Home Alone

Kids!


Good evening.


I've spent my share of time writing about the heavy weights of Minneapolis music. To refocus the aim I want to spread the good word about my favorite underground cat, Homeless. Born and bred in Minnesota, Homeless has been grinding away in the underground, making a name for himself battle by battle, track after track, show after show and killing it every time.

I knew Homeless back when he was getting started with the Slam Poetry scene and quickly standing out in a crowd of verbose and dynamic kids. When he combined his powers, Voltron-style, with Just Riley they started playing shows under the name Mnemosyne. Having seen them grow from the smallest venues as openers to seeing them become headliners it's been a blast to have seen the growth first hand. Naturally I was thrilled to learn the duo would be releasing their own mixtapes, Just Riley's Kids Eat Free and Patience Makes Lighter from Homeless. The way these two play off each other's style is nothing short of perfect, their voices and inflections filling the gaps and hitting the pockets they leave with a deft delivery. 

Countless videos have been documenting the process Homeless is taking with his craft, whether its shutting down his peers in Grindtimenow battles, dropping new verse after new verse over whatever he can or even taking one-trick-pony Asher Roth down a peg. To watch Homeless in action is a strange thing - he's a man with ideas and lines that are so grand in design they almost seem to escape him, only for the mc to wrap it up in a finish so harsh and well constructed you think back to how he got there and you marvel to yourself. His passion and venom for the perils of society keep him on the brink of teetering out of control, yet he never loses his cool and always speaks from the heart. Take the response to Asher Roth - Homeless was frustrated with the vapidity and mental indifference of the one-hit wonder. The track he released about it speaks volumes for his devotion to hip hop and how seriously he takes every opportunity. The battles he takes part in almost feel like they're too one-sided as he picks apart his competitors piece by piece. 

This is not to say he's your typical angry-at-the-world, thinking man's rapper. There's a positive air and optimism you rarely find in his line of work. Take for example his video, directed by Drew Carlson, for the Man Manits-produced 'Rest In Peace'. It has the old-time sunshine of Motown hits combined with Homeless' insightful, introspective rapping. How many rappers do you know that can start off a hook with the words "Pardon me..." and still feel like they're speaking a raw, honest truth? There's a line in the track that speaks volumes about his style and mindset - "The line between a sigh and a deep breath is patience". It not only reminds me of times I've lost my cool, but adds another layer to the title of his mixtape. The patience can make us lighter if we want our to ease our burdens.


I can't say enough good things about Homeless and his endearingly weary optimism. Check out his twitter feed for the occasional burst of encouragement or a reminder not to be hollow. Stay tuned for my first ever Q&A with Homeless, which will be posted tomorrow. You check out his vids and listen to Patience Makes Lighter and come back tomorrow - get to know the rapper in depth.

The Other White Album

Evening, cats.


I'm not gonna go crazy with content tonight, as tomorrow will be the first part of a larger concept posting that I want to do with the proper care and not as an off-the-cuff, exhausted-as-I-type-this sort of thing. Cause I am. What I am feeling like doing is taking a look back at one of Atmosphere's best records, in my opinion. I know I could take flack for it, but I love Seven's Travels.

Released in 2003, I didn't really get into the album until the end of my spell in college. My better half picked it up and let me rip it before she left town for summer classes out of state and I ended up putting it on the hard drive of my well worn Xbox. So while I would spend lazy summer nights playing Tony Hawk games and sipping beer, waiting for friends to get off construction work, I heard this album on a pretty frequent loop. Something about it hooked me and I can't quite put my finger on it. I know a lot of rap heads dismiss it as the back packer album or the subtle subterfuge of emo into indie rap, but I really don't care. It would seem that the people who spend so much time debating the purity of one genre of music or artist's work might take less enjoyment in it as an experience. Basically instead of complaining about sell outs of change in styles, maybe we should try to be less uptight and appreciate the artistic endeavor for what it is - an artist making art, be it visual, aural, sensory or taste related.


But I digress.


Similar to how Doomtree showed me that music can be a completely self driven, DIY affair, this album showed me that not all rap is of the kind news-anchors make dire warnings about. No violence, no gun play, no excess. Sure, Slug writes about women, but that's the thing - it's about women, not derogatory terms we use to subjugate them. He approaches his songs with humor and intelligent insight, tackling any topic he feels necessary. 'Trying To Find A Balance' is a fantastic track about just that - finding a medium in our contradictory culture. I adore the snapping chords that Ant used to create 'Reflections'. 'Gotta Lotta Walls' has this dizzying, disorienting sense of whipping your head around to grab perspective. One of my favorite tracks, 'The Keys of Life Vs. 15 Minutes of Fame', has a this crazy, peppy little sample that scrapes along, making you nod your head in time. 'Apple' feels like a modern version of a Motown track filtered through Slug's peculiar vision. The 8-Bit roar of 'Cats Van Bags' introduced me to the wonderful and massive Brother Ali. 'Shoes' is a simple yet classic hip hop track built around a drum loop and little else, showing Slug's verbal dexterity and sense of humor. And of course, how can I write about this album without mentioning 'Say Shh', about my home state of Minnesota.

I know it's got a reputation for being one of Atmosphere's less respected albums due to its appeal to mall kids, but I really don't care - I love the sound structure and feel to it all at the same time. It reminds me of that last, glorious gasp of a college summer and the fun times I had. If the sun shines this summer, put on Seven's Travels.

Product Placement

Word.


Saturday.


Memorial Day Weekend.


Forgive the brevity of the post, there's been life and wedding planning intervening in my writing schedule. That's not an excuse of any kind, just insight into my world.


You might know that last week I spent the better part of 1000 words extolling the virtues of Galaxy Farm and the music they make. Additionally I made it perfectly clear that I have a relative in the band, which should not (but probably does) affect my objectivity. Today, for Movie Week, I thought "The hell with objectivity" and decided to spread the good word about something I took part in two summers ago. That something?


Wasted On The Young.


Set in the Twin Cities, the movie was written and produced by some of my closest friends, including (but not limited to): Evan Drolet Cook, Riley Lang and Joseph Voelbel. Starring lots of local fresh faces and veterans of the industry, the movie is essentially about a group of young 20-somethings over the course of a summer and the effect that one of the friends learning to drive has on the entire group. It also features a small role played by me, in my limited capacity as an actor. Having seen snippets of the film, I can tell you that I expect great things from it, as it proves to be damn funny and even, dare I say, touching at times. Yes, I do dare say it. But it's the good kind of touching, not the bad kind your parents warned you about.

Here's the best part - not only can you see the trailer for Wasted On The Young here, you can buy some of the few remaining tickets to the premier at Trylon Microcinema June 1st and 2nd here. Unfortunately both 7pm shows are completely sold out, but there are a few left for the 9pm showings. Even better, if you can't make it to one of the theatrical showings, the movie will be available on the website for downloading DIRECTLY TO YOUR COMPUTER FOR HOME-VIEWING for a mere 99 cents! How bananas is that? I think that's a hell of a deal for a locally made movie.

Do yourself a favor and get on board the Wasted On The Young bandwagon before buzz catches on and you're the last to see it. I guarantee you'll find something to laugh at, even if it's something so simple as a movie being shot entirely on VHS. You heard me right.


See it. Live it. Love it.


BYOB.

Getting Clearer

Evening, all. 

I wrote a post about P.O.S. in the midst of my weeklong Doomtree Diatribe back in March. While I was advocating for people to give some of his earliest work a listen, now that he's built up a catalog and some national press, there is a secret, even earlier album that predates anything he did with Doomtree. I only found out about it because someone else tipped me off to it, but it's kind of a cool thing to hear. Not unlike my love letter to a one-shot band the other day, today's post is on the sole release from long-gone rap group Cenospecies, of which P.O.S. was a core member. 

The album, titled In Definition, was released in 2002. It was hailed by the Citypages as the best album from a band that broke up that year. While it's a bit uneven and raw, its still a fun hip hop record that showed hints of what lay in store for the future indie-rap dynamo. Composed of rappers P.O.S. and Syst, along with producer DJ Anomaly (real name Jason Heinrichs), the group created a sound that was loose and free-flowing, almost to a fault. The beats, at times, feel undefined or somehow vague, like the creative process was kind of slap-dash. Even so, the album has a unique sound that isn't in line with much P.O.S. has done since, which is understandable considering how early in his career it was. The whole thing feels more like a love letter to hip hop than a debut album from a rap crew. Establishing this sense of affection for the art form, the opening lines to the first track see P.O.S. rapping "All right, hip hop, its that music from downtown, that nitty-gritty sewer shit, making people move like epileptic fits to hip hop, rhythms that make the shows stop and mouths drop, make you throw a brick at a cop, I can't explain the way I feel about it, I can't explain the way the love and hate can't complicate the elements, can't deal without it." 

There are constant references on the album to not just rapping but graffiti and turntables and mics, as though the whole point of the album was a meta-concept, rapping about rapping. At least it wasn't misogynistic or about crime sprees, but with P.O.S. at the mic that was never even a consideration. He's clearly the stronger of the pair on record, here, as Syst comes across as feeling unnatural or not at ease with his delivery. P.O.S.'s style is in its early stages, still, but feels like he's a natural even at this point in his career. Sure, his rapping on some tracks like 'Complex Decline' can feel rushed and unfocused, but then on a tune like 'Local Anesthetic' it feels like he locks right into the pocket. Like any rap album, there are guest spots here and there, and like this album's reputation for being a harbinger, so are the guests. There's nigh-unrecognizable acappella track courtesy of fellow Doomtree Crew member Mike Mictlan, sounding (of course) younger and less polished, but its clear he already was a force to be reckoned with. Another sporadic Doomtree collaborator, Crescent Moon of Kill The Vultures and Roma Di Luna, makes an appearance with an incredibly funny and clever verse on 'Aristotle Waddle'.

   Like I wrote above, the only reason I even found out about this album was because someone else tipped me off to its existence. The people who turned me on to Doomtree, who in some cases were on friendly terms with them, never even mentioned this album. It's a footnote, really. Just a long-forgotten predecessor to what would become the best rap crew in modern hip hop, a forerunner that bore many of the stylistic markings and a few of the same voices. It really is only fun to hear if you're well familiar with the current state of Doomtree and where they've come from, otherwise this sole album by Cenospecies is a fairly unremarkable affair. It really only comes to life on about half the tracks, but when it does you can see the spark of talent just starting to glow. 

Multiple Incarnations

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the weekend.


It's also cold and rainy, but given our spring this year that's no surprise.


What is a surprise is Toussaint Morrison. This local rapper/musician is stunningly talented and ready for big things. 


I had been attending shows by some friends of mine (relevant post pending) who were repeatedly splitting the bill with Morrison, who would perform under alternating incarnations - either with his backing band The Blend or as a member of Lazlo Supreme. Either way, it was impressive stuff, the kind of music where you sit up and take notice. It's saying something when you are going somewhere to see your friends and another act starts to really draw your attention, and Toussaint Morrison has done just that. 

Harnessing the energy of his splintered personalities, Morrison handles the mic with a deftness and dexterity few emcees possess. His wordplay is complex and free flowing, working with the music rather than against it. Unlike a lot of the rappers who only wish they could, Morrison can carry a tune as well, so his hooks and performances have a greater range than your average hip hop show. His energy and professional craftsmanship are of the caliber that when you find yourself greeting friends and reconnecting, one of his songs will start and everyone stops what they were doing to watch the stage. When the beats start to bang your head starts to nod, instinctively. I had seen Toussaint Morrison perform a handful of times when, during one of his sets, I turned to a friend and realized aloud "Damn, he's really good, isn't he?" I got a knowing nod and grin in response. Imagine my excitement, then, when Morrison started tweeting about the release of his excellently overwhelming mixtape Toussaint Morrison Is Not My Homeboy.


Spanning 12 tracks and running a breathless, relentless 45 minutes, the mixtape is a series of genius samples and intricately worded lyrics, courtesy of Morrison and partner in crime Dr. Wylie. In the first track alone I caught references to subjects close to my heart like Left 4 Dead, Suicide Booths, Streets of Rage, Hand Over Fist, Zelda and Hyrule, all followed by a chip-tuned outro to the song. I have to admit, I'd heard the track live and it bangs, no doubt. But to hear the words so clear as to realize all the references he'd been making, it made my head explode at his wit and pop-cultural name-checks. An entire track devoted to exploring the themes of Marvel's Civil War? Done. A come-and-get-it confrontational about Street Fighter? Yup. Nerd love aside, the guy writes lyrics that are heartfelt and honest, as well, like on the sentimental 'Lady & The Vamp' which makes great use of a Passion Pit sampling. Other tracks use great source material as well, like Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand. Seriously, trying to unpack this dense mixtape is like playing spot-the-reference, not just in lyric but music as well.

Check out Toussaint Morrison's free mixtape here, and peep the video for the excellent 'Walk Thru The Wall' here. The artist also keeps a blog of his thoughts and writings here. If you have a chance to see the man live, do yourself a favor and go! His live shows hooked me, they'll get you too.

Music By Numbers

Saturday evening post, again.


Here I sit, freshly stuffed full of peanut butter pretzels, an off kilter end to a mini grill-session that involved one too many brats. Family came into town last week to hit the Dakota Jazz Club and we got to talking about jazz we knew and loved. A consensus among my generation of the family was a love of Minneapolis natives The Bad Plus. 


To my chagrin I had no idea they originated here. I simply stumbled across the album These Are The Vistas when my younger brother left it in his CD player he kept in the bathroom at my parents house. I was home on holiday from college and thought I'd play some tunes while getting ready for the day. Two tracks into the album and I had to pop open the tray to see who it was that sounded so good. Just a burned CD with Rudiger's handwriting scrawled across it, the name of the band and title of the album. While I had been more into punk and emo at the time, Rudiger was a big jazz fan, playing drums in his school's top rated jazz ensembles and flat-out being the best drummer I've ever had the fortune of playing with (sorry, Dan Olson, Rudiger wields more ferocity). Later that day I pestered him into burning me a copy to take back to my apartment in the Twin Cities. 

The Bad Plus are a trio of talented and unconventional musicians from the Twin Cities who had known each other and played together for years but only formally formed the group in 2000. After a well received debut album, they released my favorite of their albums, These Are The Vistas, in 2003. Since then they've gone on to release five more albums, each one receiving more critical and commercial acclaim. They command top dollar on tour, they've played atypical forums such as (the now defunct) Late Night with Conan O'Brien and have pretty much established a rocknroll reputation for what outsiders perceive as too intellectual or too stiff and stuffy. The Bad Plus are highly, highly regarded for their intelligence and insight in the music world, which might put off your more casual listener who'd rather listen to mindless, indulgent drivel. Believe me, I can get behind drivel - just look at some of my old posts. But a lot of people dismiss jazz like this for being to in-its-own-head to be enjoyed.


Nuts to that.


These guys are phenomenal. They swing. They hammer. In essence, they rock. This particular album features not only a gorgeous version of Aphex Twin's 'Flim', a hurtling, frenetic take on the Blondie single 'Heart of Glass' but also a bizarre, brooding take on Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' that actually is pretty interesting to hear. As great as these tongue-in-cheek covers are, though, their real meat is their original material. I am absolutely enamored to this day with the first track on the album, the ominous and dark 'Big Eater'. I love the dynamics, the ups-and-downs of it, the back and forth verve of the whole song. They're in great form here. 

Other albums have great things to offer, as well. More brooding and off kilter energy. Pixies covers. An album all about Prog Rock. You name it. I think as far as jazz goes, these guys are my far-and-away favorites, especially of this modern day. Give a listen and see if it doesn't hook you.

TV Time

Well, well, well. Look at what we have here.

Another Friday afternoon. How nice.

Instead of haranguing you about some album you absolutely must listen to or complaining about Minnesota's Worst Spring, I thought I'd give a bit of advice in case your Friday night isn't as kind, weather wise, as mine is. If you're stuck inside or unable to go out and cause a ruckus why not unwind with one of the funniest shows to come from my home state? You see, kids, I was raised in the pre-millennial era, a heady time of unchecked cultural development that some are quick to dismiss as a painful, awkward time in the life of modern thinking. Many cringe when they think back to things that were popular at the time - Blossom, Milli Vanilli, Family Matters. It's okay, you don't have to feel bad, I was there too. I watched Captain Planet and American Gladiators. But while there were the shows about which we all have a wince and a laugh, there was one show I laughed at then and still do today.

Cable was a vast, untamed landscape that exposed my pre-adolescent mind to all sorts of things, from the dreary (or so I thought) PBS to the debauched (so I thought) MTV. A little fledgling network, though, laid the groundwork for the development of my sense of humor almost as much as The Simpsons did. Comedy Central was, at the time, just a random, insignificant channel on the spectrum. Instead of the force of nature it is today, back then it was a lot of British imports like Absolutely Fabulous and Whose Line Is It Anyway interspersed with stand-up specials and reruns of Dr. Katz. What stood out, though, what really hooked me, was a strange show that seemed to show a lot of bad science fiction. Like, the worst they could find. And they just bagged on it.

It was sublime. 

It was Mystery Science Theater 3000, hailing from my home state of Minnesota's cable access channel.

Joel, a sleepy maintenance man for Gizmonic Institute, had been kidnapped by his evil bosses Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank and shot into space to be a prisoner aboard the Satellite of Love. The extent of the experiments being performed on Joel amounted to being shown cheesy sci-fi movie as the terrible twosome monitored his mind. Joel, wanting some company if he had to endure such terrible films, ended up using the parts that control when the movies start and stop to construct some robot friends. Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow all coexisted with Joel, providing his only emotional support as they sat through film after film of absolute schlock. That sound too absurd? Here, maybe it's more palatable as a theme song. 

Having no access to the burgeoning internet, I basically stumbled onto the show and was initially puzzled. What was this? Why the silhouettes on the bottom of the screen? Soon, though, I was in love. This show was genius! As the trio riffed on the movies and just made jokes over bad films, my sense of humor (and snark) came to form. Pithy, witty banter, all at the sake of someone's hard (but poorly executed) work. Awful science fiction movies from the 50s through the modern era, just piled up and mocked, along with the occasional short to pad out an hour. This is the show that made Manos, The Hands of Fate famous! While the movies were train-wreck affairs, the kind of stuff you just couldn't look away from, the shorts were my favorite - often they were the hopelessly dated and out of touch educational films from the 50s and 60s, the kind of stuff with a family of characters all referred to as "Mother", "Father", "Sister" and "Brother". I may not have gotten all the jokes, not even being in my teens at the time, but I was constantly in stitches, absorbing every wise-crack and non-sequiter.

 What makes these fond recollections even better for me is that they still hold up as hysterical. I had *ahem*...downloaded...a few in college and my friends and I watched them obsessively. Having found them on Netflix is even better, knowing there's no danger of viruses or bad files. There's an insane amount of content available and this way you don't have to shell out quite as much as if you bought the whole DVD collection. Even though the show ended years ago, two different factions of cast and crew have been continuing in the riffing tradition, skewering modern and classic selections. Check out the sites for Cinematic Titantic and Rifftrax to see what is available - you just download the track, sync it up with your TV and voila! New material! As I said, if you're trapped inside tonight check out the joys of skewering bad content. Hopefully you're as amused as I continue to be! 

Local Love

Holy Hannah, people.


Super warm today.


Like, warm enough that there are real threats of thunder storms and bad weather. I love storms. Can't get enough of it. As long as it doesn't interfere with grilling, then it's all gravy. Spent the weekend getting things done. Paperwork, errands, cleaning, all that jazz. Spent last night watching Shaun of the Dead and poking around on my iPad. Fun way to watch movies, felt like I was researching it the whole time. But that's beside the point. The point, dear readers, is that you need, I mean NEED to know about Doomtree. These local musicians are masters at what they do. I went so far as to spend an entire week just breaking down their members and respective releases, all the while barely scratching the surface on what this amazing rap crew has accomplished. Talented to unfathomable depths, they comprise the best and brightest Minneapolis has to offer. Check out these posts to get a rough idea of who they are and what they've done:


Hand Over Fist - The unstoppable duo that is Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak.
Ipecac Neat - A look back at the rise of P.O.S. and his debut album.
Sims' False Hopes 14 - The stealth release of a fantastic artist whose ethic is relentless.
Dessa's Scattered Interlude - An examination of the literary genius of song-smith Dessa Darling.
Rebel Yellow Deluxe - How multiple versions of Cecil Otter's superb 2nd album makes an interesting extended mix.
DJ for MCs - The sublime nature of Paper Tiger's False Hopes and why it moves me.
Meatcleaver + Shotgun - MK Larada's Break In Two and some other details of the crew's work.
Affiliyated - A look into Doomtree's re-grinds on the mind-blowing Gayngs album Relayted. Read it.


Thus ended the week-long Doomtree Diatribe. They're abosolute favorites of mine, whose work and crazy live shows I evangelize to any and all who will listen. They made a massive splash at SXSW this year and now Dessa and Sims are embarking on a national tour, so be sure to check them out. I'm gonna cut here, as the temp has dropped a solid 15 degrees and I have a dinner to grill. Gotta beat the rain, son. Shrimp's waiting.

Local Rappers Understand Internet

Happy Friday. 

Another week down. Still cold, still Minnesota in spring. 

After the week long Doomtree Diatribe I thought I would stick to the same genre, if switching gears only slightly. While it's not Doomtree, it is more excellent music from Minneapolis, namely the legendary rap group that is Atmosphere and a free bit of genius they put out that deserves a little attention. While the back story to what I'm going to write about is simply too involved and detailed to belabor you with in a single post, I'll try to summarize as best I can if you're not familiar with Atmosphere and the corollary Rhymesayers Entertainment. So here goes... 

Slug, real name Sean Daley, formed a rap group called Urban Atmosphere in the mid-to-late 90s. Through its various permutations and name changes, the only members to stay together were rapper Slug and producer/turntablist Ant (Anthony Davis). After the release of the first official Atmosphere album, the only other member at the time, Spawn, left the group. This album, Overcast!, established their sound and put them on the map as a legit rap group from Minnesota. The release of progressively better and wider reaching albums (Lucy Ford, God Loves Ugly, Seven's Travels) saw them increasing their stamp on the local music scene as well as gaining recognition on a national level. Rhymesayers Entertainment, what is considered to be the most significant musical presence in MN (Prince excluded), was founded early after the group's formation, due to the frustrations Atmosphere and fellow musicians Brent Sayers and Musab  Saad were experiencing with studios. The four partners established their label became the imprint through which Midwest hip hop would make its presence felt. 

At this point (2005) Atmosphere released their fifth album, You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having, and Rhymesayers had gained enough steam to not only have their own shop in Uptown but national distribution and critical appreciation for their artists. The two were institutions of the city - for someone like myself, who entered college at the turn of the century, it seems like they've always been around. It seems I can't paint a serious enough picture to give credit to the accomplishments these connected entities have made. Point is, they were intertwined and doing really, really well. Releasing albums and EPs at a seemingly breakneck pace, Atmosphere was certainly a prolific group. Imagine our surprise, then, when this gifted duo put out a free album of new tracks for online distribution. 

Titled Strictly Leakage, the album was a savvy move on Atmosphere's part. Unlike other artists that shall remain nameless, this was not some one-off, blow off some steam in the studio affair. Nor was it just old demos that had been unfit for other projects. No, this was a brand new album with freshly written tracks, any one of them sounding right at home in the expansive Atmosphere catalog. Rhymesayers deserves just as much credit for this move - they were not only putting out an album that was fantastic but ahead of the curve. They'd seen what direction the wind was blowing, that people don't buy albums much these days, let alone a hard-copy CD. They were aware of the massive amounts of piracy going on, so why not cut out the middle man and just offer the content themselves. After all, how many of us, in the heady, Wild West days of Napster, downloaded horrible, millionth generation mp3s that sounded like tin can rips? By offering their own content with high quality files Rhymesayers proved to their audience and the internet that they understood how the game was changing. Smart people. 

The album itself, complete with new artwork and all that, is great. It feels like a legit rap album, just more of Atmosphere doing their thing. 'YGM' opens the album with anthemic, old school horn samples and Slug rapping "This is Sean & Ant's day, yours is on the floor with your permanent mad face." 'Little Math You' has Slug defending the suburban crowd, extemporizing on how the passion for the rap game exists within the person, regardless of geographic origin. One of my favorite cuts on the album is also the shortest. Clocking in a just over a minute and a half, 'Jewelry' is a goofy, funky exercise in Slug reminiscing while maintaining his braggadocio about "rocking some moon boots" doing the MC Hammer pants and doing the flashdance. It's weird and awesome at the same time. 'Crewed Up' has some of the best from Rhymesayers making appearances and spitting verses at each other, including heavy hitters Brother Ali, Toki Wright and Mujah Messiah. 'Domestic Dog' sees Slug in his observant/writer's style, musing about having to pick up women at the grocery store these days. It's kinda funny, in a harmless way.

While the songs may not be the absolute best the duo have released, they're still great, dance-able tracks. The album is great for summer barbecues; it has a great positive vibe, veering slightly away from Atmosphere's introspective or bleak canon. What really gets me though, is the method of distribution - years later, its still hosted on the Rhymesayers site. Head on over and pick it up to see what you missed the first time around.

Meat Cleavers & Shotguns

This is it, kids. End of the line.

Day 7 of the Doomtree Diatribe. I've covered the MC's and some of their best, if under-appreciated, releases. I've covered their devoted, multi-talented producers and beat makers. It's been fun rehashing their awesome body of work - I was introduced to their sound back in 2005 and they've accomplished tons and tons since then. They are the definition of hometown heroes, here in Minneapolis. They're a talented crew of devoted, boundary-pushing artists who grind away daily for the love of it, while inspiring the next generation to do something meaningful with their lives. To atone for the over-the-top sycophantic nature of that last sentence, let's take a step back and look at some tangential material, shall we? Just some details to round out the week, to ease off the medication, so to speak.

First up would be the excellent dance mix put out by waning member Marshall Larada, 'Break In Two'. Larada, known for his production and design skills, was at one time a formative and core member of the group, having taken a step back from heavy performance as of late. Released at shows and online, the album is, on the surface level, breakdancing music. Just a series of infinitely danceable beats designed to keep you going. Beneath that, though, is the reality - Larada designed an album of samples and beats from his childhood through modernity and it works as great party music. If you read yesterday's post on Paper Tiger's False Hopes, this plays the flip side to that expectation. You expect straight-up dance tracks, you get good times and mash ups and mixes galore. Pick it up and pop it in on a sunny Saturday while you cruise around the lakes this spring. 

Next up - the massive amounts of media the crew maintain on their site. Obviously in this digital age, the game has completely changed - MTV is almost entriely irrelevant to widestream publicity and radio is desperately trying to catch up to the shifting landscape. Doomtree's site has selected tracks to check out, as well as a collection of videos and shorts that are too numerous to list off here. Particular highlights, though, include their non-rap material. Turns out when some really smart musicians try their hand at humor it can really pay off. Check out their insane 'As Seen On TV', which sees the crew through the hyper-real filter of the TV junket. Others include the group of videos showing just how hard the crew is working. Check 'em out, they're good. On top of it, they have their bonafide videos available, as well. While they're all great, be sure to take a look at some of the best they've done, including clips for:

Half-cocked Concepts
Purexed
Optimist
Prizefight
Gameover
Dixon's Girl
Drumsticks
Traveling Dunk Tank
Burn It Down
One Dimensional Man 

One final note, probably most important of all. Sims is in the midst finishing a never ending tour in support of his phenomenal Bad Time Zoo and Dessa just announced her first headlining tour across the nation. If there is any chance that you could see either of these two when they come to your town, for the love of all that is good and sacred, go see them. They have phenomenal live energy and beats that make you move whether you want to or not. I did this week long series of posts because I wanted to do justice to their music and passion instead of a single blog post. Now I realize I could do this for every release they put out - they're that good. I'm sure other releases and events will warrant more posts, but in the meantime I got to evangelize about my favorite hip hop artists. Just glad to know other people appreciate them like I do.

Man On The MAke

Oh man. Snow storm again. It's late March, though. Won't last long.

In the meantime - we press on.

Doomtree Diatribe, day 6. In which we study Paper Tiger's first solo endeavor.

Paper Tiger, if you've ever had the good fortune to catch a Doomtree show in person, is the guy behind the turntables with the shades and (most often) cocked ball cap. As the group's resident graphic artist and turntable extraordinaire, Paper Tiger has had a guiding hand in both the sound and literal vision of the crew. Many of the designs for album artwork and T-shirts has come from Papes, as has some of the best cuts the rappers have performed over. Another Hopkins alumni, Paper Tiger knew the establishing members way back when, working early on with P.O.S., Mictlan and MK Larada when the group was just getting started. Taking residence in the legendary Doom house where the collective resided, Paper worked diligently at the boards and computer, honing his skills and mastering his craft. Whereas fellow DJ/P.O.S. touring support Turbo Nemesis would display a more aggressive, in-your-face approach, all chopped guitar riffs and slamming drums, Paper Tiger ran his table with more subtlety and bounce, showing his artistic approach to the musical space in which he worked. His creations were distributed throughout the crew and he often played behind the Doom crew at full shows, sharing responsibilities with Lazerbeak.

After years of supporting the amazing rappers and DJ'ing hundreds of shows (possibly more, I can only attend so many), Papes was ready to take the next step. At the 3rd annual Doomtree Blowout he released his first solo effort, titled False Hopes, naturally. The EP belies the normal conceptions one would have of a hip hop producer. Then again, if you've been paying attention, the Doomtree crowd are no strangers to defying expectations. Where as some DJ's could easily be pigeonholed into repetitive trance numbers or soulless samples, Paper Tiger displayed a real sense of creation and nuance in his work. While it is no doubt fantastic, powerful stuff on record, little of it would be appropriate for a nightclub or dance party. Actually, scratch that. If you're looking for incredible mood music for cocktails with friends or a chill house party, this EP is perfect. I find myself thinking of this gem as a soundtrack for life. What Papes has done here is boil down all the swagger and energy of his live shows and filter it through the vibe of his graphic designs. It's the audio equivalent to a chef's reduction - slowly simmering the ingredients down to their essence in a concentrated form. It just so happens that the artist in question is working with a full lab of equipment and a unique sensibility that sets him apart from the rap community.

The EP winds up the opening number with a snippet of live sounds in the intro. You can hear Sims talking to the crowd as Papes lays down some funky guitar chords over a sleepy dance beat. We quickly switch gears when heading into 'The Random'. The song is the first real indication of Paper Tiger's curious perspective and predilection for dark sounds and almost contemplative beats. The mood stays fairly consistent when moving to the next song, 'Cannonade'. It's a similarly somber, moving piece that features fluttering, almost broken snares beneath tweaked vocal samples. 'MAke-MAke' is just as moving, if set apart due to it's beautiful yet simple piano element. This track is my favorite off the EP - it's a gorgeous, slightly out of key affair that feels just a bit melancholic while uniting a group of disparate elements under one roof. This song shows how Paper Tiger's hip hop expertise matches up so perfectly with the ambient and atmospheric aspects of his work. It's quite affecting. The short, nary-a-minute long interlude that follows is also fantastic; I just wish it was fleshed out into a full song! It's a funky little ditty that would serve as a great backdrop for hep-cat spy caper film. 'Singer' is another moving piece that sets an evocative tone with it's bleak intro of only moving water and acoustic guitars. 'Send Help' is equally despondent but creates a more lush landscape, the wailing tones sounding like a winding-down distress call. I love this song almost as much as 'MAke-MAke'. Again, it's a wonder this is coming from the same producer who collaborated on the frantic and furious 'Game Over' with Mike Mictlan, easily the highlight of the crew album. The final track on the EP, the despondent 'Speedmetal', features the only true vocals, courtesy of the inimitable Dessa. It's serene in it's loneliness.

Really, this short, amazing EP is all killer, no filler. Unfortunately it would be two full years before Paper Tiger would release his debut solo album, Made Like Us. But that's a post for another day. I wanted to give this EP some love, due to both it's fore-runner status and my personal adoration of the feel and tone. It's an astoundingly well constructed affair that's perfect for a contemplative drive or a sneaking evening of drinks, laid back with swagger. On top of it, the guy makes incredible artwork, much of which we see without knowing it's his creation. Paper Tiger's talent apparently knows no bounds, so watch for your job if you see him around your office. He may just take yours to get some artistic insight.   

Segue Way

It's raining, of course. It's March in Minnesota, so it's actually a nice change from snow. It cleans the streets and melts the snow berms, so I will gladly take it.

While I am enjoying the distraction of the weather, it's time I press on with Day 5 of the Doomtree Diatribe. Today's post won't just focus on the dusty guitars and rattling drums with which Cecil Otter supports his brilliance, it will also highlight a secret, mega album you can assemble Voltron-style via playlists. I'm gonna be a jerk and just assume you're using iTunes, but that's my choice, not yours, so you don't have to get in a twist about it. Point is, we can play cut and paste. But let's take a closer look at the contemplative poet, the George Harrison of the Doomtree crew - Cecil Otter.

Cecil Otter is another longtime Minneapolis resident, having met fellow founder P.O.S. in high school. In between skateboarding sessions he and P.O.S. got acquainted, beginning to make music shortly after. As I mentioned in the post about P.O.S. they collaborated often in their early endeavors, splitting EPs and producing beats for each other. When it came time for Cecil to do proper albums he not only enlisted former members MK Larada and Beautiful Bobby Gorgeous, but ended up creating his own as well. Cecil Otter's False Hopes served as a fantastic first album, establishing the palate with which he paints his soundscapes. Using a liberal amount of slowly creaking drum beats and broken-machine sounding samples, Cecil created a slew of wonderfully off-kilter and laid back songs, such as the epic one-two opening salvo of 'Atreyu And The Swamps of Sadness' and 'City Girl (Amuse Meant To Get Her)'. They show exactly the kind of art he would create - songs that convey his twisting and cuttingly witty wordplay in the train-hopping drifter attitude.

As any artist can tire of their own repertoire, Cecil Otter set about constructing a new album worth of material from the ground up. In both a surprising but hoped-for move, he also produced the album himself, crafting the songs from the ground up. Every dusty string, every sampled music box - they were all hand picked and arranged by Cecil himself. An advance copy of the album was completed surprisingly quickly and sold at the second annual Doomtree Blowout, held in First Avenue downtown. I was fortunate enough to pick up a copy and was amazed by the growth he displayed on just the advance version of his album. His lines were more intricately written, often times with several running and interlacing similes and metaphors that converge into one brilliant picture. The sparse, laid-back approach was more refined and unified, not simply being low-energy but a low-burning intensity that never loses its momentum. It was, though, an advance, i.e. not what was to be viewed as the final, polished offering. The actual album, Rebel Yellow, would be released just over a year and a half later with a revised track list and re-mastered production. Feeling just a hair more smoothed over and polished around the edges (and a more balanced mix), this version of Rebel Yellow was the proper album. Featuring a few key substitutions in tracks, it felt different than the advance - not worse, just a differing tone and sensibility when listened to straight through. What I began to ruminate on, though, is the merging of the two. 

I'm sure any artist would shudder at what I'm about to propose. No one wants an improperly assembled or illicit version of their work to be in the public spectrum. I understand. So, Cecil - on the off hand chance you read this, I apologize if this irks you, but the temptation was too good to pass up. Here's how it goes:

Take the final track listing for Rebel Yellow and stick it in a play list. Then, taking the tracks from the advance version, fill in the gaps on the official version, interlacing them where they would potentially have lain. There you have an expanded version. Now if you really want to be excessively nerdy take the individual tracks Cecil offered for False Hopes 13 and 15 and pepper those in. What you have, then, is the Voltron-esque Rebel Yellow that contains everything after his last album but before his next official release. A playlist would look something like this:

1999 
Poet is Rapist
Rebel Yellow
Sufficiently Breathless
100 Fathers
Untitled God
Firewalk With Me/Last Archer
The Archer & The Scarecrow
City Girl Prequel
Untitled
Forensics
Beat It Loose
Boxcar Diaries
Down Beast!
Little Demon Girl
Demon Girl
Matchbook Diaries
Le Factuer
Traveling Dunktank
Black Rose
Let Me Tell You
Duel
A Rickety Bridge

I love the idea of cut and paste albums (for evidence see my post on the conspiratorial OK Computer/In Rainbows collection). The resulting product when you make this mega-Otter playlist is a more detailed and fleshed out scene that Cecil may not have intended but illustrates his vision in a unique way. Hearing '100 Fathers' segued into the beginning of the mix gives it a new sense of relevancy to the other songs, like 'Untitled God'. The rawkus 'Black Rose' is a great follow up in and of itself to the single 'Traveling Dunktank'. The progression of the embryonic 'Demon Girl' right next to the finished version plays like a natural growth of a song, showing how ideas change over time. 

Cecil Otter is an unparalleled poet who can create a swirling mass of text around your ears that can make you weep while you raise an eyebrow at his puns. God forbid anyone is ever on the receiving end of his wit - his deftness can insult you without you even realizing it happens. So if you hear a verse about bloggers getting his albums all wrong, remind me and I'll simultaneously hang my head and shrug my shoulders. He's working on a few projects at the moment, in particular a new album and a collaborative effort with Lazerbeak where they swap beats and vocals. Do yourself a favor and keep an ear to the ground. 

Indie Darling

Happy Monday kids, another week to trudge through. 

Today is day four of the Doomtree Diatribe, which brings us to the verbose and loquacious Dessa. Dessa is the slow burning, ascendant member of the group. The only crew member to release a book of fiction, prose and poetry, the excellent Spiral Bound, she is also obviously the only female member as well. But you can tell by which characteristic I mention first is more descriptive of her role in the group. Rather than discussing the role of gender identity in hip hop ad nauseam (of which I'm sure I would do a terrible job) I'd rather spend today examining her methods of expression, which are far more prevalent in her artistic endeavors. While the music world has been abuzz with love for her latest album 'A Badly Broken Code' (and it is fantastic, you should buy it) I'm fascinated by the myriad of cuts that appeared between her first and latest offerings. 

Dessa, whom I'm guessing you already know at least a bit about if you're reading this, is another Minnesota native. Her entry into the rap world was a tentative one, having first sought out slam poetry and meeting members of her first group Medida, fellow artists Ronin and Yoni. While the group performed and recorded some material, they disbanded. When that happened Dessa was introduced to the raw and unfocused energy of Doomtree in its embryonic stage. After the crew had heard her perform and upon hearing of the demise of her group, Dessa was presented with the option of joining the burgeoning rap collective. She quickly said yes. What she brought to the table was a more refined, nuanced method of expression. Where as Mictlan and P.O.S. could volley back and forth on sheer frenetic energy, Dessa coaxed a literary sense of delivery out of the group, falling more into line with Cecil Otter's wordplay and Sims' insightful introspection. Her joining the group both influenced their delivery and writing style and hers.

Her first False Hopes EP shows this more subtle sense of song writing, with tracks like 'Kites' and '551' showing her divergent writing style. The first three tracks on the EP fall more into line with the group's ouvre, though - 'Press On' shows her rapping with the best of them, trading verses with Sims with ease. 'Mineshaft'  was a live staple for years after its release, her descriptive style displaying a depth of introspection rarely seen in the world of hip hop. Unfortunately a full five years would pass before she would offer a proper release. In the meantime, Dessa trickled out choice cuts and guest spots on her crew mates' albums. The Doomtree False Hopes, meant as a teaser before their long-awaited crew album, shows an excellent bit of her writing, the radio-ready 'Veteran'. It's such a great song with pop sensibilities that it's a wonder they didn't release it as a single - it really would sound right at home on any modern station. Knowing the Doomtree ethos, though, that would never happen. 'If And When' is a contemplative tune that almost marches forward with icy keys, a sign of where her album would go.

 When the full crew album finally was released we got a few great cuts from Dessa in particular, including the another team-up with Sims. 'The Wren' shows the two of them crafting a tale of broken hearts and trusts through the longstanding Doomtree bird terminology (a group of crows, etc.). 'Sadie Hawkins' sees her singing playfully over a funky piano beat, breaking into a Spanish rap halfway through the song. A guest spot on producer Paper Tiger's False Hopes EP has her singing in a strange new inflection, the eerie 'Speedmetal' slowly plunking along with haunting samples.  Interstingly, one of the tracks on Paper Tiger did for False Hopes 13 (with the Blowout DVD) later resurfaced with new vocals on top of it. Titled 'The Chaconne', it's a gorgeous, moving song that she has actually been performing with her younger brother accompanying her, as of late. At last year's annual Doomtree Blowout the group released another group False Hopes, this one being number 15(!!!). On it is one of Dessa's best, if over looked, tracks - the manic and confrontational 'Scuffle'. The song bears the unmistakable buzzing and stuttering guitars of a beat made by fellow MC P.O.S., and the soundscape created does indeed feel like a scuffle. Dessa displays some engaging and genuinely amusing rapping over the scrambled beats.

I'm just as fascinated by these scattered offerings as I am her staggeringly good album. Like I said, it's no surprise at all she gets such massive amounts of press when considering how talented she is, in particular the out-of-time and refreshingly genuine 'Dixon's Girl'. The video is an amazing piece as well. Still, I love that such a great artist will work to give her audience a fix, offering the occasional song to bridge the gap between releases. It reflects not only the work ethic but the changing landscape of the recording industry. While the album is still key, these individual tracks serve as a companion piece when compiled together, showing a cohesion of concepts. Dessa is one to keep an eye on, for sure. The national spotlight can't be far away.

Thinking Man's Blues

Good evening, welcome to the end of the weekend!

Additionally welcome to day three of my never ending Doomtree Diatribe. Today we look at the working man's/thinking man's rapper, your favorite bad ass and mine, Sims.

Sims is another Hopkins alumni, having met P.O.S. in high school. After buying beats off him, Sims began recording his music with P.O.S. and soon got rooked into the rap game with the newly emergent elements of Doomtree. Having released his own False Hopes EP early on, the fantastic and now out-of-print False Hopes 4, Sims released his album Lights Out Paris in 2005. Both a damning look into American culture and a call to arms to better our country and lives, the album was a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a man who is both frustrated with the world he lives in while simultaneously tries to improve it in any way possible. The album sees him digging into such diverse yet interconnected topics as the free market society, the daily grind & navigating rush hour, Bush's political landscape and his relationship with his father and the impact it had on him. It's no wonder the album received so many accolades, including the Strib's Best of 2005 list and gathering critical adoration in the online rap community.

 Unfortunately, the demand of both being a human being (working, paying rent, sleeping) and a member of the best damn rap crew around (touring, guesting, working on the highly anticipated crew album) kept Sims from the task of finishing his long awaited follow up, Bad Time Zoo. After all the pieces fell into place, though, it was finally released to the overwhelming approval of the local and national rap community. But while this album has been gathering a huge buzz, both online and via NPR (despite his understandable critiquing) what I find more fascinating is what happened between albums. To satiate the demand for his music and to satisfy his fans, Sims released an EP. Number 14 in the False Hopes canon, his EP is an interesting work in dynamics that really could warrant more love than it gets. Everyone is rightfully stoked about Bad Time Zoo, but we shouldn't forget about the EP that proceeded it.

Bearing beats produced by both members of the crew and a few outsiders, False Hopes XIV is an interesting peak into an artist in flux. At the time these songs were created, Sims was between the fury of his debut and the confidant consternation of his follow up. It essentially afforded the man an opportunity to exorcise some demons with the same demons plaguing the mood of a highly public release. While Lights Out Paris is full of clanging beats and despondent tones and Bad Time Zoo utilizes horns and strings to quantify man's plight, False Hopes XIV is a sparse, almost minimalist affair that serves as a playground for the artist fleshing out his ideas, seemingly painting as he goes. 'Like You Mean It' is a gorgeous, melancholic tune that is a fantastic warm up to the meat of the ten song EP. 'With The Fire In Its Palm' is a foggy, moody song that sees Sims spinning yarns about the people he's known, most movingly that of a soldier "who served and earned a medal - he made it home but the storm never settled". Sims is a man of the people and a heartbreaking story teller, capable of giving you just the right details to hook you in and see a real person in the lyrics. 'T C a G' utilizes a similar sharp piano loop as 'Like You Mean It' and the song shares the somber link of the tone. Showing further dichotomy to the ideas put forth, there are tracks like 'Rap Practice', where Sims shows he can still be playful and loose, not just focusing on societal strife. In it, he raps about jokingly and freely about how his "practice raps are soundin' better than your album tracks". 

There is no doubt that Sims is one of, if not the smartest rappers around. Who else would make a repeating theme, and song, out of citing Kurt Vonnegut's phrase "So It Goes"? He's the kind of man who dissects philosphy between carpentry jobs, seeing the wisdom and application in both. I'm so grateful he's getting the recognition he deserves, now that Bad Time Zoo is out. But while you enjoy his newest release, head over to the Doomtree store and pick up this fantastic, under appreciated EP.