New Music: Decuma - Feeding the World Serpent

 

I don't often do this, but it's been a really long time since I've personally done a review post and I'm finding myself especially excited about this one. Lately it's been difficult to find the time to really sit and absorb a solid hip hop album, hence the brevity of what I've been uploading and the lack of commentary on the music itself. But I wanted to go into Decuma's mind blowing trip that is Feeding the World Serpent because it really is that noteworthy, and full disclosure I haven't even finished it yet.

This album sounds nothing at all like anything else out there. It sort of straddles the line between spoken word and straight up hip hop, utilizing unconventional rhyme schemes,completely bonkers time signatures (no you won't be nodding to this anytime soon), impossible to predict composition and beatmaking, left field songwriting, cinematic orchestral sample choices crossed with Nine Inch Nails-esque discordant distortion and notably for such an abstract offering, very clever and moving lyrics.

I don't know how I originally stumbled onto this album or this artist, but I do know that weird (scratch that, EXTRAORDINARY) emcee and producer Th' Mole was kind enough to point us in Decuma's direction which gave me the impetus to actually give it a listen. He is just as stoked about it as I am, and I really wanted to spread the word as much as our humble little corner of the internet is capable of.

From the beginning this album sounds like a complete sonic clusterfuck. But be patient! The feeling of drowning in noise will ebb away as Decuma masterfully transitions the flow from field recording type spoken word pieces to straight up (well sort of) hip hop music in such a way that you won't even notice the change. That said, when they want you to notice it you will. I guess what I'm trying to say is the true genius of this album is how random and chaotic it seems right up until you realize how purposeful every note and line actually is. Take that odd percussive triangle in "An Empty Sky, a Bank of Fog". Oh wait, it's a bullet casing hitting the floor, and you're feeling it hard as you watch a young woman bleed to death as the crowd watches, indifferent.

Decuma has so much to say on topics like race, politics, growing up, spirituality... the only complaint I have, and it comes with a suggestion as well, is that it's often a struggle to make out the words. Plus I'm almost forty and my ears ain't the best anymore. Which also reminds me, this dude is 21 (!) years old and displays a mastery over music that some thirty year olds are falling short of. Anyway, for that reason and that the production is just so genius and subtle, I HIGHLY recommend this album be listened to on headphones, preferably with as little disruption from the outside world as possible. I only was able to do that a bit today, but it made all the difference.

This album is a difficult one, but another thing I find so great about it is how unashamedly art rap it is without ever seeming pretentious or deliberately unlistenable. I really think a lot of different folks could grow to like this with the proper time and effort. But that really remains to be seen. Just give it a shot, if nothing else you will agree, shit is one of a kind!

Just  be cool and listen to Feeding the World Serpent... please?

Serengeti w/ Kenautis Smith feat. Christie Montaba & Lemon Yellow - Thunder Valley (2006)

 

 

This is an album. It has the Geti stamp of approval. It has a lot of credited artists on it. I must've downloaded this around 2010, it used to be pretty easy to find along with it's counterpart Race Trading. I like Serengeti, especially the stuff he did before the frankly, IMHO unamusing and kind of boring Kenny Dennis works. He does surrealist, poetic, beautifully moving music when he wants to, I'd much rather hear that then him grunting about non-alcoholic beer and that Workaholics dude.

That's my personal opinion I guess. Anyway this is a decent Serengeti album that showcases some of his weirdness without going too deep into the characters. If you like Geti you need this one, and if you need something you know UGF got you!

DOWNLOAD

 

 

Breaking Ground: Enve - Autobiography (2011)

 

 

Wow, can't believe it's my turn to do this again. Time sure is flying lately what with the stress and the stress and also the stress, who knows by the time you read this the politicians might have managed to manufacture a global financial meltdown. But that's when we need music the most, am I right?

Trylemma actually gave me this one before, which was fortunate because it gave me the opportunity to listen to it two times separated by a few years and I think I've got some intelligent type thingys to say about Enve's music. The album, Autobiography is really a fascinating piece of work for several reasons which I will go into in a bit. It is also really pretty damn good. I enjoyed it a ton both times around, and both times around was motivated to seek out more from this guy and his crew "Groove Movement" as in "got the new blueprint" to paraphrase. And both times around I recovered nothing. Looks like he retired following Autobiography (with the exception of some stuff he sent to T later on that apparently wasn't the same and never dropped) and this is it.

The dude in question is claiming on Bandcamp to be from Minneapolis, but also mentions a home in Eugene on "The First Chapter" (excellent track) and has features from NW dudes. I will say right off the bat if you liked Atmosphere (or still do, maybe because your doctor needs to lower your trazodone) and related you will like this. Enve clearly draws influence from that pseudo-emo, sad sexual scene that gave us Slug, Sage, Sadistik and stuff. He's got a number of songs on here about relationships, mental health struggles, music, etc. Nothing especially groundbreaking. So let's do some specifics.

For one thing, it is SO easy to dismiss this guy and his music based on several superficial things that are immediately evident. First we've got this name, Enve. So another dude with a misspelled name that's a random word and probably has no real connection to his music. It's like putting a "The" in front of some plural noun (The Protractors, The Spoons, The Noodles) as a band in the aughts. Fucking stop it. Alternate spelling was edgy and made a statement when most of us were in diapers, and now its just more of the same. Then we've got this album title. Wow. How DID he come up with that?! It's the most original title since Latyrx gave us The Album. Also the artwork I would be willing to bet was scrounged up somewhere and appropriated for the album. I could be wrong, but it looks pretty damn generic to me.

The good news is though that if you overlook that stuff you find a serious diamond in the rough. Enve has a fantastic voice that he makes great use of, giving us both solid head nodding bangers and emotional, melody driven songs that are catchy, fun, powerful and just damn dope. Imagine if Demune could sing, slowed it down a bit and did a bunch of songs in the vein of Atmosphere and you might have some idea of what he's about purely from a sonic level.

Another thing that makes this a winner is the production. Man these beats are the type of fire I was always aiming for during my short lived career as a rap artist. We've got a lot of acoustic guitar and strings coupled with atypical percussion made use of in clever ways (pretty sure that's glass breaking on "The First Chapter" where more logically a cymbal crash might have gone, and that muted snare that drives "Without a Map" is serious ear crack. Whoever did these beats (and we get one or two names, some relative unknown calling himself Sapient?) was a true music fan and it shows in sample choice and the way they are compiled and reshuffled.

Finally, it is truly notable how dynamic and all encompassing this album is. In thirteen tracks we've got posse cuts, love songs, travel songs, depression songs, music songs, all featuring different lyrical stylings, different BPMs, wildly different song structures, different genres (not quite folk rap but definitely flirting with it in places). Autobiography is a truly ambitious, lovingly crafted, genuinely felt and meticulously crafted (if unfortunately named lol) album that pays homage to indie rap and all it can do while still managing to make truly listenable songs with replay value even a decade later.

Thanks for this one Trylemma, and Enve sorry for clowning on the name and album title, this shit is solid as all hell.

Download Insert better name here right here for free, and see you next time!

 

Breaking Ground: Cicada Shells - Forest Noise

 

When Dimxsk passed me Cicada Shells' "Forest Noise" for my inaugural "Breaking Ground" review, he reminded me that I indeed had once told him that I had heard part of the project before and enjoyed it. Like much music I've consumed over the years, however, I had no real recollection of hearing it beyond maybe a track or two. And I suppose that when you dig a tiny hole in the ground, let it refill over the years, and then return to the spot to dig...you might as well be breaking ground for the first time. So for the first installment of "Breaking Ground" - here is Cicada Shells' "Forest Noise" from 2017! 

Cicada Shells is an Indianapolis duo comprised of rapper Lorax (aka Narcoleptic Shark) and producer Defame. The duo dropped their first self titled album in 2011, I believe, via Audio Recon. "Forest Noise" is the sophomore release that was put together between 2012-2015, and then finally released in 2017 via Audio Recon/Lost Cult. 

The album's rapless intro gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect for the rest of the project. Musically, we get a jittery staticky, almost (and appropriately) jungle inspired, instrumental. While Lorax doesn't yet get to spit any rhymes, we do get a Jungle Brothers vocal sample (taken from "Beyond This World") declaring, "Waitin' around for my shell to crack/After that they can't hold me back.") What then follows, in the subsequent tracks, is really a showing of Lorax shedding his shell so to speak in order to display his more vulnerable thoughts and self-portraits, all over a highly active set of Defame beats.

From a lyrical standpoint, there is an admirable strong sense of self-tension that runs through the project. Lorax seems to be constantly wrestling with how his criticisms of others and the world in general line up with his own realized shortcomings. On "Hands Stay Bloody," this comes in form of recognizing the constant horrors of the world while also becoming addicted to the news cycle ("Just another news junkie caught up in the web/Gotta get my CSPAN fix before bed...this is what I read!") On "Everything is Golden" this comes in form of desiring an idealized relationship that may be impossible due to external factors and/or Lorax himself ("If you were something real, I could hear you now/A simple gesture maybe or just an easy out.") On "Company Kept," this comes in form of being critical of certain friends while also turning the spotlight inward ("I'm only good as the company kept!") 

This sense of self-tension isn't simply dished out raw. Lorax also manages to incorporate the introspection in form of some solid storytelling tracks. "Days Like This" finds Lorax enjoying the magic of a night's drive through the city and everything feeling kosher, despite the fact that nothing extraordinary beyond the night itself is taking place (and despite the fact that Lorax may not really enjoy the company he's sharing the drive with.) The project's strongest track, "Art Blanche," has Lorax creating a very modern day scene where would-be vagabonds spend their days eating ramen and dumpster diving, while also discussing leftist politics, indie film directors, and long gone graffiti zines (a portrait that really brings into question current economic and social scales.) It's when Lorax creates these vivid scenes that his themes hit hardest (also peep "Aquaphonics" where Lorax reflects on life over a metronome of falling rain - "Time is sculpted with a little help of drip drip drip.") 

I personally found the heart of the album in "Monachopsis," which falls in the middle of the project's tracklist, where Lorax simply describes his general feeling out of place in the scenarios he finds himself in. This ultimately takes Lorax's honesty, regarding his confusion of self, others, and the world, to an even higher level via the admittance that he may simply be operating on a different paradigm than the people and places he currently surrounds himself with. This then perhaps relates to the albums' title - "Forest Noise." While I have no direct knowledge of the title's origins, I do wonder if the theme relates to the famous "If a tree falls in the forest..." question. Maybe Lorax is pondering whether his introspection even carries weight if there's no one to truly hear it? Yikes. 

From a production standpoint, I was initially a bit worried. Heavy boom bap with industrial tinges has never been my thing, and that sound is definitely present here. There also seemed to be an old school Hip Hop feel to some of the early tracks which is also not a sound I'm super in love with. Thankfully, Defame switches things up a lot throughout the album and I found more than enough to enjoy. On "Out of Line" we get some great funk sounds. A spacey beat covering a really beautiful violin sample backs "Art Blanche." "Days Like This" gives us a moody foreboding, yet soulful, production backing. The epic closer, "All Bones Do Remain" has Defame crafting a glitchy anthemic instrumental that is one of the best soundscapes on the album. There are times on here when I feel as if the production drowns out the vocals a bit, but given the rather distressing mood of the album, it almost always works for the betterment of the track. 

With all this said, the album is far from perfect. From a technical rapping standpoint, Lorax is pretty good with the short in your face rhymes. When he starts playing around with the larger syllable schemes, however, things can get a bit common (e.g. in "Company Kept" where "politics" "acknowledgements" and "accomplishments" are rhymed.) Also, when Lorax covers the hooks himself, we often get straight forward two bar or four bar chants which, in order to work, need to be super hard hitting in my opinion - and here, unfortunately, they're not (these tracks take place mostly at the front of the album.) Things are much better when either Lorax simply ends verses with a single line hitter (as in "Monachopsis") or when Defame handles the hook via a sample or instrumental section (as in "The Fixer" - a solid to the point storytelling track about trying to beat the case.) There's also a fair share of cliches content-wise on the album, such as the general life advice on "Out of Line" ("Lead by example, seek knowledge and make love/Remember where you came from, leave if it ain't much") and the Soundcloud hipstery rapper hating "So Damn Cool" ("You think you got a lot of flavor but your palate is bland/Like some raw food vegans and a biodiesel van.") Lorax also isn't very versatile delivery-wise on the project. By the time we get to ACE ONE's guest spot on the bonus cut "Chrome Fangs," ACE's otherwise pretty standard verse comes across as a much needed breath of fresh air due to ACE possessing a much more fluid flow and animate delivery. 

There's also the issue of length. At 16 tracks deep, approaching the one hour mark, this is a pretty long album (the closer "All Bones Do Remain" does contain some "secret track" silence before leading into a final sample...but that almost makes things worse.) I ultimately think "Forest Noise" could have greatly benefitted from some trimming. The aforementioned "So Damn Cool" is not only a weaker track, but doesn't really fit in with the other themes of the project. The mediocre relationship-reflective "Tapestries Of You" comes immediately after "Everything Is Golden" which handles the general theme in a much superior and engaging fashion. The most interesting thing about "Unmarked Cars" is probably the shout out to Nickelodeon's "Hey Dude." Based on the fact that these songs appear to have taken about 4 years to complete, only to sit on the shelf for another year or two, I'm not quite sure if the guys simply felt like they owed it to fans and themselves to throw everything on here or what (of course, maybe this is a trimmed version and the duo had even more tracks on the slate.) Ultimately, however, I think a much better shorter project exists here. 

Overall, despite its faults, I enjoyed the "Forest Noise" experience, particularly because I don't think it's something I'd necessarily sit through on my own these days. Lorax gave me some food for thought and Defame kept my head moving. I've now added Cicada Shells' debut and their 2019 "Laura Dern EP" to my endless "To Listen To" list. Shout out to Dimxsk for the rec! I got something even weirder for him to review later this month! 

Peep "Forest Noise" (and buy a cassette of the project) via the Bandcamp link below! 

Forest Noise

New Music: Happy Tooth - Done Suffering

 

 

So I told my dude Tooth that if I did any reviews in the next few weeks I'd give this a shout out. Anyone following UGF knows I've done my best to support the career of this guy and his often companion Dug after hearing their amazing live band EP All in Your Head. Their whimsical / introspective songs consistently hit home for me and I really feel like both of them are basically the kind of people who read this blog and listen to our music, so let's do what we can to support their dreams.

Coming October 8th, we have Happy Tooth's newest album Done Suffering. Basically Happy Tooth has decided that while suffering often produces great art, great art does not require suffering. There's no reason our favorite artists have to experience pain, and emotionally juice themselves into oblivion by age 27. That's essentially the message I get from this. He wants this art to be a good experience for everyone including the artist, and hopes that we can still enjoy what he produces when he's basically doing 'not bad'.

Common themes for a Happy Tooth record of course pop up here as well: the indie rap scene ("Canceled", boom...), day jobs / finances and mental health are of course present and discussed with the same cynical yet heartfelt poetry, but we also hear a bit about getting old. Turning 35 for me was a big eye opener and a bit of a downer and it seems as if he's going through the same thing. It's a universal experience, and discussing it the way he does does even more to bring his music down to the level of the listener, something he really excels at. I guess I'm trying to say it feels like a frank conversation with the guy, unpretentious and honest. Very refreshing.

One thing I wanted to mention, I found the production, entirely handled by Fisk, a bit challenging. I told Happy Tooth that I had preferred his work with Bum Theory or his previous album The Laughter's Rehearsed. It was this discussion that really prompted me to post this, because as I suspected this is the type of production that really requires you to listen carefully, preferably with headphones. In places it's more dependent on rhythm than melody which makes the sound less accessible but actually really works when the listener focuses on the weird use of samples, hats and sidesticks / drum rolls etc. It's very quirky and unusual, and it DID grow on me.

Finally, we see indie vet and genius Ecid dropping a verse, as well as Claud Six fka Lucas Dix and very exciting, Ryan Liptak aka Mild Child one of the humongous talents behind Happy Tooth & Dug gives us some vocal magic and I believe instrumental production as well?

 

All in all this is a good album, well worth your time and few dollars. On October 8th I hope you will consider clicking here and buying it on the format of your desire. In the meantime you can hear what he's working with as a few singles have been dropped in anticipation.

 

Until next week!

Oddjobs - Conflict & Compromise (1999)

 

 

One of the very first hip hop albums I fell in love with was Drums by Midwestern pioneers Oddjobs. I was staying in the Twin Cities area and was getting an education on indie rap by a friend I'd met there. He gave me a list of "essentials" full of basically anticon., Rhymesayers, 1200 Hobos, you get the idea. He was actually fairly closed minded and judgemental about the more radio friendly stuff (he actually didn't like Mind Over Matter by Zion I which was offensive) but I am grateful for some of the stuff he introduced me to, these guys being one of them.

Oddjobs music is beautiful. It is dark, it is fun, it is funny, it is intricate but simple in a bleak and hardhitting way. It's all about contradictions I guess. Conflict and compromise. Wow this got poetic.

Anyway this album is great. If I remember right the rhymes are on point, the production is simple but effective, and the overall skill level is doubly impressive when one remembers these folks were in their teens when this was made.

All of them went on to do great things. This album is an essential for any fans of the Midwest sound. Enjoy it!

DOWNLOAD

 

 

New Music: BdotJeff - What a Mess

 

 

Okay, who here has finished Netflix's Ozark? Goddamn I'm trying to write a coherent album post here and I'm just replaying that last scene. I won't ruin it but I hope you've all taken your meds before you hit play on that shit...

Enough about that. This, folks, is BdotJeff. I think it's fair to say it's unlikely you've heard his songs up to now, but if you've followed my posts on Happy Tooth's music you may have heard him drop a verse or two. I was first introduced to his music when he was kind enough to share his second full length Y2K with the blog, and I was fairly quick to judge it just wasn't my cup of tea. That said, my issues with it had much less to do with the talent or creativity he displays, and more to do with a bit of closed mindedness on my part which probably stems from being a mid-30's going on 70's cynic. His work is very strange at times and I just couldn't in the moment get into it. Stylistically it's flashy, colorful and fast paced, kind of an auditory anime if that makes any sense. It's the kind of music that can be easy to dismiss if you're listening with only half an ear as style over substance, but the thing is the substance is absolutely there and you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't give it a chance.

Luckily this dude is persistent. He seems to be very comfortable putting himself out there and waiting for a bite, and I gotta say that more than anything else really started warming me up to what he has to offer. He's been sending us the occasional single and album really only asking for feedback, and as he comes across as a humble, hardworking creative soul I usually do my best to oblige him. So by the time I heard What a Mess I already liked BdotJeff, I just had to make the leap from that to enjoying his music.

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. And the caffeine is kicking in, so why don't I drop some background knowledge here? BdotJeff is originally from PG County MD but currently working out of Columbus OH (hence the Happy Tooth connection). He's been a musician since way back, starting with church choir and transitioning to poetry writing and rapping over borrowed beats via YouTube. At 13 he was writing and recording his own work, and he took it all the way to college to become a sound engineer (right here I'll say, some of you know I dabbled in music at one point, and audio engineering is hard ass shit, I was horrible at it. So kudos for that.) He's worked with a number of acts, mostly it seems local folks from the Columbus and Maryland scenes.

Specifically though, what made me really take notice of his work with this album in particular can be expressed best through what he told me about it. What a Mess was conceived and birthed during some of the most tumultuous years of his life. Mania powered it and it was driven by personal loss and mistreatment in love. Is it emo though? Absolutely not. Although in places he slows it down and takes to crooning sadly("pkmn sapphire, fair warning"), he never fails to re-liven it up with good old fashioned stole your woman braggadocio ("B.O.S.S."), returning to his rapid fire style raps. In fact, the point of What a Mess is really to show how a person can experience these things in life but keep the fun alive and get to the other side. I was moved when I read this line from him during the "development" of this post:

"I just want the ability to have my music connect with at least one person that felt or is currently feeling the way I was when I made this album. Since the development of this project I've started a better mental health journey and I just want everyone to know that they can move forward with life even if they're in pain. You are not alone in feeling alone, and if I can spread that idea to at least one listener in my music then I'd say i did my job"

-BdotJeff

This album isn't perfect. It's not going down in history as one of the all time great rap releases. At times his rap makes it difficult to understand the lyrics, and sometimes the silliness gets to be a little bit too much. I don't want to oversell it. The thing is I liked this album because of it's DIY sound and the personality that shows through the music. Additionally though, the production is very solid, much of it done by him although he has very good guitar and bass work on the album from Bela Peresta aka Lugosi and Sara Smith respectively as well (also I gotta give the nod to xDiggityDee for their production, JamPOP and Fanaticus for background vocals, Brenton Newman on drums. Other features are credited in the song titles I believe). His singing and songwriting have improved since the last I heard from him. And I really think most importantly, it's evident that at some point he's decided to just be himself and shine on his songs regardless of the outcome, who hears them and what they think. Unlike many artists I actually believe this guy wants nothing more than to make some fun music with his friends to help people forget their problems. If you can honestly say you fault a guy for that, then you might be missing the point of music entirely...

 

See him making fun music with his friends to help you forget your problems right here with "WHOA!"

 

 

Get What a Mess as a digital download or stream it here and support a creative soul as they do what they love!

Staplemouth - Un-Everything Except Three (2010)

 

 

Surprise! I'm giving away this rar(ish) release from Staplemouth, who's work I've described in detail on my last post. Un-Everything Except Three is a rough compilation style mix of collabs and random tracks, all of different quality and clearly spanning years that was put together by him and apparently given away on Bandcamp. This album contains great features from artists like Demune, Ceschi, BrokenKlutch, Nocturne, Riff Raff, Noah23, Wormhole etc. And the almighty Omega Cix. who's closing verse on "Trilateral Damage" is probably the weirdest, craziest thing I've ever heard in my life.

This is a serious treasure of hip hop music, and in my opinion in many ways surpasses his only real solo release Ruler of Desperate Measures (although "Hanging Gardens 2012" is such a stunning piece of work...). We are overdue a solo album from Staplemouth worthy of his name (The Ogre Ephemeris with Ovate from Tree Dusk Muir is pretty damn good though) and Estuary with Th' Mole coming very soon is sure to be that very thing.

But for now enjoy Un-Everything Except Three!

DOWNLOAD

 

 

New Music: Staplemouth & Th' Mole - Rift (Estuary Prelude)

 

 

Agonizing over what to write for my turn on UGF this week I went back over the huge amount of really dope material we've been the lucky recipients of already this year (we as in all of us, not just UGF specifically) and I came upon this email from early January that in a haze of work stress, relationship worries and health problems (no not Covid) I had completely forgotten about. Jonah Mociun aka Th' Mole of Weird Rap was kind enough to offer up an advance listening copy of this one and I've gotta say a full length Staplemouth album of this caliber is exactly what I need right now to deal with all of the above.

For those of you who may only be dimly familiar with Staplemouth, his rap career stretches back decades to ...Of Proliteariots, one of my personal favorite groups of that era and some of the earliest members of the Plague Language Fam. Since then he's been a member of New Cocoon, Tree Dusk Muir, Cane Corso Records and now Pen Thief Records. Basically everything this guy had an influence on was at least at some point pure gold. Not only does he have the most impressive rapid fire lyrical chops I've ever heard (or seen, I love showing folks who claim his recordings are impossible and must've been digitally sped up a video of him rhyming with fellow Kansasians [Kansians? Damn...] The Blos, his voice is powerful and in some ways really beautiful ("Hanging Gardens 2012", Q.E. M.F. D.) and his lyricism is labyrinthine, requiring hours of patient listening to tease out.

I am much less familiar with Th' Mole I have to admit. I love the work he's done on production, and his zany appearance and on stage antics make him one of a kind in no uncertain terms. I have often been interesting in hearing more from him (I pretty much enjoyed his album with Demune and a lot of that was his beat making) but I find his literal mountain of material seriously intimidating and I have no idea where to even begin. I will say I know enough about him to be really excited by the prospect of these two weird rap vets collaborating for the first time.

I did have a chance to listen to Rift all the way through. Initially, and I believe many of you will probably agree, I was disappointed to find out we were getting this schizoid rework of the original songs before the full length project (schizoid as in split). Side A of this tape is Staplemouth's lyrics, Side B is Th' Moles beats although both sides have had modifications made to make them more listenable as seperate entities. I was truly excited to hear this in finished form, but it seems it may be months before we get that opportunity.

BUT. To those of you who feel the way I did, I highly recommend if you're a fan of either of these artists to give this album a listen. You can already hear Staplemouth's contribution on the Weird Rap Bandcamp and it is some of the heaviest, most incredible songwriting he's ever done. As usual he devotes much of his breath to rapid fire meditations on eschatology and other darker spiritual topics, and as usual his gorgeous singing voice finds itself lent to melancholy rhymes, but without the benefit of beats (just some sonic tinkering, sound effects etc.) his words become more stark somehow, easier to understand, and easier to truly empathize with. I feel, maybe I'm wrong, but that much of these lyrics are at their core articulations of a worried father watching what I think we all probably worry is the beginning of the end of the world. And there is probably no one better than Staplemouth to drop such serious topics in a way that keeps the songs both thought provoking and dope AF.

Also, the part that you won't hear until the day of it's release, the production is something else. It was a cool experience to go back and forth and hear what will be the sonic backdrop for these musings and find out how unexpected they actual are in many ways. Th' Mole is a very talented musician, and these beats are intricate, head noddingly dope and progressive to the point that they sound more Danny Carey than Scott La Rock. Heavily layered drums and tripped out, spacy synths make these songs a drum circle on Pluto, and I gotta say I CANNOT wait to hear this album in it's finished form. It promises to be one of the best rap albums of the year.

And real quick, since I have access to the press photos, let's meet the players.

Now, if you find yourself as excited about this as I am, here's a little audio / visual project they put together for the album as well.

Now, I'm not going to say everyone will like Rift. This is not for the casual fans of hip hop. If you think the best indie rap out there is on RSE you're going to want to skip this (no judgement, just don't want to waste anyone's time). Maybe wait for the final offering when these songs finally meet and achieve their true form. But if you're in the mood for something different, something that truly demonstrates the skill of two consummate professionals, and is definitely worth the extra work to pick out the hidden treasures it offers...

 

Dive in to Rift (Estuary Prelude) right here.

Qwel - Peep My E.P. (2006)

 

 

Real quick, here's an album of technically gifted wordsmith and artist Qwel from Galapagos4 rapping over beats jacked from rappers as varied as Aesop Rock, Portishead and Jay-Z. Sounds fun and it is. Definitely one of his rarest offerings, and really spotlights his off-the-dome chops.

Enjoy Peep My E.P. (it is definitely not an E.P. at 15 tracks and almost an hour long, but whatever.)

 

DOWNLOAD

 

 

Sankofa - Music With Friends (2008)

Got my booster a few days ago and I'm still thinking I'm not feeling so hot from it. My shoulder still hurts which is weird because I got it Thursday night but whatever. I'd rather have a sore arm than a shiny new headstone saying "Death by Stubborn Refusal to Face Reality".

That said, I'm just gonna do something everyone usually likes and offer up some free music. I have a few reviews in the pipeline and I haven't forgotten about you guys but given it's the silly season let's just put our feet up for a bit. Anyway Sankofa is a talented and seriously chill individual from Fort Wayne, Indiana that's been about it since a lot of us probably hadn't been born yet. Music With Friends is a collection of three little EP's he made with a bunch of different producers and put out for a bit before disappearing it. I REALLY like this one though and don't want to see it gone so here.

Kofa if you don't want this shared let us know, I'd be happy to take it down. But my man your old shit is amazing and for those of you who aren't familiar, his new shit is great also.

For tongue twisting conscious lyricism from a dude who looks like Santa Clause, enjoy Music With Friends.

 

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New Music: Mild Child - I Hope You Make it Out Alive (Single)

 

 

Today I wanted to quickly direct your attention towards something really really special. This is not necessarily hip hop, full disclosure, but when I had the chance to hear this song "I Hope You Make it Out Alive" by vocalist / multi-instrumentalist / producer / songwriter Mild Child I was immediately up for promoting it in any way I could. This is possibly the weirdest most intriguing song I've heard in a while and I really believe it suggests strongly that theirs is a career to watch out for.

If you've never heard of Mild Child that's because his name is actually Ryan Liptak. He plays, sings and produces for UGF's best homies Happy Tooth & Dug and I think he deserves a significant amount of credit for the unique sound they've cultivated as a live band, which is made clear when one listens to his newest musical endeavor.

From the beginning this song caught my attention and kept it in chains, becoming a perfect metaphor for the subject matter itself. It starts off with an eerie and incredibly unsettling synth, but with the advent of Ryan's warm vocal tones the song becomes almost instantly an intimate and emotional experience, oscillating between light and dark, deep blue and red velvet. Syrupy guitar playing, mature and relatable lyrics (let's face it if you love music enough to land here I think you're the type to know exactly what he's singing about), a beautiful and soulful voice and crazy creative percussion work keep things interesting and fun while still maintaining that cognitive death grip and a level of seriousness that gives the song the weight it truly deserves.

Rarely do I get the pleasure of promoting something I seriously believe could blow up in the mainstream. Mild Child fills a vacuum in music I didn't realize was there and I think most people could feel the same way. This is high praise in my opinion. Beautiful work here, do yourselves a favor and give it a listen! Available now.

Check out "I Hope You Make it Out Alive" here to stream and here to buy. See ya'll Friday!

Denizen Kane - Take Me Out Mixtape (2010)

 

 

So my keyboard is dead. I'm currently typing this on my on screen one which sucks royally. Not a week for a lengthy review. Anyway here's something cool from arguably one of the most unique voices in hip hop, Denizen Kane of Typical Cats fame. This dude can rap like it's nothing and sing as well. If you don't believe me you can check out his "No Woman No Cry" only found on this mixtape, along with lots of other exclusive goodies. Also I hate this keyboard...

Enjoy Take Me Out Mixtape!

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New Music: All the World is Kayfabe - Working on Working Myself into a Shoot

 

 

 So I got the real treat of getting to hear in it's entirety the collaborative effort between Errol Hem and CKPITS (yep, the guy from that Dug EP I reviewed a bit ago) as All the World is Kayfabe, Working on Working Myself into a Shoot. Simply put, there is a huge amount going on here and I have only limited time to truly absorb it all, so I'm going to post a quick and dirty promo, review type thingy with the relevant details along with the Dimxsk stamp of approval (a much coveted accolade in music, up there with the elusive "my girlfriends brother said it's dope" and the "my mom didn't immediately say to turn it off" awards.)

So, ahem, STAMP. Check.

Anyway, what this here is is a "metawrestling themed" alt rap record produced by Errol Hem who also provides vocals alongside CKPITS. I actually feel even more out of touch than usual because I don't know what metawrestling is. Let me goggle it. That was unhelpful. Basically it seems to be a gimmick where the scripted action of pro-wrestling collides a bit with the real world aspects of the business. Anyway like I said, a lot to unpack here, and I'm probably not the best person to do that as I know nothing about pro-wrestling. I'm going to leave the concept behind and focus entirely on the artistic merits of the album.

Both of these cats have been doing this a while though, and the end result shows. The production is catchy as hell, with unusual and original bleeps and blips rhythmically dancing around colorful synth noises and the nasal, sarcastic and complex lyrical deliveries of the two emcees. In many places the heavy rap sound and weird interludes give way to moments of true beauty "(Going / Getting) Over", showcasing Errols raw talent as a musician, but all of it manages to flow with the confidence and consistency only years of experience seem to be able to provide.

This is quite a weird one. Going back over it now I'm actually reminded of, in not just the melodic electronic style of production but also the interplay and styles of the two rhymers, one of my favorite hip hop collaborations of all time, Friday Night (Hi-Fidel and Serengeti's pair of adventure concept albums). Both duos consist of rappers who can both rap to impress, or rap to warp the mind and make it look easy the whole time. Basically, just watch this video:

As you can see, this is one of those moments in hip hop where raw creativity meet songwriting prowess and the utter unconcern with convention to birth something truly unusual. I liked this stuff a lot and I suspect many of you will as well, probably some more than me because you might understand it a bit better than I...

Get Working on Working Myself into a Shoot through your favorite digital retailer this coming Halloween, or just do what I always do and get it on Bandcamp (maybe the Bandcamp Friday for November because why the hell not throw them some cash money).

New Music: CKPITS & Dug w/ Sicksmith - So It Gose

 

 

As many of you know, UGF (or to be more specific the half of UGF that is me) is a huge supporter of Cleveland based rappers Dug and Happy Tooth. And they've been very cool to us as well. I believe it was in our first year that they sent us a humble little EP called All in Your Head which to this day has the most unusual time signatures of any rap I've ever heard. That album was great, and it was a real pleasure to get to speak with them about it, and really cool they wanted to let us in on it before the general public.

I'm not one to break tradition when it's as solid as this. So when Dug sent me his newest EP recently, a trippy little journey called So It Gose (I wonder if anyone's gonna tell him about the spelling error... ;-) ) performed with Minneapolis rapper CKPITS over beats by Hungary based Sicksmith asking for opinions I was overjoyed. I got a chance to listen to the whole thing on the way to work.

What we have here with So It Gose is one of the more interesting things I've heard in a while. Imagine a noise rap record with the goofy sensibilities of Aesop Rock curated by a pair of weirdos spitting syrupy stream of conscious ramblings. The album is abstract, but it also manages to offer up songs that are catchy, ear wormy and most definitely inspire head nodding.

The emcees are great, but I really want to give a shoutout here to producer Sicksmith for being the MVP on So It Gose. Their production has all the heavy plodding darkness of Moodie Black, but with (IMHO) frankly more interesting choices of instrumentation and more creative compositions overall. Sicksmith is one to watch, and their creations craft the character and atmosphere of the album perfectly.

All of the songs are at least fun, although (and here I need to reveal that I'm in my mid-30's so I really think autotune sounds like a nightmarish singing robot dropping out of the sky to murder good music) the autotune on "Wand in the Mist" is unnecessary and moderately annoying, as is 99.9% of all autotune ever.

This album is very very cool. I'm going to leave it at that, I'm not feeling so good today and just really, really really hoping it's not Covid so I can enjoy the upcoming long weekend.

Get So It Gose out September 7th on any of your favorite digital music providers, or be like me and only ever get anything from Bandcamp (Dug's is here). Thanks for reading!

Soulcrate Music - From the Neck Up (2003)

 

 

And now for something completely different. I wonder how many of you are old enough to get that reference. I barely am lol.

For today we have the debut "album" by Soulcrate Music, the group most likely best known to you for their brief tenure as a Black Clover Records act before Mac Lethal went wherever the hell he went that can explain some of what I've heard about the guy. I don't care about social media I care about music (and not being a dick and I dunno about that one here lately) so I haven't had much reason to think about Mac in a while*. Trylemma fills me in though and S..M..H..

Anyways, this album has a liner note expressing the groups desire to remind everyone that hip hop is "alive and breathing in Sioux Falls" or something to that effect. I don't think much else is alive out there so good for South Dakota rap then. I haven't actually heard this album yet but I do respect Soulcrate based on everything else they've done for their competent songwriting, catchy vocals (along with the occasional clever line) and sometimes dope production.

They're not favorites of mine, but the brothers Eisenhauer are certainly fun to listen to and this is a seriously rare collection of some of their earliest material. I didn't even know this existed until recently, and I was fortunate enough to snatch it up on Discogs and immediately ripped it to share with ya'll because you know I got you.

Enjoy From the Neck Up!

 

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 *Wow so Mac just released an album again, just in time to make me look foolish. Oh well.

**And amusingly enough it took an Australian to point out that Sioux Falls is in South Dakota. I did actually know that, and the mixup comes from a lack of sleep and lack of attentiveness. Which is why I have you guys. 

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!

Kristoff Krane - Mixxy #3 (2010)

 

 

Hey ya'll. So Trylemma snatched up my desired review for this week (Deadpan Darling) leaving me with no burning need to post about any new releases (sometimes I actually prefer to listen to new stuff organically without analysis, and in a way I'm glad I'm not reviewing Deadpan Darling). Not that there isn't much good out there right now, we actually have a huge number of new albums available from folks like the vet Odessa Kane and Armand Hammer but I haven't had a chance to digest those. Anyway, short story long here's a download instead.

Kristoff Krane is in my opinion one of the most interesting voices to come out of the Midwest indie rap scene. Toeing the line between folk, punk and rap a la Ceschi and Astronautalis (sigh what a shame that guy...) with a serious nice guy positive vibe, Krane has been smashing genre boundaries and rapping like crazy for at least 15 years as a member of the amazing live band Abzorbr and Saturday Morning Soundtrack with Ecid, as well as his solo efforts culminating in the fantastic Kairos Pts. 1 & 2.

Mixxy #3 is a very long and very solid compilation of collabs, unreleased singles and freestyle sessions that was available briefly on his Bandcamp and then taken down inexplicably. The other 3 "Mixxys" were up there much longer and are now also gone. His overarching compilation I Freestyle Life (2005-2013) (available here) basically takes the best of all of these and offers them in one place, but it's no replacement for the fun, imagination and talent found in these little mixtapes and they should be experienced in the form they were intended.

I had to join and escape from one of those shady bootleg MP3 sales websites to get this album (the pay monthly until you manage to convince us to let you off the hook type joints). It was the last place I could find it. As a fan of Krane I knew I needed this, and even with my extremely extensive collection of Midwestern rap this mixtape contains 19 songs I'd never heard before. So with that, enjoy!

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New Music: Hecatomb - Hecatomb Cometh: New Blood

 

 

Hey guys, welcome back to UGF's album review day. So for this post I'm gonna have to actually keep it brief this time as, not only have I not had a chance to give this one a listen yet but considering it's a whopping 38 tracks I know I won't have time. I do however want to promote this as I have a ton of respect for this crew and I think many of you will be as excited to sample this as I was.

Hecatomb is, as you probably know already, the Midwestern crew of emcees, Dj's and producers that serves as a sort of home base for people like Carnage the Executioner, Capaciti, Concentr8 and also people who's names start with other letters like Desdamona, and the various incarnations of said folks (earlybirds., NEMNOCH, etc.) In these uncertain times it's one of the best ways to listen to that Minnesota sound we all probably grew up on while not having to feel guilty about supporting people with seriously questionable values and morality. I happen to know both Carnage and Capaciti are great folks from my few chances to correspond with them, and I truly believe that they would be unlikely to throw their support behind anyone who would, say, laugh at a sex worker for having the gall to complain about being put in the hospital.

This release is a long time coming. Following the fantastic First Blood compilation back in 2012 I knew would take something special. Hecatomb has a very unique sound that I think can best be summed up as the perfect balance between grit and positivity. There's always something for everyone on these albums, and it seems from this track listing that they've more than delivered. Not only do we have some previously released yet newer material from those folks listed above (as well as some brand new jams) but Hecatomb has expanded it's reach a bit beyond the Twin Cities with Ohio Industrial protest rap rising stars Guerrilla Ghost, and the indie rap veteran emcee Taiyamo Denku, who I haven't really delved much into but seems to be well received by most of us.

So not only does this release offer up some serious heat from the ones we all know and love, it seems like a good place to go to discover some new voices in the industry. And as if that wasn't enough, it's free /  pay what you will. I would say if you can go ahead and show these guys some support with the moneys, or maybe just wait until next year when the official Hecatomb crew album is slated to drop!

Pick up Hecatomb Cometh: New Blood, for free or $1,000,000.00 or maybe even something in between right over hur.

That's it for today friends. Stay safe and possibly send some good thoughts to those of us throughout the country battling some seriously inconvenient natural disasters, because a plague, an aspiring dictator and racist killings really isn't enough to make 2020 memorable in all the wrong ways.

Interlock Records - Table Scraps (2000)

So here's a little reminder that the Midwest is not all bad when it comes to indie rap... Interlock Records, home of not only some of the best and most sexual assault free rappers from the Twin Cities region but also home to minority rappers which allows me to continue my mission to promote more Black and other non-white indie rappers. Interlock released this little compilation on cassette 20 years ago(!) now. It's got some exclusive material from rappers like Carnage, Crescent Moon and Nomi of Oddjobs and Kill the Vultures, Muad'dib and Felix of Heiruspecs, Kanser etc, all with that tape rip quality you've come to love from our home made digital versions.

I own this on tape and did rip it myself. I think it sounds pretty good, and as far as I can tell this is not available online at the moment so enjoy. Know I did my best, it is a very old tape. I also own Table Scraps II, and plan to rip and upload that in the not too distant future. For now, I present Table Scraps the first.

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