Montag, 1. Aug 2011, 21:13

Artist: Sole and the Skyrider Band
Album: Hello Cruel World
Label: Fake Four Inc.

[Excerpt from our review on Groovemine]

This album is more driven, and Sole’s bars, while no less angry and abstract, are delivered in a more casual, calm manner — the polysyllabic wrath he’s known for is no longer centerpiece but accoutrement while the new relaxed delivery adds a welcome layer of subtlety. This is apparent from the first track “Napolean,” which features lines like “Self-made man, nobody gave me shit too/ except my addict father, thanks for the anger issues” and a beat clearly informed by contemporary beatcraft aesthetics, the boom-bap featuring ticking hi-hats and disembodied female vocals. But Sole and the band are still as freewheeling as ever — a lot of Sole’s couplets don’t rhyme, and Jamie Stewart’s synth-organ-laden chorus reeks of goth.

Another interesting element on this record, the group’s third effort, is the guest list of collaborators. Though the usual suspects are present including like-minded spitters Pedestrian, Noah23, and Sage Francis, there are a couple of surprise appearances including one by Xiu Xiu. The most surprising of them, not only for its novelty but for its…

Entire review of Groovemine, PLUS FREE MP3: “Napolean (w/ Xiu Xiu)” & “Hello Cruel World (Alias Remix w/ WHY?'s Yoni Wolf” HERE