Group Home - Livin' Proof

2010 was an interesting year, to say the least. Musically, I invested more in records and somehow increased my music IQ by getting rid of the superficial approach and taking more time to absorb albums, artists and even entire genres (or sub-genres). Unfortunately, I missed out on most of the releases of 2010 because I was too busy checking out classic shit such as Group Home. But fear not, there will be plenty of "recent" releases on this blog after this post right here (save for a future MF DOOM post...I can't believe I haven't posted that yet but I just can't think of a write-up that would do it justice). Anyway, I digress. On to tonight's feature presentation...

Group Home are "affiliates" of hip-hop legends Gang Starr. One of the members, Lil' Dap, made his debut on a track on the classic Daily Operation album and Group Home have since then made several appearances on Gang Starr's tracks. And as far as affiliations go, all* of Livin' Proof was produced by DJ Premier, one half of Gang Starr and probably your favourite producer's favourite producer. That is actually the focal point of this record: the production. The rhymes are surprisingly average for a 1995 record (smack-dab in the middle of the Golden Age of Hip Hop) but the production is impeccable. Premo's work on Livin' Proof is timeless and, as Allmusic said, a "rhythmic masterpiece".

All in all, Livin' Proof is a very enjoyable listen. The beats are great to bob your head along to and the lyrics are good but, like I said earlier, the rhymes are average. Don't let that stop you from copping this though because it comes very highly recommended, if only for the production work.

d/l

*Premo produced all but 2 of the 13 tracks, one of which was actually produced by Guru (R.I.P.)

Maladie - S/T

Hello. First off, apologies for my disappearance (if any of you actually care). Second...well, there really isn't a second part. I guess I'm just sorry for the lack of posts. Anyway, on to today's feature presentation.

Maladie are a screamo/hardcore punk band from Tijuana, Mexico. They released their self-titled LP back in '09. Don't let them being a screamo act turn you off, they're really not like Atreyu or *insert whiny screamo band here*. I like Maladie because they mix all that raw energy and intensity of hardcore punk with melody and let's face it, we all appreciate a little melody every now and then. The downside here is that the songs are all in Spanish and aside from "Hola!" and "Que pasa?", my Spanish sucks. Hell, it's non-existent. Since I'm a sucker for lyrics (especially with hardcore bands), I couldn't appreciate this band as much as I could've but I still enjoyed the hell out of this record. It's energetic from start to finish and doesn't get boring at all. Highly recommended.

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KRS One- Return Of the Boom Bap

Aaand we're back, after a brief postless period, with some classic, very much socially and politically aware hip-hop from KRS-One. Shit is dope.

Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Almost Everyone

might as well read and rap along

Head Hits Concrete - Thy Kingdom Come Undone

Okay, this is awesome. Head Hits Concrete are a political grindcore band from Winnipeg, Canada. As some dude on the intertubes put it, they sound "like early Iron Lung, only out of tune". Just to clarify, out of tune = awesome in this case because holy fucking dissonance is this shit great.

I ended up buying this record from here (digital download only) and in all honesty, you should too. There's a lack of political/conscious grindcore right now and these guys need your support. The only reason I'm putting up a download link is because 1. it's not the whole thing (missing a good 10 or so tracks) and 2. more people need to hear this shit. I don't know about y'all, but I was pretty surprised to see that this band is hardly ever mentioned.

Just a quick breakdown of what I'm giving you here: 48 tracks of pure dissonant, aural assault and album artwork/booklet + liner notes/lyrics (just to put this record into context). Enjoy!

booklet | download

Lack of Interest

Lack of Interest are playing MDF and I'm fucking depressed because it's another band I've been dying to see at that damned festival. Check out the entire line-up here. Anyway, there's no point crying over this (yes, I cried). On to the music.

Lack of Interest are a powerviolence/fast band from Southern Cali. Stylistically they're very similar to Negative Approach and/or Infest (one of my favourite bands in the genre). That doesn't mean that you don't have to listen to these guys. You simply have to. They, along with Infest, personify every single thing I love about powerviolence. It's not just the music, it's also the vocals. The vocals here remind me of the sound I (or you) would make if someone took a nailgun and shot one of those 9-inch motherfuckers straight through the arm. Very angry, very loud and very grunt-like.

For those of you who skipped everything I just wrote to get to the links, let me break down what I've put here:

Double Whammy (split w/ Spazz)

Trapped Inside

Take Another Step

Split w/ Capitalist Casualties

Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

The moment has finally arrived. Paracletus is the climax. It is the culmination of 8 (possibly even more) years of hard-work and dedication by the brilliant French avant-garde black metal band Deathspell Omega.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, allow me to shed some light. Paracletus is the final part of the trilogy, the first 2 pieces being Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice and Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeturnum.

I was going to write a lengthy bit on this album (what? I really was!) but there's someone out there who has done a fantastic job already. I strongly advise clicking the link below BEFORE listening to the album in order to fully appreciate what you're listening to.

link

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low threat profile-s/t 7"

"this conversation is going nowhere"

old dudes showing us kids how to play powerviolence

here

On a completely unrelated note, I cannot stress how excellent gospel is, do not hesitate to jump on this

Uyama Hiroto-A son of the sun

Oh glorious, glorious beats
Japanese instrumental hip-hop, very much in the vein of Nujabes.

here

Kegcharge - Sadistic War Glory

Ok, I'll admit that this post is mainly a "free post" (i.e. to increase the blog's output) but that doesn't mean that Kegcharge are by any means bad. Just not mindblowingly awesome. Having said that, I do enjoy this record quite a bit.

Some info on the band: Kegcharge consists of members from World Burns to Death and Severed Head of State (!) aaaand they play d-beat. Rather good d-beat too. Have fun with this one.

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