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Tyondai Braxton has an intimate relationship with his guitar pedals. Every sound Braxton makes on this CD - primarily using guitar and voice - is processed through various combinations of a bevy of effects. The nine tracks on this disc are surprisingly diverse, and I imagine there's a good deal of improvisation going on.
 
The first three tracks use only voice and guitar pedals, but you wouldn't know it - "(A Sentence Worth a Thousand Words) Great Mass" is a dense atmospheric soundscape and "Light Pitch Black, I'm Gonna Start Shining Bright!!!" is beat-heavy minimal electronica (probably the most impressive use of beat-boxing in a long time). A disc full of these voice experiments would still be interesting, but things quickly take a turn as the guitar becomes a focal instrument: there's the anthemic post-rock of "Raise Yr Arms & Cross Them", featuring a violist and cellist, and then there's the excellent "The Violent Light Through Falling Shards," where Braxton's guitar stirs up echoes of Charles Bullen over beat-boxed industrial beats and siren-like noise.
In fact, the entire disc is reminiscent of This Heat, not so much in sound (though at times the comparison can be made), but in application; Braxton's hands-on computerless approach to making layered music reflects This Heat's experiments using traditional instruments combined with the live manipulation of tape loops. The final two tracks on the album feature Braxton's singing, a voice that at times almost sounds like (dare I say it) Peter Gabriel. Of these two tracks, "Struck Everywhere" is particularly engaging: a 10-minute, free-flowing melodic piece bedded on a ride cymbal loop. This disc pretty accurately replicates Braxton's live show, where he sits on the floor with a guitar and mic in the middle of a sea of wires, constantly playing, singing, and fiddling with his pedals. He's definitely got it down to an art, as I'm pretty sure all his sounds are created on the spot, with no samples. I wouldn't be surprised if most or all of the intensely-layered tracks on this disc were done in one take without overdubs.
It's really an impressive disc.
 
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Often unfairly lumped in with early 80's industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle and 23 Skidoo, This Heat always forged a path of their own. They probably had more in common with British "new music" pioneers such as AMM and Spontaneous Music Ensemble, but this too seems to sell them short. Their revolutionary sound has most certainly influenced and made possible territories later explored by No Neck Blues Band, Avey Tare Panda Bear, Sonic Youth and Boredoms. This Heat augmented their scratchy, dark punk improvisations with tape loops, ethnic percussion and unique vocal harmonies. Their politics were always at the foreground of their lyrical content, but they avoided sounding preachy or propagandistic. This Heat were pretty obscure even in their own time, and still remain mostly unknown.
'Deceit' is probably their best document, and it contains some of their most masterful work. The album opens with the improbable pop of "Sleep," a song that forms out of nowhere and becomes a beautiful, hypnotic lullaby. All of This Heat's tracks do not operate like most traditionally composed songs; they seem at first to be incoherent and disorganized. This looseness forces the listener to "un-focus" their ears and begin to catch the haphazard logic of the arrangements. "Sleep" sneaks up with its sophisticated counter-melodies and looping percussion. It's hard to believe that these songs have the power or focus to take hold of the listener's mind, but upon careful listening, their ingenuity becomes clear. There are a myriad other great songs on this album, and I have found the best way to absorb 'Deceit' is to listen repeatedly on headphones. What else can one say? I think it's one of the best albums ever recorded.
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Tarwater's third full-length release finds them very much in the same headspace, exploring the same musical themes and capturing some truly beautiful melodies. This time, the concentration seems to be on composing and creating music that would work for films, theatre, and other performing arts.
The arrangements on this release are shorter, building and ending sometimes before you even know what hit you. The mixture of electronic and traditional instrumentation is even more complete, as the two feed off of each other and work together to achieve the desired effect. There is more of a pop song structure on 'Dwellers,' as well, as each song seems to have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Also present seems to be a more concerted effort on the part of Ronald Lippok to have his vocals follow the melody slightly, even in their dry delivery. It's an incredibly personal record, with several songs having an emphasis on memories of the past ("Metal Flakes," "1985" particularly). 'Dwellers' also features some rather impressive guests, including Stefan Schneider of To Rococo Rot (of which Lippok is also a member) and Norwegian performance artist Tone Avenstroup. By the time you hear the graceful, frenetic double-shot power of "Be Late" and "Tesla" in the middle of the record, you'll be so enveloped by the melodies and beats, they may never leave your head. I found myself often desiring more out of the vocals, particularly with the short track lengths, but that instrumental tendency has always been one of the many charms of Tarwater, so why change now? Plus, the sparse guest vocals here and there add enough flavor. A completely enthralling listen.
 
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While many underground hip hop heads find themselves content with backpacks stuffed with demos of verbose MCs over abstract beats and the latest Def Jux and Rawkus releases, some of the best underground rappers are overlooked for taking their cues from the grimy tales of street hustling and the kings of contemporary radio. Cormega probably couldn't care less what some white kid in an El-P visor thinks of him, because he's been through more bullshit that any of those backpackers can imagine.Legal Hustle
Raised in and educated by the infamous Queensbridge projects, Cormega was on the knife's edge of popularity with a contract on Def Jam, a seemingly tight bond with Nas and inclusion in the potential rap supergroup, but ultimately a commercial failure, The Firm. Depending on who you talk to, the story changes, but either way thanks to shady major label bullshit and betrayal from his former allies Cormega fell from grace. The streets, however, still embrace the talented MC, and his latest gem 'The True Meaning' is no exception to their love. With solid production from the likes of Hi-Tek and Alchemist supporting his high-caliber rhymes, the formerly incarcerated rapper (almost a redundancy these days) embodies the hardened ghetto child trying to make sense of it all while trying to keep his own head above water. The most apparent single on here has to be "Live Ya Life" with a soulful female vocal hook compatible with those on Ja Rule's latest radio anthems. Tracks like "Take These Jewels" and "A Thin Line" highlight the value of honor among thieves and emphasizes the universal disgust for snitches. Called out publicly on Nas' 'Stillmatic' banger "Destroy And Rebuild," Cormega avoids the diss track response route (which is surprising considering the multitude of insults slung on his debut 'The Realness') with the honest "Love In Love Out." Easily one of the best rap albums of 2002, 'The True Meaning' is definitely the best indie label rap release of the year. Show love.
 
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The rhythmically-solid "Go Check" is a pop song of distorted congas, fuzzy quasi-surf guitar lines and droning keyboards under Böhm's melodic vocals. The warm sounding "Done Twice" floats along as a multi-layered keyboard based tune with breathy vocals that overall makes for a nice lullaby. The tranquil "Solid Ground (Piano Version)" is, as the title suggests, a solo piano version of "Solid Ground" on the forthcoming album, which moves gracefully throughout the composition. The eight-minute plus "Elusive (Remix)" is a remix of the album track by the duo Jersey. Here, it's vocally, a gloomy retrospect that builds from a percolating keyboard, layered with bass and Rhodes, with a nice break that introduces the acoustic guitar and laid back drums. The song makes for that great, repetitive, pop-ish closer. Now I'm interested to hear the original version having heard the remix first.
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