"Be real. Conscious rap failed us." That is the opening line to Busdriver's latest album, Jhelli Beam . I personally wouldn't classify Mr. Driver as a "conscious rapper", mostly because I can't understand what he's saying most of the time. Just because he's not talking about bitches and ho's, doesn't mean he's a conscious rapper. It seems that for every album Busdriver releases, he gets a little bit weirder, and each album gets a little bit better. One thing that really makes this album stands out from his other releases are the beats. The beats on this album are [...]
It's rare that we get a chance to talk about an album before Pitchfork has already reviewed it and set out the laws for whether or not you're "allowed" to like the album. So if this is anyone's first impression, I'm very happy. Miike Snow have been somewhat enigmatic to date. They first crossed our radar with a very nice remix of Vampire Weekend's "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance." It wasn't until I got their press release that I found out who Miike Snow really are. So who are they? Miike Snow is a band. It started [...]
There's always a problem with bands having full length debuts not living up to their first EPs. The list is long... Tokyo Police Club Ra Ra Riot The Death Set Los Campesionos Born Ruffians The Little Ones There are rare cases where bands succeed and the debut album goes far and beyond the first EP... (feel free to comment and add to [...]
I really have no idea how to describe Black Dice, or this album to be honest. The Brooklyn based trio are signed to Animal Collective's Paw Tracks record label, and on paper, fit the same "experimental" label as the men that head their label. But somewhere along the road, that label got overshadowed by something weirder, crazier, and at some times far more silly. It seems as though every song on this album starts out with an idea, and then all hell breaks loose. Each song has a general foundation, but after the foundation is laid, not even the band [...]
*Disclaimer* This review is about two weeks late. Things have been pretty hectic lately, but I feel that this album definitely warrants a write up, however slightly out of date it may be. When I first listened to Why There Are Mountains(henceforth referred to as WTAM), the first this that caught my attention was the bass. In an era where DIY noise-core reigns supreme, the deep, punchy sounds of the electric bass, an instrument that throughout the decades has become a rock staple, has taken a back seat to excessively distorted, and droning guitars. Bassist, Neil Berenholz conjures up [...]
When I hear the name Dan Deacon, the word that instantaneously comes to mind is surprise. Indeed, I expected his Friday Coachella appearance to be somewhat of a filler set. What followed proved to be one of the most engaging live performances I have ever been fortunate enough to witness. The bearded Baltimorean's eccentric collection of circuit bent keyboards and pedals, coupled with his community inspiring stage, or should I say floor antics, made for a live experience unlike any other. Since then I have been witness to a few other of his unique performances, all of which yielded their [...]
For those of you who don't yet know, Nite Jewel is one of the coolest groups in today's "electronic music" world. Starting off with only one member, (Ramona Gonzalez) she recorded using whatever she could find, including an 8-track recorder, various keyboards, and a drum machine. She started to gain a little hype, and started performing at various Los Angeles clubs, under the name Nite Jewel. Emily Jane later joined the group, and Nite Jewel quickly became a duo. Gaining even more hype, the duo started playing bigger venues and opened for artists such as Deerhunter and Glass Candy. Their [...]
By all accounts, hacking a vintage Nintendo NES seems to be an incredibly arduous process. Now hacking these primitive devices in such a way that they can produce the unique, exciting, and nostalgic sounds displayed on Anamanguchi's latest release- well that's just downright miraculous. After the 2006 release of Power Supply, recorded primarily if not exclusively by current frontman Peter Berkman, the NYU based group underwent some crucial personnel adjustments. Namely, the addition of guitarist Ary Warnaar, bassist James Devito, and just recently, drummer Luke Silas. With their 8-bit dream team assembled, the group began work on its latest triumph, [...]
When I first put Reviver into my computer, I was expecting loud, tropical guitars and drowned out vocals. While the loud guitars were still there, the drowned out vocals were not. Lead singer Michael Vidal's vocals have a more important role on this EP as opposed to previous albums. On previous albums like Kid City or 2008's Skeleton , there was a bigger emphasis on the music, while the vocals were of a lesser concern. While this may have been a big difference on the EP, I'm not sure how much it translates to a [...]
When I think of Dan Auerbach, I can't help but associate with him with the Black Keys. As the vocalist and lead singer of the Akron, Ohio group, it was hard to focus on him as an individual without connecting him to the Black Keys. I guess that's what makes this album so impressive. Mr. Auerbach does a really nice job of coming up with completely original material for this album. For the most part, he does a good job creating his own sound that is different from his band's material. That is a big problem that musicians tend to [...]
Some describe Kanye West as a genius. An absolutely brilliant man who puts everything he has into each and every one of his songs. Others describe Mr. West as an egocentric ass hole who spends more time talking shit then he does making music. However you describe Kanye West, you have to admit one thing... The man is creative. From his ridiculously upscale, theatrical, Glow In The Dark Tour, to his latest venture, which is capturing the concept of an auto-tuned record. There is only one artist who has broken into the mainstream, while never using their actual voice on [...]
From what I can gather, Paper Route Gangstaz's "Fear and Loathing in Hunts Vegas" is a collaboration between DJ Benzi, Diplo, and a bunch of Mad Decent artists. I'm not sure about the Mad Decent part, but I know that the first song is by Blaqstarr, a Mad Decent artist. The album starts off with a real laid back, Diplo produced track entitled "Stuntastic" and is by Blaqstarr. If Cher were a hip-hop producer, I would guess that this is her creation. I wouldn't say that it features a "cheesy" synth line, but it definitely reminds me of [...]
I'm going to be frank here: I started listening to this album under the assumption that it would be generic and bland house music for an hour, this may have tilted my final view on the album. We at the Tape aren't big fans of straight up "house" music. When Surkin drops French House Track 42 we'll play along but it's nothing that we go crazy over. We like the derivatives of the French Touch and those who got inspired by acid and techno but when we hear an 8 minute song with a 4/4 beat and some plucky chords drenched in [...]
The Knux have skyrocketed to the top of my favorite artists list, in a really short amount of time. This hip-hop/every other genre duo from New Orleans, make really interesting, fun hip hop that never gets stale or boring. Their debut album came out yesterday, and I highly recommend it. I'm going to talk about a few of my favorite tracks, if you all don't mind. I'm generally not one for intro's, but this is an exception. The album starts off with a bang, as the up tempo "The List" emerges with a flavorful guitar riff. It has [...]
The first liner note on the album is a thank you to his mom. That's just the kind of fun loving guy Michael Dunlap (Totally Michael!) is. His music fits the bill: perfect high school jams. If teens listened to this rather than Zac Efron & co. the high school environment would be crazily misshapen. The release marks the second feature length album out on Franki Chan's iheartcomix records (the first being the much ballyhooed Matt & Kim self titled disc). The label has also put out EPs from Designer Drugs, The Toxic Avenger and Heartsrevolution. Those artists tend to [...]
When I'm From Barcelona released their first album in 2006 they had a few things that caught my attention. Firstly, what were these crazy Swedes doing pretending like they, or one, were from Barcelona? Secondly, and more importantly, has this 20+ person collective recorded some of the happiest music on the planet? I never really found out the answer to the first one (it's a tribute to a character on Fawlty Towers), but the second question was answered with a resounding "YES". The music was light, giddy, poppy, beautiful and chant worthy. Like a giant statue of The [...]
The Tape
Music Alliance Pact – February 2012
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
Listen: Usher x Diplo – Climax
A-Trak - "Round of Applause" / "Where My Money At" (MP3 Download)
Lightships: Electric Cables
