WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - wait, not THOSE Horsemen. The Hoarsemen are a collective out of New York, reppin' "alternative" Hip-Hop (meaning that they pack both turntables AND kazoos) for you lovers of shit that's a bit askew. Is their debut album, Snacks & Catastrophes, dope enough for you to cop? Let's find out:"Neck Bop"
This cut starts out with some head-noddin' drums and a solid organ melody, which get paired up with MC Long Division's quirky lines and that odd hook, this CD reminds me of what Beck was doing on Odelay, minus the wall-of-sound sampledelica.
"Brown Bag"
This is the lead single. Another solid groove, with dude throwing in words not normally heard on your regular Rap disc (I mean, who rhymes shit like metropolis?), but dude also has some ill things strung together, like this end game on the first verse: "Got to make my name ring bells like a pugilist/Spitting some old hotness like Vesuvius/I sip Bombay, turn clubs to Pompeii/And critics, y'all can all go to Hell like Dante". Not your normal raps, for they take a bit of thought! Also diggin' the New Brunswick drop.
"Feel Mine"
Three songs deep and each is on that mid-tempo, live bop to it. Not that bad, but hopefully the paces changes every now and again. I bet these cats are dope live, especially homey who makes all the weird voices on their hooks. Like who says "OK I'm going to sound like a little kid/weird old man on EVERY hook"? Lyrically, this reminds me of the Anticon heads, but with more rhythm to the flows and less SAT words...
"Pablo McNasty's Revenge"
I miss DJ-only tracks. Even if this is an interlude, this one has a DJ Disk charm to it. If you didn't hear his Ancient Termites CD, you're missing out.
"Dookie Booty"
This one kicks it up a tad - I could see this one going down nice at a beer-soaked basement party. Got that fun vibe to it, not far from cats like Digital Underground back in the day.
"The Ballad Of Three Fingered Joe"
This is more Hip-Hop/Country hybrid than anything Nelly and Tim McGraw could ever come up with. All this track is missing is a verse from Slick Rick as Joe.
"You're Not Allowed To Volunteer Here Anymore"
I think this is one of the first tracks I've heard in a while that mentions Modelo beer. I had those once - the bottles are funny looking, but the brew was sub-par. I was going to do a series of posts where I bought beer, drank them, then reviewed the beers, but I realized that was a trigger to alcoholism. In any case, this one has a funky vibe to it. I love the cut-up phone ringing at the very end.
"The Carnival"
Odd-ass interlude of a carny bigging up the Hoarsemen (mad adjectives abound).
"Snacks 'n' Catastrophe"
Fuzz-box Hip-Hop, complete with kazoos. Grimey, yo!
"Gulps (The Captain Has Bad Dreams)"
Dude who does the captain voice (I'm guessing that's Loosey?) is spot-on. That pitter-patter kick in this makes that beat. Love that low-key bass, too. Perfect bed for the deep-sea themes in this killer.
"Rotgut"
Here comes the bevy of SAT rhymes. You sophmores and juniors need to just study this cut for your verbal section.
"Monkey Heads"
Definitely didn't expect this proto-jungle banger. Lovin' the freaky flavor of this interlude.
"Flavorite"
This one is the closest to a trunk-rattler on this set, with some hardcore scratching alongside a boomin' bassline. I also love dude's rhymes, reminds me of the early '90s.
"Sexshuwal"
Does exactly what it says on the tin - this is a fly cut that would go down PERFECT in a live setting. This would get the crowds rocking, especially those who are full of couples, or those just trying to get buck nasty on a broad.
"City Man"
With the bongo/conga line in this, sounds like a classic break with dude going buck over it. Another block (party) rocker.
In the end, this isn't what I'd normally peep at all, which is sad. It's good to hear Hip-Hop coming from that leftfield side of things, especially when it's not like a crew of guys who are trying to just use Rap as a tool. You can tell The Hoarsemen both love Hip-Hop and are good at what they do, making their particular brand of shit that much more interesting. While I think the CD isn't the best way to take in a set like this (I'd imagine their live shows are a good time), it's definitely a solid base for their budding future.
rock the dub gives Snacks & Catastrophes a 3.75 out of 5 stars. Flippin' Hip-Hop on its ear, these cats bridge a love for what was great about Hip-Hop with a desire to bring in their other influences into the mix, creating a vibrant stew and a funky good time.
Burn Deez: "You're Not Allowed To Volunteer Here Anymore", "Brown Bag", "The Ballad Of Three Fingered Joe", "Rotgut", "Dookie Booty"
Snacks & Catastrophes is available on April 15th, 2008. Check out their website for more information. If you are in the New York area on Thursday, April 17th, check out their album release party at Fontana's Bar in the L.E.S.; aside from the Hoarsemen, live performances will be coming from K Banger, the1shanti, The Woes and a host of others, with drink specials provided by Function Drinks and Svedka Vodka.
related:
Check out this in depth interview with Long Division over at What Now, Then?
www.reverbnation.com/thehoarsemen
No comments:
Post a Comment