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THE STINGER | February 2014
MUSIC Reviews Young Fathers - Dead By Kevin Gigler
Young Fathers is an experimental hip-hop trio hailing from Scotland. Their sound made a splash in the alternative rap scene in 2011 with their debut EP Tape One. Since then they have been picked up by big-name experimental music label Anticon, and put out a sequel to their 2011 EP in 2013 with Tape Two. Since their signing to Anticon and their EPs, the hype has grown for a fully, fleshed-out album from the group and it has come in the form of DEAD, released on February 3rd. Now if there is one thing that you cannot dispute when it comes to this album, it’s that Young Fathers take a wacked-out approach to hip-hop. The beats are extremely heavy and lo-fi, especially on tracks like “Hangman” and “I’ve Arrived.” Even when the beats aren’t super heavy, some tracks come across with
interesting instrumental arrangements. “Low”, the lead single from this album, has all these wacky organ sounds with very pots-and-pans-esque percussion. The song “War” actually features no drums but is one of the most dramatic instrumentals on here. The rumbling bass, soaring synths, and emotinal glockenspiel melody makes this an epic track. By far my favorite beat though is the hyped-up, danceable “Get Up.” The African-style drums mixed with the heavy bass makes me want to dance around a fire with an indigenous tribe. The instrumentals on this album are very consistent. Another thing that drew me in were the rapping styles of all 3 MCs from the group and the R&B vocals from rapper/ singer Alloysious Massaquoi. Next to the beats, the best thing about this album is its energy. Songs like “Paying” are a fine example of this energy and tension when the MC sounds like he’s on the verge of losing his mind as he raps at the top of his lungs. The singing from Massaquoi compliments many of the lo-fi beats on here as well. Tracks like “Low” and “I’ve Arrived” are carried by this strong vocal that compliments the track well. They also give things a cult-ish vibe on tracks were the seemingly chant
the vocals in unison. On the track “No Way” they really drive home how serious this song is as they sing the lyrics “AK-47 take my brethren straight to heaven.” Also, on the track “Am I Not Your Boy” there’s some epic group vocals singing these heavy lyrics directed to the writer’s mother: “Am I not your boy?” One of the only problems with this album is a problem I’ve been having with the group since they started releasing music. They’ve been notorious for extremely short releases. Their first EP was 8 tracks but only lasted just over 20 minutes. The second EP only lasted 3 minutes longer with 1 more track. This album, at 11 tracks, is the longest release yet with 34 minutes of music. Now to some that may be appealing: nothing is too long-winded, I can listen to it quick and continue with my day. I, on the other hand, wished they had given me more music with this album. Young Fathers have mastered the art of leaving their fans wanting more which could prove to be a good marketing strategy. Other than that, I didn’t have many other problems with this album.
Rating (out of 10): Light 9
Photo By homorazzi.com
Beyoncé - Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles needs very little introduction. Since her beginnings in Destiny’s Child in 1997 to her first solo effort in the early 2000’s, she has ruled mainstream pop and R&B with an iron fist. Well, maybe it’s more of a fancy, jewel-encrusted fist. Nonetheless, she has been consistently turning out viral hits such as “Single Ladies,” “Crazy In Love,” and many, many more. This new release is her 5th studio album. With this new release, Beyoncé took an extremely different approach with almost everything involved with this album. First, there was the lack of commercial hype for the album. It dropped December 13th of last year with almost no promotion or hype. With a reputation as big as Beyoncé’s, people would expect a big budget promotional campaign, but that was not the case. Speculation grew that new music was in the works from her but only a small group of people knew that the album had been finished. Some people are inferring that this move, in connection with some lyrics from the album, is a way of Beyoncé rebelling against the record labels and norms in the music industry. This rebellious attitude towards the big wigs of the record labels seems to be becoming a trend with many mainstream artists that Beyoncé runs with such as husband Jay- Z, Kanye West, and Drake. Another big change that comes with this album is the music. Beyoncé seems like she steps out of her comfort zone when it comes to the production styles and the lyrics she employs on this album. Her usual straightforward pop and R&B production has been swapped out for much more atmospheric and meandering beats. She introduces influences from modern rap and alternative R&B also with many of the drum sounds on here as well. One of my favorite songs on this album, “Haunted,” is where you
By Kevin Gigler
first see this change of style. The beat is really atmospheric with all these ethereal tones but it comes in with heavy drums that push the song along. Even a song like “Drunk In Love,” which may not be my favorite track as far as lyrics go on this album, comes through with a hyped up rap beat that is infectious with it’s banging drums and interesting middle eastern-sounding vocal sample. But when you’re not looking for a hyped up, banger beat, you are able to find some very lush instrumentation on many of these songs. The songs “Heaven” and “Blue” close off the album and they are two very pretty piano ballads, with the latter of the two being dedicated to Beyoncé’s newly born daughter. You can also find nice beats on the song “Mine”, which features a nice feature from rapper Drake, and “XO.” As far as the vocals go, Beyoncé has one of the strongest voices in popular music right now. The power in her voice can even make up for some of the songs on this album like “Blow.” I found the beat on this song to be extremely corny but the power and conviction she has in her vocals forced me to still pay attention to what she had to say. Songs like “Drunk In Love” and “Rocket,” though being very simple and overtly sexual in song topic, have vocals that grab the listener’s attention. Also, a few songs on here had some interesting and inspiring lyrical content. The opener to this album “Pretty Hurts” is a ballad to young girls to love who they are and shaming people who claim that all girls are not beautiful. A line from that song that I found very profound was directed to the judgmental people of the world saying that, “We try to fix something but you can’t fix what you can’t see, it’s the soul that needs a surgery.” Basically, she’s saying that you don’t need to change what’s on the outside to feel beautiful, rather that you have to accept who you are and love what you’ve become. In a similar vein, the song “Flawless” is another female empowerment anthem. On the other end of the spectrum, the track “Haunted” talks a bit on her distrust for the record companies. She has some rebellious yet apathetic lyrics showing that she doesn’t care if she “doesn’t make any money on
this.” I did have some complaints with this album though. Some of the songs were a little too far out of Beyoncé’s comfort zone. The track “Blow” was one that I particularly didn’t like. The beat was corny and some of the overtly sexual lyrics got a little stale. That brings up another topic that I found a bit annoying from this album: cliché overtly sexual. It wasn’t as if I was offended by these lyrics, I just found them to be a bit overused and silly. Tracks like “Drunk In Love” and “Rocket” are prime offenders of this. Some of the innuendos Beyoncé comes up with make me laugh out loud because they are so ridiculous and silly. Especially, the one where she compares her man to a surfboard (I’ll let you read into that one on your own.) Frankly, the track “Rocket”, production wise and vocally, sounds like something from the soundtrack to an adult film. The corny, slow jam beat wears out its welcome rather quickly and I lose interest, that is, until I hear what Beyoncé is singing about. My last complaint is a bit of a personal vendetta I have with this type of music. I enjoy a good pop song as much as the next guy and this album, for the most part, held my attention for its entirety. That being said, I find myself returning to this album for repeat listens. Pop music is like candy, a little bit of it is fine and it’s great in small doses but if you eat too much you can get a stomachache and eventually vomit a rainbow-colored mess all over the floor. I feel I have indulged a little too much in the “candy” that is this album. The flavor and appeal of this album was fading the more I returned to it. Call me snobby, but I don’t see this album as music I would listen to in my free time. That being said, if “Drunk In Love” or “Flawless” come on at the next party I attend, you can guarantee to see me on the dance floor in a heartbeat. Overall, this was an entertaining album with a lot of commerical appeal but that appeal wore away over time.
Rating (out of 10): Strong 6
Culture
Stop. Rec. Play. By Eamon Dreisbach “You want to try and record an album?” When those words first came out of my bandmate and longtime friend’s mouth a year or so back, the suggestion sounded completely outlandish. Sure, we played together all the time for fun and hit a few open mics here or there, but recording a full-length project seemed like an impossible undertaking. Where would we record? What would we use to share our music? How would we, a couple of broke 17-year-olds, afford expensive high-range recording equipment? Despite these doubts, we decided to throw caution to the winds and jump into our musical endeavor head-first. Within a few weeks, we managed to get our hands on a couple mics as well as a decent recording console (with a little financial help from my bandmate’s dad). As a member of a very musical family, providing instruments for the soon to-be-LP proved to be no problem at all. With all the technicalities and preparation out of the way, we tuned up, grabbed some Arnold Palmer, and got down to business. For the next six or so months, the basement we had outfitted with our equipment became a second home of sorts. A simple rolling black desk chair, a recording console and a few speakers mounted on a worn wooden table were the centerpiece for our musical endeavor. As time wore on and we recorded more often, various decorations were scattered about the basement to create a lighthearted and sometimes humorous vibe while we worked. A small plastic squirrel courtesy of my bandmate’s uncle, a no parking sign, and even a crudely drawn smiley face written on a napkin were constant reminders of the inside jokes we’d shared and the reason we chose to create our music in the first place. From an outsider’s perspective, our musical outfit looked like an assortment of random objects with a few instruments scattered about here or there. But to us, it was so much more. Our musical process was far from uniform. Some days we would only get one instrument recorded over an 8-hour session, while on others we could finish two tracks in just a few hours. Often times we would start with a simple idea on one instrument (usually some keyboard or guitar chords) and build off of that instrument until it had evolved into a song all its own. On weeks when our jam time was limited, my bandmate would write songs and lay down a few preliminary instrumental tracks on his own, giving me the ability to come over and add the bass and drums in my free time. Despite the long and laborious hours we spent working on our LP, there was never a dull moment. Gamecube became a source of relief and enjoyment during our breaks, and quickly became a favorite way to break up the monotony of the recording sessions. If a song sounded bland, we were quick to throw on an unconventional instrument (a small harp, a toy siren, or even a glass cup) to give our music some flavor. Roughly halfway through the project’s completion, we were faced with yet another obstacle: how would we share our creation with the public? We found our answer in the form of a website called Bandcamp, which served as the headquarters for all of our band’s information as well as the completed project. After our account was set up, everything else fell into place with ease. We released a few singles, had a few close friends give us some honest feedback, and put the finishing touches on a few remaining songs. Once the task of recording the actual album was out of the way, it was time to create an album cover. After tossing a few ideas around, we decided to throw on some rubber masks and head over to a nearby abandoned house to take some pictures. After a long day of traversing broken floorboards, half caved-in ceilings and broken glass from long destroyed windows, our album shot was ready to go. A few days later, the time to release the album had come. All of our hard work had been for this one moment: the culmination of our musical efforts. I felt a profound sense of accomplishment as we pulled up our webpage one last time, and hit the “upload” button. We had done it. We had created our own album. That was a year ago. Since our first release, we have played several open mics, released another project, and even held our own small show in the basement that was home to our original musical operation. I’m forever grateful that I chose to accept the challenge presented by my friend; I have learned and grown as both a musician and a person through our efforts. So next time you find yourself reluctant to try something new simply because it seems difficult, take the risk. You just might be surprised what you find.