The Nothing -- Digital Villains

Review of,

The Nothing -- Digital Villains

by John James

Hip hop group The Nothing (not the San Franciscan, but rather from all the way out in Pennsylvania) hit me up with a copy of their newest album Digital Villains last week. Not knowing what to expect having not heard of them before, I threw on my headphones and dug into the album. Emcees Solomon Pade, Mar, and Teddy Holmes join together their vocal stylings to drop their third studio album since the group formed officially in 2005. Upon asking about how they originally got together, Solomon Pade had this to say:

"We all met in Gettysburg, Pa in high school....We were always walking around freestyling recording mixtapes since like 15...but formed The Nothing in '05...so we've been friends for years...which is why we have such good chemistry with one another"

... and that chemistry definitely shows! The tracks are woven together so smoothly with beats provided by Mar (under the production moniker Wally Peanuts), and lyrics provided by all three of the emcees. What surprised me was how solid the album is throughout. It's all catchy, it's mastered very nicely, and the verses are full of lyrics that don't leave you waiting for someone to get educated, if you know what I mean.

Hopefully I'll be seeing more of these guys and I'll be keeping track of their latest releases (and I'll let all of you in on what's up as well). This CD is very well put-together and I suggest it if you like that kind of gritty, definitely underground sound, with catchy choruses and enough talent to blow your mind several times over.

The album is definitely a keeper, and these guys don't seem to have a lot of exposure, at least not over here in California (add them on MySpace!). Unfortunatly there are only two songs available on their MySpace but they're both good, and if you check out the other link below you can pick up a copy of the album and pick up the magic. Don't miss out, this album is guaranteed FRESH!

Want to know more?

Official MySpace

The Nothing on Sonic Bids

Preorder: Deeskee & Escape Artists - For the Birds EP

Deeskee & Escape Artists present...
"For The Birds" EP


(copied straight from Escape Artist's bulletin)
Featuring: 2mex, Awol One, Radioinactive, Joe Dub, The All Deadly Jizzm, LifeRexall, Avatar & Ikey Owens

Paintings and illustrations by Chris Granillo (Royal Bird illustrations)
Cover design and layout by La Mano Fria (Beta Bodega Coalition)
ONly 300 Tocopies.

PRE ORDER IT HERE!!

Random Art Projects -- Ignore Igrorance

Review of,
Random Art Projects -- Ignore Ignorance
by John James

Id Obelus and Tramaj Voyix joined forces after Id Obelus (Rick Haschel) and Matt Milo teamed up for a music session that resulted in the beginnings of the album's first epic track RandM. Matt summoned the rest of Tramaj Voyix and Random Art Projects (R.A.P.) was born. Unlike anything else I've heard, this electro-hip hop psych-rock project is a DEFINITE keeper, pushing hip hop to new boundaries. I'm certainly glad I got a copy of this album and you will be too.


Throwing on the album I got my first taste of R.A.P. through RandM, the first track on the CD which opens up with some unexpected and crazy vocal stylings and all sorts of odd and indescribable sounds coming at you left and right. There's something about the album as a whole that makes you both scared and excited, and is a hip hop album that makes me want to dance... and then hide somewhere. Dance hall tunes hit you like a disco ball bouncing strobe light waves and sounds that kind of linger and creep you out. Unlucky drops some of the danciest tunes ever and makes me want to get my groove on while I'm walking through the grocery store. The whole album is a masterpiece of musical fusion, a combination of hip hop and indie-dance grooves, woven into a must-hear musical tapestry. I can't get enough. The lyrics border on seriousness here and there with social commentary from Id Obelus, very notable in the track Tokyo, speaking about the world and all of it's failures.
If that's not your thing, don't let that hold you back because the album is also chock full of silly lyrics too, and the melodies they've put together (vocals included) are incredibly original and not worth skipping over.


Favorite Track:
Hatching! Hatching!! is my favorite track on the album because it's got a supremely dancey beat with some seriously wicked raps from Id Obelus and then the transition into the happy and satisfying chorus which gets stuck in your head like nothing else. There vibe of the production is almost like the instrumental of a Unicorns song, but the unique style of Tramij Voyix definitely shines through. The stuttering vocals 4.00 minutes into the song with the catchiest melody on the album on the keyboard keep the song fresh and catchy all the way through. In fact, I can't get enough of this song and I suggest buying the album even just for this track.

Want to learn more?
RANDOM ART PROJECTS OFFICIAL SITE

Want to buy it? It's fantastic, and available here for a mere ten bucks:
ALBUM PURCHASE

Seriously, though, this is a fantastic album.