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NEW MUSIC: The Revelations – Xperience (prod. by MTK)

Xperience - The Revelations

Finally got a chance to check out XP’s new EP, The Revelations. Local master of bombast MTK is responsible for producing all eight tracks which are very Just Blaze-ish in their big-samples-meets-big-synth grandiosity. “Make Enough” (featuring Hellfyre Club’s resident genius Open Mike Eagle) and “Take Me Back” (with Q Dot and Ashley Dubose) were highlights for me. Xperience has always sounded like he’s rapping (and singing) from the pulpit, but on Revelations he explicitly puts himself there: check out “Walk By Faith” for rap proselytizing on wax, the likes of which Seattle hasn’t really seen before.

Stream the EP on DJ Booth here and drop some change for the record on iTunes here. Also, check out the video for “New Religion” below.

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VIDEO: “Drunk Talk” – Brothers From Another (dir. by Jack Newton)

No you are not seeing double. Brothers From Another already dropped a really fresh video for “Drunk Talk” back in June, but they had to re-up due to certain, ahem, mitigating legal circumstances. (Fuck our litigious culture, I say — let them boys cook!) Anyways… “Drunk Talk” take two is here for your viewing pleasure. Get that Tacos On Broadway below if you haven’t already.

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VIDEO: “Just Another Day” – Mic Flont, Gabriel Teodros, Ka.lil, & Jill Laxamana

The venerable Seattle quartet of Mic Flont, GT, Khingz (oops, I mean Ka.lil), and Jill Laxamana recreate the Dana Owens classic as an homage to Beacon Hill. Eric Miller and Mic Flont behind the lens, and Uce Wayne behind the boards.

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NEW MUSIC: “Death” – Made In Heights

Made In Heights - Death

The gradual rise of Made In Heights (Blue Scholars’ DJ/producer Sabzi and vocalist Kelsey Bulkin) has been a slow but intense burn. For a time, shortly after their relatively low-key but intensely beloved debut in early 2011, the duo topped this blog’s “most searched-for” list for about 30 days straight.

206UP has been a fan since the start. MIH is that rare electo-pop act that finds the perfect balance between the glaring computerized elements of its compositions (Sabzi), and the organic humanist component of its vocals (Kelsey). Success for groups like this depends on existing in the harmony between. (See also: Lorde.)

Made In Heights appeared live on stage for the first time at the Blue Scholars show in Brooklyn, about a month and a half ago. A lot of the songs they played were like the new one you hear below: calculated, bombastic and, at times, seemingly frantic. What remains most impressive about Kelsey Bulkin is how she uses her upper register to neutralize Sabzi’s digital bluster. This new track is called “Death”, but it’s really all about how much life this impressive singer breathes into a modern musical device that is, for all intents and purposes, inanimate without her.

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REVIEW: The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – Eminem

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2Eminem
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Interscope; 2013

Score (Potholes In My Blog scale): 3 / 5

On the sequel to his 2000 breakout album, Eminem (with help from Rick Rubin) reaches back in hip hop time to mine hits for a modern-day audience. The outcome: mixed results. Read what I wrote about The Marshall Mathers LP 2 over at Potholes In My Blog.

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VIDEO: “Seahawks & Gumbo & Sh*t” – Prometheus Brown

Here’s a dilemma I hope I’m faced with next February: Finding enough coin in the couch cushions to travel to the Meadowlands to watch an unnamed hometown team do their damn thing in the unnamed Big Game. (Names have been omitted so as not to jinx their chances — not that I believe in that shit, anyway.)

(Thanks to Pro Brown for the clip.)

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NEW MUSIC: High & Mighty – Nacho Picasso

Nacho Picasso - High & Mighty

Nacho Picasso’s highly anticipated — and I try not to use that term often — new album High & Mighty is here. Unlike his previous drops, Nacho’s recruited a grip of different producers for this one, including Seattle’s two most well-known: Jake and Vita. It makes for a more dynamic listening experience and reminds listeners like me that, yes, dude is a more well-rounded rapper than I’ve given credit for in the past. In the ongoing pissing match that is Name The Next Seattle Rapper to Blow, Nacho is probably at the top of the list.

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NEW MUSIC: “Earthlings” – Stoned Ape Theory

Stoned Ape Theory - Earthlings

Stoned Ape Theory is the new project between MC HD Thuro and producer Ill Pill. HD I’ve never heard of before, but Ill is the beatmaker responsible for Rockwell Powers’ Kids In The Back records (in addition to production work for Sol and Grynch). “Earthlings” is the duo’s first single from their upcoming The Stone Tape. It’s rap as autobiography set in space, and it bumps along pleasantly enough.

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NEW MUSIC: Boris the Blade – Avatar Darko (prod. by MegaMan)

Avatar Darko - Boris the Blade

Fictional KGB agent Boris the Blade (from Guy Ritchie’s Snatch) figures prominently in Avatar Darko’s latest, the eponymous EP produced entirely by Torontonian, MegaMan. This dropped yesterday and will be followed by an all-ages show with Nacho Picasso on November 29 at The Crocodile. Parents bring a good book and some earplugs.

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NEW MUSIC: The Sickle and The Sword – RA Scion

S&S_FRONT_WEBS&S_BACK_WEB

RA Scion promises a new sound on his latest LP, The Sickle and The Sword. It’s produced entirely by New York-based beatmaker Rodney Hazard. You may have already seen the video for the lead single, “Constant”, which does indeed feature a heavy electronic vibe. It’s a strong departure from RA’s last record Adding To The Extra which had the formidable boom-bap heft of Tacoma’s Todd Sykes.

See everything that’s new for RA Scion at The Sickle and The Sword album release party on November 14 at Neumos.

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