Jenny Hval - The Practice Of Love Review

Ever since Jenny Hval's critical and commercial breakthrough, Apocalypse, Girl in 2015, I was hooked to her music. Through the years I had grown to love the style of music from European countries such as Iceland's post-rock band Sigur Rós or Sweden's electronic duo, The Knife and later Fever Ray, but when I found Jenny Hval's music, I felt like I had found my favorite version of this kind of European singer-songwriter, since she contains the fabulous avant-garde sensibilities of Icelandic artist  Björk (who I was never much a fan of), while maintaining the elegant synth-pop style of an artist such as Fever Ray. As she blended the two seamlessly, she grew into her own, and I was already late to the party as Apocalypse, Girl was already her 4th album as Jenny and 6th overall! She continued in 2016 with her atmospheric, concept album, Blood Bitch (a masterwork in my opinion which will be covered in my Masterpiece series at a later date), a meditative EP in 2018 called The Long Sleep, and now her latest album in 2019, The Practice of Love.

Masterpiece Crate #3: Tool - Fear Inoculum

Tool - Fear Inoculum Analysis and Review

It is rare that I pass down perfect scores on albums, but when I do, it is entirely earned by the artists through pure ingenuity, vision, cohesion between members, and production value. Tool is one of those bands, and 2019’s Fear Inoculum is one of those albums. This review also serves as my masterpiece series entry number 50, as it fits chronologically after my 49th listed album that I still have to write about, and at the same time shifts my sequential writing order significantly since I have only written a couple of articles in this series thus far (my next article will be about the Nine Inch Nails album The Downward Spiral). My masterpiece crate series will occasionally grow beyond the big 5 0 and my original 49 album collage in my introductory article, but for all intents and purposes, this needs to be done to keep up with the release dates of current albums which rise to this rare occasion.

Various Artists - The Music Of Red Dead Redemption II: (Original Score) Review

Just as video game developer Rockstar promised, the original score to their engrossing cowboy western game, Red Dead Redemption II released August 9th, and just as their pedigree for cinematic and Oscar-worthy storytelling captured the hearts and minds of fans across the world, so too does their original score for the game itself.

Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind Review

A long heavy metal career keeps careening forward, despite the loss of longtime members on Slipknot's 6th studio album We Are Not Your Kind. Having lost their third original member of the 9 since the inception, Slipknot hasn't found a reason to end their reign on the heavy metal genre, and instead, sound as strong as they ever have, despite hitting some of the same notes of their previous releases.

Interview: Cuban Pete

Cuban Pete Interview

AirdriftSignals: Hey Cuban Pete, how are you doing today?

Busy as usual. Always got something to do whether its artwork or rhymes. Or maybe even 5 minutes with the family if they’re lucky haha.

AirSig: I know how that is... I know you just released a new mixtape that is stacked with guests. How does it feel to release an album full of so many great artists?

Well for The Standout mixtape I am the guest, apart from a couple of tracks I put together. I’ve been using this past year to build up my features on other peoples projects and The Standout is a collection of some of the dopest ones I’ve done.

I’m blessed to be able to work with a lot of great artists from legends to up and coming. It’s been a very well received project.

Cuban Pete - The Standout Review

The Standout is the latest mixtape release from C75 Live, hosted by Krumb Snatcha and featuring UK emcee Cuban Pete throughout its sprawling 16 tracks. As if independent hip-hop wasn’t raw enough, true fans and hip-hop heads may rejoice: this release has everything, with multiple servings of professionally rolled hip-hop joints combined with a multitude of vocal talents to make Cuban Pete's The Standout a decorated and glistening collaborative effort.

The album's opener is a sharp cutting signal to all the freeriders in the industry who are trying to be something they're not to sit down and take notes, as Cuban Pete and company school the wannabes to a lurid, hard-hitting B. Dvine beat. It's a tough and head-banging opening to an album full of surprises. The album doesn't let listeners off easy either, as Altered Beasts contains a spinning and scratching frenzy that kick-starts the Cuban Pete led militant track. The beat is seductive, like most the production featured throughout, and it has a cool demeanor and flow by Cuban as well as Bobby Fuego and Chief Rocka. Supa Cypha is the first of several stacked posse tracks and speaks volumes as multiple accomplished emcees pass the baton without ever dropping it. It's a seamless track that is tough on weak minds and packs on the aggressiveness. As the track fades, Krumb Snatcha takes a moment to shout out Cuban Pete before None of Y'all Better, a mixtape track by B. Dvine, and a previous entry in Dvine's Process of Illumination mixtape released in February. Its dark fantasy vibe embedded in the beat with Dvine's, Odd Thomas's, and Cuban Pete's verses set to remind wannabe rappers that they can't match their pedigree.

Project Wars is the next track, an epic 8 minute cut with 20 emcees, including but not limited to Solomon Childs, Karnage, Menace OBEZ, Ju Muny, Dasunofsam, and Young Dirty Bastard, and it flexes its muscle over the assaulting beat. Respect Mine breaks the chain of tracks that have defined The Standout mixtape thus far with an old-school feel-good vibe while City Pulse takes a transportive, almost Cannibal Ox-like turn with a funky siren-fueled swagger and smoothes out the rough cuts of The Standout's previous onslaught. Iron Winds pulls up and let's loose in this one, which leads right into a B. Dvine remix track by DJ Modesty, Dominate Breakloops, as he produces and cuts on it. It's the same team of rappers from None of Y'all Better, and the three prove their solid chemistry here. Whatever makes another funky beat altercation to listeners' ear drums and Jokers Wild gets dangerous with chilling Heath Ledger Joker samples. Ju Muny takes over with the old-school banging Heart Pain, giving a horrorcore, Gravediggaz-like vibe. Cuban Pete and Mavz also bring the heat.

Feelin So Good cuts in with yet another hip-hop stylistic choice, rocking a smooth R&B hook, and Turned On Me focusing on the hard feelings and truths that come out of betrayal. Workin' puts an asterisk on the grind that Cuban Pete's been putting in, as The Standout and C75 Live are living examples of his hard work and dedication up until this point. Tower Rich, another track released on The Process of Illumination under the alternate name Doing Me, opens with B. Dvine's verse, with CB and Cuban Pete dropping supporting lines about staying in their own lane and finding success within their own channels. The mixtape ends with the Mavz produced beat for Ju Muny's Immortal Kombat, featuring a final 11 emcee lineup. All rappers get a precious number of bars to kill the beat, and their energy is full of fire and gives The Standout a prestigious climax.

Cuban Pete's latest mixtape is a star-studded and polished example of what hip-hop can do, both musically and lyrically. It's a mixtape that is worth the repeated playthroughs and gives listeners all kinds of melodies and verses to chew on. Its cast of guests and producers elevate The Standout to a high level of hip-hop stardom, and The Standout does exactly what it's named to do.

The Standout is now available on C75 Live's Bandcamp. C75 Live is another great place to get the latest news and media for everything Cuban Pete related!

The Standout - 9.5/10

Recommended Tracks: Altered Beats, Whatever, Turned On Me

Masterpiece Crate #2: Alice In Chains - Dirt

Alice In Chains - Dirt Analysis and Review

If Nirvana created the perfect storm for grunge to come into the fold with their worldwide hit, Nevermind, then Alice In Chains took the genre a giant leap further, with their second full-length album, Dirt. Like Nirvana, Alice In Chains also came into their own after recording a gritty debut, punk-grunge album, Facelift in 1990, before the release of this grunge-metal masterpiece. Facelift displayed some true potential for the band since they produced some excellent hit songs which have just as much staying power today as some of Dirt's best songs, such as Man in the Box, Bleed the Freak, and Sea of Sorrow. These singles were also a big indicator that lead singer Layne Staley's talents were a grade above those of Kurt Cobain's, as his vocal cords could easily handle an excessively powerful release from within all the while maintaining his delicate flutter as he sang. It seemed only a matter of time then, after Nevermind, that Alice In Chains would continue to top themselves after Facelift, and they most certainly did with what is undisputedly the strongest album in the group's career.

Update: Backwords Thoughts Single OUT NOW

Update: Backwords Thoughts Single Release

The final supporting single from my debut album Crystallize, Backwords Thoughts, a revisit of my instrumental bonus track, is out now! Featuring verses by Long Island emcees B. Dvine and Thomas Coppola (both who I have reviewed in the past and Thomas who I have just recently interviewed), Backwords Thoughts is a fully-fleshed out idea with jewels of knowledge for your ears. Listen now on Bandcamp or any other streaming platform that you choose and listen to my album Crystallize on all music streaming platforms!

The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger Review

After 11 years, the Jack White-led blues-rock band The Raconteurs finally released their follow up album to 2008's Consolers of The Lonely, Help Us Stranger, on June 21st of this year. As far as why the long wait stretched beyond a span of a decade may be due to lead guitarist Brenden Benson's solo music career, as well as the prolific post-White Stripes career of Jack White, who leads his own solo act as well as another blues-rock band, The Dead Weather. The time between both of these albums was so long that most fans were pretty certain that there might not have been another album coming, especially since the reports were unlikely as far back as 2015 that there was hardly any new material recorded at all, according to Benson in an interview with The Guardian newspaper. Finally, in 2019, The Raconteurs surprise their fans with the release of their third album, the hard-rocking, and blues-licking, Help Me Stranger.

Various Artists - The Music Of Red Dead Redemption II: (Original Soundtrack) Review

Today released an original soundtrack from the makers of the wild west, cowboy masterpiece of last year, Red Dead Redemption II. A fully alive world of the west, Red Dead was instantly hailed as an undisputed classic in modern cinematic and interactive storytelling. It's awe-inspiring immersive characters, setting, and story were brought to vivid life not only by its beautiful, picture-perfect graphics but also by its swooning music, which could quietly enhance a scene or break out in full bravado, placing any player right in the middle of a classic western film. Rockstar shows the world again that their release last year was more than just a video game, but an arresting piece of art that deserves another look this summer, in the form of RDRII's original soundtrack.