I have to start this review by saying that this album came out of nowhere; I had heard of Macklemore back when he was a XXL Freshman, but other than that, my exposure was pretty limited. With the aforementioned being said, this is the perfect album for an introduction into the world of Macklemore. Let’s face it, we’ve all heard the story about overcoming addiction and life obstacles to become a champion; however, no one has done it quite like this. Backed by the prodigal production of Ryan Lewis, Macklemore has created one of the year’s most honest and resonant records.
Archive for seattle
Album Review: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist
Posted in Album Review, Music Reviews with tags Band of Horses, Ben Bridwell, Macklemore, Malcolm Gladwell, Ryan Lewis, seattle, The Heist on Saturday, October 27, 2012 by Tim AlthausWild Style Wednesday Review: Blue Scholars, Bayani
Posted in Music Reviews, Wildstyle Wednesdays with tags Bayani, Geologic, Sabzi, seattle, West Coast on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 by Tim Althaus
I think the first time I heard about Blue Scholars was in Spin Magazine or a similar publication. I recall the memory because I was reading a review of their album Bayani. The review that I read was highly favorable, and naturally I wanted to see what the hype was all about. Prior to buying the album, I had never really listened to any artists from Seattle. I mean I knew West Coast Hip-Hop was dope, just not this dope. Bayani is one of my favorite albums I’ve picked up over the last couple years. I’ve been listening to this album a great deal since I found out about it, and to be put quite simply, it never gets old. Continue reading
Jake One Vs. Vitamin D, Red Bull Big Tune Seattle
Posted in Media, Video with tags Jake One, Red Bull Big Tune Beat Battle, seattle, Vitamin D on Thursday, August 6, 2009 by Tim AlthausVodpod videos no longer available.
Recently Jake One & Vitamin D put on a beat battle in Seattle at the Red Bull Big Tune Beat Battle. Watch these guys do their thing as they have a little friendly competition on stage. If you don’t know who Jake One is, you must be sleeping underneath a rock. Vitamin D is another monster producer from Seattle doing his thing, definitely another cat that shouldn’t be slept on.
Spotted @ Crate Kings
Blue Scholars to Drop New EP in August
Posted in Music News with tags Bayani, Blue Scholars, Geo, Sabzi, seattle on Monday, July 20, 2009 by Tim Althaus
One of my favorite West Coast duos, Blue Scholars, will be releasing a new EP on August 25th. These guys have been reppin’ hard for Seattle for the last 5 or so years. I unfortunately found out about these guys way too late when I read an article in Spin magazine last year. I immediately picked up their album Bayani and fell in love with that shit. Geo and Sabzi are one hell of a combo together and all of their music is top notch. Sabzi makes some of the dopest beats that have come out of the left coast in a while, and Geo’s political and conscious rhymes make me feel moved everytime I give their music a spin.
I found out about these guys last year, and their music has been on very heavy rotation ever since I’ve gotten into them. If you love good Hip-Hop there is no reason you should be sleeping on Blue Scholars. Make sure you stay tuned at Mind Inversion because I will definitely have a review up.
Editors Note*: According to the Blue Scholars Twitter Page, they will also be dropping a new full length in 2010.
Review: Book of Black Earth, Horoskopus
Posted in Music Reviews with tags black metal, book of black earth, death metal, doom metal, prosthetic records, seattle on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 by Ryan Buege
Death metal, black metal and doom metal – to an outsider of metal, there’s little distinction between any of these labels. To a knowledgeable listener, though, these terms take on a new life. These are weighty words known to describe the most extreme of all metal music. Each of these underground breeds of metal specialize in their own flavor of assault – from the brutal riffing of death to the overwhelming atmosphere of black metal to the bleak, plodding heaviness of doom. In recent years, metal fans have benefited from a sea of bloodthirsty new bands that are pushing the extremes of these styles to an incomprehensible degree while each is trying to make their own lasting mark on genre. One of of my favorite recent releases of this kind is Horoskopus, by Seattle’s Book of Black Earth, an album of chaotic headbanging metal anthems balancing on an ungodly trinity all of the extremes – death, black, doom \m/
Whether it’s a crushing groove, a spine-tingling solo, a wall of noise, or an addictive hook, Book of Black Earth connects the dots seamlessly. The focus behind the attack is powered with massive, layered soundscapes and brutal death metal riffing. When it comes to death metal albums like this one, if it’s big & beautiful, I’m all for it, and thankfully Book of Black Earth never forgets this. However, despite all of the albums maniacal power, the true beauty of this album is rooted in the band’s ability to simulataneously contrast the deadly brutality with blackened, psychedelic soundwaves and doomy tonal ambience. It seems to find a very unique marriage between what I enjoy in all of my music – both catchy and extreme. Horoskopus is an intense, demanding, fun, and eye-opening release and a definite buy for any fan of extreme metal.
MIND INVERSION 