Tag: Hip-Hop

Banks-Goddess

September 16, 2014

Text by Joe K.

Aaaahh, another dream pop, trip hop review…I seem to be falling into a trend here lately.  Banks is actually Jillian Banks, an alternative RnB artist who has recently toured with the Weeknd.

Much like How To Dress Well or FKA Twigs, Banks offers morose, late night beats – albeit murkier and more distorted. Although her verses are sometimes more pop oriented than her predecessors, the lyrics focus on lonelier themes.

One advantage she has over her contemporaries is her ability to become a vocal beatbox; she is able to mold her voice to fit the mood of each track. One moment she can be a sultry songstress and the next moment, part chipmunk. Her versatility can be a blessing and a curse; on one hand, it maintains diversity amongst the tracks but it weakens the album’s cohesiveness.

Ultimately it’s a basic alternative RnB album and Banks only shines on a few tracks. “Brain” happens to be one o those exceptions, from the vocals to the lyrics (“I can see you struggling/Boy, don’t hurt your brain/Thinking what you’re gonna say”), it’s pretty damn near perfect. “This is What It Feels Like”  is another standout. Its entire arrangement and the contortion like intro make for a sonically pleasing experience.

There are some welcome curveballs thrown in the mix with more acoustic-centered compositions like “You Should Know Where I’m Coming From” and “Someone New”. These tracks serve as nice intermissions from all the bells and whistles thrown at the listener during this marathon of an album.

The album chugs along, offering the same old all the way to the end – nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible.

Beast Coast: The Underachievers- Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium

August 18, 2014

Text by Joe K.

When it comes to Hip-Hop, FLOW is half the battle.  You can spend 6 minutes rapping about doing the dishes, but, as Chris Rock so eloquently put it, “If the beat is right, she will dance all night”.  Fortunately, there are those artists that attempt to offer lyrics of substance rather than a diatribe of deviant sexual acts.

With that, I present to you the psychedelic hip-hop of The Underachievers on their official debut album, “Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium“.

While there’s plenty of the egotism that appears to be requisite in hip-hop (Chrysalis: “As I blow my smoke and continue my reign, Cause that royal blue blood in my veins, I’m a king”), duo AK and ISSA GOLD counterbalance the bravado with intelligent and meaningful lyrics such as,

“Elevate your mind n—- play your part, Don’t waste no time cultivated by dark”

(ironically followed up by the sage-like proclamation, “Now you all can eat dick but at least get a tip”).  Additionally, the duo  outlines their take on a model utopia in “Metropolis”, “Build a metropolis, call it Indigo Providence”.

The Underachievers spit out verses as if time is a precious commodity; there are no intros/outros or choruses to be found. Although some broader musical experimentation may have enhanced some tracks, the beats on this album are not pedestrian. The beats on “Incandescent” would fit right in on a John Carpenter film soundtrack whereas “Quiescent” and “Felicity” allow the listener to catch their breath while relaxing to denser, more melodic rhythms. On the other hand, “Amorphous”, which samples Portugal, The Man, delivers the most poppy sound on the album.

It’s apparent that someone broke out the SAT prep manual to name some of the tracks (e.g. “Sonorous”, “Chrysalis”), which is apropos, because it can feel like an exam when your trying to keep up with the break neck speed of their rhymes.  However, once you buckle down and process the commentary, it’s clear that The Underachievers provide more than just flow.