Noah23, in an attempt to retire from hip hop, has released a final album entitled Zoom. The founder of Plague Language (the home of Livestock, The Main, Baracuda, and others), who has released more albums than I care to list, has decided to give up the throne.
Nine tracks long, this album features exactly zero guest appearances, which is a total bummer in my opinion, and has no production notes. I haven't listened to this yet, to be honest, because Christmas yesterday was a mad run between two families.
But I'll reiterate what I said in a previous post -- Noah23'll be back. Dudes like him don't disappear from the hip hop scene forever. It draws you back. It's unstoppable.
But until that happens, until he gets back into the game again... click on the album cover to get down on Zoom at the Bandcamp page.
Clamnesia is the newest release by Guelph hip hop champion The Main, a solid 7 tracks all produced by Gregory Pepper and featuring Noah23 and Livestock.
I wrote a whole post about the album just a minute ago but Firefox crashed. Here's the shorter version:
I've been waiting for this album to come out for a long time, ever since I ran across Punch Card Blues, which is also featured on Livestock's For My Man Sitting in a Boat. In fact, the other day I was complaining about how Clamnesia was never going to come out and the very next day I got an e-mail about it being released.
Oh, joyous day! If you haven't caught this release yet, it's only FIVE BUCKS! Don't be a cheapskate, just pick it up.
Regardless, you can still listen to it in full on the bandcamp page, where you can purchase it HERE!
Sometimes, somehow, you find yourself missing one of those pivotal albums, one of those albums that help define the genre for some and cause others to change their understanding of what music is entirely. And then, when you finally grab a copy and throw it on, you say to yourself, "how did I never listen to this before!" The dishwasher and I were at work waxing philosophic about hip hop the other day and he told me that I had to listen to Aesop Rock. I told him I hadn't ever really picked up any of the dude's music because I felt like his discography was too big, I didn't know what to pick up. I asked him what the best album is. He thinks for a second and says, "labor days. Definitely labor days." Thus, I cop it. Headphones in the next day, biking to work, I've got it blasting and I couldn't believe my ears. Holy hell! How did I miss this?!?!
Needless to say, Aesop Rock's Labor Days is one of those masterpiece albums, a collection of songs that make you wish you had the raspy voice of a badass hip hop machine and a producer like Blockhead to throw you beats like the one on "Save Yourself." This album moves smoothly from one track to the next, seamless and perfect. Head nodding early 2000's hip hop at its finest. At just over an hour, it keeps you in that zone for a damn long time and I like that. He holds it down and brings you the plight of the working class in this near-perfect concept album.
Here's a sample to get you through until you find a copy of the album yourself.
Twin Peaks is Ghettosocks and Muneshine. This video is fresh. Same sorta feel as their video for Audrey Horne and my guess is that it's the same director. Enjoy.
... has been delayed for the next couple of days because I was out with Occupy Sacramento in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, the movement sweeping over the US.
From OccupyWallStreet.org:
Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.
I'm standing alongside Occupy Together and hoping for real, positive change to happen in this country. It's finally happening, folks.
In the meantime, listen to Sweatshop Union and support your local Occupation.
