Fresh BusDriver For the End of Summer

BusDriver's back with a new 7" single, released this past Record Store Day. It's a two track single from the Polyvinyl Record Co, a sort of indie hipster label that's taking it's first dip into hip-hop. The title is tastefully abbreviated on the cover as "ATM," but the actual full-length title is revealed on the inside record label: "Ass To Mouth."

Of course, this is BusDriver, so youths expecting a 2 Live Crew-style ditty about their favorite porn move* to shock everyone within hearing range of their school parking lot will be disappointed. But then again, it's still vulgar enough to have the phrase "ass to mouth" be the chorus, so assuming nobody's paying strict attention to the lyrics, it may be close enough.

It's actually a first-person narrative about a celebrity's fickle and ignorant fan-base who never give him a break, with the final twist being that he's as shallow and rotten as anybody in his audience. In other words, the vapid celebrity culture (the mouth) can't stop going on about the stupid shit their dumb stars (the ass) does. At least, that's how I took it.

It's a little harder to pin down the B-side, "Colour Wheel," because he sings on this one (it's as dubious as it sounds), and you can't decipher much of anything he's saying.

Both songs here are produced by Loden, a Belgium producer who 's been putting out spacey electronic music for a while now, and who probably connected with BusDriver through signing with Mush Records. Apparently, Loden will be producing the entirety of Bus's upcoming album (for which this is the opening single), which... after hearing this, I can't say I'm too against. It's all about synths, keyboards and spacey computer sounds - so I definitely suggest heads try before they buy - but I like it. It may not be a preferred style, but I don't think anyone could say that Loden isn't quite expert at playing it. Plus BusDriver's all-over-the-place vocal stylings are able to complement the crazy, rising and falling rhythms like nobody's business. I imagine the catchy chorus (is he doing all the back-up vocals, too? I bet he is) will manage to hook a lot of listeners who don't even generally give hip-hop their ear.

Now, this is limited to 1000 copies, but really... calling any hip-hop vinyl run of 1000 "limited" is a bit of a stretch. I'm sure even the producers behind a Kanye/Outkast split LP wouldn't expect to sell more than a thousand copies of wax to today's audiences. Bit I digress. "ATM" is pressed on a marbleized blue vinyl which matches nicely with the abstract imagery of the picture cover. Polyvinyl must also be commended for the inclusion of a download slip, which allows purchasers to download mp3 versions of both tracks and the cover art from their website when you enter your unique code.

So this is a nice little package, but still pretty much strictly for hardcore collectors rather than general music enthusiasts. For one, because it's a 7" after all; and they just scream novelty collectors' toys - proper releases are 12", damn it. And two, because both of these songs are slated to be on the upcoming album that any fan who's serious enough to consider buying this single will surely be picking up in a month or so when it drops anyway. So hardly essential, but a it's fun, high quality and can be had cheap. Oh, and the actual music's pretty good... at least the A-side.


*Don't bother denying it; I've seen your download history!

Is Hip-Hop Not Crazy Enough for You?

If you ever find yourself lamenting how hip-hop just isn't crazy enough for you, you'll probably be wanting this. This 12" is "Live From Death Row" by Memory Man, the first release on his own label, Angry Bee Records, from 2006. It features BusDriver and MC Paul Barman, and that line-up alone is probably giving you several ideas of what to possibly expect. And they're probably all correct.

Probably the best aspect of this is that it isn't the hopelessly juvenile joke track we've all come to expect from Barman. I mean, yeah, it's jokey and downright silly at times; but instead of the "I'm really bad at sex, ha ha ha" content that made him relatively famous, this song tackles serious subject matter. I don't know if there's really much direct connection to Mumia Abu-Jamal besides the fact that they've used it him as a title source, but this song is about capital punishment and all that entails.

In fact, actually, BusDriver's verse sounds jokier than Barman's. He raps in a confessional style of a victim of rape and incest turned murderer facing his last moments on death row... which I realize doesn't sound funny, but it's packed with lines like, "my last meal consists of chopped liver, pop singers and a chocolate chip cookie." Barman's verse is reminiscent actually of Lateef's verse on "The Wreckoning," where he graphically describes the process of decomposition of the human body. Here, Barman spends much of his time graphically detailing the experience of dying via lethal injection, though he carries it farther, following the prisoner all the way to Hell.

All I can say is that both verses are of the sort that reward repeated listenings, which seem to be fewer and fewer these days. This is enhanced because both MCs rap really fast, over a hyper-kinetic, ever-changing musical bed. The loops are constantly changing and in constant cheery defiance of the subject matter, playing circus horns one second and happy bells the next. You could easily listen to this song a dozen times and have no idea what it was about unless you were paying rapt attention.

The B-side, "Live From Death Row Pt. 2," disappointingly does not feature the MCs from part one. Instead, it's a new beat by Memory Man, covered in vocal samples of various news reports and soundbites about the death penalty. It's interesting, and the music, while decidedly different from the A-side, keeps the notion of pairing energetic, constantly changing up-beat vibes with somber stories of sanctioned death. In fact, Mumia himself is actually sampled at one point, reporting the case of a man convicted in an unjust drug bust. And unlike the first one, this one has a nice breakdown where Memory Man is given a chance to show off his turntable skills. But in the end, it still doesn't have half the appeal of the compelling A-side. Instrumentals for both parts are also included.

There's actually two versions of this 12". It was picked up and rereleased in Europe by Chopped Herring Records, and that 12" includes everything from the original Angry Bee release plus a bonus track. It's an instrumental called "No Smoking In the Gas Chamber," a slower, darker instrumental that still has a catchy upright bass tune and looped vocals telling us "there'll be no smoking in the gas chamber." It's a cool little bonus, but if you've already got the domestic release, this isn't worth going out of your way for. The real gem of this 12" is just the main track - the rest is just extra.

So I wouldn't be too fussed about which version you pick up, but you should definitely pick up some version. Even if you're someone who finds yourself exclaiming, "oh, I HATE Paul Barman" whenever he's brought up, trust me and give this one a chance. It's just a flat-out great, timeless rap song that deserves a lot more recognition than it gets.

Werner's New Music Seminar 2009!

Werner presents his second annual New Music Seminar, where I round up some of my top recommended albums that I've been rocking this lately. I think I'm gonna make this a regular summer tradition - and if you missed last summer's, it's right here.

Blaq Poet - Tha Blaqprint
This is so obvious, I figured I oughta lead with it, just to get it out of the way. I've read the criticisms of this album, and don't really disagree: Premiere is feeling more and more like recycled formula lately; and Poet isn't exactly a mind expanding lyricist. But, still, two dope hip-hoppers came together to make a really good, consistent hip-hop album and they succeeded. Some tracks are high-energy Premo, and others are slower and darker, so it doesn't feel repetitive.

Neila - Better Late Than Never
"Late" is right! At least we had The Convenience Store to tide us over; because it has been far to long since we've had a Neila album. So now, this is not the EP with Vrse Murphy that was talked about some time ago (I guess that's scrapped? I just heard from Vrse; and it's still on! He's been away for a while; but he's back, working on it now); instead this album is produced in its entirety by a new guy named Avatar (except one song, which is co-produced by LifeRexall). But it's as dope as you'd expect from Neila... the album definitely isn't front-loaded with the best material; it gets better as you go on. And Avatar's beats sound more appropriate for when Neila sings (the occasional hook) rather than when raps (when it can get a little flat). But once it gets going, it takes off.

Pace Won - Presents Team Won
Last year Pace was in my NMS and he's back again this year. Every fresh MC should be this prolific. So, yeah, like the title suggests, this is kinda his "weed carriers" album; but fortunately Pace rocks the mic on every single song save one. His crew ain't bad either, the beats are a little more rugged than on his last album (not sure if that means they're better or not - you'll have to call that one yourselves), and there're guest appearances by El da Sensai and fellow former Outsida, DU. Not his masterpiece; but fans won't be disappointed.

Bike for Three - More Heart Than Brains
I have to admit I wasn't too keen on this album before I heard it. This was definitely a low priority pick-up - Buck 65, who I'm a definite fan but who has a poor track record when it comes to collaborating with other producers (Situation, anyone?), links up with some lady from Belgium who calls herself Greetings From Tuskan? Oh, and their lead "single" (in quotes 'cause it was just put an advance mp3; there's no actual single for it) was a remake of MC Shan's "MC Space" that - guess what? - was not good as the original and offered nothing new. I was prepared to go in with the lowest expectations and still have them crushed and come out annoyed. But no! This is one of those instances where it's better not to listen to reason! It turns out this is a seriously good, surprisingly consistent (except for "MC Space;" but at least it's tolerable album filler) album. Really.

Busdriver - Jhelli Beam
Man, BusDriver really kills it on this one. He can rap (both in terms of delivery and content) like almost no one can; and he's got the production (mostly by his usual cohorts, including himself) to back it up on this album. Every once in a while, a beat will pop up that's a little too "experimental;" but most of the time it's a killer combination. Maybe at times it feels like he's trying a little too hard to be clever? But, really; I'm reaching to find a criticism; because it's just hot.

Chubb Rock & Wordsmith - Bridging the Gap
Finally, I was hoping to end with this album; but it didn't come out. I had this pre-ordered from ughh, and they eventually canceled it saying they don't know if or when it's coming. If you've been following me on Twitter, though; you'll know I looked into this and finally got some answers. According to Wordsmith, the distributors screwed up the date and he's now expecting this to drop on September 1st. Well, we'll see. I hope so.

This Is How It Should Be Done

This Golden Ticket (not actually golden, but "Black & White Ticket" doesn't sound as fun and Willy Wonka-ish) came inside the sleeve of the new BusDriver album (which I wrote about here). I know he's not the first to do this; but he's still one of the select few, so props to him... Honestly, everybody should be selling music this way, now. It's win/win. Forget CDs, Forget itunes or any other way of selling music. Just vinyl coupled with an mp3 download. Perfection. 8)