Reflection Eternal to reunite for SXSW
Posted in News with tags G.O.A.T., Hi-Tek, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop DX, Reflection Eternal, SXSW, Talib Kweli on Saturday, January 10, 2009 by Tim Althaus
In an article I read over at Hip-Hop DX it was mentioned that one of the greatest duos in Hip-Hop history are getting back together for South by Southwest. Reflection Eternal jumped on the scene in 2000 with one of my favorite releases of all time Reflection Eternal: Train of Thought. Kweli & Hi-Tek have this chemistry that is absolutely unparalleled by anyone. Kweli is one of my favorite emcees of all time and Hi-Tek has been a trademark for great beats in the Hip-Hop game for over 10 years ever since his days with MOOD. I had heard wind of a new Reflection Eternal album a while back but I really didn’t know what to think. Kweli has been busy with all of his work with Idle Worship and Hi-Tek has been busy with solo albums and beats for other people so it didn’t really look to feasible to me.
All I can tell you is: If Kweli & Hi-Tek release another album coming up this year, I think that the game might be over. Judging by the impact that the original Reflection Eternal project had, this one might change the game forever. These two comprise one of the greatest duos ever, and I’m very interested to hear what they have in store for us next. I can honestly say that those of you who are going to SXSW are going to enjoy an incredible show.
Check out some classic material:
Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek: “The Blast”
Shrinebuilder is the stoner metal fan’s wet dream
Posted in Music News with tags al cisneros, dale crover, hidden hand, melvins, neurosis, nirvana, obsessed, om, saint vitus, scott "wino" weinrich, scott kelly, shrinebuilder, sleep, spirit caravan, tribes of neurot on Saturday, January 10, 2009 by Ryan Buege
A new supergroup has been born, and it features members of Neurosis, Melvins, St. Vitus, Hidden Hand, Om, and Sleep. It’s been speculated for a while, but this week it was revealed that the forces of doom metal luminaries Scott Kelly, Wino, Al Cisneros, and Dale Crover have joined together as Shrinebuilder to produce what promises to be one awesome fucking album. Really, there’s no possible way for this to be anything less than stellar. Luckily, my fellow stoners and I won’t have to wait long to hear what they’re writing. The band hits the studio this weekend and apparently they’ll be posting updates on Scott’s blog throughout the project. We’ll just have to pay attention to the updates for a sneak peak, until we can see what Shrinebuilder releases their first album later this year…
Scott’s first studio update, today, revealed it will be something to look forward to:
Allright here we go… Last night we played together as a full band for the first time, there was immediate thunder. The truth was revealed within seconds.
Review: Cymarshall Law & Mr. Joeker, Hip-Hop in the Soul
Posted in Music Reviews with tags Best of 2008, C.L. Smooth, Cymarshall Law, DJ Premier, Gang Starr, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop in the Soul, Mr. Joeker, Pete Rock on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Tim Althaus
I have to start this post off by saying that this is an album that I found out about way too late. If I would have listened to this album last year right away when it came out I can guarantee that it would have made my top 5 last year. The chemistry that is shown on this album is absolutely amazing, somewhat similar to a Guru/Premier (Gang Starr) or Pete Rock/C.L. Smooth. Putting these two together on an album was a god-send for the soul of Hip-Hop (no pun intended) because they really take things to a whole new level.
The first thing that I want to point out is that Mr. Joeker is a very talented producer (from Hungary), and I haven’t heard a producer that can mimic so many different styles of production. This guy can go from a DJ Premier sound into a style of his own in one track flat. To be honest the beats on this album are so hot, they may put the sun out of commission.
Cymarshall Law is an emcee that is in a league of his own, and he is from New Brunswick, New Jersey. One thing is for sure about Cymar, and that’s that this guy can rap his ass off and very well at that. Cymarshall Law is going to be a benchmark when it comes to great emcees in the future. With the mic skills that Cymar possesses, it’s only a matter of time before heads start to notice.
When I listen to an album the intro usually means a great deal to me, because in my opinion it should set the expectation for the rest of the album and the tempo as well. The intro on this album “Intro to the Soul” does just that setting the bar for the rest of the album with Cymarshall Law kicking an ill flow over a straight fire laced beat by Mr. Joeker. “The Takeoff (Getting It)” might be the highlight of the album with a beautiful backdrop full of strings, enchanting vocal samples and as usual Cymarshall’s razor blade sharp flow. Every track on this album is absolute quality, I don’t think that there was a better collaboration album last year to be honest, with guest appearances from KRS-One and Supastition it only adds to the ensuing chaos.
Please do yourself a favor and check out one of the best Hip-Hop releases of 2008, like I said I wish I would have heard this album earlier last year because it would have easily charted on my list.
9/10
The Second Supper, Your Local Press News
Posted in Culture, Media with tags Alternative Press, Coulee Region, free, La Crosse, Second Supper on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Tim Althaus
I want to tell all of you out there about an alternative newspaper called the Second Supper that is distributed in my area of residence. Most of the people that post on this blog know about it, but those of you readers out there that aren’t from our area (La Crosse, Coulee Region area) probably don’t know about it. They write about a variety of issues and have regularly syndicated columns (“Smock Talk”, “College Sucks” & “Y Marks the Spot”), as well as introspective features such as “Social Networking” and funny editorials like “The Top 5”. There are also reviews of music, beer, albums & books. Many of you may be saying, “Well Tim, that’s fine and dandy, but we don’t live in your area so we can’t read The Second Supper.” That is where you would be wrong.
The Second Supper has their own website on the Internet where you are able to view the most recent issue of the paper as well as issues for the last 4 weeks. That’s right folks you get everything on their website that you would otherwise be able to get in their weekly tangible publication. It sounds like a great idea to me to go checkout their website and see for yourself. The website also can show all of you readers out there what is going on in the area, so if you are ever thinking about coming to the Coulee Region for a vacation you can be ahead of the game.
Please go check out the Second Supper website and let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it!
You can also jump over to their page on MySpace
NIN leaks 405 GB of live video online
Posted in Music News with tags free, live, nine inch nails, Video on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Ryan Buege
Trent Reznor truly is the man of the future. ..Really I bet this guy is having more fun continuously pleasing and exciting his fanbase than anyone you can imagine. From NIN.com this week:
The internet is full of surprises these days.
I was contacted by a mysterious, shadowy group of subversives who SOMEHOW managed to film a substantial amount (over 400 GB!) of raw, unedited HD footage from three separate complete shows of our Lights in the Sky tour. Security must have been lacking at these shows because the quality of the footage is excellent.If any of you could find a LINK to that footage I’ll bet some enterprising fans could assemble something pretty cool.
Oh yeah, you didn’t hear this from me.
Videos of the show are already starting to pop up on the bands forum, and as time goes on, it’s presumable we’ll see some even better releases. In the meantime, Reznor’s fans will keep waiting to see what he’ll do next as they enjoy their free FAN CREATED concert dvds. Visit This One Is On Us to read more about the project.
Madlib & J Rocc’s Homage to J Dilla to drop February 10th
Posted in News with tags Beat Konducta, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, J Rocc, Madlib, Stones Throw on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Tim Althaus
When I heard about this project I was overly enthused about it. J Dilla is easily my favorite producer of all time, and Madlib definitely ranks at the top of the list as well. Jaylib is probably my favorite collaboration of all time, so when I heard that Madlib and J Rocc were going to be doing a tribute Beat Konducta series for Dilla I was overcome with joy. This Beat Konducta volume is 42 tracks long and pays respect to the greatest mind and producer of the modern era. Dilla was “your favorite producer’s favorite producer”, and this is a dedication that you cannot miss. I can tell you right now that I will be going to the store to grab this immediately on February 10th, if you are a fan of beat tapes I can tell you that you honestly should be to. You can be sure that I will have a review of this album up once I have a copy and have had a good listen.
Video: Buff1, “Dream Streets”
Posted in Video with tags Ann Arbor, Athletic Mic League, Best of 2008, Buff1, Hip-Hop on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Tim AlthausIf any of you don’t know who Buff1 is, you better find out fast. Buff1 is from Ann Arbor, Michigan which is no big surprise, (Michigan is taking over the game), and in my opinion he’s one of the best emcees in the game right now(he’s also a part of The Athletic Mic League). This is a video for a track on his latest effort There’s Only One for the track “Dream Streets”. This video is very sentimental and has a real message to it, to be honest you don’t see to many music videos like this one. The video shows Buff doing volunteer work and feeding homeless people (I’m guessing either in Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti) for the better of the community. This is a great song and video from one of the strongest releases of last year.
MPLS free show: Høst (and others) @ the Hexagon Bar
Posted in Concert Dates with tags ambassador gun, desolate void, høst, hennes sistse høst, said the shotgun to the head, vernal pool on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Ryan Buege
FREE! Any smart Minneapolis music fan should do themselves a huge favor and check out this free showcase this week from some of the areas best metal bands. For those not aware, Høst has been recently been afforded the honor of receiving Decibel Magazine‘s 25th Best Extreme Metal Album of 2008 (placing them somewhere between internationally beloved bands such as Testament and Opeth). It’s quite an honor for a small band from the Minnesota scene that has barely had the chance to play 20 shows locally. Not to mention, their s/t album was my favorite regional metal release of the year. Høst is an innovative journey that takes both black metal and experimental rock through new ideas; a blizzard of an album that will please fans of all types of progressive and extreme music. Opening support is provided by Minneapolis grind’n’rollers Ambassador Gun, St. Paul deathgrinders Said the Shotgun to The Head, gritty Eau Claire metalheads Desolate Void, and Minneapolis metalgazers Vernal Pool. See you there!
FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE!
Review: Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion
Posted in Music Reviews with tags 2009, animal collective, Best, Downloads, freak folk, Girls, Merriweather Post Pavillion, mp3, Panda Bear, pop, Psychedelic, Review on Thursday, January 8, 2009 by Erik BurgPretty Much Amazing: “Take the time to really listen and understand what direction Animal Collective is trying to go. If you do, I think you’ll find a band you can really get behind: A band that makes music for music lovers.”
Pitchfork: “Although it will be tagged as Animal Collective’s “pop” album, Merriweather Post Pavilionremains drenched in their idiosyncratic sound, a record that no one else could have made.” “But Merriweather feels like a joyous meeting in a well-earned, middle place– the result of all their explorations pieced together to create something accessible and complete.”
Not much has been left unsaid about Animal Collective’s newest album Merriweather Post Pavillion. Those two quotes above give a fine example of the kind of perfection and praise that this album is receiving, and has been receiving for weeks now.
My personal history with Animal Collective has been a bit rocky, I have to admit. At first I hated the group for their music, it was just so weird and different and felt so disjointed upon first look, but when I took the time to listen to an album all the way through it became quite apparent that they truly were making music for music lovers. And Merriweather is no different, an album steeped in more harmonious vocals and musical clarity than any of their other works, this disc is one of the most impressive I’ve heard in a very long time.
Tracks like “My Girls” and “Brother Sport” are monstrous songs that will catch you by surprise if you’ve never listened to Animal Collective before. As the P4K reviewer said, this disc is certainly their “pop” album, and that’s why it has so much potential. “My Girls” is their most accessible track to date, but that’s not to take away from it because it’s probably going to go down as their finest track ever laid down as well. “Brother Sport” reminds listeners of AC member Panda Bear’s incredible album Person Pitch released in 2007.
It really would be easy to go on about Merriweather for thousands of words, but there would be no reason, because like any other Animal Collective album this just has to be heard and an opinion formed on your own, not through reading this review or another number of the thousands now out there. All I can say fro sure is that this is AC’s best album, most accessible album for first time listeners, and and album that will be talked about for years to come.
9 9.5 10/10
MIND INVERSION 