The Avett Brothers – Self-Titled review

Scott & Seth Avett aka The Avett Brothers are back for an eponymous 11th full-length studio album of material. Not only is it their first new music in 5 years since Closer Than Together, but it’s also their 6th under American Recordings & to be fully produced by the label’s founder Rick Rubin. Their 6th LP albeit major label debut I & Love & You turning 15 this fall is their crowning achievement in my opinion. The Carpenter as well as Magpie & the Dandelion also got some rotation during half of my high school years. And nevertheless of True Sadness & Closer Than Tougher being the weakest efforts that Seth & Scott have done with Rick, I was still interested in hearing what they’ve been up to after all this time.

“Never Apart” is a folk rock opener talking about not having to miss one another because nothing can separate them whereas “Lover of a Girl” kinda gives of a funk rock vibe finding meaning in the every day struggles of their life being over the romantic attraction they have to women. “Cheap Coffee” stands out as the best on the album working in some pianos & electric guitars singing about feel the warmth of their partners’ love light shining on them prior to the blissful “Forever Now” asking how long is now & expresses their desire to live forever now within.

Meanwhile on “Country Kid”, we have The Avett Brothers taking on the contemporary country sound as they discuss growing up in North Carolina leading into “Orion’s Belt” starring the 2nd half with a boring take on country pop. “2020 Regret” sings over pianos about never regretting any time they had with their previous romantic interests. “Same Broken Bones” has a delicate sound to it altogether as they discuss someone waiting for them & “We Are Loved” acoustically finishes by reminding that everyone is loved even when they’re lonely.

It would be amazing if Rick encouraged them step out of their comfort zone stylistically a little, but I’ll still take The Avett Brothers’ self-titled effort over their last couple albums. They respond to those saying they don’t know when to hold back by sticking to their signature sound giving the audience a glimpse of independently studied spirituality; questions & considerations in the interest of the divine unknowable seek the sacred in the commonplace reveling in the fun & surrender of what we cannot understand.

Score: 3.5/5

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Peter Sparker – “Who We Are” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Atlanta, Georgia emcee Peter Sparker. Introducing himself on Devil’s Night 2020 through his debut EP Chillin’ in the Matrixx despite starting out in the ‘80s, he would later form the duo Sparkerdero with producer K. Dero afterwards & drop a debut album of their own Bubba Smith a few months later followed by the sophomore effort 2nd Round merely 4 months prior. He has since joined the rising Croydon, South London, England, United Kingdom underground label Hidden Hobby Records & looks to make his debut by having Paisley, Scotland producer STS soundtrack Who We Are.

“Hi” jazzily begins by talking about using his God given talents to the highest abilities imaginable whereas “Stop & Look” takes a more laidback approach instrumentally explaining that nobody’s better than us because they’re wealthier. “Speak to Me” takes the cavernous boom bap route explaining that he still strives to make people feel like he’s amazing when most already do just before “Mr. Winter” talks about being the reason why his city has snow days.

HellzYeah joins Peter on “Sharks” discussing that they always get things done right because each of them always do it correctly leading into “Bars Over Bullshit” pensively talking about prioritizing lyricism above nonsense. “Bone Collector” brings back the jazz rap vibes for 90 seconds boasting how insane the bars he comes up with inside his head truly are just before “Shrapnel” hooks up a funky bassline to talk about doing this shit for almost 3 decades.

“Pathological Rhymer” starts the 2nd half eating STS’ beats like he’s serving whole entire meals while “Time Bandits” featuring PrevMarco finds the 2 talking about time eternally slipping to the future since we all should know that waits for no man. “Something We Do” breaks down the differences between hip hop culture & rap music, dismissing the false notion of of artists thinking they’re living this shit simply because they’re rapping now while “Backspin” dedicates the next 68 seconds to all the b-boys.

WWE Hall of Famer, the shortest reigning WWE Champion & former WWE Tag Team Champion André the Giant gets referenced on “The Brakes” talking about only dealing with the best of the best while “This is the Way…” declares himself to be the weapon needed to correct the perception of an MC’s essence. “Revolution” sends off the LP with a minute long outro talking about still providing Edutainment despite not being KRS-One & nobody having the ability of altering the way he spits.

Chillin’ in the Matrixx was the only actual entry in Peter Sparker’s solo catalog up to this point for me to judge his music upon excluding both of Sparkerdero’s full-lengths, but I can definitely say Who We Are surpasses that previous EP he released during the COVID-19 pandemic & proves to be a great international signing for Hidden Hobby Records from STS’ boom bap production to Peter’s wordplay simultaneously opening up to this new era of authentic lyricists whilst throwing it back to hip hop’s early days.

Score: 4/5

C.R.I.M. – “In the Meantime” review

C.R.I.M. is a 30 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started out under the original moniker Crimson Alchemist releasing her debut EP E4 in 2018 pulling inspiration from her love for Pokémon & subsequently the 2020 Valentine’s Day-themed 4H (For Her) only a month until the world as we know it went under lockdown. She has since been putting out singles & doing features, but is taking the next step in her official return switching up her moniker & putting out her 3rd EP albeit her first body of work in over 4 years.

“Wrong Turn” sets off the EP mixing technique & passion for a lifetime commitment over pianos, kicks & snares whereas “Adversary” is this synth-boom bap hybrid talking about solemnly swearing she’s up to no good. “The Whitney” featuring Jazar & Semi 6 starts the 2nd half of In the Meantime taking a jazzier approach instrumentally noticing everything ain’t the same once you get into the game prior to “The 11th Hour” featuring J. Santino finishing the EP returning to the boom bap so she can talk about regrouping.

I was fortunate to meet C.R.I.M. a few summers ago around the time that Fatt Father had delivered his 5th album Soccer Dad produced by Foul Mouth & found the way that she blended conscious lyricism with the nerdcore style of hip hop to be pretty distinctive. In the Meantime however could be my new favorite EP of hers & one that those who’ve been sleeping on her for over a decade should wake themselves up to with. Instrumentally, you’re getting the traditional boom bap sound & C.R.I.M. jumping over them recapping what she’s been going through.

Score: 4/5

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BADBADNOTGOOD – “Mid Spiral: Chaos” review

BADBADNOTGOOD is an instrumental band & production team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada consisting of drummer/vibraphonist Alex Sowinski, bassist/keyboardist Chester Hansen & multi-instrumentalist Leland Whitty. Forming in 2010 over their shared appreciation for the late MF DOOM & of course Odd Future, their first 2 full-lengths BBNG & BBNG2 further gained traction for blending original compositions & covers until III fully won me over near the end of my junior year of high school after Tyler, The Creatorintroduced me to them through shouting the band out on “Lone” off his sophomore effort Wolf. They also produced what I consider to be Ghostface Killah’s most underrated album Sour Soul approximately 9 months later & Leland was promoted from touring member to official member the next summer on IV. Matthew Tavares departed in 2019 & their XL Recordings debut Talk Memory subsequently came out couple years later. In preparation for a 6th LP, they’ve decided to give fans a taste of what’s to come by releasing a 2nd EP & the first in a new trilogy.

“Eyes on Me” officially gets the EP started by crossing over elements of jazz & funk music for nearly 5 minutes whereas “Take Me With You” picks up from there to give off more of a rhythmic jazz-rock vibe generally. “Weird & Wonderful” brings some funkier grooves back in the mix colliding them with BADBADNOTGOOD’s signature jazz sound to finish the 1st half that is until “Mid Spiral” begins the 2nd leg of the EP going straight up electric jazz fusing both funk & rock this time around. “Last Laugh” happens to be another jazz fusion composition turning the rock influences down although you still have some guitars popping up occasionally & the funk influences up while “Your Soul & Mine” closes Mid Spiral: Chaos giving us 1 more jazz-funk joint.

These guys’ potential was always shown best through the original compositions on their first couple LPs in my opinion since tracks like “Improvised Jam” or “UWM” stood out to me the most during my adolescence & even now all this time later are some of my favorite songs that’ve pieced together in the last 14 & a half years they’ve been actively making music. BADBADNOTGOOD however has been giving us 1 consistent body of work after another over the last decade in III, IV, Talk Memory & now you can add this newest EP of theirs onto the ever-growing pile. It predominantly stays within the band’s jazz fusion wheelhouse in terms of overall sound with additional jazz-funk & jazz-rock undertones sprinkled in.

Score: 4/5

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Glokk40Spaz & OsamaSon – “3vil Reflection” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between Glokk40Spaz & OsamaSon. Both of whom have collaborated with one another in the past on the track “Codeine Dreamz”, but have individually made a name for themselves as 2 of the biggest up-&-comers that trap music has to offer with projects like Took the Biggest Risk or Flex Musix. However, they are linking up to surprise-drop 3vil Reflection on SoundCloud.

To start the EP, “2X” finds the 2 vividly portraying the gangsta lifestyles they live backed by an atmospheric trap instrumental whereas “Movie” works in some rage beats talking about having sticks on them & throwing their Dracos up in the air. “Blame Dem Drugz” might be my favorite track on 3vil Reflection diving into pluggnb territory going dummy that is until “Bankroll” brings back the hypertrap influences turning the bass up to 11 & counting their pesos.

“No Rules” has a straight up plugg vibe to it instrumentally taking out everyone who tries to get in their way just before the synthesizer-heavy “ADHD” talks about going to hit that kid since they actually have ADHD itself. The rage-inducing “Jungle” boasts that they just spent about $10K & “Wicked” shoots for a dark plugg sound popping out with the potato barrels on their glizzys, but then “Vixen” finishes the EP with 1 last hypertrap cut not giving a fuck no more.

Both of these guys have been dominating the plugg/rage scenes in their own distinctive fashions, so hearing them coming together on 3vil Reflection is a momentous occasion considering each artists’ rightfully increasing popularity & they give us the tightest collaborative effort in their discographies. Its production mostly has a hypertrap tone throughout with additional elements of dark plugg & pluggnb as 2 of their hottest artists in that field match their intensities.

Score: 4.5/5

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WTM Solid – “Bigg” review

This is the 4th EP from Detroit rapper WTM Solid. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a couple years ago with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & more recently What’s the Difference? from last fall. WRLD Tour themselves collectively are coming off their 3rd mixtape Tourmania II incorporating heavier wrestling themes than its processor, so I was interested in Bigg. Especially considering both DaeMoney & Rafa’s latest solo material Rockstar Lifestyle 2 & Good Girls Don’t Exist respectively.

“FTP (FuckThePolitics)” begins with a mind-altering trap beat wanting his girl to tell him that he’s the hardest whereas “Pledge Allegiance” produced by LulRose turns the psychedelia up a notch needing $1M & looking to cut off any & all bullshit they try to bring his way. “H-Town” brings a Detroit trap vibe instrumentally talking about being his own boss callin’ bluff on those actin’ like they’ve pulled off scams when they really haven’t while “Blessings > Luck” mixes these g-funk like synthesizers & hi-hats expressing his gratitude for his blessings.

The tenser atmosphere throughout “Kapital P” is a nice touch taking shots at everyone out here who stay petty as Hell & that he’s done thinking he’s just gonna do it ahead of the cloudy “Kiss & Tell” talking about refusing to stop until he’s rich. “$treet Gospel” airily admits that he’s infatuated with his lifestyle watering all his swag down leading into “Karrah Blue” sampling Street Fighter throwing orchestral synth melodies & hi-hats into the picture additionally to talk about being all around the world & warning that whoever checks him is a mismatch.

“S.A.S.G. (Slam A Slut Girl)” incorporates icier synthesizers & 808s bragging how fly as fuck he is getting higher than a billboard & representing his squad Slam A Slut Records until the very end, but then the trillwave-laced “Challenges” shows an introspective side to Solid lyrically talking about improving every day & really learning to manage only worrying about the cash a bit rather than a hoe. And finally, “Who’s to Blame?” concludes Bigg calmly asking himself if it’s his fault for certain things in his life.

Regarding the 4 EPs in Solid’s discography so far, I always had Originatour as my personal favorite & he manages to give us a new one days before it’s 2-year anniversary displaying everything that makes him stand out amongst WRLD Tour both individually & collectively. You’re still very much getting the upbeat 808 percussion & dynamic flows synonymous within the Motor City’s trap scene dashed with cloud rap undertones whilst demonstrating his growth in the last 104 weeks.

Score: 4/5

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Rio da Yung O.G. – “Rio Circa 2020” review

Flint, Michigan rapper Rio da Yung O.G. celebrating his 30th born day by releasing his 10th EP. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy, he has since put out his last 9 EPs as well as a full-length debut album & a handful of collaborative projects under his belt all over the duration of 6 years. Rio’s previous EP The F Tape celebrated its 1-year anniversary several days ago, I can totally see why his estate unearthed Rio Circa 2020.

“Warm Up” has a rubbery, atmospheric Detroit trap flare instrumentally to get us started thanking God for allowing this rap shit to change his life whereas “Grease” bouncily talks about having the grease as opposed to the fire. “Grizzly Flow” pays homage to fellow Detroit artist Tee Grizzley over pianos & fingersnaps detailing the gangsta lifestyle prior to “Me & Mike” featuring follow M.I.N.E. Entertainment/#Boyz Entertainment artist RMC Mike demonstrating a back & forth chemistry between the 2 that gave us the Dumb & Dumber trilogy.

Mike sticks around for “Mike Voice” bringing a Bay Area vibe to the beat referencing former 11-time WWE Tag Team Champions, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, ROH World Tag Team Champions, HOG World Tag Team Champions, ΩCW Tag Team Champions & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeons The Hardy Boyz that is until Louie Ray joins Rio & Mike on “Flint Boyz” representing Vehicle City over a bell-laced instrumental. “Brother Flow” featuring Louie Ray brings in more bells, keys, strings & 808s laying out braggadocio for a few minutes preferring to shoot people than watching the WWE division of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings just before “Primo Beat” keeps the bells in tact throwing the hi-hats into the fold once again continues to flex dissing those who ain’t doing shit.

“Collective Nights” produced by Danny G nears the EP’s final moments calling himself Dr. Seuss since he sold a green egg to a ham on top of having a money fight & doing a drive-by in the Hellcat coming out from up the roof of the demon over a grisly Detroit trap beat that is until the closer “DD4” finishes Rio Circa 2020 teaming up with RMC Mike for 1 more time so they can prelude an upcoming 4th installment of their standout Dumb & Dumb3r trilogy.

Rio been incarcerated for 3 years already & although only has 2 more until he finally comes home, he’s still been able to keep the streets hot in the form of both Fiend Lives Matter & The F Tape. And nevertheless of the material on this new EP being made during the COVID-19 pandemic, I happen to enjoy it more than the last one The F Tape from over a year ago. The guest are boiled down to a couple & his status in the 313 is firmly reminded.

Score: 3.5/5

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Knocked Loose – “You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To” review

Knocked Loose is a metalcore band from Louisville, Kentucky consisting of frontman Bryan Garris, lead guitarist Isaac Hale, bassist Kevin Otten, drummer Kevin Kaine & rhythm guitarist Nicko Calderon. Breaking out a decade ago off their debut EP Pop Culture, their eponymous 2nd EP followed by their last couple full-lengths Laugh Tracks & A Different Shade of Blue all received similar acclaim. Their 4th EP in 2021 however A Tear in the Fabric of Life has become amongst the best metalcore of this decade, so it raised the stakes exponentially for the band’s 3rd album.

The head-bashing metallic hardcore opener “Thirst” screaming about being sickened by a desire for change & to remove the canvas resulting in Bryan wanting to start again whereas “Piece by Piece” works in more drop-tuned guitar riffs & constant double kick drumming to make it known that the truth is something that one can absolutely not hide from. “Suffocate” featuring Poppy mixes metalcore & mathcore as they dig until they find the root that is until “Don’t Reach for Me” swaps out the mathcore undertones with beatdown hardcore taking down someone who fucked around & found out.

“Moss Covers All” talks about a house swallowing them on top of wind & rain forcing decay pulling influences from the deathcore scene while the bloodcurdlingly haunting “Take Me Home” screaming that the dark eventually finds out in the end no matter what. “Slaughterhouse 2” featuring Motionless in White frontman Chris Motionless whom I’m familiar with after MiW opened for Twiztid on top of performing for former 2-time WWE women’s world champion, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion & NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania XL last month is a sequel to a song off Scoring the End of the World that’s better than the original & “The Calm That Keeps You Awake” goes straight metalcore sacrificing peace to make all the voices stay out.

Nearing it’s conclusion, the lead single “Blinding Faith” dissonantly fuses metallic hardcore with tough guy hardcore & deathcore feeling haunted by a familiar spirit tackling the hypocrisy of the mean-spirited hivemind that sits at the center of numerous religious communities while “Sit & Mourn” couldn’t have been a better choice of a closer & one of the best songs in the band’s discography internally taking a look at what it is to lose & not know what to believe about where that loss leaves you.

I generally think of Between the Buried & Me, Code Orange, Converge or The Dillinger Escape Plan & when it comes to metalcore yet Knocked Loose has to be the fusion genre’s best band in recent memory. They hone in on a diverse, cohesive & savagely aggressive metallic hardcore record with additional beatdown hardcore & deathcore undertones summing up the massive strides they’ve taken during their decade-long tenure & asserts their boundless potential going forward, furthermore challenging themselves as songwriters & retaining the merciless intensity & unflinching honesty they’re known for.

Score: 4.5/5

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Baby Money – “H.I.M. (Hustle In Me)” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Baby Money returning 11 months after his 3rd mixtape Young N***a Old Soul 2 to release a 3rd full-length studio LP. Breaking out in the local trap scene during the COVID lockdowns off his first 2 EPs Blank Checc & Young N***a Old Soul, he would catch the attention of Quality Control Music & eventually signed with the Atlanta label introducing himself to a wider audience off his first couple albums Easy Money & New Money to mixed reception. Looking to bounce back from the less favorably received sequel to Y.N.O.S. however, I decided to give H.I.M. (Hustle In Me) a fair chance.

After the intro, the title track flexes that he drops work in your town & gives a reminder that what goes around comes around over a Detroit trap instrumental whereas “We Getting Money” talks about making the paper accompanied by bells & hi-hats. “Chances Make Champions” mixes a rubbery bass-line with strings living up to it’s name providing motivational wisdom on the lyrical front, but then “This That Typa” featuring Peezy thunderously brings the pair together discussing their preference of women.

“Turn Me Up” delves further for a tenser trap approach to the beat refusing to slow down just before “Countdown” laces some pianos & hi-hats talking about the fact that it took him a decade to be in the position he’s in currently. “Notha Level” featuring GT presents back-&-forth chemistry between both artists bringing a sinister Detroit trap flare instrumentally leading into the bouncy “Shinin’” showin’ y’all what real ice is.

Meanwhile on “Drip Check”, we have Baby Money over a sample-laced trap beat comparing & contrasting wealth & outfits prior to “Starter Kit” featuring Veeze reaching a spacey Detroit trap vibe goin’ ghost & poppin’ up to see if they miss ‘em. “I Need You” featuring Skilla Baby tells their romantic interests they’ll fly ‘em anywhere sampling soul music that is until “Wallah” clashes 808s & strings encouraging to come get the rope.

“Rapper Weed” nears the conclusion of H.I.M. (Hustle In Me) on a celebratory note talking about getting the finest kush for cheap since he already knows the plug & lastly, “Rose Gold” enlists Tee Grizzley to finish the album with 1 last Detroit trap banger shrugging off any worries about any price on top of pulling up to an all-white party in black range rovers & knowin’ that both artists are runnin’ the local trap scene in their own rights.

The last few projects Baby Money has given us ever since the Quality Control deal a couple years ago have all been incredibly average & as the first Detroit artist they’ve ever signed, it seemed to me that being under Coach K & P’s wings was a good fit in consideration of “Moncler Bubble” going viral. Either way, this is his best major label offering thus far. He sharply lets listeners inside of his hustler mentality with a mostly solid guest-list & decent Motor City trap production.

Score: 3.5/5

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Darby O’Trill & Shaggytheairhead – “10 Bandz” review

Key Largo, Florida emcee Darby O’Trill as well as Las Vegas, Nevada producer, emcee & fashion designer Shaggytheairhead teaming up for a new collaborative LP only a month after Darby had dropped Anemoia with Chapter 17 Records founder/Psychopathic Records recording artist Ouija Macc to significant acclaim. These guys have done numerous songs with each other in the past such as “Street Trash” & “Greaper Shorts” to only name a couple, so it was really a matter of time before they took it to the next level & got together to release 10 Bandz produced by none other than Devereaux.

“It’s Dem Again” gets the ball rolling with this off-the-wall trap opener talking about both of them being back in this bitch whereas “B U L L S H I T” works in a murky backdrop & hi-hats brushing off any nonsense that people try to bring their way. “Put ‘Em in the Dump Truck” has a bouncier flare instrumentally telling everyone else to simply shut the fuck up leading into “The Box” looking to put all their opps in a coffin. “Neva Mine” menacingly looks to take your whip & bitch at the same time since they caught you lackin’, but then the morbid “Fuck Shit” talks about admittedly trying to get themselves involved in some shit.

Meanwhile on “Perpetually Drifting Through the Void”, we have Darby & Shaggy hauntingly portrays what it’s like on the other side just before “Street Trash 3” serves as the final installment in the titular trilogy that Piecemeal began and Lazy & Crazy continued. “S Q U A D” draws near the end of the LP by aggressively talking about how some would never understand since they ain’t with the shit whatsoever prior to “F.U.T.G.” (Fuck Up The Game)” closing out 10 Bands with a misty trap vibe instrumentally as both MCs set out continuing to fuck up the game.

10 Bandz marks the first collaborative project to come out on C17 where Ouija isn’t one of the 2 artists performing together, opting for the label’s only other artist currently & even giving a chance for one of their in-house producers to shine on the mic with him. Needless to say: I highly enjoyed it as much as Anemoia last month. Darby O’Trill & Shaggytheairhead have always pinged off one another excellently over the years, they’re just bringing in one of the underground’s hottest producers Devereaux to elevate their chemistry.

Score: 4.5/5

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