a month or so back on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. The song sees the rapper delve into the mind of a love interest to ask her why it is she's so sad. The funky, fast-paced instrumental might have served better as an opener than as the closing track, but it's still yet another solid moment and brings the album to a rather quick conclusion.

It's hard for me to assign a rating to a compilation project, but it feels like much more than just a collection of untitled and unmastered tracks. It isn't anything like Kendrick's earlier releases, and all of his previous releases have been unlike anything he's released prior to those. While the core of the album is clearly influenced by his last release, it's a much more streamlined and to the point approach that still manages to be both unique and inventive. There are some moments better than others, and it does feel rather raw at times, but ultimately it's yet another fantastic release from the Compton native that will keep fans foaming at the mouth for his next release.

Rating: 4/5

Listen to Kendrick Lamar perform Untitled 2 (Untitled 8 on the album) live below:

This Unruly Mess I've Made by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

It can easily be said that Macklemore has taken over as the face of pop rap over the last few years. Loved by the mainstream audience, but despised by many self proclaimed hip-hop heads, he's been put into a tough position because of his success. As an underground Seattle rapper, he released his fair share of projects, including his sole full-length album as a solo artist The Language of My World back in 2005. However, it wasn't until he met producer Ryan Lewis and the two decided to team-up that his career began to take off.

As a duo, the two independently released two EP's before their debut album The Heist hit stores in 2012. Packed full of decent production and fairly average pop rap rhymes, it was the subject matter of tracks like Same Love, and the catchiness and comedic punchlines of hits like Thrift Shop that helped the duo rise to the top of the charts. Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing for the duo however, as they received a fair bit of backlash from the rap community, especially when they were awarded the Grammy for rap album of the year in 2013 over Kendrick Lamar and his monumental release Good Kid MAAD City. The duo refused to let the lukewarm reception get to them though, and tracks like the new album This Unruly Mess's lead single Downtown made it clear they weren't prepared to back away from the pop sound anytime soon. That eventually became an afterthought however, as last month with the release of the album's second single White Privilege II, Macklemore took on a very important topic, and despite early criticism from your's truly, I've grown to enjoy the track quite a bit and respect it not only for it's relevancy, but also for what Macklemore offers lyrically.

Even with one solid single, I still went into this album expecting to be disappointed by sugary pop hooks and cringe worthy attempts at musical comedy. Nonetheless, I felt the need to give it the time of day, and astonishingly, I ended up being quite impressed.

The album kicks things off with one of the best lyrical displays Macklemore has offered thus far in his career, as Light Tunnels see's the Seattle emcee detail his experience at the Grammy awards and his thoughts during his upset win for rap album of the year. We also get a peak into the mind of the rapper, as he mentions how insecure and uncomfortable the award made him, as well as how much he began to doubt his skill after the criticism he received. Lines like "I don't like who I am in this environment, I forgot what this art's for" help reinforce what he explains throughout many of the albums deeper moments, which is that he cares about hip-hop and can offer more than just being "another white radio rapper." The song's chorus, sung by Mike Slap is the same generic pop hook I've come to expect from Macklemore, but it isn't enough to stop me from enjoying this track, as the introspective bars have me actually caring about what the emcee is saying, something that very rarely happened on his last album.

Other deep cuts like the aforementioned White Privilege II which serves as the closer, and Kevin a track that features Leon Bridges and details the overdose of one of Macklemore's childhood friend's, show us a much more honest, down to earth conscious hip-hop side of the duo that I didn't expect to find on this record. In the past, with songs like Same Love, I've felt like Macklemore was simply using current world issues for his own gain, and while I'm not necessarily convinced that wasn't the case in the past, I don't feel that way with these cuts on Unruly Mess, because there's a touch of sincerity, and it feels like there's something to prove with each line delivered.

It's not all positives on the album though, and that same cheesy mainstream pop culture artist who we've come to know appears multiple times on the album. Downtown is an obvious example of that style, but we get tracks like Brad Pitt's Cousin, Dance Off, and Let's Eat as well which see rather lackluster punch lines and weak attempts to brag. I struggle to take Macklemore serious when he takes a braggadocios lyrical approach, and the overly radio friendly production doesn't do much to elevate the tracks either. There are however, a handful of cuts that sit somewhere between those that are self reflective and the others that are drenched in pop influence. Buckshot, a cut that features New York hip-hop veteran KRS-One and iconic producer DJ Premier centres around Macklemore's experience with graffiti art, something that any one familiar with KRS-One will know he also is well versed in. It's a very enjoyable track, and sits on the fun side without relying on too clean of a chorus or too much pop influence. The indie-rock flavored instrumental on St. Ides is another one of the album's highlights, as the lyrics reflect on Macklemore's history of alcohol abuse. The twangy guitar featured on the track helps make it one of the better beats throughout the project as well.

I've breezed over White Privilege II a few times already throughout this review, but I feel like it's important to address the track a bit further. The song of course discusses the black lives matter movement and the ongoing struggle between black youth and police officers in the United States. Macklemore mentions the silence he and many other white artists have resorted to while the incidents continue to occur, and he also reflects on the hip-hop culture and those who consider him to have "stolen the sound" for his own gain. I have already said I was dismissive of the song at first listen, but since I've come to respect the emcee more, not for making a track on something important, but as serving as the connection between what's occurring and a mainstream audience. No, you shouldn't feel sympathy for Macklemore when hearing this track, but it's purpose is instead to inspire those who have set in silence and have remained uninvolved with protests and demonstrations to stand-up and be heard. Regardless of your opinions on the matter, it's a track that warrants a listen for the power behind the message alone, and the lyrical display from a man who prior to this track was nothing more than a boring pop rapper, at least in my opinion.

The best moments on This Unruly Mess I've Made are easily the best that the duo have offered since they began teaming up, and I'm very impressed with what they've done throughout the LP. Unfortunately, there are still a handful of tracks that feel phoned in, as if the sole reason they were included was to appeal to a more a mainstream audience, and that hurts the album quite a bit. Nevertheless, my opinion on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis has been altered quite a bit, and I now see a lot more potential in their sound. If they can trim out some of the more uninspired moments in the future, Macklemore will have plenty more award shows to write about.

Rating: 3.5/5

You can listen to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' White Privilege II below:

Fervor by Daydream Society

Daydream Society is the solo project of Fort Wayne, Indiana based ambient musician Bryan Mullins. He first caught my ear with his 2015 release: For Now, a very impressive record that saw him use a traditional synth based sound to create some very uniquely lush soundscapes as well as some spectacularly vivid imagery. He released the follow-up to that project, Avulsion, this past January, and while it stayed true to that same sound found on For Now, it also saw him dig a bit deeper as an artist as he tried to define his stylistic direction a bit further.

If one thing can be said about both of the last two projects, it's how much I found the music correlated with the album art. The brightly lit neon city that graces the cover of For Now matches the vibrant synths of the album perfectly, and often times the music itself provoked the feeling of walking down a brightly lit city street on a dark rainy night. Meanwhile, the artwork for Avulsion is quite different, yet the wintery forest that you are presented with on the cover still manages to connect with the music quite well, as this time the sound is more of a warm blanket, enveloping you much like the bright sun that can be seen peaking through the aforementioned trees does to the forest.

So, what about the newest album, Fervor? This one was hard to get a read from by simply looking at the album art, but after hearing the first few songs, it becomes immensely clear what the artistic direction is. The project, which Bryan himself referred to as being "an album about love, without using any lyrics" is the darkest I've heard him get. The angry, dirty distortion on tracks like Daring to Deceive You and Fate or Fiction Pt. 2 feel both loud and abrasive when contrasting the hauntingly beautiful synths that occupy most of the other tracks, however when set against the backdrop of the shadows and darkness of the album's cover, it all seems to make complete sense.

While he has classified his previous projects as experimental, it wasn't until Fervor that I felt the tag truly belonged. The closing track The Best Dream of Your Life, a cut that comes in at nearly 7 minutes long, is a wonderful example of that. The extra slow pacing of the piece is wonderful, and while it's kicked off with the same buzzing atmosphere that you might expect, it's as the track progresses that we find surprises such as the ugly keys which manage to still boarder on being pretty in their own eccentric way. When that's mixed in with what appears to be a very sci-fi inspired sound, it creates one of my favorite tracks on the entire album. It was an ambitious decision to venture further into experimental territory, but fortunately the plethora of new sounds included on this record don't interfere with the same atmospheric nature that can be found on the rest of Daydream Society's projects. Even with some moments being more out there and unpredictable, the project as a whole remains very coherent and has it's own unique identity without alienating any of the elements found on older material. 

This is certainly the most ambitious Daydream Society album I've heard, and for each second of beauty and love, there's also a moment of sadness and despair, but after all, isn't that what love is? In many ways, I consider an ambient piece to be much like surrealism is in art. You may not be able to hear or feel exactly what the artist was thinking when creating it, but each listener will have their own interpretation of what's beneath the surface. For me, Fervor is a journey for both love and lust, a journey that has ups and down, and is equal parts alluring as it is tragic. Is Fervor Mullins' best project? Perhaps not, but it certainly is on par with the rest of his works. What it truly is however, is a sign of musical maturity and further development of what was already an incredible approach.

Rating: 4/5

You'll be able to download or stream Fervor on March 1st, over on Daydream Society's bandcamp page here. In the meantime, head over and check out some of his other material.

Ufonaut by Entropia

For those not familiar with Entropia, they are a Polish post/black/experimental metal outfit who really hadn't crept onto my radar until the release of this LP here; Ufonaut. With that being said, the fusion of black metal and post metal, also known as blackgaze, has been one of my favorite metal sub genres over the past few years, and it has led me to a handful of fantastic releases from the likes of Deafheaven, Ghostbath, and Harakiri for the Sky. So, when going into this album, I clearly had high expectations. Fortunately for myself, and any other fan of this genre, Entropia delivered in quite impressive fashion. 

On Ufonaut, the band encompasses a traditional black metal style as means to create a basis or outlining sound for their music, but it's their ability to take influence from other subgenres and incorporate them throughout that really adds the extra substance to this project. The opening track Fractal is a great example of that, as the opening 45 seconds or so, see's the band weaving in and out between a much more traditional black metal guitar riff and some Mastodon-esque sludgy, slow paced guitar stylings. As the track progresses, we also see the band incorporate the use of an organ which helps contribute to the very haunting nature of the song. As it comes to end, horns are introduced, which really allow for the group to build a fantastic crescendo to what is easily one of the best moments on the entire LP. 

From there, you find much more of that same risk taking and genre bending formula as the album proceeds. Songs like the title track Ufonaut see the band experiment with some slower, cleaner guitar tones in between heavy, hard hitting moments, while both Mandala and Paradox are used to showcase the group's more experimental side, as they use variations of middle eastern instruments to help create some intricate, folkish instrumental passages. The record's closing cut, Veritas is also worth mentioning, as it's the longest track on the record and also perhaps the loudest. It finishes the album off with a fantastic climax, thanks to the final minute of the track which is full of in your face, wretched, ugly screams that really help drive their sound into your head like a car with no breaks smashing into the side of a burning building (that was seriously the best analogy I had.) 

Aside from Veritas however, the vocals do, at certain moments at least, tend to come off as rather gimmicky and annoying. It's not so much the vocalist himself, (who goes by the stage name of U, as each one of the band members is named after a letter from the word Ultra,) but it's the production choices. Like on the aforementioned opening track Fractal for example, we find a blowing, wind-like noise appearing seemingly every time U opens his mouth, and then as the album continues, the vocals become coated with an echo effect that would make you assume the band recorded the frontman while he was screeching in a dark, empty cave. And while typically that might be a positive on a black metal project, this isn't your ordinary record, and the rest of the production is rather clean and lively in comparison to the raw, lo-fi nature of the vocals. 

With that being said, the vocals only appear on perhaps a third or so of the album, and the focus clearly lays on the instrumentation, which is of course consistently fantastic, so it doesn't interrupt my enjoyment all that much. There really isn't anything on this album that doesn't deliver in a unique and intriguing fashion. It's certainly heavy enough to welcome any fans of more traditional black metal acts, but it also keeps you guessing by firing post-metal inspired passages at you on nearly every single track. A great addition to the Polish black-metal scene, and a fantastic statement for all blackgaze bands around, Entropia delivered a very nice LP.

All in all, I'm giving Ufonaut a 4/5.

Let me know down in the comment section, have you heard the album? If so, what'd you think?

Listen to Fractal, the second single released from the album down below:

You can download or stream the album over on Entropia's bandcamp page 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.

All is Dust and I Am Nothing by Slaves BC

Here we are in the 21st century, with a metal scene unlike we've ever seen before. No longer can a band succeed by striving to simply be the "heaviest" or "most metal," because it's been done countless times before. Now, it's about the style just as much as it is the substance, it's about broadening the horizons of the listener and incorporating more than just blast beats and ugly vocals, that is if you want to make a great record. For Slaves BC, they do exactly that with a blend of hardcore punk and blackened doom metal that has established themselves as one of the most exciting upcoming bands in the metal scene, in my personal opinion at least. They've released a handful of singles, 7' splits, and EPs over the last couple years, but All Is Dust And I Am Nothing is their first full-length album, and boy is it ever packed to the brim with the rawest of raw vocals and nasty, chugging, guitar riffs guaranteed to leave you begging for more (or maybe less?)

The album, loosely referred to as a concept album, sees the band explore the meaning of life. If you are unsure of what exactly it is that they discovered throughout this venture, maybe the song titles will help clarify. A quick peak at the track listing gives you titles such as God Has Turned His Back, All Find Their Way to Their Grave, and Everything Is Meaningless. The music however, doesn't deliver exactly in the same vein that the song names might lead you to expect, as the project feels quite a bit more like the narrative of a man's life than it does the emo record that the track listing might imply. As the LP progresses, the screeched vocals, which do at times feel as if they were inspired by early 90's screamo, feel as if they become lower and lower in the mixing. Progressively becoming drowned out in dirty, muddy, distortion. It's as if the man's thoughts are no longer clear, or at least are not distinguishable to those who hear them. The ferocity and raw nature of the vocals are perhaps best displayed when tracks come to a halt, on cuts such as Crawling Through Nothing and Why Are We Here? the band makes the decision to finish the tracks with blood curdling, animalistic shrieks rather than relying on the heaviness of their respective instruments. 

Anyone can pound on a drum set and scream into a microphone, and while at times it may seem as if that's all that the Pittsburgh based hardcore outfit are doing, it always leads to something bigger and badder. Whether they're looking to bring out the ugliest, meanest noise possible on the tracks God Has Turned His Back and Nothing Remains But Death, which feel at times as if they were influenced by mathcore acts such as Converge or Dillinger Escape Plan, or moments where they are looking to create some cleaner, more traditional metal instrumentation like on Everything Under the Sun, the band always seems to be looking to try something different than what you have heard on the previous track. Even if the progression is minuscule, it can still always be found.

Beauty in metal is more prominent than ever before. Subgenres such as post-metal and blackgaze, are seeing acts incorporate lush soundscapes and more atmospheric elements into their sound that previously wouldn't have been accepted as being heavy metal. For Slaves BC however, their sound is as far from being pretty as humanly possible. It's dirty, it's raw, and it's ugly as hell, yet the band refuse to let that be the ultimate selling point of their sound. Instead, they focus on building bone crushingly heavy and slow, methodically placed riffs that when met with the angry drum bashing and wretched vocals makes for arguably the nastiest metal album I've heard this year. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Listen to the the track Everything is Meaningless below:

You can download or stream the band's album at their bandcamp page here.

If you enjoy ugly, disgusting, rage inducing metal music I suggest also checking out my review for the latest Seven Sisters of Sleep album Ezekiel's Hags.

II by Magrudergrind

Power-violence/grindcore outfit Magrudergrind rose to prominence back in 2009 with the release of their self-titled second full-length album. It was a project that brought fans and critics alike together with immense praise and respect for the groups ability to combine brutally crafted grindcore and power-violence with the use of vocal sound clips and many different stylistic influences. They have continuously managed to impress with their ferocity and hardcore aesthetics while also improving between each release since their inception back in 2002.

Following the release of their 2010 EP Crusher, the band dropped off the radar, and despite a couple of public appearances and reissues of former material, have left fans disappointed with their lack of output. The politically charged trio are back this year however, and with Converge's Kurt Ballou handling the engineering duties once again, Magrudergrind are looking to pick up where they left off and wreak havoc on any and all potential listeners.

What hasn't been done already within extreme music? There isn't much an act can do to be any louder or more chaotic than the music that came before it. In the case of Magrudergrind, they instead look to incorporate moments, like one found on the second track Divine Dictation, where the guitar playing slows down to a chugging pace momentarily, serving as a hardcore punk influenced break from the ferocity, something that reoccurs throughout the LP. With that being said, it's primarily earth shaking blast-beats, punk oriented guitar riffs, and blood curdling vocals that provide the barbaric nature of the music on II.

The biggest change from the band's last full-length to this one, is the disappearance of the sound clips, which were one of the defining factors on their previous releases for me personally. They take advantage of the extra time allotted from the decision to leave out any vocal samples by instead delivering 24 minutes of unrelenting force. It's that same bloodthirsty savagery that has garnered so many comparisons to British grindcore originators Napalm Death. While the band has been around for 30+ years and continues to put out fantastic material (see their Apex Predator - Easy Meat album released last year for any needed proof) they are getting older, and it appears that Magrudergrind may just be the right act to inherit the title of the biggest grindcore act.

The music that the American extreme outfit is crafting isn't necessarily for everyone, but it definitely serves it's purpose. For anyone who enjoys the kind of music that is guaranteed to make your ears bleed and turn you into a weeping mess of a human, this LP is a goldmine.

Rating: 4/5

Check out the track Sacrificial Hire from the new album below:

You can download the album at Magrudergrind's bandcamp page here.

Who the Fuck is Chris Spencer? by Vic Spencer & Chris Crack

Underground Chicago based rappers Chris Crack and Vic Spencer have both been putting together some very solid projects within the underground hip-hop scene for quite sometime now. They are frequent collaborators, and on Who the Fuck is Chris Spencer? they deliver their first full-length album has a collective. While Vic Spencer is perhaps best known as the guy who exchanged diss tracks with fellow up and coming Chicago emcee Mick Jenkins late last year, he, as well as Crack, are both also known as on the rise hip-hop artists who are looking to use this release as a stepping stone to the next level of popularity.

The album is presented as a concept project, an introduction to Chris Spencer, as the project's title implies, and while you do learn that he's a wise cracking, beyond confident man who has no problem speaking highly of himself, that's about as far as the duo manage to take it. Their lyricsm isn't bad, and there are a plethora of clever lines that still cause me to chuckle after multiple listens. The best example of the quick-witted song-writing comes on the cut Ice Cubes when Vic Spencer spits the line "y'all get an A+ for sucking balls." It's simple, straight forward lines like this that the two specialize with, and when it's combined with the 90's inspired production of the album, it works quite well.

The downside, however, is that the production isn't always all that impressive. Instrumentals like the vocal sample driven beat of Zebra Ave or the strange synth based production found on The New Information aren't able to be redeemed by the rapping, because the two rely on their ability to ride the beat so heavily that when using an unimpressive instrumental, they end up failing to deliver. With that being said, there are also tracks where the samples are extremely well done and the beats help propel Spencer and Crack to a much higher level then they'd otherwise be on. Spencer has proven himself as talented behind the boards, and assuming he handled those duties on this project as well, he certainly came through with some of the best production I've heard from him on the album's better cuts.

As I mentioned, the two were clearly influenced by 90's hip-hop as the jazz based sampling and laid back flows are the driving force throughout. No Biggie is an exception of that rule, as the trap flavoured song features some hard-hitting bass and an aggressive flow from the two Chicago natives. At no point do they look to bring anything new or unique to the table, and that is perhaps just a byproduct of drawing as much inspiration as they do from the past.

Any fan of either of the two gifted emcees' should take the time to check this one out, and those not acquainted will find this to be an easy way of being introduced. Who truly is Chris Spencer? He's not anyone exciting or innovative, but when he's firing on all cylinders, he makes some truly enjoyable hip-hop tracks.

Favorite Tracks: Cue Ball, No Biggie, Drunken Monkee

Least Favorite Tracks: Zebra Ave, The New Information

Rating: 3.5/5

Listen to the duo's track Cue Ball below:

Le Dernier Crépuscule by Chthe'ilist

Profound Lore Records became one of the most exciting labels for loud, ugly, and noisy music last year thanks to two fantastic releases from solo black metal project Leviathan and noise/experimental act Prurient. This year however, it's the long awaited full-length debut from French-Canadian technical death metal outfit Chthe'ilist that has people talking. The lyric sheets from the new album reads like a choose your own adventure novel, detailing dark fantasized stories in ways that only a death metal outfit can. Of course the vocals are not the focus of the sound they're creating though,  as their sheer brutality and lyrical creativity serve only as the cherry on this atrocious cake of an album.

From the moment that the church bells and loud footsteps of the opening title track give way to the band's booming drums and dark, operatic atmosphere, the Canadian three-piece look to grab the listener's attention. Whether it be through the animosity and chaotic nature of their sound, or by their impressive musicianship, they certainly succeed to that degree. They merge the seven track LP into a exhibition of their proficiency, not simply showing off as many technical metal acts tend to do, but also using intriguing song writing and composition to help showcase their capabilities. While at times the mid-song transitions do feel forced and sloppy, the trio often finds themselves able to prove the necessity only a few short moments later when they have already moved onto bigger, badder, and angrier things.

The band also experiment and take their fair share of risks throughout their debut, moments like the industrial inspired outro to the second track Into the Vaults of Ingurgitating Obscurity, one of the few if not the only weak track on the album, still manages to provoke the image of a snarling demonic animals, maybe even a being of another planet with the bizarre noises that appear while the song is approaching it's conclusion. With that being said, it's that same uncertainty of what you're going to hear and the unknowing of what is going to come next that keeps you on the edge of your seat in anticipation upon listening. The funky bass line found in tracks like The Voices from Beneath the Well and Vecoiitn'aphnaat'smaala is confirmation that the group's ability to incorporate bold stylistic choices help them separate themselves from other flashy, technical death metal outfits. The thirteen minute closing epic that finishes the project proves to be the ultimate climax, as the band drags you through one more dark forest on one more gothic adventure, and with a name like Tales of the Majora Mythos Part 1, it would appear as if it were also an ode to the iconic Zelda game Majora's Mask.

Chthe'ilist's first full-length release offers enough diversity to feel fresh throughout the full fifty plus minutes that it occupies, while also feeling familiar enough to lose yourself in the fantasied atmosphere found throughout. The album has been quite a few years in the making, and fortunately, it proves itself worth the wait. 

Favorite Tracks: Scriptures from the Typhlodians, The Voices from Beneath the Well, Tales of the Majora Mythos Part 1

Least Favorite Tracks: Into the Vaults of Ingurgitating Obscurity

Ratings: 4/5

Listen to Chthe'ilist's The Voices from Beneath the Well below:

You can download the album on the Profound Lore bandcamp page here.

Ezekiel's Hags by Seven Sisters of Sleep

Sludge metal has always been more of a style than a genre, with it's down-tuned, methodical, swampy guitar play featured prominently alongside booming drums and vocals that can range anywhere from wretched screams to warm and welcoming serenades. It's certain that you never know exactly what to expect going into an album with the label "sludge metal," aside from the fact that it will hit you hard and it won't quit until you're done listening.

Not only does the Californian based five-piece Seven Sisters of Sleep (SSOS) embrace the sludge metal mantra, but they also use it as a stepping stone, a method of inspiration only to explore even darker and heavier depths of the metal world. The music found on Ezekiel's Hags can't be lumped into any modern genre, and trying to define it simply isn't a possibility. The band isn't looking to show their musical influences, or give you an idea of what they're trying to make, instead they're looking to engage in a complete onslaught of gigantic proportions as they envelop the listener in a cloud of raw, dirty, unrelenting musical horror.

As soon as the lightning fast blast-beats and Converge-esque screeches of the opening track Jones explode onto the album, the pace of the record is set. At only two minutes in length, you'd believe SSOS would rely on short, frantic, organized chaos to carry the momentum on their first release in three years. Instead, however, we see the band tackle multiple cuts of over five minutes, even seeing the closing track Bastard Son come in at over ten minutes. Just as easily as the band can hit you over the head with a hammer and bring your misery to an end, they can also tie you up and drag you along, stretching the brutality to twice or even three times the expected lengths while still finding new ways to keep you invested.

Even deadlier than the group's incorporation of such a varied list of genres (death, doom, and black metal as well as hardcore and grindcore, to name a few) is their ability to do so at the drop of a dime. One minute you're getting lost in the chugging guitar riffs of Plateau or Third Season, and then next thing you know, the vigorous drumming on Brother's River or the ear-splitting vocals and grindcore outro of Sacred Prostitute shakes you from your core. The album is equally technical and beautifully composed as it is ruthless and sadistic, perhaps that's exactly what Seven Sister's are aiming to do.

Favorite Tracks: Jones, Denounce, Gutter, Sacred Prostitute, Ud-Nun, Bastard Son

Least Favorite Tracks: None

Rating: 3.5/5

I'm Up by Young Thug

Recently I reviewed the newest Future album EVOL (a review which you can read right here) and during that review, I mentioned the subtle subtweets and disses exchanged between Future and fellow Atlanta based rapper Young Thug over the last year or so, thanks to the two rappers embracing the state of 21st century hip-hop where all "rap beef" takes place on Twitter. Regardless of the words exchanged between the two, the true showdown came this past Friday as both artists released their own respective projects. While Future's EVOL was an average trap project that gave us the same Future we've been seeing for his last few releases, I was hoping Young Thug would seize the opportunity to capitalize on his seemingly always growing momentum, and finally prove himself as a rapper.

Originally, it was Slime Season 3 that was planned to be released this month. Instead, however, Young Thug, claiming inspiration from Kanye West and all the name changes his upcoming release (now titled Waves, incase you weren't sure) went through. Under the name I'm Up, Thug has released his 10th project since the beginning of 2014, and yet still, Thug fails to prove that he's deserving of his popularity.

The promising opener F Cancer, is a tribute to rapper Boosie Badazz, who had announced his diagnosis of cancer back in November of last year. The bass driven, upbeat production coupled with Thug's flow and simplistic lyrics and a feature from Quavo (of Migos fame) actually helps build an enjoyable, catchy cut that Thug has proven he is capable of doing in the past. Unfortunately it is one of the few songs on the album that actually manages to do enough to standout. For My People and Special are two other moments on the project where Thug is able to make a slight statement, thanks to the spacey trap production and intriguing features. Aside from that however, I'm Up is a collection of generic, boring, subpar trap songs. Thug's exuberant personality is no where to be found on the project, and much like I mentioned in my review of Future's EVOL, Thug is becoming another artist who is putting out far too much material and rather than impressing like he did when he first blew up, he's slowly assuring his fate as just another musical fad rather than a truly enjoyable act.

Each time I listen to I'm Up, I can't help but struggle to pay attention once I'm four or five cuts in. There's nothing impressive or enjoyable being shown aside from the few decent cuts I mentioned previously. If it comes down to Future or Thug, I'm listening to EVOL over I'm Up any day of the week, and that's not necessarily a compliment to either artist, but more so just proof that both are beginning to overstay their welcome thanks to the far too frequent releases.

Favorite Tracks: F Cancer, For My People, Special

Least Favorite Tracks: King TROUP, Hercules

Rating: 2/5

Below you can watch the F Cancer music video, which is co-directed by Thug himself, and also features the rapper/now director(?) being dressed head-to-toe in a set of pink scrubs.

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

Hotel Paranoia by Jazz Cartier

When Jazz Cartier claims "everybody in the States compares me to Drake, cause not many in the city can carry the weight" on the song Talk of the Town, he delivers an interesting perspective of what's to come on the follow-up to his debut album Marauding in Paradise that was released back in April of last year. Not only does Jazz share Drake's hometown of Toronto, Ontario, but he also shares a similar sound to that of the OVO member, as just like Drizzy is known for his ability to to craft fantastic party anthems over a plethora of beats, Jazz once again proves he's capable of the same on Hotel Paranoia. 

Coming in at 16 tracks, Hotel Paranoia is quite an ambitious effort from the Canadian emcee, but if one things for sure, Cartier never shies away from taking risks. Whether it be through his boastful lyrics or his seemingly ever-changing beat selection, which while often trap flavoured, seems to also incorporate influences from many other genres as well. Even with the diversity though, 16 trap songs is a lot to digest, but could the up and coming hip-hop artist step-up and deliver yet again?

The aforementioned opening track Talk of the Town is exactly the way a project should open, Jazz is bold, he's energetic, and ultimately he introduces his listeners of what's to come. That is, until the outro of the song begins, and a skit between himself and an apparent worker from the "hotel paranoia" plays out. I didn't go into this mixtape expecting a concept project, but when one presents a skit of the sorts, and even finishes it with Jazz asking the employee if she can inform him when his friend arrives, as well as asking where the elevator is. The concept seemingly disappears after that track however, and the only true reoccurrence is when the albums sole guest appearance, coming from River Tiber, appears later on in track listing. Once again though, the cut has no clear connection to anything else in the project, so the skit is a somewhat questionable inclusion on the album.

The album almost appears to be divided into halves, as the first ten or so tracks are the expected hard hitting trap beats with Jazz dropping one liners and braggadocios statements. It changes up with After The Club however, as the subject matter becomes the relationship between the Toronto native and a love interest. The change in pace is reversed however, as Tales, the fifteenth track in the listing brings back the style found in the first ten cuts. The track pacing is interesting, but in some ways makes the project feel convoluted.

The project's closer, Save Me From Myself, is one of the most eccentric cuts I've heard from Jazz, as he delivers his first verse in a raw, almost demented vocal style. It's easily one of the most intriguing cuts found on the album, alongside How We Do It, a track that samples the Montell Jordan song by the same name. Not only is the use of the sample fairly interesting in it's own right, the song is the trap anthem you can expect to hear when you tune in to a Jazz Cartier project.

The album definitely flips back and forth, with a share of generic trap cuts that don't add much to the overall experience, but also quite a few enjoyable cuts that display lyrical skill as well as a strong ability to craft catchy hooks. If the goal with this release was to separate himself from Drake, I do believe Jazz succeeded, with that being said, the comparison isn't a bad thing and the more distancing he does, the more he'll need to add diversity and individuality to his sound.

Favorite Tracks: Talk of the Town, Red Alert, How We Do It, Save Me From Myself

Least Favorite Tracks: Illuminati Love Song

Rating: 3.5/5