Author: Samuel Provost-Walker

Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth

Post author By Samuel Provost-Walker
Post date February 17, 2015

Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth (Atlantic Record; 2015)

Forget the ill-conceived electropop production of Lasers. Forget the laborious politically dense drivel of Food & Liquor 2. Tetsuo & Youth has arrived and with it, the Lupe Fiasco we once loved and cherished has seemingly returned, older, wiser and ruthlessly refuelled. While its sprawling length (a whopping 78 minutes) never quite justifies itself due to a few less than stellar pop-rap tracks that, while never as offensively bland, recall a more confused Lasers-era Fiasco, and its seasonal motif never quite comes to fruition. Lupe nonetheless showcases some of his most focused and ambitious songwriting yet. Take “Mural,” the album’s aptly-titled opener, for example; free of hooks, Lupe paints a vivid, densely packed canvas and effortlessly navigates a lush piano-driven sample from Cortex’ Troupeau Bleu for nearly nine whole minutes, devoid of breaks. It’s a stunning showcase of virtuosic flow and lyrical dexterity and a reminder that, when focused, Lupe Fiasco can rap with the best around today. He’s almost there.

Trial Track: “Mural”

Rating: 7/10

-Samuel Provost-Walker

Tags lupe fiasco, Quickspin

Quickspins

Viet Cong – Viet Cong (Mexican Summer; 2015)

Post author By Samuel Provost-Walker
Post date February 9, 2015

Born from the ashes of acclaimed noise-rock band Women, Calgary quartet Viet Cong is a veritable post-punk smorgasbord. Their self-titled debut LP essentially serves as a history lesson for the genre, gathering sounds from such disparate eras as the revival/dance-punk explosion of the early 2000s and the cold, clanging chaos of early ‘80s no wave. While it’d be easy to reduce the band’s work to mere pastiche, Viet Cong nonetheless prove themselves more than a one-trick tribute act thanks to the raucous, unbridled energy they bring to every concoction. “Pointless Experience” and “Silhouettes” flawlessly recreate early Interpol, while doubling down on downright incisive guitar tones. The album’s showstopper, “March of Progress,” conjures up a gorgeous cacophony strongly indebted to This Heat, before transitioning into an unexpectedly joyous and blissful finale. Say what you will about Viet Cong’s strict adherence to fidelity; not since Iceage stormed onto the scene has a band so seamlessly and powerfully replicated a bygone era.

Trial Track: “March of Progress”

8/10

Tags quickspins

Quickspins

Napalm Death – Apex Predator – Easy Meat (Century Media; 2015)

Post author By Samuel Provost-Walker
Post date February 9, 2015

This year marks West Midlands grindcore pioneers Napalm Death’s 34th year as an outfit. Despite a revolving door of personnel early on (most notably on their 1987 debut, Scum) and a complete lack of original members, the band has hardly suffered or changed, retaining a fixed lineup and delivering a singular, uncompromising sound since the early ‘90s. Apex Predator – Easy Meat, the band’s 15th studio album, is by all accounts another typical Napalm Death album. All of the pieces are in place: ferocious blast beats, chunky, blistering riffs, violent mid-tempo grooves, Mark “Barney” Greenway’s reliably gruff vocals, and socio-politically charged lyrics. If Napalm Death don’t cover any new ground (would you want them to?), they’ve assembled the cream of the crop for their 15th album. Few bands sound this overpowering a decade into their career, let alone upwards of three decades; the fact that Napalm Death could go toe-to-toe with their peers is a testament to their earned experience and unrivalled maturity in the genre.

Trial Track: “Stubborn Stains”

8/10

Tags quickspins