Filkoe - Shooting Stars (2009)

 

 

 

Here's something weird. Basically my girlfriend insisted I get a haircut tonight and I already had this one uploaded for some reason.

This one is not for everyone. This is barely rap. It's barely music in a lot of places. Mostly it has value as a collectors item for people like me who occasionally enjoy Filkoe's work and as a result want to collect all of it.

If you've heard any of the elusive releases by Dug Yuck, this is what you're getting on this release. High pitched sing songy rapish vocals over field recordings and acoustic guitar. It's not a wonderful album but it's kinda fun in it's own way, and Filkoe is pretty cool on occasion. He manages to convey ominous dread while sounding like a clown in a funhouse. I guess that's not exactly rocket science though...

"Enjoy" Shooting Stars!

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Mestizo - Unreleased Soul: Pieces to Grow (2006)

 

In my humble opinion, if you want smart, original hip hop that still knocks and truly represents the culture, you can't go wrong with Galapagos4. The influence these folks have had on indie rap, from Typical Cats to Offwhyte and Maxilla Blue (three flawless albums by the way) is undeniable, and the label continues to deliver mature and dope poetry up to the present day.

Mestizo had been a staple of their label for a while before joining up with Machina Muerte, releasing one of the labels dopest albums to date, Blindfaith with producer Mike Gao. There's so much to love about that one, and Mestizo has a large collection of music in that same vein.

Unreleased Soul: Pieces to Grow is just that. Unreleased tracks from him including some surprising and very welcome guest spots. Mestizo's laid back vocal delivery and conscious, spiritual musings are on point, and in my opinion his work from the early part of the millennium such as this collection represents something truly special.

Basically I enjoy the hell out of Mestizo's music, this album is difficult to locate and I don't feel like dissecting any recent releases. So you guys get two downloads this week. Sorry...

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Awol One - Toilet Water (1998)

 

I never knew much about this one. It's a cassette single-esque release from the thousand year old MC Awolrus One from 1998 under Broken Records. The man had been dropping stuff prior to this but this is certainly an early release. It looks like it may have been a radio/label handout. Fat Jack and Mike Nardone handle the production. 

Below are two rips of the tape. One is an unsliced rip that I believe I got from KaliyugaPro a decade ago. The second rip is an online one with the individual tracks. If anyone has anymore info on this release (or a physical copy they want to sell) drop it in the comments! Enjoy!

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New Music: Rapscallions! OST

 

Here's a fun new one! "Rapscallions!" is an online animated show created by Sagar Vasishtha revolving around superhero rappin' kids! Producer/Rapper Bumsweat crafted this soundtrack to go along with the project which features verses from SB The Moor, Pink Navel, Cunabear, Video Dave, and many others (many of whom also lend their voices to the show.) 

The project is short, sweet, and a hell of a good time. Stream and DL the project for free HERE. 

Also check out the show below:

Simantic - Blue & Yellow (200?)

 

 

This is a picture of tape. It's a familiar brand, in fact too familiar so I blocked out the identifying features. But the reason I used this picture today is because the hip-hop folk rap weirdos from Texas known as Scotch Tape Portraits (not at all affiliated with the brand of tape possibly pictured above) are so indie that the only one who appears in any photographs online is Babelfishh, and I'm not sharing a Babelfishh album today. So no art for my post that makes any sense at all. Frustrating state of affairs.

Anyways, Scotch Tape Portraits was a group consisting of, according to Discogs, Fishh, E9ine and Simantic aka Richie Simantic. This is an EP by Simantic called Blue & Yellow. I have no album art or track titles, don't know when it came out either. I'm frantically looking both for more info on this and for any rips of more Household Nameless Records material. You would pretty much be my hero if you shared any of it.

But for now, here's this one. It's pretty damn good actually, for fans of Univac, Otem Rellik, Astronautalis, Edison / Papervehicle, Lewee Regal... You get the idea. Enjoy!

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New Music: Happy Tooth - The Laughter's Rehearsed

 

 

Well, those of you who've been following us for a while know that Happy Tooth and his oftentimes collaborator / co-conspirator Dug have been mentioned here quite a bit by yours truly. The truth is that ever since they gave me the chance to take an early listen to their live band EP All in Your Head (it's seriously fucking good, just click the tag below to find my post on it!), I've done myself the honor of becoming invested in their success. Yes, it's true that our humble blog has probably not rocketed the duo to fame. However, they have been semi-regularly sending material to me for review and in my mind they've really been a big part of the project that is UGF, as the first artists to offer us a preview of their work.

So, when Happy Tooth sent me this gem just asking that I check it out and let him know what I thought, I was truly excited. And not disappointed. I've basically bought everything this guy and Dug have done, and I can tell you from the perspective of a real fan this is probably the rappers best work.

Entirely produced by Bum Theory, a frequent beatmaker who's work with Happy Tooth on I've Been Meaning to Write the Meaning of Life back in 2018 did a lot to elevate the lyricism and cultivate the proper mood for the music, this album has a sound that certainly fits with the art and title. The Laughter's Rehearsed is an album about the false attitudes we adopt as survival mechanisms, and the production fits. Cheery in a dizzy carnival sense, with a distinct undercurrent of menace. Happy Tooth feels that uncomfortable emotions have value, and Bum Theory really works to communicate that sentiment with production that's challenging sometimes but ultimately rewarding. And in many places as someone who used to pretend to produce beats, I was left in awe of the cleverness he displays. Basically this sounds almost nothing like anything you've heard before, and it will require an open mind but I promise you it's absolutely dope.

Now the lyricism is next level good and I cannot stress that enough. Basically at all times you find Happy Tooth on point, balancing clever wordplay, brutal honesty and a supremely unique vocal quality. He can put together lines that have you scratching your head, but upon reflection have you grinning like an idiot. Basically he's gotten really, really good in the three years since his last solo effort, and how can you not like a humble dude who spits poems about haunted lamps, Covid deniers and his own lamentable lack of fame?

In summation (damn my college English professors would hate me for that one), on May 31st you're going to find this one on streaming services everywhere, and especially for sale right here at our favorite musical marketplace.

 

So do yourself a real favor and check it out. Peace!

Everybody Knows - BBB Tour Mixtape (2014)

 

Today's upload is a little rarity from Everybody Knows (currently known as Eiji Kwan) of the Feo Faces - 2014's "BBB Tour Mixtape."

I don't know a ton about this one other than it was available on CDR at at least one show (with the Big Bang Collective.) The Big Bang guys had a penchant for loading up exclusive tracks on show cdrs and never releasing them again lol. This one is 11 tracks long and features some really great EK tracks that I wish got a proper release. If anyone has anymore info on this (or has a physical copy they wanna sell/trade) - let me know! Enjoy! 

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New Music: Saskatoon Folk Rap Records - Vancouver In The Rain

 

A handful of years ago, I often found myself wondering what Epic was up to and if he'd ever return to make music. Then, in 2016, an unreleased Epic song popped up on Hand Solo's "Bassments of Badmen 3" compilation. I then began hearing rumblings from the Audio Recon camp that some of Epic's back catalog was going to be released on wax. Fast forward to today, and Epic is heading up Saskatoon Folk Rap Records along with DJ Chaps, has a cross-ocean partnership with Audio Recon and Pen Thief Records, and is working on a new album (and I talk to the man pretty much every week.) The latest offering is a 7", with the A-Side being a brand new Epic track called "Vancouver In The Rain."

The 7" is backed by an Id Obelus remix and a new track from Add-Vice, from the Low Budget Affiliates, who has also made a grand return to music. The entirety of the 7" is produced by Noblonski who recently launched Pen Thief Records. The title track is a great little whimsical track that finds Epic nonchalantly rhyming like he never left. Id Obelus' "The Mousetrap Remix" is an amazing melodic redux and is certainly my favorite version of the song (Id released a maxi-single of the track a while back with various remixes that you should also peep.) Add-Vice's "Keep Your Distance" is a more upbeat closer that is short and sweet. 

I've been told that everyone associated with the crew is hard at work pumping out new content (Gumshoe Strut's new album is next and comes out this Friday.) Peep the project below and buy a physical if you're so inclined! If you purchase it off Noblonski's Bandcamp, you get the instrumentals as well! 

VANCOUVER IN THE RAIN