Author: Captain Capm (Page 8 of 118)

Various Artists: Irish Hip Hop Volume 1

October 31, 2008 / Captain Capm

For any of those out there who are still listening to House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and wondering what other Irish hip hop might sound like – only, you know, in 2008 – this compilation of 20 such tracks may very well quench that desire. As could be expected, not everything here is top notch. Rira’s “25 O’Clock in the Mornin'” and CMC’s “Home” sounds pretty generic no matter how you slice it (and the “fuck that” asides are unintentionally funny). And the less said about Shaymin’s “Lassie,” the better. But The Elements’ “Nu Skool” sounds tight and funky in an old-school way, and Project 77’s “Takin’ on the Planet” throws an Irish female voice into the stew with decent results. Other tracks such as Jee4ce’s “Contact” and Ophelia’s “Revolutionary” hold their own, but for the most part this collection feels a bit stale and sounds more like a quick cash-in than a fully realized project. (80 Million Records)

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Hip Hop

CMC Irish Hip Hop CD Review Irish Hip Hop Volume 1 CD Review Project 77 Rira Shaymin The Elements

Saiah: Evolution

October 31, 2008 / Captain Capm

I don’t know who Saiah is, but his new disc Evolution starts off with a remixed version of a tune called “Nobody.” It doesn’t really matter, because this wannabe rapper doesn’t have a whole lot going for him. The mix on this track alone is atrocious, with generic squiggly synth notes farted out against a skeletal beat, both of which are mixed so low behind Saiah’s boring rhymes that it doesn’t even register as background noise. On the lamely-titled “H8,” we have to listen to yet another hip-hopper tell us how tough it is while hilariously bad synth cello lines mope around in the back. And when Saiah sings “Don’t walk out on me, baby / ‘Cause I’m about to be famous” on “Famous” while it sounds like some kid is listlessly pushing on piano keys, you just can’t take this dude seriously. So don’t. It doesn’t seem like anyone else is, anyway. Besides, you can tell the whole thing’s not worth your time thanks to the sleeve art that looks like it was made with the usual cheapo graphics kit available in the bargain bin at your local Wal-Mart. (April Fool Records)

Saiah MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Hip Hop, Rap

Evolution Review Saiah CD Review Saiah Evolution Review

Knox Bronson: Pop Down the Years

October 24, 2008 / Captain Capm

Touted as “electronic music for the mind and body,” Knox Bronson’s Pop Down the Years features nine tracks of varying pop alchemy. The opening cut “Hey Little Earthgirl” sounds like the same sort of thing Freezepop has been doing for a few years now, with its vocoder-soaked vocals and cutesy-pie melody. On the other hand, “Old Man Cold Man” sounds like a hellish marriage of Leonard Cohen and something from the mind of Ed Wood. Indeed, how seriously are we to take these tunes when something like “3 Secends before Maia Smiled” sounds like some random New Age electronic CD got spun in a blender with Taco? “Take Me Down” sounds like a creepy old man coming on to a much younger girl, and those synthesized farts and burbles in the mix don’t help at all, nor do lyrics like “Making love all day on a sacred afternoon.” In fact, that creepy old guy persona imbues much of the work here, making the album more than a little uncomfortable. I’m sure that was unintentional, but it doesn’t make the listening any easier. (Tangerine Sky Interactive)

Knox Bronson MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop

Knox Bronson CD Review Pop Down the Years CD Review

Winter Dance Party: Holiday Greetings to You

October 17, 2008 / Captain Capm

What’s worse than bad Christmas music? How about bad Christmas music as played by people pretending to be dead rock stars? Awesome! Just in time for the Christmas shopping holidays that begin immediately sometime right before or after Halloween, it’s Winter Dance Party, comprised of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and Big Bopper impersonators. If you’re guessing that somewhere in this disc you’ll hear Christmas chestnuts played in the style of “Peggy Sue,” “La Bamba,” and ahhh…..hmm…whatever else it was Big Bopper did that wasn’t “Chantilly Lace,” then you’ll be absolutely wowed by this collection. So yeah, it’s another quick Christmas cash-in with the likes of “Let It Snow,” “Feliz Navidad,” “We Three Kings,” “Silent Night,” and the rest done up dead guy-style. But hey, at least you know these impersonators are the only group officially sanctioned by the surviving families of the deceased to rock such a crazy thing. Completely unnecessary in every way imaginable. (Day Old Records)

Winter Dance Party official site

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Big Bopper Buddy Holly Christmas Music Holiday Greetings to You Review Richie Valens Winter Dance Party Review

Wunderbugg: Written in Flesh

October 3, 2008 / Captain Capm

On Written in Flesh Wunderbugg has created an electronic mix of impressive proportions. A little electroclash here, a smidgen of ambient there, some dance and house beats sprinkled throughout. “3 Molecules Away” opens the album on a fuzzy, jagged note where the sublime mixes with the crunch of synths whirring away. “Infected with Hope” sounds like its title might suggest; an ethereal space-age sort of breezy groove with a bit of a dark undertone running down the middle. “Heartworm” approaches the New Age side of the yard, and “Overdose No. 5” features raging beats that would please any of those 140-BPM-and-higher fans. Like many electronic-based groups, Wunderbugg’s repertoire doesn’t come off entirely clean over the course of this album, but what’s good here is very solid, indeed. It just seems a little faceless at times. (Self-released)

Wunderbugg MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Pop