LMNO – “3 Mimes & an Elephant” review

LMNO is a 51 year old MC from Long Beach, California known for being a member of the Visionaries. Making his solo debut over 2 decades ago with Leave My Name Out, he would go on to release a total of 17 more bodies of work under his own name with the most notable being the 10-disc James Kelly & the Madlib-produced 10:20. The last time I covered LMNO was when he formed the trio LMD in the fall of 2022 & put out an impressive debut called Flying High. So when I heard DJ D-Styles was fully producing the 19th LP in LMNO’s catalog, I knew it was gonna be quality considering D-Styles’ recent production run.

After an intro, the first song “A Dual with a Dual Edge” featuring Self Jupiter finds the 2 over a boom bap instrumental reflecting in coming from the bottom & jumping off the ledge before their wings began to spread whereas “Cross Examination” takes a funkier yet mellower approach not knowing what to do if he couldn’t create never tapping out. “Best to Lay Low” dabbles with rap rock preferring to sail the 7 seas instead of selling his soul leading into “Son of a Daughter” dustily talks about keeping babies out the street & never competing

“Hip Hop as Fuck” ruggedly breaks down the explanation of others either having it or not just before “Garlic Braid” was a great piano-driven single homaging the title track off Eric B. & Rakim’s sophomore effort down the hook & sample. “Bloody White Flags” deliriously suggests you find him if you want the smoke brought right to you directly while “Saved & Spent” drearily talks about giving thanks daily. “Out of Sight (Out of Mind)” featuring Blu closes the album with them flexing they daydream with night vision & their west coast underground statuses.

10:20 was easily the most I’ve enjoyed a solo effort from LMNO since After the Fact produced by Evidence over a decade ago & like I had expected, he & DJ D-Styles knock it out of the park with a follow-up halfway through the current decade that compensates the gap between the predecessor & now. D-Styles’ production similarly to Invincibl Rap Mislz & Beluga pushes the Beat Junkies sound forward with LMNO holding down the performances by himself like he did the last time we heard from him.

Score: 4.5/5

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Alan Sparhawk – “With Trampled by Turtles” review

Duluth, Minnesota singer/songwriter Alan Sparhawk recruiting local band Trampled by Turtles to produce his sophomore effort. One of whom was the lead singer of the slowcore band Low breaking up in 2022 & the other is a bluegrass folk sextet with 9 full-lengths under their belt already. Alan signed to Sub Pop Records for his solo effort White Roses, My God met with mixed reception due to its leanings towards alt-pop, indietronica, alternative R&B, trap, minimal wave & cloud rap compared to the ambient inspired Solo Guitar turning 20 next summer. With Trampled by Turtles based on the singles had me thinking it could outdo both of them & that’s why I dove right into it.

The lead single “Stranger” was a great Americana/indie folk intro further pulling from progressive bluegrass singing about having to go through some dangerous things than you thought you’d have to whereas “Too High” addressed a part of this person that nobody knows other than Alan acknowledging their blindness instead of imbecility. “Heaven” sings of the pearly gates being a lonely place if you’re alone prior to the alt-country/chamber folk hybrid “Not Broken”eventually learning something I’ve potentially heard.

“Screaming Song” works in some prominent acoustics feeling like he’d never stop screaming this individual’s name when they flew out the window & into the sunset but after a remixed version of “Get Still” from Alan’s debut, “Princess Road Surgery” asks what this girl see in adversity stripping back the sound further. “Don’t Take Your Light” tells God he can be patient & hopeful with an alt-country flare until “Torn & in Ashes” wants to know when the last word will be as the first because of getting the same answer repeatedly.

When you think of the fact Low had mentored Trampled by Turtles & had performed with each other several times, there’s no doubt in my mind Alan’s follow-up to his debut last fall feels like a more collective, communal, fraternal & empathetic entry in his catalog than it’s predecessor. His friends & loved ones who’ve always been beside him make his sentiments drenched in Americana, indie folk, progressive bluegrass, alt-country & chamber folk seem as if they aren’t his alone regardless of Alan being the primary vocalist.

Score: 4.5/5

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A-F-R-O – “Crimson Fury” review

Right here is the 12th EP from Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. I got to cover his self-produced 9th EP The Drawing Board last spring & of course the Stu Bangas-produced The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First surpassing it as his best material. Another spring later & Crimson Fury comes out on Bandcamp exclusively.

After a titular intro, The Cell” opens the EP with a villainously self-produced boom bap opener talking about the protagonist being trapped in a high security prison where the absolute worst occurs whereas “Brawl in Cell Block 29” keeps it in the basement instrumentally painting the image of a riot breaking out within the facility. “Shoot the Messenger” maintains a dusty vibe thanks to C-Lance talking about being ambushed right when he identifies as a free man leading into “Ricochet” featuring Percee P & Pulse Reaction bringing the trio together making their enemies sleep with the fishes.

“At All Costs” works in a jazz sample to point out the fact he sacrificed his freedom to get revenge on the very person who set him up while “The Gauntlet” featuring EYKM1536 & Motion+ over another boom bap instrumental so all 3 of them could sign up for an open challenge ready for any war when they get on their bloodsport. “No Escape” reunites with Stu Bangas evading captivity by switching uniforms safely making it out with the penitentiary exploding behind him & “Dinner with Death” marks a climactic point in the tale getting the vengeance he’s wanted.

Prominently conceptual than most of A-F-R-O’s earlier material, he portrays the role of a man named Archie who becomes incarcerated after killing the men who murdered his best friend when he was completely innocent. Once finding out another friend orchestrated the murder & framed Archie, he vows to break out of prison so he can finish the job himself & succeeding in the end. Every track ties into one another cohesively & the plot is exceptionally mapped out with the traditional boom bap sound backdropping the tale.

Score: 4/5

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Benji Blue Bills – “Out the Blue” review

Atlanta, Georgia gangsta rapper Benji Blue Bills recruiting Working on Dying member BNYX to produce his 3rd EP. Introducing himself in 2018 off his debut EP Before the Storm, his last EP Blue saw him taking 3 years off only to return for the full-length debut Campaign Blue & a sophomore effort 500k Degrees showing significant growth compared to his earlier material. BNYX has undeniably become an in-demand producer of this decade & hearing him behind the boards throughout the duration of Benji’s official Atlantic Records debut Out the Blue had a lot of promising potential.

“I Wonder” co-produced by BNYX’s brother BEAUTIFULMVN starts with a soulful trap vibe instrumentally talking about the hunger that’s always been inside him finally coming out whereas “1-2 Step” heavily samples “1, 2 Step” by Ciara & Missy Elliott explaining that murder dancing is legitimately the only thing he knows how to do. “Feels CoreCore” heads towards a calmer, cloudier trap direction relating to what it’s like to lose a bitch leading into the rage-inducing “Morgan” finding himself going crazy.

Moving on from there, “Taco Shells” has to be my least favorite track if I had to pick one mainly due to it being one of the more repetitive moments lyrically just before the futuristically bell-woven “All the Way” talks about everything falling in place. “Aye Rage” gives new jazz a shot so he can throw shade towards jace! & “Right Key” gets on his pluggnb bag for a brief minute keeping his heart in a safe. “Down Girl” featuring Duki rounds out the EP with a bilingual romance duet doing anything if one or the other is down.

His name has come up on my radar a few times in the current decade because of his ties with DJ Phat or singles like “I’m Right Here”, but BNYX really locks in with 3B on Out the Blue enough where I can call it the greatest body of work the latter has ever conceived. BNYX’s production backs 3B’s gangsta heavy themes channeling the sounds of chipmunk soul, trap, pluggnb, rage & new jazz elevating the Atlanta artist’s whole style to coincide with his major label deal.

Score: 4/5

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PlaqueBoyMax – “5 Forever” review

West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax following up his Atlanta EP from last weekend with a full-length studio debut album of his own. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 4 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight. Interestingly, he’s taking the mic all by himself in light of signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records.

“Yacht” blatantly rips off Lil Uzi Vert over a run-of-the-mill trap instrumental to start the tape whereas “Layflat” has a stronger trap vibe thanks to Noah Mejia & Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic even if the lyrics of falling asleep on a jet in the middle of an overseas flight are average. “Tank Davis” flexes that he’s fresh to death since every fit he puts on is fly in their own rights leading into “Sevan” talking about pouring up in a club at 2 a.m. in the morning.

Meanwhile on “Swag 2”, we have Max over a rage beat showing us the way he steppin’ out his new Bentayga just before “Rockstar” talks about the lifestyle he’s living on some Travis Scott psychedelic trap shit. “Dave” makes a decent reference to one of my all-time favorite comedians & the creator of the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central series Chappelle’s Show creator Dave Chappelle, but then “Yacht 2” redundantly continues the aesthetics of the intro.

“Paid For” heads for a cloudier direction showing off his wealth & wanting to see what this chick can do on the dance floor while “Pink Moscato” talks about waking up in a $1M crib & likening using the stairs in it to a workout. “SOS” asks God to help save this metaphorical ship of his from sinking while “East Coast N***a” reflects on going from New Jersey to the sunshine state over a Rio Leyva instrumental. “Casper” lastly ends the tape by talking about going ghost because a bitch was doing too much.

Starting the deluxe run, “2016” samples “Escapee” by Architecture in Helsinki talking about dropping a bunch of money on the New York streetwear brand Supreme as if they were at their peak almost a decade ago while “Yellow Lamb Truck” produced by Maajins remembers trappin’ on a Samsung whilst rockin’ all Balenciaga & getting paid to be on camera. “Swag” has a bubblier trap sound compared to the sequel talking about throwing bands in the strip club & the final bonus track wastes another Maajins beat poppin’ tags the day after getting lit at the club.

Wasn’t too surprising to hear many call the cloudy trap & rage production on this tape the best thing it has going for it because as I had already imagined, PlaqueBoyMax’s own performances leave little to be desired leaning heavily on his contemporaries such as Uzi or Travis. Not to mention I don’t find neither his flows or the subject matter on a good majority of 5 Forever to stick out all much either, staying optimistic of him possibly improving.

Score: 2/5

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Crossworm – “Shelter Skelter” review

Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm quickly following up Dirtwave with his 5th EP. Starting as 1/2 of 2Korpse before branching out on his own for the full-length solo debut Phoenix, this was followed up by a sophomore LP Ready to Burn alongside 2 EPs Mouth Full of Dirt & jaws: Deciduous respectively. Taking a few years off after the latter, he returned in the summer of 2014 by dropping 4 more albums: Parasite Avenue, Drowning in Restricting Thought, Finding X & Eat the Weak. I’ve covered the Gōst EP along with the synthpop inspired ANTI & of course the eponymous Bodies Below Sea Level debut, coming off an EP couple weeks ago by making another stylistic departure on Shelter Skelter.

The title track starts with a witch house intro that sounds like it could be played at the end of an episode during the upcoming 5th & final season of the Netflix hit series Stranger Things whereas “Condemned” takes a prominently industrial direction instrumentally kinda like the Bodies Below Sea Level album without the hip hop fusion. “Oubliette” dabbles with the darksynth subgenre of synthwave additionally using a drum machine prior to “Bones in the Cellar” finishing the way he started in the form of another witch house cut.

When you look at the Depeche Mode influence on ANTI almost 2 years ago & the industrial horrorcore concept of Bodies Below Sea Level’s wider introduction to the underground as a team, Shelter Skelter gives a shot at making industrial & witch house music taking a break from rapping or singing to cook a few beats catered around the experimental style of music emerging out of 70s punk & sprinkling in hints of crunk shoegaze occasionally for a little over 10 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12” review

This is the 2nd collaborative EP between Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE alongside local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim. Both of whom have worked with each other countless times in the past several years, teaming up for the collab album Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. during the spring of 2018 & the Bloodspiller EP around Halloween time 2 & a half years ago. Jay was on half of Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 11 last month hours prior of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE acquiring Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) from the Peña–Roldán family at the start of WrestleMania XLI weekend in response their Tony Khan-owned competitors All Elite Wrestling (AEW) & Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) both being involved with this year’s annual Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), 新日本プロレス (NJPW) & Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) co-promoted event Fantastica Mania on June 20 held at La Catedral de la Lucha Libre Arena México. Little did we know they would make the 12th entry of the saga a full collaborative effort between the pair with Nicholas Craven on production.

“Ultimate Spider” was a drumless 3-minute hardcore intro referencing Dr. Octopus from The Walt Disney Company subsidiary Marvel-owned Spider-Man franchise whereas “Tha Uppercut” continues the strip the drums even more including a line referring to the Discovery Global subsidiary Cartoon Network-owned PowerPuff Girls franchise.

The only Fahim solo cut “Nickleplated Temptations” doesn’t miss by any means soulfully showing off his quintessential pen while “Tha Company” dustily mentions Eric Cartman from the timeless Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central series South Park ahead of the upcoming 27th season finally premiering in July.

“Black Mamba” if you couldn’t tell by the name homages the late Los Angeles Lakers icon & my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant behind Michael Jordan while maintaining a boom bap vibe leading into the darker “Embers” makes the world burn with their respective outlooks on rap & lastly “Alarm” finishing by hopping over horns taking more jabs at their opposition.

Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. & Bloodspiller both have their individual standouts such as “B2G$” & “Rock Lava” respectively, but Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 leans heavier between Jay & Fahim’s chemistry as the predecessor last month teased that ends with what’s my new favorite collaborative effort of the 3 they’ve done. Craven’s production draws from drumless, boom bap & chipmunk soul for both Atlanta spotters to lay out hardcore lyricism for approximately 14 minutes.

Score: 4/5

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PlaqueBoyMax – “Atlanta” review

This is the 4th EP from West Orange, New Jersey recording artist, producer, audio engineer, media personality & streamer PlaqueBoyMax. Catching on to him at the beginning of the year after calling out DJ Akademiks for being a child groomer, he has since stayed busy by churning out 3 EPs in the quick amount of time he’s been in the spotlight. In light of signing with Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records recently, he’s embarking on a trip to Atlanta taking on a DJ Khaled role curating the whole thing.

“nun” by Quavo decently starts with a horn-inflicted trap instrumental talking about running around the condo geeked whereas “Party” by ApolloRed1, tana & 1300SAINT unites the trio so they can open up more regarding on the way they’ve been living since their respective label deals. “oncam” by Flo Milli cloudily gets seductive for 105 seconds just before “meanstreet” by PlaqueBoyMax himself was a 5 Forever prelude that I find myself torn with.

Lazer Dim 700 gets his own track with “nodrank” talking about having his squad by his side in the booth holding a joint & some drank over a regalia beat while “007” by Hardrock produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic talks about the racks continuously coming as well as going on a shopping spree as a result of that. “Glacier” by Quavo ends the Atlanta journey with a bubbly trap instrumental going beast as if he came from a zoo & telling the truth when he records.

Wasn’t too show how I was gonna come away feeling towards this EP since all 3 of the ones that came beforehand were welcome to mixed reception aside from the “meanstreet” track, it’s a pretty solid compilation EP giving a look at what Max has capable of doing as a curator. In terms of production, it’s prominently in the trap flywheel further pulling from cloud rap & rage tapping in with local artists who’re either already established or have been gaining traction recently.

Score: 3.5/5

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Stereolab – “Instant Holograms on Metal Film” review

Stereolab are an Anglo-French avant-pop band from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist Xavier Muñoz Guimera, keyboardist/vibraphonist Joe Watson, drummer Andy Ramsay, guitarist/keyboardist Tim Gane & frontwoman Lætitia Sadier. The latter’s appearance on “Campfire” off Tyler, The Creator’s sophomore effort Wolf becoming my introduction to her during my sophomore year of high school & the “Ping Pong” video. Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, Mars Audiac Quintet, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Dots & Loops, Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night, Sound-Dust, Margerine Eclipse and Chemical Chords all stood out for their own reasons once I took a deep dive in the band’s discography although it was 3 years after their hiatus. It’s already been 15 long years since the Chemical Chords collection of outtakes Not Music saw the light of day, signing a new distribution deal with Warp Records for the Duuphonic Records founders’ 11th full-length album.

The lead single “Aerial Troubles” after the “Mystical Plosives” instrumental intro blends indie pop, neo-psychedelia, krautrock, chamber pop, indietronica, psychedelic pop & ambient pop singing about us unable to eat & drink our pain away whereas “Melodie’s a Wound” works in elements of neo-psychedelia, indie rock, ambient pop, space age pop, indietronica, space rock revival, post-rock & neo-acoustic setting manipulation as the goal.

“Immortal Hands” shows off a lounge influence during the first half until the other hooks up drum-machine alongside some dizzying brass & flutes colliding with each other leading into the cheerful “Vermona F Transistor” sings about being the creator of this reality instead of the deceiver who feigns for Lætitia’s love. “Le Coeur Et La Force” puts the band’s French on display lyrically discussing an eternal keystone being lent to them with the same heart of the same strength until “Electrifying Teenybop!” serves as another jam session.

Neo-psychedelia, ambient pop, indie pop, indie rock, indietronica, exotica, lounge & space rock revival all get balled up onto “Transmuted Matter” asking what you see through the eye of the heart while “Esemplastic Creeping Eruption” sings about abiding into the light portal when becomes dark. “If You Remember I Forgot How to Dream” takes a groovier approach condemning the idea of war since she belongs to Earth, but then “Flashes from Everywhere” sings about being learned from instead of being believed.

“Colour Television” gets the backend of Instant Holograms on Metal Film rolling by psychedelically telling a single story being violently imposed as a universal narrative of progress, development & civilization while “If You Remember I Forgot How to Dream 2” rounds out the groop’s comeback effort that many including myself have waited over a decade for with a defiantly singing about exploring without fear & providing contrasts to the predecessor.

Eager to make up for lost time, Stereolab finds themselves in perfect working order gloriously overstuffing songs that key in on familiar pleasure points while introducing all manner of shapeshifting surprises. Their production takes it’s cues from neo-psychedelia, indie pop, indie rock, post-rock, ambient pop, indietronica, krautrock, lounge, chamber pop, psychedelic pop, indie surf, space rock revival & easy listening to promise utopia is still in our grasps.

Score: 4.5/5

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G-Eazy – “Helium” review

Oakland, California rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & actor G-Eazy making up for the delays of his 8th studio LP. Breaking out into the mainstream with his 3rd album These Things Happen in 2014, this was followed up a year later with When It’s Dark Outas well as The Beautiful & Damned back in 2017. Scary Nights was a subpar prelude to These Things Happen Too, Everything’s Strange Here easily stands as his embarrassing body of work yet & the These Things Happen sequel was only better by a small margin. Freak Show was one of the worst albums of 2024 & is putting out Helium only 11 months later.

“GRWM” was a mediocre trap intro talking about hoes calling him & asking them to pay him whereas “Kiss the Sky” gives boom bap a shot only for him to miss with a weak homage to the iconic Jimi Hendrix cut “Purple Haze”. The title track gets into his signature pop rap style pleading for this woman’s love leading into the underwhelming boom bap/rap rock crossover “Outside” featuring Diany Dior staying out for the summer.

Finishing the first half, “Dream About Me” tells his ex not to even think of him in her dreams over a generic trap instrumental just before “Fight & Fuck” gets back on the pop rap vibe once again describing a toxic relationship where he & his partner argue only to make lover afterwards. “Nada” wound up being a close contender for one of the worst singles to come out in 2024 partying when he wants, but then “After Dark” expresses his desire to be understood.

“How Can You Sleep?” gets it going on the final minutes of Helium with an acoustic pop rap cut finding G-Eazy admitting that he can’t move on from this woman that he said he would try to leave in the past & I found the lead single “Vampires” to be a tiring closer addressing toxic relationships once again although I don’t really mind the moodier sound all that much nor did I have any issue with the Bahari hook/bridge.

Conceptually built around the highs & lows of love & life, the sliver of optimism I had regarding this one wasn’t really done any justice even if it was released the day prior of G-Eazy’s birthday & the birthday of his brother he was closer than close too. The boom bap portions are actually average at best & the idea of parties never lasting forever being worth it in the end is a valid life lesson, except neither the trap or the pop rap cuts don’t really scratch the itch.

Score: 1.5/5

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