Swordplay and Pierre the Motionless - When the Hurricane Comes

From Swordplay and Pierre the Motionless's amazing Tap Water comes the video to When the Hurricane Comes.

Equinox Records is No More

Sad news today. One of my favourite labels out there today, Equinox Records, have decided to call it quits. It's sad to see the label go, but I tip my hat to Günter Stöppel a.k.a. DJ Scientist who has brought us so much good music. See you around! If you want to read more about why he made this decision, please read here.

F. Virtue - We Are Not the Shame

At the age of 23, F Virtue is no newcomer to the rapgame. These last few years he have released records with people such as Emoh Betta and his Fameless Fam crew as well as collaborating with Mac Lethal and Watsky amongst others.

When it comes to putting your heart on your sleeve with your music, there is always a fine line between coming across as sincere, or more as a poser. There are great examples of people who at first seem to produce heartfelt music, but quite soon is discovered as nothing more than a emo crybaby looking to get laid. But this is not that Canadian. F. Virtue have just chosen to show us all who he is, telling us that it's ok to just be yourself and that skills and heart has nothing to do with being cool, it's about being human.

Do yourself a favor and pick up We Are Not the Shame here, you won't regret it.

Rating: 6.5/10

Factor - Woke Up Alone

I've never really been a fan of concept albums. Not because I don't like the idea, but simply because they seldom work. Often they come out sounding forced, fragmatic and sometimes downright silly. So when I heard about Factor doing a concept album, I got a bit worried. 

But there was no need for that. Canada's finest producer manages to tell the tale of a man losing his wife and attempting to bring her back from the dead without, even for one second, letting the music itself suffer. It's a dark and sad story that is brought to life with the help of people such as Jeans Boots, Ceschi, Myka 9 and Astronautalis. Factor is without a doubt one of the best producers out there today, and Woke Up Alone is another medal for him to pin proudly to his chest. 

Rating: 7/10

nosunnofood - nosunnofood

I've been meaning to review this album for quite some time, but I couldn't. Not because I was too busy or anything like that. The album scared me in some way. I didn't know how to put words to what edison under the moniker nosunnofood have managed to accomplish here. It's the frailest, most beautiful music I've heard in a very long time. Instrumental lo-fi hip hop with an indie vibe. That's what it feels like, but it diminishes what this album has to offer. It is so much more than those simple words, it's music for everyone, for all moods and for a bright new future. See what I mean, I'm just rambling here. I can't do this album justice. Luckily enough the album is more than able to speak for itself. A real masterpiece that you can find here. Support one of the true musical geniuses out there!

Rating: 9/10

Kodacrome - Strike the Gold

Brand new video from my favourite boy and girl in Kodacrome. Strike the Gold is taken from their forthcoming album. The horse scares me, but the track is finding the duo taking their music a bit further and I like it a lot.

a.hymnz - Second World

A topic that I have touched upon several times in different reviews is solo albums that contains a lot of different producers and guest vocalists. There is always a big risk that the artist himself gets lost in it all, and it mostly come out sounding like some kind of compilation album.

When sitting down to listen to Second World for the first time, I was a bit worried that it would end up sounding like something else than a solo full length from a.hymnz. That wouldhave been a shame since I've been a huge fan of him ever since listening to off the beaten path that he released together with variex. back in 2010.

Fortunately my worries were uncalled for here. Second World sounds and feels like a coherent album no matter what producers are responsible for the individual tracks. And there are some really good ones on this one; Factor, zöen, Pierre the Motionless, variex. and Chuckchee are just some of the people serving up great stuff for a.hymnz to do his thing to. And even if I might feel that the number of vocal contributions from other people are perhaps stretching the limit a bit, you can't really go wrong with awesome emcees such as Thorts, Hobs Sputnik and 2Mex. 

I have a hard time picking favourite tracks on Second World, mostly because I feel that they all complement each other. I must however say that Light Posts stick out amongst the others, mostly because of Tommy V. He truly is the unsung hero of this underground rap game.

A great album I think that you need to check out.

Rating: 7.5/10

Walter Gross - Rotorcraft

Walter Gross. One of the guys you can always go to if you want those nasty, dark and dirty beats. Productions filled with distortion, noise but also wicked melodies and a lot of heart. It's not beautiful perhaps in the classic sense, but who cares when the music is as good as it is. As quite often on this blog, this might not be everyones cup of tea. I drink it almost daily though.

Rating: 7/10

Tigermoth - Duality and the Infinite

Like I have said plenty of times before, sometimes you just hope that all rappers and emcees could keep quiet because you're sick of their voices getting into your head. At times like that, it's always nice to pick up some instrumental music to clear your head for a bit. Unfortunately most instrumental records when it comes to the hip hop genre can't really stand on it's own. The music isn't strong enough to survive without the help of a vocalist. 

Melbourne based Tigermoth however has no problem with that. On his third full length, Duality and the Infinite, is a nice collection of heavy beats, turntable and sample heavy productions that comes together to give you just what you need. Not memorable perhaps, but good enough for the moment, and that's what music is all about most of the time. 

Rating: 6/10

Now streaming: Swordplay & Pierre the Motionless - Tap Water

Want to enjoy one of the more interesting albums this year. Then feel free to listen to Swordplay & Pierre the Motionless album Tap the Water here on the blog. 

The digital version of the album will be available tomorrow and on July 20 the vinyl version will drop through Dora Dorovitch. Please get familiar with these slept on artists and support good music!

Esh & Arc - The Third Tit feat. Romen Rok

The second video off Esh & Arc's Nightworks EP. Like the sound of it? Then you can download the EP here for free. 

Wordburglar - Croque Monsieur

The video for the third single from Wordburglar's third studio album, 3rdburglar, was inspired by 70s cop shows and the French sandwich the song is named after. Music to make you smile.

Dust On Snow - Circuit Bent Zoo

Brand new video to Dust On Snow's song Circuit Bent Zoo.

soso - Not for Nothing

Some albums that you listen to just leaves you lost for words. You try to come up with phrases to describe what you hear, but all you can do is feel the music. Feel it with you entire body. It makes you happy, it gives you goose bumps and it makes you stare into space, just getting lost in the music and the lyrics.

I've been really trying to figure out what to write about soso's latest album Not for Nothing, but I can't. My knowledge of the English language is too poor to really give it justice. So if you're looking for a review that will describe the music, then this is not that one. All I can say is that soso and Maki has come up with the, so far, best album of 2013. Period.

Rating: 9/10

Interview #27 - soso

Way More Than So-So

Behind the name soso hides one of the finest artists that have come out of the alternative hip hop scene in the last ten years. He might not be the most productive emcee out there, but everytime that he release something, you can count on it being extraordinary. So when he's just about to release Not for Nothing, his first album in 4 years, I made sure look him up and ask him some simple questions.

Could you please start off with telling us who you are and what made you into that awesome person that you are today? A brief background history that is. 

My name is Troy Gronsdahl. I grew up in a-semi rural place near a pleasant little city in western Canada. I fell in love with hip hop in the pre-internet era through videos, magazines, and movies. I was a voyeur (and pretty ignorant in retrospect) but my love of the music really drove me to move from spectator to participant. I started dj-ing and making beats in 1995 and became active in the community as an organizer. Almost everything I've learned has been in the service of hip hop. I've met some really generous and sincere people and visited some wonderful places.

You are a multiple skilled artist and you have a lot of projects with your name on it and, if I understand it correctly, it all seems to be connected, can you tell us how?

I started my formal art studies at the same time as I was getting my feet wet in independent music. I think my studies helped me to think critically and my music and visual arts practice has grown over the past ten years or so. My work is usually based on personal experiences, family history, ideas of place and often deals with issues of an existential nature. I've always been trying to figure shit out. I'm actually starting a new graduate degree program in visual art and it will be interesting to see how my practice develops over the next couple years.

Since you are both making music and visual art it would be interesting to know what gets you started and maybe a bit of the process that you go through when you making music or/and art? What are your sources of inspiration?

Most of my songs reflect on my experiences and the songwriting process unfolds in a couple of different ways. Sometimes I'm working within a specific concept. For example, on the new album I was interested in using the drowning of a raccoon – the kind of banal violence of rural life – as a way to think about my family, the place I grew up, my relationship to nature, the mysteries of creation and certain anxieties around not knowing. When I start writing, I usually begin with a phrase or a couple of lines and build the song around that. If I'm not working within a specific concept, I find that the song takes shape during the writing process. One of the interesting things about writing raps, is that the need to conform the lyrics to a structure – finding words that rhyme or work well together – can lead you into an unexpected place.

Working on art is a similar process. I usually have a topic I want to explore and/or a medium or approach I want to work with. Sometimes I discover things through the process of making that helps develop the work – experimenting with an idea or a medium, responding to accidents in the studio or things that work. It's process of discovery.

How did it all begin, I mean artistically? Is either one of the creative skills more dominant than the other and if so, which one do you focus on the most and why?

The world of independent music was much easier to penetrate than the art world. Through the work I was doing in my local community – organizing shows, recording and releasing music, working with other artists –I felt like I was part of an international music community that shared my interests and values. Through a network of homie relationships and like minded artists I was able to produce and release my music, promote my work and tour across Canada and in Europe and Japan. I was largely self-sufficient and felt like I was contributing to the growth of independent hip hop. In the past few years I have definitely prioritized my visual art practice and have tried to adapt some of the strategies of my music practice into building an art practice – building relationships, working in the local community, striving to create good work and finding an audience for it.

When you have spare time away from your creative work, what do you like to do then? Any guilty pleasures perhaps?

I like to drink beer and kick it with the homies – it doesn't happen as much as it used to. I like to go to restaurants and travel when I can. I go on meandering bike rides with my girlfriend, cook, watch sports on tv. I like getting hair cuts and building things.

What are your hopes and wishes for your upcoming release, Not for Nothing?

I feel like I had something to prove to myself with this project. I'm really proud of the album and I hope some people get to hear it.

Maki is responsible for the productions on the new album. You guys have worked together before, but never on a full length album, how come you ended up doing it this time around?

I've always admired Maki's production. Part of my writing process is driven by the production and Maki provided me with such a great selection of beats to work with it made the writing process that much easier. He really kills it on this record – I think it's as much of his project as it is mine.

Will there be any form of touring following the record release, and if so where?

One of the challenges of being a rapper with a non-rap career is arranging for time off to tour. We've kicked around a few ideas with my pals at Kütu Folk Records and Endemik Music but we haven't made any concrete plans.

It’s been about 4 years since your last album; All They Found was Water at the Bottom of the Sea, that you released back in 2009 together with DJ Kutdown. How come it took this long for a new album to see the light of day?

I pretty much gave up any delusions I had of doing music full time after my last album. The past few years have been a transition time for me – building a career, buying a house, focussing a bit more on art. The transition was difficult at times, I was dealing with disappointment. I decided not to push myself too hard to write but work on it when I was inspired to do so. It wasn't until I had a handful of songs written that I made a more concerted effort. Maki has been really great in keeping this project moving. I owe a lot to that guy!

I’m a big fan of both you and Recyclone, and one of my favourite records in my collection is Stagnation and Woe that was released back in 2006. How did that album come about, and do you guys have any plans of future collaborations?

Recyclone has a really unique voice in independent Canadian hip hop. When I was trying to build my label and work with some other artists he was the first I wanted to approach. We connected through a mutual friend – the incomparable Pip Skid - and had a short but fruitful association. We never met in real life. Although we kinda fell out of touch, I still cheer for him.

Being Scandinavian I must admit that your real name, Troy Gronsdahl, is interesting. What kind of ancestry do you have?

I have Norwegian ancestry on my father's side of the family. We eat strange nordic delicacies at Christmas like lutefisk but I don't the speak the language. I'd love to visit there someday.

Shout outs? Final words?

It takes commitment from folks like yourself to keep independent hip hop thriving. If any of your readers enjoy my music please track down an album on Endshoppe.com or Kutufolk.com. Hearts!

Not For Nothing is released on June 10. The vinyl version can be found at Endemik Music. For you CD people, please check out Kütu Folk Records. 

http://troygronsdahl.com/

Freddy Knop - Polyphonies EP

I had never heard about Freddy Knop before this, but the fact that Polyphonies is released through Circle Into Square is enough for me to check it out. And I'm glad I did. Freddy Knop is a Berlin based producer who here serves up 7 instrumental tracks that is made for the times that you feel like relaxing at home or just escaping the outside world with the help of a pair of headphones. It's frail, minimal and might I even say Björk-esque at times. It's music for recharging your batteries in order to face another stressful day.

Rating: 5.5/10

Ancient Mith - And the Dead Shall Lie There

For some reason it seems like a lot of people are sleeping on Ancient Mith. I can't understand why. Sure, not all of his tracks are the most easily accessible, but he got talent coming out of his ass to be quite honest. This bearded gent has a rap style that is far from unique, but he got lyrics and tracks that stand out from most people that I listen to to. At times he feels like the hardcore version of Sage Francis, but that is also very unfair. Ancient Mith is a solid artist that easily can stand on his own without any comparisons. 

And the Dead Shall Lie There is not his most immidiate record to date, but give it time and let the tracks work their way inside your mind and body. I promise you won't be disappointed. The only thing really that I feel that I'm missing out here is the live version of him. As much as I love his recorded material, I get a feeling that it is live that he comes to his true glory. One day perhaps I will get to see him live, but until then I'm more than happy to listen to his records.

Rating: 7.5/10

Hermitofthewoods - Land of the Lotus Eaters

Before this release I have to admit that I hadn't really heard any of Hermitofthewoods earlier material and wasn't quite sure what to expect. But the fact that Scott Da Ros was handling the production on it was enough for me to get interested. And I'm really glad that I gave this album a chance, because such an album it is! Hermitofthewoods is, for you who haven't heard of him before, a hip hop and spoken word artist based in  Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The concept of spoken word artists dropping albums is far from always a good thing. A lot of the times they end up being too shattered and uninteresting to listen to in full length. Land of the Lotus Eaters however is a great example of how to combine hip hop and poetry and make it a highly enjoyable listening experience. The lyrics and the delivery throughout the album is of the highest class, and goes perfect together with Scott Da Ros personal and dark productions. It's perhaps not the easiest album to get into. The songs take you on weird and unexpected journeys, but journeys that you are more than happy to take as soon as you give the artists the control and just follow along. One of the best albums I've heard so far this year. This is what anticon should have sounded like in 2013.

Rating: 8/10

Factor - Woke Up Alone (Cover and Tracklist)

The cover and the tracklist from Factor's upcoming album Woke Up Alone that is released on Fake Four Inc. on July 23rd. Looks like it's going to be a treat.

01. Woke Up Alone
02. The Empire Has Fallen ft. Paranoid Castle
03. After the Service
04. Raise the Dead ft. Ceschi
05. Alive Tomorrow ft. Nomad
06. Stone Cold ft. Open Mike Eagle
07. Long Hallways
08. In Sickness & In Health ft. Onry Ozzborn
09. Don’t Give Up ft. Paranoid Castles and Jeans Boots
10. Denied ft. Myka 9
11. Devil’s Call ft. Evil Ebeneezer
12. Carry Over ft. Jeans Boots
13. Let it Go ft. Astronautalis
14. Give Up ft. Gregory Pepper & Paranoid Castle
15. The Grave (Burial)

Chrystal Oak - Post Romanticism

Behind the name Chrystal Oak we find probably the most productive Swedish hip hop artist ever. This is the 14th(!) solo album from Prosperous. He's not just the most productive one, but he's also without a doubt one of the most talented. We do however run into a bit of a problem here. First off I have to say that I really like this album. We're treated to 15 tracks of high quality and it's on regular spin in the headphones. 

But the fact that he is as productive as he is, makes it a bit much after a few years. I've been listening to Prosperous since like 2004 and love him to death. He do however release too much material for his own good. Not everything he's dropped is of high quality, and after a while you kind of reach a limit of how many Prosperous tracks you can listen to. I kind of wish that he would release a solid release about every two years or something. That would make me long for new music from him. At the moment I've almost stopped being able to say which of his albums that I'm listening to at the moment. 

But with that being said, this is still better than most music out there, and I really feel that you should support the man. The album has now dropped as a digital release, but it will soon be released on a jelly red tape through Hiss Tapes. 

Rating: 6/10