STREAMING // (Track) DMX – “Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer”
Get into that Christmas cheer with DMX // Listen Here – Spotify
Classic Day – Breakfast Beats
Wu-Tang Clan is one of the most influential and relevant rap groups in Hip-Hop History. The all star team that came together at one time to launch a global takeover was inspirational for music, and there is not a person on the planet that does not know what “C.R.E.A.M.” means. Ghostface Killah took that first stepping stone and transformed that into a solo career where he would become successful with collaborations, remixes, and lyricism that would shake the foundation of hip-hop once again.
The 2001 release, Bulletproof Wallets (Feat. Raekwon) was a smooth transition for Ghostface fans as the artist never really seemed to stop with music through his own albums or through features. Ghost is an instantly recognizable voice in hip-hop that has a grumble, but pronounced lyrical style. The exhibition match of producers that Ghostface Killah uses is like a squadron of bruisers, from RZA, to Mathematics, to The Alchemist, there is more than enough talent to create a whirlwind of instrumentals. With the opening skit, then being moved into “Maxine”; an extremely funky, but head-knocking instrumental that is illuminated through Ghost’s delivery. The production from RZA and the feature from Raekwon continues to boost Ghostface’s own style of lyricism and the productions on Bulletproof Wallets are synonymous.
There are no real sides of ugliness behind the instruments present and the sampling done to achieve some of the production is engaging through the wide range of depth presented. Surprising from the Iron Man comes the real ferocity behind his vocals rather than the instrumentals, especially when reaching the track, “Flowers”. Ghostface Killah explains, “Bulletproof Wallets, 20 G kitchen sets made out of Korea. Top sear, gots to be a lots to see a rocks… Peace, hate to be ya, especially when them shots ring off in slow motion when yo head hit the meter. You lost two liters, at the same case speeder”. He is aggressive, but never in a way that overshadows the instrumentals or in a way that is brutish.
Ghostface is still able to show a sense of humor behind his lyrics as well and as he reaches “Ghost Showers”, he can let loose and bring back some of that chest-out rap. He explains, “Star-spangled up and my chain got cuts, Mr. T looked, saw my shit and went nuts. Stark stays in luck, truck, there’s a new gangster in town and he’s coming up”. His charismatic nature is the best thing behind Ghostface Killah’s Bulletproof Wallets. It is the sense of illustration and ability to rhyme while keeping his face in a straight, never-cracked demeanor. This is also with the work of one of the hottest beats on Bulletproof Wallets, the track “The Forest” which takes a sample from The Wonderful World of Disney that flutters and springs Ghost into action without a missed step. It is a perfect strut of boom-bap styling that has Ghost murdering the instrumental without mercy as he delivers nearly three-minutes of straight lyrics.
Ghostface’s Bulletproof Wallets is a standout for the production that mixes entirely too well with the lyrical style of both Ghost and of Raekwon who is present on four total tracks. It is a strange, almost dated adventure that holds up so well and still inspires to this day. The output that Ghostface Killah brings to the table is something that he has been able to present and his final charismatic nature is still a joy to hear even sixteen-years later.
Listen To Bulletproof Wallets Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
STREAMING // (Track) Antwon – “METRO CARD GOD”
Feat. Wiki, DJ Lucas and Genesis Evans // Listen Here – Soundcloud
Produced By: Sporting Life X NYC SUAVE
Misc. Day – Silent Matter
The long, droning noise that comes from Horseback is similar in style to what the darkness of the large pines at night would bring. It is the interpretation of mystery that is extended from Horseback’s full, but raspy sense of approach that delivers organized and understandable style. While the 2010 release, The Invisible Mountain is never deafening, it does show potential to be an overbearing monster of fragmented features.
The record opens with a chant-esque, tribal rationality of “Invokation”, a track that borders on the lines of becoming a building Karma to Burn tribute, and the blurred lines of a mountainous climb. It contains a sense of immense droning sound that lingers throughout the near seven-minute journey that reflects as a mirror upon the rust that is layered deep over the production. Though the ominous wood chimes show a real protest of charm, the primary instrumental is rough and off-putting. It takes little time to illustrate the conveyer belts of savagery that is pushed through the percussion, but primarily through the voice that is overlaid that sounds more like a creature of the night than anything human. The twisted features of the beast are present throughout and can display a larger sense of predatory style. Horseback continues this style as it begins to move onto “Tyrant Symmetry”, where the fuzz and heavily reverbed guitar begins to loop as a backing track to the cymbal-heavy percussion and the foreground guitar that shines through a charismatic glimmer.
It is also through “Tyrant Symmetry” is there a disconnect of the trance style that was laid out before, and is there a bigger focus on creating a more-loose adaptation of the sound. Horseback is progressively violent through The Invisible Mountain, but still has a sense of being able to showcase immense understandability as well. The production of the record is displayed through the simmering percussion that acts as a conduit for the lo-fi recording of the guitars and the near-endless track styling. As The Invisible Mountain continues, the journey becomes a dance with death; a slow waltz that tilts on being a graceful set of movements that eventually lead to the final track, “Hatecloud Dissolving Into Nothing”.
While also the longest of the tracks present, “Hatecloud Dissolving Into Nothing” is also the most significant as it creates the largest changes of stance from Horseback. The opening is a subtle, introductory scent of foreboding glory as the shift into these rising and settling moments where the atmosphere takes full control is incredible. There are moments on The Invisible Mountain where Horseback is a transforming piece that sits a top a ridge overseeing a valley far below. The clouds where the final moments sit is breathtaking and awe-inspiring; while the journey is treacherous.
There is the constant dichotomy between the overarching sound of The Invisible Mountain as it is able to both create and destroy. It can build, but also destruct, all through the power of sound. It is impressive and worthwhile, but also rusted and maniacal. The shifting environment conflicts, but ultimately aids in the final project. The Invisible Mountain is grand in presentation and stays true to the fertility of nature.
Listen To The Invisible Mountain Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
New Music – Systematic Chaos
Both The Body and Full Of Hell have been featured for their ability to create these obliterating masterpieces of sound that build upon the layering of bone destroying noise. From Chip King’s shrilled voice that while rough to the ears, is an essential tool for The Body’s style. Or to Full Of Hell’s Dave Bland who smashes away with the firing percussion; the two groups move well together and create not only a wall of sound, but a punch through sound itself.
Their newest collaborative effort, Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light is damaging, it is repulsive to the ears and is a beacon of systematic chaos. The conflicting nature of the record has these moments of almost stuffed beauty where the backing noise can show a moment of harmony before the tidal wave of sound comes flooding into frame. The rampaging howls of vocals and the clicking hi-hats, or the cascading synths, or even the kicking bass drums are just fantastic here, but are ultimately tools of torture. These moments where the twisted and mangled frame of The Body and Full Of Hell are near-demonic, but enticing in a sinister way. It feels as though every nightmare has crawled out of the depths for a rumbling assault of sound that opens with, “Light Penetrates”. An incredibly synthetic and android-esque instrumental that scrubs through the backing of the track, which is then the flowing method of Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light. The final moments of the track are a scrambled wreck of horns, strings, percussion, and vocals that are a sporadic jump through fire where it is hard to gauge a real sense of rhythm behind the performance.
The record is unbelievably angry, showing little remorse for the listener as they are dragged through these moments of agonizing high-pitched computer noises, or the pounding that is attached to both Full of Hell’s and The Body’s style of play. Their previous records combine every sense of emotional attachment and create an industrial masterpiece that is primarily halted behind methods of slowed, but abrasive approaches. The track “The King Laid Bare” that has this disgusting, metallic layering over-top and the constricting, near isolated vocals of Chip King create a new breed of heaviness. The sound is a conflicted monster that reigns and continues onto “Didn’t the Night End”. A similar, but uglier jump off the manufactured deep end.
Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light is a solid introduction from both Full Of Hell and The Body to a new listener as it combines both brunt forces of the two groups of artists into one singular entity. It takes the heavily distorted dystopia from The Body, but also the endless attack that is Full Of Hell. The two combine to create a deadly powerhouse that shows more symbols of being interesting through togetherness, instead of pursuing their own individual style. The collaboration shows the most sinister styles of both groups and really hunkers down behind that shield of sound.
The last act which features, “Master’s Story”, “Farewell, Man”, and “I Did Not Want to Love You So” takes a similar approach into how the noise is compiled, but the three tracks branch off and become more devious than the last. It is the rough white noise that segues into “Farewell, Man”, a track that is more similar to Full Of Hell but combines the crushing bass of The Body to create this devilish hand-in-hand walk into despair. The final track, “I Did Not Want to Love You So” is equally as crushing and as disturbing to listen to as the rest, but the reverb and screams make this track stand-out.
Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light is simply put, brutal. It destroys the listener and makes their ears writhe in pain and beg for mercy. There are moments here that take the noise to an unimaginable level, but is then cranked up once more. Nothing can prepare you for the rough, and unloving nature of The Body and Full of Hell.
Listen To Ascending A Mountain Of Heavy Light BandCamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
Classic Day – A Sun is Born
Tommy is an international sensation that would propel the British rock band, The Who into unknown ages of fame where their music would become a household name. The story that would grip audiences without their knowledge was the story of Tommy, a loose adaptation on a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who would become the catalyst for The Who’s strange, but prolific journey. Tommy was a record that stood out for its ability to take on the serious topics of molestation, drug abuse, and religion in a subtle manner that is entertaining, but also taps into an emotional chord as well.
There is an aura behind Tommy that The Who uses as an inviting shine with the immaculate production and instrumentation behind the record, that has this glossed feel behind it. There is however, a large amount of grime underneath the surface of Tommy that is incredibly personal. It begins with the sullen, but iconic “Overture” that uses Roger Daltrey to explain the synopsis and origins of the character Tommy, “Captain Walker didn’t come home, his unborn child will never know him. Believe him missing with a number of men, don’t expect to see him again”. It sets a tone behind the fluttering guitar that Pete Townshend plays masterfully, but also John Entwistle on the bass and French horn is simply stunning at points of Tommy. Then of course there is Keith Moon who plays the percussion like a lead guitar and does a beautiful job of never overpowering the music, but creating these fills and rhythm sections where the percussion is a magnificent display of the adaptability behind Keith Moon.
Tommy does best as a visual album that is listened to as a sensory adventure that takes the entirety of the sound into account. The tracks that create these moments are “Amazing Journey”, “Sparks”, or “1921” that throws these vivid images of the the near angelic instrumentation that works incredibly well for The Who as they take these leaps and bounds into territory of a “Rock Opera”. The band is seemingly without fear though, as Tommy is an overall striking album that displays adversity through sound and can create these moments of bliss behind the music. Especially as the second act of the double record brings itself to the foreground where tracks like, “Pinball Wizard”, “Go To The Mirror!”, or even “Sally Simpson” that can capture the raw emotional attachment that The Who had throughout the recording of Tommy.
The Who showed a new potential with Tommy that was able to illustrate a sense of real story behind their music. This was the first album that catapulted them into certified double platinum in America, there was also for the most part, positive critical reception to the album. The Who looked like it had finally been able to find a profound success and voice of their own that stood them among the greats for sound and production. There are moments in Tommy that outshine for the way that it can bury itself deep in the emotional pull of the listener and create an atmosphere where creativity can flow perfectly.
The final moments of Tommy are just as intriguing as the opening; it never feels like it is forced or overpowering. The emotion of the album washes over the listener and stands tall for the way it can combine incredible sound with the storyboard. The Who’s Tommy still holds up today and is a piece of history with a backstory.
Listen To Tommy Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
STREAMING // (Video) Da$H – “As If You Ain’t Know”
He really is a nice guy in person // Listen/Watch Here – Youtube
Directed : William Child
Produced: Ethereal Original
Artwork: Ortie
Executive Produced: Stevie B
STREAMING // (Album) Private Victories – “Echo Days”
Another artist from Pittsburgh that is a bit out of my own personal taste, but shows the makings of a profound artist.
BandCamp pulls through // Listen Here – BandCamp
STREAMING // (Album) The Remote Viewing – “KILL SATURN”
A fairly mixed bag of instruments that resemble something from the late 80’s where synth experimentation was at a peak. But it can be noisy too…
I kind of dig it // Listen Here – BandCamp
STREAMING // (Tracks) Lord Vulture – “The Soul Renaissance”
Two tracks from a local Pittsburgh beat maker that specializes in creating a step back in time with “Stay Fly Forever”, and “Chronic Dreams”.
Fly // Listen Here – BandCamp
Misc. Day – United Aggression
For the faint of heart, Gendo Ikari is a speed demon fueled by rage and pent-up aggression that is released through a series of quick, seven tracks that illustrate how death can be transpired through sound.
It is like the mighty tiger as Gendo Ikari takes their striking position and pounces from the first, grim-stricken seconds of Unit 1, the band’s 2016 release that is no longer than ten-minutes. The impervious nature of the record is unaffected by what surrounds Gendo Ikari, as they are wrapped tightly in a veil of fire that is set ablaze by the unfiltered instrumentation and vocals. It takes on the spirit of vengeance as Gendo Ikari becomes the embodiment of anguish through, “Assistance”, the first deep-cut off of Unit 1 that hits and delivers heavily on the frantic nature of noise. Gendo Ikari is almost agonizing to listen to in long-term and each track feels more weighted than the last. It is the sudden burst of energy that kicks the listener down and becomes an atrocity exhibition of rampaging walls of sound, that just continue to constrict and constrict.
Gendo Ikari is a different breed of animal that shows very little remorse when it comes to break-downs and the second track of Unit 1, “Categorised” is another simple account of assault on the listener but follows moments of rhythm where the band lets the instruments become less like a hammer coming down, and more like a train that focuses on a continuation of one, unified sound. It is not until the bitter bass lines of “Epitome” is there a slowed approach to the madness. It is the closest thing to having a break from the almost devastating and pulverizing crushes that Gendo Ikari calls the tracks. Unit 1 is best listened to as a single, long, drawn-out journey of tracks that are put together as a single collection.
From start to finish, Gendo Ikari creates a hellish dive into the deep end of gasoline and lighter fluid where the band just continues to hammer away through punishing instrumentation. The final track, “Politics” is a send-off into the deepest sections where Gendo Ikari acts as the executioner, first beginning with a uprising. The beginning is by no means gentle, but the drum and bass that floods the track is brilliant as it suddenly shifts into second-gear where the growls and howling of the guitars and vocals can appear in a drowned fashion. Then at the midpoint of “Politics”, Gendo Ikari resorts back to their usual style of introducing absolute terror as the track becomes a shouting match from the instrumentalists that fades into the incredibly distant silence.
Unit 1 is a quick disaster that shows itself and disappears in the same short timeframe. It is the sudden punches that make Gendo Ikari a deadly weapon of criminal insult that can not only offend, but can illustrate a sense of real death behind their style.
Listen To Unit 1 Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify
STREAMING // (Album) Drew The Architect – “níghtgÿll”
SESH DOES NOT SLEEP // Listen Here – BandCamp/Soundcloud
STREAMING // (Track) Xavier Wulf – “Check It Out”
Destructive // Listen Here – Youtube
New Music – From The Shadows
Soul in music is as essential as a tempo, and Jackie Shane has more than enough soul to go around for the massive, twenty-five track re-issue of her cult classic Any Other Way. The woman was a visionary in music for her immaculate vocal range and impressive stage performances, but also for being one of the pioneers for transgender artists everywhere. Shane could transform a room into a lightshow of frantic dancing and movement-inducing rock, but then take the sound to a halter and illustrate a true sense of craftsmanship.
From the sudden count off on “Sticks and Stones”, the opening sending anthem from Jackie Shane that is as rambunctious as it is tight musically. The band that jams behind her is smooth, mixed with her impressive voice creates a recipe for perfection. The two entities work together to create instrumental sections of horns that cast large shadows, but never large enough to overpower Shane as she uses her own attitude to fuel the vocal aspect of Any Other Way. It is the sudden jump into the deep end that floods the listener with images of dance halls being grooved to the sound of Shane as she would dress like royalty and deliver a show like no other performer at the time. The rhythm transposes Shane to new heights and through Any Other Way, there is a sense of immense growth throughout the record. It is constantly twisting and turning to become something fresh and interesting at every turn.
The transitions featured on Any Other Way are displays of Shane’s sense of adaptability, as the following self-titled track, “Any Other Way” starts to subtle shuffle into frame, Shane is soft-spoken and acts as a gem in this whirlwind of rainy day sound. The horns are well proclaimed and the percussion takes a step back, letting Shane’s vocals be the centerfold of the track and this is the catalyst for the record to gain its wings and soar. Jackie Shane is such an interesting character both on and off the record, and her mystique is also present in her lyrical style as she explains through sometimes double, or triple-meanings for a glance into her own personal journey.
Her lyrics tell a story, and the instrumentation is so memorable that even after just a single listen, tracks like “In My Tenement”, “Comin’ Down”, “Walking The Dog”, or even “Money (That’s What I Want)”, have incredible catchiness to them. Especially on “In My Tenement” where the grooving instruments are suddenly shining through the darkness of the lyrical themes, but then shifts to showcase a focus on just how Jackie Shane can illustrate a sense of duality in her sound. It can be both depressed, but also full of life and Any Other Way, while being a double album, never shows a sense of acted as too long. The tracks flow well into each other and the new light that is placed on Jackie Shane is well-deserved.
Any Other Way is a delightful showcase of emotional prowess that is transfused into the heart and soul of music. Jackie Shane gives her rhythm a backbone and illustrates a sense of power behind her voice, standing tall among the greats while never casting a large shadow. A cult favorite that shows years after recording Initially, that Jackie Shane can still groove with the heavyweights of music.
Listen To Any Other Way Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
STREAMING // (Track) GRAY/BLISS – “Vice Of Virtue”
Band Submission // Listen Here – Soundcloud
Classic Day – Kings of Controversy
DJ Subroc and Zev Love X were members of the rough cut crew, Kausing Much Damage, or better known formally as KMD. The group was prevalent in the 1990s for their abrasive style of taking their African-American backgrounds and putting them as the foregrounds of their music. It is the reasoning behind their styling’s that led to the shelving of their second studio record, Black Bastards. With the lynched “Sambo” on the front and the depiction of the “BL_CK B_ST_RDS” being labeled underneath in a hangman style, there was enough to shock the record label, along with the heavily sampled use of race-focused clips of movies that explain the modern use of the word nigger, it was hidden from public eye.
Subroc and X made a killer combination that had few ups-and-downs through the recording process and illustrated a real sense of talent behind their craft. They were able to seamlessly blend the lines of harsh and ugly racism with banging hip-hop beats and rhymes that reflected like a mirror on the wall of America and the systematic racism that both parties faced. It is truly where the racism is showcased as where KMD shows their blades and can capitalize on the real awareness of the past. The first track, “Garbage Day #3” is a skit that displays multiple samples that explain how destructive KMD was at the time, and how ominous they were, “Hey you guys should let the cops handle it, if you fight these guys, you’re gonna up in jail,” the instrumental then shifts suddenly into a prejudice territory, “’You black bastards,’…’alright blackie you win,’…’Fuck you nigger’…” it continues to showcase just how ugly the word is and the act of racism that separates and cuts through the instrumental, as a point of explaining just how jarring the systematic and cultural normality’s were at the time and still are. The sampling is perfect however, and X explained that “Sub(roc) did the beat and all the vocal samples. He just happened to stay up all night one time and recorded most of those movie things on there”.
It would be the sampling that would carry the instrumentation and storytelling to new heights with a focus on demonstration through sound. It is a perfect arrangement of just how KMD was an underground hip-hop group that flew under the radar, but made waves with the creation of a sense of healing, but also destruction through wordplay. It is on the following track, “What a Niggy Know?” that has KMD sampling Gylan Kain as he exclaims, “He was a nigger yesterday, he’s a nigger today, and he’s gonna be a nigger tomorrow”. Even as it strikes into a self-aware nerve, Zen Love X describes over a boom-bap styled instrumental, “Finna flip the script like round off summy, yummy to the tooth, bitter to the tummy. Helps keep that monkey shit constipated for me jimmy jimmy rummy”. X then passes the microphone as Subroc slides into frame and spits, “No curls, no braids but steel wood, with my ill style mad G’s I pull. I lay lower than a limbo stick, follow me quick or leave alone a jimbo stick”. It is a courageous nature that stands KMD as a monument in hip-hop history and that beings their work into the foreground with funky instrumentals, but a conscious message to what was happening around them as a social commentary.
It is shown well on the much later-track, “Plumskinnz (Oh No I Don’t Believe It)” where the cheerful instrumental could be used on an episode of something along the lines of Sesame Street, but the sudden bumping percussion that is featured behind the cascading pianos makes for a conflicting way of beauty behind the track. Zev Love X then comes in shortly and explains, “With the innocent fuzz from the peaches says the streets, down low on the down low. I know the right juice from the darkest fruits got roots, mind wandering, mind playin’ tricks”. The use of saxophone and different horns also adds an additional stylish grouping of sound behind KMD as they act as commanders of sound. It relies on the artistic extension of KMD’s DJ Subroc and Zev Love X as the two move like young leaders in the genre.
The unfortunate history of Black Bastards and dark past associated with the record let it never be released on a major label, but hip-hop’s master rhymer MF DOOM picked up the master tapes and eventually released the record years later. DOOM had involvement with the group as Zev Love X and his lyrical style can be showcased as it began to fly into fruition over the years of mastering the craft. DJ Subroc was unfortunately struck by a car back in 1993 where he was killed at the age of nineteen. This marked the end of KMD, but the beginning of hip-hop’s Supervillain.
Listen To Black Bastards Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
STREAMING // (Track) Hodgy – July 4
He Returns // Listen Here – Soundcloud
STREAMING // (Video) Marilyn Manson – “KILL4ME”
I Love You Enough // Listen/Watch Here – Youtube
THIS IS A LIST OF THE MOST RECENT STREAMS...
The complete list of all past streams can be accessed here as well
(Click Here)
MATT'S MUSIC MINE - MERCH FOR SALE
VIDEO REEL 2
LIVE PHOTOGRAPHY – JESUS PIECE AT BABY’S ALL RIGHT, DECEMBER 6TH, 2022
SUNDAY SAMPLER // (Playlist) “12/04/2022″
(Track) Jake Mason Trio – “Rib Eye”
(Video) Lightning Bolt – “Dead Cowboy @ TAICOCLUB 2014”
(Video) The Velvet Underground – “After Hours”
(Video) Mac Miller – “10 Years Of You”
(Video) A$AP Rocky – “Same Problems”
The complete list of all past streams can be accessed here as well
(Click Here)