Tobacco - "Ultima II Massage" 2014
Where do I even begin with this album? If this doesn't end up being my #1 album of 2014 on my lists at the end of the year, i'll be shocked. Tobacco is an artist I obviously have a deep affinity for, and he's had such a good streak of great material going, that I was almost sure that it was about time for him to fall off. Nobody can be awesome forever, but Tobacco sure is trying. This is one of those rare albums where you're hearing an artist who already has a fully realized sound and style that is unique to the industry, but then he is taking that style to a whole new plane of self-realization and basically putting out an album of what I would consider to be the most representative of this style he's created for himself. It's really glorious to hear the results of someone doing exactly what they want to do with their style, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what his fanbase might consider comfortable within that realm. This album only seems to get better with multiple listens. A lot of sounds that seemed foreign or abrasive the first couple times around, now seem warm and comforting. If you haven't heard any of his older material, either solo or from his group, Black Moth Super Rainbow, I would recommend checking the older stuff out, and working your way up to this album instead of jumping right in from this new one. Check out this completely fucked up video that Eric Wareheim directed for the song "Streaker" featuring Notrabel. Creepy as hell. Also check out "Eruption", "Father Sister Berserker", "Beast Sting", "Creaming For Beginners", and "The Touch From Within".
Mr. Oizo - "Wrong Cops Soundtrack" 2014
Mr. Oizo is another artist, like Tobacco, who has carved his own unique niche within the music world, and in this modern era, has become one of the few artists that still excites me. In addition to his music, he also has a film career, and Wrong Cops is a hilarious movie he directed. Usually his movies end up producing a new original album to accompany the film, which also works as Oizo's new album at the time. This time around, he's chosen to turn this soundtrack into a makeshift greatest hits compilation of his career thus far. There's a few new songs sprinkled in, and there is nothing from his first album that appears, but this still works as a good 'Best Of' compilation. I'm very happy I was able to purchase this on vinyl. Check out "Solid" featuring Marilyn Manson, "Camelfuck", "Jo", "Flip Bat", "Stunt" featuring Sebastien Tellier, and "Lars Von Sen (X-Mas Version)".
Prodigy & Alchemist - "Albert Einstein" 2013
This is one of the more solid rap albums i've heard in recent times. It seems like Alchemist saves a certain type of beats he makes just for Prodigy. It also seems like Alchemist is getting more smooth and fluent with his newer, more Madlib-esque way of chopping samples and putting beats together. It's great to hear the results. He's one of those rare beat makers that just seems to keep improving over the years, and one of the only people in hip hop that is still making music that tantalizes my brain on a sonic level. As far as the rhymes on them, it's the usual stuff from P, which isn't bad at all. I would say he strays away from some of the more corny subject matter that some of his solo albums are sprinkled with. He's always seemed more focused on Alchemist productions, since they started working together, and it's cool to see their musical bond still living on in the modern era, and having it result in dope new music that doesn't sound like it's trying to 'fit in' within the parameters of what's considered 'relevant', because it's dope enough to transcend that and just be it's own entity within the music world. A sound other people seek after but rarely achieve. Check out the videos for "Give Em Hell", "Dough Pildin", and "IMDKV". Also check out "Bible Paper" (check out the 2nd beat on this one after it changes....so tight), "Say My Name", and "The One" featuring Action Bronson.
DJ Earl - "Audio Fixx" 2012
This is one of those albums that somehow slipped through the cracks for me, and I never ended up checking it out when it was new. It's interesting to listen to this now and hear that even though this is a solid and enjoyable release, he's grown so much as an artist already in the time since this was released, and with such a strong career trajectory in such a short time, it'll be really interesting to hear what he ends up creating in the future. If you've never heard any music from anyone in the Teklife crew before, they have many releases to choose from, many of which are brand new, if you like what you hear. Check out "Tru Love", "Takeova", and "Again & Again".
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