The Needle Drop

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Blockhead - Bells and Whistles

New TracksContributor Jones2 Comments

A catalog as wide and definitive as that of producer Blockhead is most definitely one to be lauded and respected. Having worked with the likes of emcees like Murs and Aesop Rock as well as with labels including Defnitive Jux and Rhymesayers is unquestionably nothing to sneeze at. So it should come as no surprise that his latest solo project, Bells and Whistles, remains in the vain of a soundscape that's pleasantly ominous, windswept and spacious--while also dense, free-flowing and heroically diverse. The sound selections and production choices by Blockhead are nothing if not strategically challenging and chilling. The background sampled voices on tracks like "You'll Get Over It" and "On The Back Of A Golden Dolphin" add an air of tense mystery to Blockhead's beautifully blighted production. He throws in everything but the kitchen sink that will take any unfamiliar listeners' ears on a musical whirlwind: tribal drums, maracas and hand claps, movie sound effects samples, old school R&B melodies and voices, classical big band pianos, deep computerized synthesizers, off-kilter strong instruments. Further, Blockhead literally creates songs within songs, as he effortlessly transitions from one sample to the next without batting an eye, and expects the listener to keep up. And although Bells and Whistles does unfortunately begin to wane in certain areas, it's a body of work that deserves several start-to-finish listens to grasp the whole of Blockhead's grand pursuit of creating some of the most wide-ranging and nonconformist Hip Hop production.

- Ron Grant

Eternia - "Scraps"

New TracksContributor JonesComment

A week ago, Canadian underground veteran emcee Eternia dropped a new track. The single, "Scraps," is thick with an impending sense of boom bap-influenced hip hop that forces its listener to contemplate their place in the world. According to Eternia in a quote for HipHopDX, she heard the beat playing while in the middle of prayer at City Lights in Toronto, wrote the song the same night, then recorded it the next day. Eerily reminiscent both melodically and production-wise to "The Answer" by The Foreign Exchange, Eternia uses her crafty lyrical prowess to build a foundation of aggressive bars about life lessons learned and hard knowledge earned. It's proof of why Eternia has been able to stick around the hip hop game for a decade and still seems hungry for more ears to listen intently.

- Ron Grant

Kool A.D. - Not O.K.

New TrackstheneedledropComment

Ex-Das Racist MC Kool A.D. drops his umpteenth project with Not O.K., which I'm finding a bit more enjoyable than his other recent releases. His delivery is still pretty absurd and laid back, but this project is sounding a bit more coherent to me. Releases like 19 just seemed too scatterbrained for me to enjoy all the way through. Hopefully, this concise direction and quality production continues into A.D.'s future tapes.

Uncommon Nasa - "Left Coaster" ft. Subtitle, Megabusive, BeOnd, Open Mike Eagle & Gajah

New Trackstheneedledrop2 Comments

"Left Coaster," taken from Uncommon Nasa's Land of the Way It Is, is an ensemble of some of the most prominent figures in underground hip hop. Subtitle, Megabusive, BeOnd, Open Mike Eagle, and Gajah all lay down some speedy, proficient verses that are well-suited to Nasa's very kinetic production.

Land of the Way It Is is out now via Uncommon Records! Here's a review courtesy of our friend Myke C-Town.