Os Mutantes - "Fool Metal Jack" 2013
Os Mutantes is a band from Brazil that doesn't stick to a particular genre or sound, but most of the stuff they do falls under a psychedelic umbrella. Their main period of activity and fame was from 1966-1978, but they reformed in 2006 and have been at it again ever since then. I really enjoy the couple old albums I have by them. They are quite a unique group within music history. Sometimes it's hard to even tell that certain songs of theirs were done by the same band from song to song, they sound so diverse. This 2013 album is OK, but it leaves a little bit to be desired compared to their older material. My main complaint with this album is the vocals. I just really don't care for the singing on most of these tracks. I'd still rather listen to this type of comeback album than a new Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney album or something, but this album is only decent at best, and in my opinion, not indicative of how great sounding their classic music is. It's not even that this new album is even bad at all. There's just this air of cheesyness that permeates some of the english language vocals that throws me off, and takes away from me fully enjoying the music. It reminds me of a lot of lesser known 70's psychedelic rock bands. The sound of this album is, expectedly all over the place. Some songs remind me of different bands like King Crimson, Devo, Primus, Melvins, and Jefferson Airplane, but they never actually truly sound like any of those bands. Check out the video for "Look Out". Also check out "Fool Metal Jack", "Valse LSD", and "Eu Descobri".
Ill Bill - "The Grimy Awards" 2013
I think Ill Bill has finally put together a full length solo LP that is a proper representation of his mic skills. His whole solo career thus far has been a series of disappointments to me, whether it was sub-par production or him seemingly sluffing on the lyrical side of things, his solo albums have always seemed to come up short. This time around pretty much every track has a dope beat, with production coming not only from himself, but from legends like Pete Rock, Psycho Les, Ayatollah, Large Professor, El-P, DJ Muggs, and of course DJ Premier, whos classic production styles are what seems to be emulated the most on this album, especially the way the choruses are scratched. His rhymes seem like they have a purpose and a message this time around, instead of just his usual lyrical masturbation and shock value stuff. It's refreshing to hear him like this again, because it seems like he hasn't rhymed like this almost since the 90's. This is the most solid NY rap album i've heard in a hot minute for sure. Check out these videos for "Paul Baloff", "Exploding Octopus", "When I Die" (this version is different than the one that appears on the album, both versions are good), "How To Survive The Apocalypse", and "World Premier". Also check out "Forty Deuce Hebrew" (featuring H.R. of Bad Brains) and "Power" featuring O.C. & Cormega.
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