Juggernaut producer EI-P brings an ambitious project to the table with High Water. It features the Blue Series Continuum, a group headed by noted jazz pianist Matthew Shipp. Gone are the dense and intense soundscapes that populate El-P's work with Company Flow and his stable of Def Jux artists, replaced by a tasteful and sometimes inventive aesthetic of arrangement. El-P's arrangements are interpreted nicely by the Blue crew, but his stamp is still noticeably all over the project, as he employs some of his favorite techniques to create a synthesis that's like a mall escalator of cool: going up slowly, with a vague destination in mind.
"Get Your Hand Off My Shoulder, Pig" is the closest that EI-P allows hip-hop to get to this album — it's rooted in blues and packs some serious drum breaks. The magnificent "Sunrise Over Brooklyn" evokes exactly that feeling, and EI-P's father (billed as "Harry Keys") waxes Louis Armstrong over some trademark phasers on "When The Moon Was Blue." I hope EI-P will continue to put out projects like this — it's a welcome expansion for both hip-hop heads and jazz lovers alike.
Visionaries Panges
Grade: B+
The lyrics here illustrate their views on often-overlooked issues such as global unity ("Pangea") and speaking out for what you believe in ("Broken Silence"), just to name a couple. Rhettmatic produces some great grooves here that are just strong enough to carry through some of the more forgettable songs on this monstrous 17 track set. Give this album a spin if you want to hear the West Coast underground's best kept secret.
"Pick up your spirits, lead by example/ hold your ground, don't get trampled..." This is the strong, positive vibe echoed by the Visionaries, one of the most culturally diverse hip hop crews, on their third release Pangea. Based out of Los Angeles, the home of similar artists Jurassic 5 and Aceyalone, this group consists of a total of five emees rhyming over beats provided by DJ Rhettmatic (Beat Junkies).
— Phil Torpey Host of "Breakfast for Beatlovers," Tuesdays 9 a.m. to noon
Grade: B+
— Derek Zarda
KJHK DJ, Mondays 2 a.m.to 4 a.m.
Xiu Xiu Fabulous Muscles
After listening to the third album from Xiu Xiu in as many years (with 2 EPs on top of that), you have to applaud their prolific output but wonder: what if they spent more time on their albums instead? While Fabulous Muscles is tighter and more developed than last year's A Promise — it has high highs and it also has low lows. The first two tracks, "Crank Heart" and "I Luv the Valley Oh!" are as good as you'll hear anywhere, but other songs suffer from uninspired arrangements and awful lyrics. The worst piece, "Support Our Troops," is unforgivably bad and about the worst diatribe on our recent war I've heard from either side. With all the potential they show, I can't help but be disappointed with this album, but a handful of really great songs help redeem it.
Grade: B-
— Ryan Patrick KJHK DJ, Thursdays 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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