Category Archives: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Album reviews.

Home Grown :: Mindz Of A Different Kind (MDK)’s ‘BORDERLINEZ’ EP Now Available

Posted on May 23, 2017 | Leave a comment

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Bars, beats, culture and family would be key elements that describe Austin-based collective Mindz of a Different Kind (MDK).  After a prolific 2016, the crew is right back at it with an EP for spring 2017.  BORDERLINEZ finds the crew reaching out to non-Texas based producers, while at the same time turning the mirror inwards to reflect on their place in the grand scheme.  A pleasant surprise of a project that slipped right by me, I’m happy that I did discover it eventually.. better late than never.

-chief

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Block Philosophy :: ‘Trill Shit’ From Domincan Jay and S.Dot

Posted on May 19, 2017 | Leave a comment

You already know what it is when it’s League of Extraordinary G’z affiliated.  Domincan Jay has been killing it lately, and this go round he brings in S.Dot for the verbal assist, Eric Dingus for the track and Chino Chase for the visuals.  Trill Shit is good old fashion street talk from the blocks and back alleys.  Raw rap is where it’s at, and these cats definitely know where it’s at.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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Forward Thinking :: B L A C K I E Drops ‘Remains’

Posted on May 17, 2017 | Leave a comment

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Houston-based B L A C K I E has been ahead of the curve for years.  His brand of music has always been challenging, densely layered and deeply rewarding for the adventurous listener.  REMAINS continues the legacy of consistency that B L A C K I E has worked so hard to become synonymous with.  At only 8 tracks, this project gets right to the point, and at a ‘name your price’ setting, why would you not support?

-chief

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Life Coaching :: Jonathan Brown’s ‘Risk It All’ EP Now Available

Posted on May 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

New Orleans-based wordsmith Jonathan Brown has always had a touch for the brutally honest.  His punk-rock influenced hip-hop touches all the proper emotional influential buttons, rather than the purely aesthetic ones.  On his latest project, The Risk It All EP, we find him as candid as ever about topics such as educational policy, government paranoia and life choices, among other things, all wonderfully encapsulated into slightly more than 10 minutes.  Dig it and dig it good.

-chief

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Mind Designs :: Scuare Releases ‘Alphabet Soup’ To The Masses

Posted on April 26, 2017 | Leave a comment

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Austin Mic Exchange has literally been a factory of growth, productivity and exposure for a large handful of up and coming Austin based hip-hop artists, and for a select few, it has been the key factor to taking bigger steps and making moves.  One of that select few is Scuare, a cat who came in day one with amazing skills.  After collaborating with no1mportant to create the incomparable …&more…, Scuare has stepped back into the solo realm to drop a new project, Alphabet Soup.  I expect nothing but thought-provoking rhymes, awe-inspiring performances and the want for more music almost immediately after diving into this one… hopefully the rest of you take the time to grab this project, share with others, and as always, support local.

-chief

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Divine Elements :: Slop Musket Drops Visual For ‘The Perfect Fifth’

Posted on April 13, 2017 | Leave a comment

Austin-based band Slop Musket is constantly on a dual journey of personal growth and deeper insight with their music, and each piece of art they drop shows that.  With recording footage from Lava Studios, and live footage from Eyedea‘s Five Year Celebration at First Avenue in Minneapolis, the video for The Perfect Fifth is a rumination on love of creativity, and the drive it creates to reach further while getting ‘better’, whatever better may be.  Stand, the band’s 3rd EP, is looking promising if this is an indicator of what’s to come.  Let’s all stay tuned…

-chief

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Collective Resonance :: AMX Cypher Vol. II

Posted on April 10, 2017 | Leave a comment

One of the true gems of the Austin hip-hop scene is the Austin Mic Exchange (AMX).  It allows MCs of all styles and levels of experience to get together, build collaborations, and hone in on your skills while gaining inspirations from others.  2017 brings us volume two of the AMX Cypher, and this go round, we’ve got a killer line-up : Ben Buck on rhymes and production, and verses by Valor Alan, Aggie, N∆TE, Chuck Duze, You F. Oh and K-Sol.  AMX godfather Protextor drops in to film, and props to Exploded Records for providing the proper backdrop.  You know the drill… like it, share it, and support local!

-chief

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Life Lessons :: ‘Eye Of The Needle’ Finds Sixo and Grace Park Collaborating Once More

Posted on April 4, 2017 | Leave a comment

Recent Fake Four signees Alligator Food surprised me in a major way when my friend Grace Park popped up on their debut project.  Cut to nearly a year later, and group member Sixo is preparing to drop a new project featuring his production and a long list of collaborators.  Lucky for us, Grace Park found her way onto Eye Of The Needle, and it’s quite the wonderful piece of music… sparse enough for Grace‘s voice to take hold, but a nice strong set of drums in the background to take us all by the hand and show us the way.  I am very curious about The Odds Of Free Will, and I am looking forward to hearing the finished album.

-chief

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Summer Madness :: Protextor Drops Stunning Visual For ‘Heatstroke’

Posted on April 2, 2017 | Leave a comment

Protextor has perfectly captured what it must feel like to be on the outside looking in, and feeling helpless.  Police brutality, social-economic prejudice and privilege are all issues that have been just beneath the surface of our radars for ages.  Heatstroke is a very unique take on the entire situation, and another amazing video from Shift.  Props to John Valley and his crew on a masterful piece of cinema.

-chief

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Home Adventures :: Om Wahs Drops ‘Fogwall’ Single

Posted on March 22, 2017 | Leave a comment

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If there is one thing that is plentiful in Austin, it’s rock bands.  They come in all shapes, sizes and genres, which makes it hard to cut through the noise.  What helps is discovering your niche, carving it out, and excelling at it, which Om Wahs appears to be on the  path to doing.  Fogwall, a new single released in anticipation of an album this spring, comes on with the strength of a Tame Impala or Deerhunter, making the fact that it was recorded in a bedroom that much more impressive (not bad company to keep, seeing as those artists started out doing a similar method of recording).  I love myself some psych rock, and Om Wahs has definitely made my watchlist.

-chief

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