Aaron Freeman - "Gener's Gone: The Final Recordings Of Gene Ween (2009-2011)" 2013
OK, I know it's weird that at this point i'm almost angry at Aaron Freeman for quitting Ween. It's not my place to decide what's best for people i'm a huge fan of. He's made his life better for himself by sobering up, I just wish he wouldn't have went about it in the way that he did. What's done is done, and what we're left with is his former partner, Mickey Melchiondo, continuing on as the lead guitarist of the awesome band Moistboyz, and with Aaron going the solo artist route, first in the form of 2012's dull collection of Rod McKuen covers- "Marvelous Clouds", and his newly formed solo band, which is just being dubbed as "Freeman", which I am still afraid to listen to at this point in time. Maybe later this month. In between those 2 albums, he released this 6 song EP of Ween demos on his Bandcamp page, presumably because he really needed the money. I really wish he would have just waited until a time in the future where he could get together with his former partner, and they could work out a way to professionally release a lot of the demos and unreleased songs they had throughout their career. I guarantee the fans would love that, and obviously appreciate it a lot more than this. These 6 demos aren't bad at all, and probably could have become decent songs, but I guess what i'm wondering is, are these the only demos he had where he did them alone without Mickey, and that's why he released this? Because i'm sure they're sitting on a plethora of unreleased material that people would pay money for, if they just took the time to package it all up correctly. Listening to these demos just makes me kinda sad. Not really what i'm looking for in a listening experience. Check out "Gener's Gone", "Baby Don't Be Afraid", and "Nature Man".
Greetings From Tuskan - "More Heart Than Brains (Instrumentals)" 2013
After hearing the new Bike For Three (the duo of Greetings From Tuskan and Buck 65) album a decent amount recently, I decided to go back and revisit the first album's instrumental version. It's interesting to me how differently these beats seem to play out when Buck is not putting his vocals on them. I had previously accused this album's beats of sounding too much like people like Jel and Alias, and her not having enough of her own style, but listening to the album with no vocals has made me retract that statement completely. I find this album to be great for putting on and getting work accomplished. It's very motivational. You can listen or download this album for free here, from her Bandcamp page.
Kutt Calhoun - "Black Gold" 2013
As big of a fan of Strange Music that I am, i've admittedly been slippin on checking out their last few releases outside of a few random songs, and I need to correct that. Unfortunately, the album I chose to jump back into it, probably wasn't the right choice. Kutt Calhoun is a capable rapper and good live performer, but he's always been the member of Strange Music that puts out the most iffy material, outside of maybe Big Scoob, who is just too basic for me to really enjoy. Kutt Calhoun has the tendency to write entire songs based around a simple phrase or idea, and i'm not a huge fan of that. It tends to make things seem too gimmicky and repetitive. The other aspect of this album that I don't like, is that a lot of the songs come off like some sort of musical version of an after school special, the way he chooses to present the problems he has in his life. Add on to that, the fact that a lot of the beats on here sound 2nd rate compared to the average Strange Music release (which is a pretty high bar of quality to meet), and this is just a disappointing album. It's not actually wack. Everything is done decently, it's just definitely nothing i'm personally looking for in an album or entertainment in general. Strange Music has a fast paced release schedule for most of their artists, and I feel like not every artist is equipped to write and release a full album and EP. and a litany of guest appearances on top of that, every single year. I think Kutt Calhoun would benefit from concentrating his efforts on making one super tight ass album every 3 years or so, instead of all these releases that show promise, but ultimately don't deliver due to too much filler. The guy has talent, I just feel like he's forcing his writing a lot of the time. Check out the videos for "Self Preservation" (featuring Krizz Kaliko), "I Been Dope" (featuring Tech N9ne), "See What Had Happened Was", "Same Thing" (featuring Ben-G), and "That's My Word". Also check out "501s & Righsides" (featuring Brotha Lynch Hung) and "I Don't Like The Look Of It".
Magnum -"All Over Me EP" 2012
I grabbed this based on the fact there was remixes by French Fries and Visionist. I think it's funny that there's already a butt rock band called Magnum that exists. This EP is alright. Good for dancing or chilling, with the highlights coming in the form of the song "Dense" and it's remix by French Fries. Nice little easy bass delights. Also check out "All Over Me".
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