What the hell ever happened to a review of this thing? Unbelievable..

Q-tips last solo album was out nearly a decade ago, not to speak of a long time with A tribe called quest, the amazing part is though, that this has a rookie feel to it. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, not at all. It just doesn’t sound like a hip hop veteran put together an album, it’s a fresh contemporary breeze in other words.

In contradiction to some people, I pretty much love this joint. One of my fave albums of this yerrro.

Q-Tips flow gets old, it really does in this album. But if you like/love classic Tribe, you’ll very likely fall feet in the air in love with this too. And how can you not love an album with a pop-art cover, but the music isn’t whack?

Don’t feel like reviewing much now, and this wasn’t really a review I’ll just name my favorite songs cus theres a lot of them:
Johnny is dead, Won’t trade, Gettin up, Official, You, WeFight/WeLove, ManWomanBoogie, Move, Dance on Glass, Life is Better
That was all of them except three that’ll probably grow on me eventually. Buy now if you havent, but you have so what is there to remind you of?
Oh yea…

MINUTE AFTER MIDNIGHT DEC 16

I know, I know. WTF, Right? I can understand the Emma Salokoski Ensemble part. Barely. But what does ‘Veden alla‘ mean? It means under the water, when translated literally, and it’s my favorite album this year.

Back in the days of 5 years ago the band was called Emma Saloksoki Trio and they only released one EP. Luckily they realized that a singer, a bassist and a guitarist don’t form a very good band, so they decided to pick up a pianist and a drummer. Thus Emma Salokoski Ensemble was born.

Back in the days of 2005 the Ensemble released their debut album called Kaksi mannerta, Two continents. The album was the 4th best selling album in Finland for at least a week and their song Miksi sä meet (a cover version of Por que te vas) was the most played song of one radio station “for a long time”. Veden alla was heavily Brazilian influenced and is usually filed under bossa nova.

I’m a man opposing changes in artist’s or band’s new artistic directions. If you want to do some new kind of music you should just form a new band/use a different name instead of using your existing fan-base to sell more albums. [Magnus goes: "WORD!!"]

Back in the days of last August (now it’s a gimmick) Veden alla was released, but because Emma Salokoski Ensemble isn’t some über mainstream crap they don’t get many radio plays, so I had no idea that, instead of getting a solid bossa nova album, I would get an excellent progressive, Finish folk rock influenced album with a clear Helsinki sound. If the album would’ve been even slightly worse than their previous I would’ve been furious. You got lucky, Emma.

Veden alla has clear direction. It’s very emotionally charged, instruments are acoustic and Emma’s singing is more beautiful than ever, although I’m not sure if this emotion transfers if you can’t understand a word.

The album was Finland’s best selling album for a week or three but still didn’t get any radio time, which just proves that most of people are too stupid to listen to music, so they need to be told what sounds good and is worth their 3,5 minutes plus commercials.

Favorite tracks: Veden alla, Kehtolaulu (lullaby), Ja sun äänesi (and your voice), Tiistaieuforiaa (tuesday euphoria)

88-Keys, Kanye West’s best friend and a relatively unknown figure in hip-hop has (finally?) released his debut album The Death of Adam. The Harlem based producer/rapper has made songs for Black Star, The Pharcyde, Macy Gray and Consequence, and ever since he dropped the free(!) mixtape Adam’s Case Files in june, I have been looking forward to this album.

so uhm

Over to the review:

I would not call this album directly incredible, but there are quite a few light-spots in this album and it has a funny concept. Oh yes, “the concept?” you may ask. Well, the album follow the investigation of the death of a guy named Adam and as 88 said himself: “The entire album is about the power of the punani, if you will. It follows the story line of my man Adam who passed away and basically how he died.”

The songs on the album have all something to do with the story, and with titles like Morning Wood, and M.I.L.F., it will at least catch some people’s attention. The production is tight, and with guest performers, ranging from alternative rock-group Shitake Monkey (even though I mention them, does NOT mean that I like them) to Redman, this album is fun-filled and something different from all the other stuff coming out today. But.. like every other album, this one has flaws to it. Like The Friends Zone (with Shitake Monkey) sounds like some crazy-ass T-Pain Shit gone wrong..

The Album is executively produced by good-Kanye West, not the bad one, and contains a little bit of the soul-y feeling from the College Dropout days. Good-Kanye also makes an ok appearance on the single Stay Up (Viagra), which was recorded ages ago.

This is a good, innovative and uncompromising (I mean, the album artwork tells that much right?)) album for people who need some jolly and rollicking music in their life, and for all those who miss the old College Dropout feeling.

Buy here.

Favorite songs: M.I.LF., The Burning Bush, Morning Wood, Handcuff’Em

Chances are that if you have heard any hip hop in the last few years you might have heard about Black Milk. Now I wouldnt know because I suck at probability, I mean geez, math is supposed to make sense, probability sucks tit(s). Back to what we came to now (dundundududduuunnun). Detroit producer Black Milk has been an underdog in Hip Hop for the last 7 years, producing stuff for people like Slum Village, Phat Kat and Guilty Simpson… and Lloyd Banks… hmmm…

I’m very dissapointed in myself for not bringing this to the table before, released in late october. One of the absolute most skillful producers of our time, in the leauge with Dilla & Pete Rock. Nothing nostalgic or anything, just good contemporary hip hop, if the art is going somewhere different, this is the preferable direction. Unconventional, original and real (notice: “turn it up” sticker).

Starts off hard, real hard, ‘Long Story Short’ one of the strongest songs on the album. A hookless autobiography, a good example of splendid rapping and even better production. Dwele hums a little bit on the end, enough to be featured though. Few weak tracks, one being ‘Hold it Down’, gets boring and not the best way to rap for Milk. Further we have the oh so soulful song, ‘Without U’, probably shouldn’t say this, but this is the kind we wanted the College Dropout Kanye to be making now, but he’s not. Under this category does ‘Loosing Out’ fall too. It features Royce Da 5′9′, an artists I’ve never gotten into, he does an ok job on this.

Later we have the all-star track ‘The Matrix’ feauring Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price plus some scratching business by DJ Premier. A solid track, though doesn’t appeal to me like some of the other tracks on this joint do. Bottom line is that this album is a good mix of production you might have expected to hear on tracks of other artists, anything from Jay-Z (’Hell Yeah’), The Roots (’Bond 4 Life’) to Dabrye (’Tronic Summer’).

An outstanding album, one of the very better of this year at least. Offers great quality and variety, whatever kind of hip hop you’re into you will find some you like on this one. Another must-have, that is of course if you’re not a SUCKAH.

Favorite songs: Long Story Short, Loosing out, Overdose, Tronic Summer

Burial is a dubset producer from the United Kingdon, London to be more precise. There’s really not much I can say about this geezer, mainly because he remained anonymous until August 2008 (most people thought he was Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim), before that only five people really knew he made music, but oh how he makes music.

His debut self-titled album met a lot of critical acclaim with many ranking it in their top albums of 2006. It’s a dark, eye opening plunge into the underworld of London which millions can relate to. It’s a very unique album, described by many as like taking the night bus around London. However in my opinion Untrue takes it a step further, with more hypnotic/ghostly samples and beautifully crafted drum patterns. Once you start this album, you will not stop listening till it’s over, it’s just that good. I really wish I knew more about this guy and the way he makes his music. This album is an emotional marvel, you can shut yourself away from the world and take in every tiny sound that appears in the 50 minutes of this masterpiece.

First time listening to this is a true experience. Amazon had been bugging me to buy this album for a long time, constantly recommending it to me, and I finally caved into the pressure and bought it. I wish I could go back and listen to it for the first time again, and be blown away by the epic production, the echoing vocal samples, there is an established sense of semi-consciousness and loneliness that you can’t help but sympathise with throughout, and it just makes you want more.

Favourite tracks: EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT.

I look forward to his ever delayed next release DJ Kicks which I will be sure to review as soon as I hear it.