Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
This gangster rapper may be attempting a buddhist annihilation of the genre by magnifying the stereotypical maya.
Rick Rubin may have never listened to The Chronic, but I did. A lot. Especially around the age of 12 and 13. The opening track Gangsta is smooth and fluid, oozing with that west coat vibe.
Los Awesome is impossible not to listen to if you know how and is followed by Collard Greens featuring not only that infectious kik/bass line but also a flawless onomatopoeic verse by Kendrick Lamar.
Hoover St. comes out sounding more like New York than SoCal. A sparse and almost spastic beat held down with a strong hit on 1. I'm in. It would raise quite a few eyebrows if I were to begin identifying myself as a "real nigga" so I can't say that I literally or culturally identify with the opening hook in that regard. However, I get the sense of perseverance and that shock of inspiration. The idea that this man's authenticity is his currency and his authenticity is determined by his willingness and ability to do what no one else would have thought of. Hoover St. does not disappoint with a hard beat shift that does not return to the opening hooks.
This is an album about drug dealing, drug abuse, prostitution, killing people and fucking bitches. It's also an album exploring emotional and philosophical limits. Perscription/Oxymoron is a beautiful and honest introspective that describes the prison fog of addiction. Halfway through, the beat gives way and we get the dealer's perspective, full of bravado and malice. More than anything, this track exemplifies the "life drama" that much of hip-hop attempts to display. Two characters lives played out from their perspectives, in their voice. One locked in the house, the other trying to get in. Schoolboy Q shines on these tracks that show a nostalgia and vulnerability.
Blind Threats features an internal dialogue and moral rationalization of a young gangster life as seen from a position of oppression, frustration and fatigue.
If you can't identify with the lifestyle and cultural past, many of these tracks will not appeal to you. But if you like unique beats with surprising changes and novel flow, give it a listen.
Listen to Blind Threats and prescription/Oxymoron on Youtube.
#52
Russian Red - Agent Cooper
A spaghetti-western-techno-pop-thing. Then the drum build in Stevie J.
It starts at the 2:00 mark "Shake and shake and shake your guitar / Tell Me who you are". Right on the word "Shake" an organ sound of some kind kicks in and the whole mix opens up into a grand strategy. The whole experience is revisited as a tag to the song and without knowing what this song is about, I feel refreshed. From this point on, fans of Urban Day-Pop or Toegaze. will have no problem sticking this one out.
#51
The Used - Imaginary Enemy
Extreme subversive messages delivered through elegantly produced hardcore pop. Hooky post-hardcore featuring inventive groove shifts. Cry blends 80's synth pop with heavy hitting scream breaks and a sultry hooks. Their is a vocal turn at the end of the chorus that shakes with a certain vibrato that takes me back to Silverchair...
or whatever. I'm sure this band does not care. I can identify with them in this way. I was once in a band and we made a T-shirt that featured a lot of "interesting" imagery. Among the collage were Bill Clinton and Hitler, conjuring up the idea of some sort of political or philosophical introspection or outrospection. Now there are two made up words in this review. Silverchair is the other one.
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