Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste

Azealia Banks keeps popping up in the media due her somewhat erratic and bizarre behaviour. Naturally, this led me to actually check out her music, remembering "212" from a few years ago being a bit of a banger, with rude lyrics and intense Euro-style techno instrumentation. Broke With Expensive Taste is a bit of a mixed bag, if I'm honest. It reminds me of Lady Gaga's debut album, which was also desperate to try and cover the entire smorgasbord of genres that can easily accommodate a female pop lead. When it works, it works. When it doesn't, it fucking stinks. Bad.

The best track on this thing is easily "Wallace", which combines Miss Banks' frankly awesome, slurry-yet-smooth voice perfectly with the almost industrial-sounding clanking of a shuffling beat. Her flows are cheeky, confident and steamy; spat in that dreamy, slightly stoned yet boastful drawl. There is more in the way of dance-driven bangers, such as "Yung Rapunxel", and there are some solid straight-up poppy tunes too, such as "Heavy Metal & Reflective" and "Ice Princess". Unfortunately in the last few tracks the album falls off hard; "Chasing Time" is fucking tedious, coming on like a Lorde track but written by some faceless buffoon who put together the tracks on an early 2000s Atomic Kitten album, and "Nude Beach A-Go-Go" is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever heard in the history of music.

"Miss Camaraderie" saves the record before it sinks completely but it does feel slightly too late and I'm past caring by this point. You could trim a lot of the shit out of this and make a decent EP, but as it stands, it is a bit tedious.

Tyler, The Creator - Wolf

Wolf is the third album by Odd Future founder and, I suppose leader - Tyler, The Creator. It is a solid record that prominently develops the rapper's style and direction, not only as a lyricist but mainly as a producer. Goblin, for all its entertaining malice, wallows in darkness. Wolf expands on Tyler's off-key production style, adding more colours to his intrinsically different yet instantly recognisable track design.

Track-wise, the album begins proper with the howling "Jamba" and the lurching "Cowboy" (edit: is that an orgiastic moan in the background of "Jamba" or a girl shouting "Wolf!"? Ha!). Tyler's lyrics are still rather obtuse and somewhat disturbing, but the sonic variety of the track structures really makes Wolf an easier and more varied listen than its predecessor. Other stand outs are "Domo23" (which sounds like it was leftover from Goblin), "48", "Colossus" (which reminds me of Eminem's struggles with fame and idolisation), the three-in-one medley of "PartyIsntOver / Campfire / Bimmer", and "Rusty".

That album cover, though? We ain' gon talk 'bout that.

Esham - Dead Flowerz

Dead Flowerz is probably my second favourite release behind Closed Casket (a close tie with KKKill The Fetus), which deals less with fantasy realms and rapping about the devil and focuses on the life of an inner city black man in the 90s, played up entirely with the excesses and absurdity of E’s “wicket shit” acid rap style. Drugs, guns and XXX girls is the order of the day, and whilst that might sound somewhat tedious, Esham’s flow, whilst not the most inventive, is positively infectious, matching the cheap 90s analogue vibes perfectly. If Poot Carr from The Wire recorded a rap record, I would expect it to sound like Dead Flowerz. 

Boasting a stunning production, which is a bit cleaner than previous records but still has that stank-ass bass and the distorted kicks. Stand out dimes include the opener "What", which follows perfectly into the legendary "You Better Ask Somebody". "Kill Or Be Killed", "Foodstamp", "Fried Chicken" and "Trick Wit Me" are all further examples of Esham's porno-drenched murdah style (maybe not as OTT as Necro's The Sexorsist but it is easy to make comparisons here). "Charlie Manson" is probably my favourite track, with the bass synth being one of the most stinking things I've ever come across in my entire life. 

It wasn't until a recent re-listen that I caught the bit about him smoking "dead flowers" that I realized what the title could mean. Very clever, Mr. Esham. 

PS - Try the LIW / Esham Dead Flowerz drinking game: every time he mentions or rhymes the phrase "drug related" you better take a swig, boy.

Action Bronson - SAAAB Stories

You better slow down baby! SAAAB Stories is the excellent debut EP by NY rapper Action Bronson, which has been out since June 2013 (holy mother!). I really need to pick up the pace with my reviews! Action is probably one of my favourite "modern" rappers that have come about within the last few years or so, and the SAAAB EP is a shining example of everything that makes his music so great, but tied up in a neat little package.

None of the tracks (except for one) are particularly long, and the content is quite fluid in nature, much like Bronson's flow, allowing the whole journey to gel into one big trip, kinda like a short mix tape. As per usual with an Action Bronson release, Big Body Bes guests on a track, offering more of an aggressive form of hyping than anything relating to an actual verse. The tracks "Triple Backflip", and "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" are monumental examples of the talent on display here, but my favourite of the release has to be "Alligator", with its bizarre chorus and densely introspective, in-the-feels ending. 

Faithless - Reverence

I can't tell you how rare it is that I come across the perfect album, and I mean that in the sense of when on a record every single song is flawless; each piece contributing not only to the overall experience, but able to stand its own ground without just being needless filler. Faithless are not a band that I spin all that often anymore, but if I'm in the mood for this style of music, then I can accept no substitute. 

Faithless is a bizarre multi-genre affair mixing the work of the DJ Sister Bliss, producer Rollo (who is Dido's brother) and MC Maxi Jazz. What we get, on Reverence at least, is a strange hybrid of dance, pop and indie. On later records the band's style would become more sparse and less dance-orientated, but Reverence is 90s Britain to the absolute max. The opening title track mixes lazy, smooth hip hop with throbbing techno, whilst "Salva Mea" is a trip in lush, lucid house; "If Lovin' You Is Wrong" is a raunchy, jazzy, almost theatrical pop explosion, and "Dirty Old Man" plays on the tropes of dub reggae in the most subtle way. 

On top of those you've got "Flowerstand Man" with Dido on the lead vocals, the life-lesson of "Baseball Cap" and the now legendary "Insomnia", which catapulted Faithless to the top of the charts upon its release. The fact that "Insomnia" - probably one of the most memorable dance tunes of all time - is such a small part of this album really speaks volumes to the strength of the songwriting on display here. This nearly 9-minute epic is on the same record with ballads such as "Don't Leave" and "Angeline", which should be jarring and fractured, but somehow it all just flows perfectly. The audacity of it all, eh? 

Irregardless of where Faithless went with their sound after this record, I am genuinely strugglingly to think of a stronger debut album from any artist, in any genre.

Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.

This latest Kendrick Lamar record is a strange collection of what is supposed to be left over tracks and ideas related to the rapper's previous record, To Pimp A Butterfly. Musically, it has a lot in common with the beats and instrumentation of that album, but as these songs are demos, there is a welcome rougher feel to things. At first the vocals seem a little lo-fi, but every falls into place quickly and the slight drop in quality feels like a welcome addition rather than a curse.

Personally, I prefer this to the album itself. I mean, for a "collection of tracks" in such a way that is usually a proper good ol' barrel scrape for most artists, these are pretty fucking decent. I've never really been that much into Kendrick Lamar, but hopefully this release will help change all that. 

Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030

Ahhhh oh my God, where has this been all my life? Have I been living under a rock? Quite fucking possibly! For those who are as stupid and ignorant as I am, Deltron 3030 is a hip hop "supergroup" (much in the vein of Madvillian or Run The Jewels) consisting of Dan The Automator, Del The Funky Homosapien, Kid Koala as well as a few select special guests, who all take on futuristic personas to deliver the story of Deltron (played by Del) in the year 3030.

Cue plenty of ridiculously good flow (without a lot of bad language, you'll notice), spot on sampling, spine-tingling old school hip hop beats, scratches and spoopy sci-fi themes. "Time Keeps On Slipping" with Damon Albarn is essential listening for Gorillaz fans (all the musicians on this track would be heavily involved with the first Gorillaz record), and sets the template for what was to follow for that group.

Mainly, this is a decent slab of futuristic hip hop that has been revered as a cult classic (still kicking myself for being in the dark on this!). This did spawn a sequel record many years later but that does not even come close to capturing the vibe and charm that is present here. 

Obie Trice - Ass

Man, this is fucking awful, even for Obie Trice. This is some Lil' Wayne level shit right here. Seriously, how is it possible for someone to fall off so hard? Granted, the relentless pursuit of the $$$ leads some artists by the nose through the trends of the month / year / decade, and that is the only explanation I have for this absolute farce of a single.

Ten years ago this guy was sharing records with Dre, Eminem, Nate Dogg et al. It is sad to see his output reduced to this boring, lowest common denominator trap bullshit. Next!

Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 3

Run The Jewels 3 is the hotly anticipated return of - and third full length release from - the legendary hip hop duo Run The Jewels. First off, I just want to comment on how awesome that cover art is. I've seen a lot of people on various online mediums posting about how shit it is but I think it is the best RTJ cover yet (even better than Meow The Jewels haha).

Anyways, this is a solid fuckin' record and it continues to expand on the sound that Run The Jewels are known for. Throw in a few choice guest appearances (my favorite of which is the abstract verse provided by the excellent Danny Brown) and a few oddly spaced out, experimental beats and you've got everything you need from RTJ and more. It is rare for bands to continue delivering knock-out performances album after album after album, but I firmly believe that once the dust has settled around RTJ3, is will stand in its place in time just as good as, if not better than, the records that preceded it. 

Standout tracks for me are: "Hey Kids" (the one with Danny B), "Stay Gold", "Thieves", "Oh Mama" and "A Report To The Shareholders".

50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct

Before I Self Destruct starts off promising as hell before falling off in the second half, gradually getting worse and worse until it closes with one of the worst songs ever written; "Could've Been You" parades out R Kelly like a secret ace card, but when the dickhead is literally crooning about smelling his own shit (no joke) in the chorus, all credibility goes out the fucking window. Shame he couldn't smell the shit coming outta his mouth when he recorded this fucking farce of a track.

Anyway, I've jumped right to the end, so let's back up a bit. We have a few stand out tracks, especially towards the beginning of the album. There's also a half decent collab with Eminem on "Psycho" (wow look, Em is singing about being a mentalist, how original!) but other than that, this thing is as shit and pointless as the movie 50 Cent made with the same name. Kudos to the record title though, as this thing definitely makes me want to force dynamite down my throat and light the fuse. 

Insane Clown Posse - The Amazing Jeckel Brothers

The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is easily the weakest of the original set of joker's cards. In fact, I really don't have that much to say about this album at all. It has a few stand out tracks, but for the most part it is just irritating filler and a bunch of shit that just goes on way, waaayyy too long ("I Want My Shit" being a prime example). There's a terrible selection of "metal" songs too, and all the guest appearances from "big name stars" such as ODB and Snoop Dogg do absolutely nothing to buy this record any credit. In fact, the contributions seem almost stock in nature, especially from Mr. Dogg, and cheapen the entire experience further.

"I Stab People" and "Mad Professor" are the only tracks worth noting, as is the instrumentation of both of the Jeckel tracks, and that's literally all, folks. This was terrible in 1999 and it's still terrible now. You probably don't need me to tell you that, unless you have twisted hair and a penchant for Monster energy drinks. Avoid.

Big Grams - Big Grams

Big Grams is an extremely refreshing mash up of synth-drenched electronica pop and hip hop. Initially, I had a reaction of "holy shit, this sounds like Lorde collaborating with Run The Jewels!", and rather ironically, considering how ridiculous that comparison is, Run The Jewels pop up on track six here. Anyway, Big Grams is actually New York dream pop duo Phantogram but fronted by Outkast nutter Big Boi. And, not to mince words, its fucking fantastic. 

First off, its decent pop music, before Big Boi is even involved. I need to get Phantogram wrapped around these 'ere lugholes. But, with the super slick flow piled on top like thick honey over a perfect set of pancakes and bacon (yeah, I went there fam) the balance of rap and pop is achieved. It is almost the zen of collaborations in this style, and it shits on every single worthless chart-topper than throws a rapper in as nothing more than just something to make the middle eight pass a bit faster. 

The only real let down is the final track, which has fairly uninspired contributions from Skrillex, a project that really should have stayed in 2012.

The Streets - Computers And Blues

Computers And Blues was, sadly, the final record by The Streets. For me, Streets records tend to follow a fairly defined pattern of progression. After the almost ethereal chill out of Everything Is Borrowed, Computers And Blues seems like a bit of a step backwards (only in the order of how things unfolded, not in quality). This final release feels to me like it should have come out between A Grand... and The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living.

It is the only Streets record not to be pressed on vinyl. It is also the only Streets album that doesn't jump out at me with some sort of over-arching theme. In that way alone, it is entirely unique in the group's discography, and perhaps this was something that Mike Skinner wanted to have a go at before putting the group to bed? Who knows, I'm just rambling here. Anyways, there are some fantastic songs here. The first four are absolutely solid. The opener, "Outside Inside" is amazing, and the following track, "Going Through Hell", should have been the lead single, in my opinion. Further along the tracklisting, "Blip On A Screen" is Mike rapping for his unborn son, which is actually kinda nice. "OMG" is a bit weak, being essentially about Facebook, but is an interesting concept and has a happy ending (although not the Thai massage kind).

I think it would have been much more mysterious and even mature to end The Streets legacy with the introspective Everything Is Borrowed, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a mega-solid British record, which falls lazily somewhere between indie and hip hop.

Insane Clown Posse - The Ringmaster

The Ringmaster has gotta be a contender for one of my favorite ICP records. It marks the point where the group really start to find their feet. As much as I love Carnival of Carnage, it is a bit sketchy and the quality of tracks here far surpasses anything off that album, not to mention the Beverly Kills EP. I also think it's one of the more under-rated jokers cards, if not the most under-rated of the whole bunch. The Ringmaster is definitely the underdog of the original set of Dark Carnival troublemakers.

There is also a level of "silliness" that is missing from later albums, and the song production has a much more regular hip-hop feel than the unique direction that the band would quickly cement as their own. Don't get me wrong, there are carnival vibes aplenty, but the overall sound is much dryer and songs about Detroit still number strong. "Murder Go Round" is a classic opener, and shortly afterward is the hat-trick of "Mr. Johnson's Head", "Southwest Song" and "Get Off Me, Dog!"; three of ICP's best cuts back to back, again followed by another banger, "Who Asked You?".

It kinda falls off a bit after that but "House Of Mirrors" and "Bugz On My Nugz" are absolutely amazing songs, especially the latter, which always has me in peals of laughter. The closing track, "The Ringmaster's Word" is a twisted work of sampling. I sometimes wish ICP had continued with this earlier sound, I guess if nothing else they might have a bit more credibility (as much as you can give a group like ICP, at least).

I've lost the disc on my physical copy of this so I don't get to hear it that often anymore, but it's always nice to come back to for a trip through that old-school Detroit smog.

Pothead - Jointification

Pothead are a bunch of a masked crusaders from Prague (Praha!), Czech Republic, who play downtuned death metal / goregrind infused with the wonderous sounds of hip hop and also a bit of techno. It all seems a bit ridiculous, and quite frankly it is. On the first initial listen it sounds a bit like GUT jamming with Ahumado Granujo at a Cypress Hill gig (I know, right). I caught these guys live recently, and their get-up kinda reminds me of something that would be signed to Psychopathic Records, and it made me wonder if Pothead are down with the clown, so to speak.

I'm not sure if I prefer the hip hop parts or the death metal parts more. I do think though as the record goes on it definitely gets better; the start is a bit shaky but everything gets a bit more solid as things get into a stride and the record progresses. I guess there is gonna be a whole bunch of people out there who will not like this, or even get angry at this being in any way shape or form labelled as grindcore or death metal, but those people are absolutely no fun, so fuck them.

The band have very cleverly offered this for streaming themselves, with a few extra vocal bars thrown in about buying the record (unless these bars appear on the actual album too? Haha), so you can stream it below from the band's official channel, or if you really dig this shit, you can get a copy from here. 4/20 blaze it etc. etc. etc.

Death Grips - Exmilitary

Exmilitary is the debut mixtape/record/whatever from seminal noise-meets-rap maniacs Death Grips. I can't believe this thing is five years old, especially considering I've been planning on reviewing it since I started this website! But yeah - I don't think the hip hop world was prepared for Death Grips, and neither were the legions of fans from outside of that sphere; would-be converts sidling on over due to this group, and this mixtape.

I first came across this on Jay Randall's Grindcore Karaoke website as a free download, and was instantly hooked on the super-weird, trashy mash up of noise electronics and hip hop music. To me it sounded like ODB meets Merzbow at a Scorn show, and this was before the gimmicks and the controversy; all you had in regards to Death Grips was this puzzling record sleeve, and bangers like "Guillotine", "Takyon (Death Yon)", "5d" leading to "Through the Walls" and "Blood Creepin".

An iconic and essential piece of modern hip hop, if you've not already heard it.

The LaFontaines - Class

(Words by Burra)

I was recommended this band to check out, and having known literally nothing about them I was interested to hear what was going on. The LaFontaines are a very difficult band to pigeonhole; I'm finding myself presented with rapping, smooth sounding vocals, riffs, indie guitar licks, lovely guitar tones amongst really big sounding anthems. What a mental combination! On paper this shouldn't work, it really shouldn't... however these guys have seemed to pull it off nicely. I'm hearing multiple genres at play throughout the album - even throughout a single track! But, I'm finding it's very refreshing to listen to something so different; something that has a surprise around every corner. 

The standout track on this album for me is definitely "Castles"; if I had to sum this particular track up, it sounds a mixture of all the sounds I've just mentioned, but with a slightly anthemic vibe, and to me, what sounds like it could be a You Me At Six or Deaf Havana-kinda sound with a cheeky rap thrown in for a good measure. I'm finding myself hitting repeat on this one. However, the track that follows, "King", is almost straight up hip hop; such a confusing album in terms of direction and flow, and as I say, this really shouldn't work, but I find myself quite drawn to it. I think from a marketing perspective this band has something great going on too. as they can kinda squeeze into very varied bills and lineups, and I should imagine the band draws an extremely varied fan-base too. 

Overall though, it's a ridiculously strong album and I'd definitely recommend a listen to this to see for yourselves what you make of it - it really is an odd mix, but a great album! For me the album highlights are "Castles" "Class" and "All She Knows".

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

Widely known to have been the album that propelled Mike Skinner’s The Streets project to international recognition, spawning two charting singles (one of which went to number 1 in the UK); the group’s sophomore effort is a concept album based around a few weeks/months in the life of Mike. A day in the life of a geezer, finally recognised as a full blown record. A Grand Don’t Come For Free is one big story, each track crucial to the development of the plot, something which I don’t think most people who have heard “Fit But You Know It” or “Dry Your Eyes” are aware of.

Basically, Mike’s life is going down the shitter. He’s lost a grand’s worth of savings, and things are a mess, but then he meets this total cutie called Simone and over the course of the album, falls in love with her whilst speculating continuously which of his “mates” stole his money. In a twist, Simone turns out to be a bit of a bitch and kicks him out, causing Mike to contemplate cheating on her whilst on a boys holiday in the sun, but when he gets back there’s another twist when Scott reveals that she’s been cheating on him all along with Mike’s pal Dan. Shit, what a drama. The album then presents two separate endings, one of Mike smoking heroin and drinking super Tenants, or one of Scott fixing Mike’s TV, finding an envelope equating to £1000 cash which had fallen down the back of the broken unit. The end.

It’s all a bit daft, but I think what it originally tried to achieve was to expand on the goal of Original Pirate Material, presenting real life “street level” goings on through the medium of garage and hip hop, instead of promoting an unrealistic façade of wealth and excess, which you have to admit a lot of rap music does.

Probably the first Lines In Wax post to feature a UK top 40 number 1 hit. Give it a go. It’s nice like, innit.

GUT - The Cumback

GUT’s The Cumback is perpetually the best and worst comeback record of all time. How do you modernize the sound of a band whose lo-fi dirges shaped the porngrind genre so much? Why, with rap metal and dodgy electronic passages, of course! What The Cumback lacks in genuine grind it makes up for hilarity and dodgy European porno vibes.

If you can see past the filler (and there's a lot of filler - you could probably reduce this down to a decent 8 or 9 song EP instead of a 27 track album) the core of "full band" songs are pretty good. "Pimp The Underground" is the first proper song, followed quickly by the sexcellent "Jenna Haze (You're A Pro)". I love Jenna Haze, and I love this song ("I love you so"). "Three Handsome Guys" can only have been made by a band with the balls to end up starring in a porno, and then you gotta fast forward six whole tracks to get to the next half decent one - "G.U.T. Forever" is a stomping rock n roll declaration of a band that would last forever (or for another five years anyway).

"Aurora Snow (You're Not Bad, Hoe)" continues the pornstar tribute tracks (and GUT are right, she's not bad) before "Throatjob" kicks in. "Throatjob" is by far the best song on the entire album; it's catchy, groovy, and about blowjobs, so you can't really go wrong.

Personally, I stick to early GUT or one of the renunion EPs rather than spin this shambles of an album. It's still got some good jams but overall, it fails to accomplish the simple task of being a listenable album. Saying that, given half a chance, I'd watch these guys live any day of the week, if they decided to reform.

Clams Casino - Rainforest

Rainforest by Clams Casino is probably my top contender for favourite driving music at the moment, especially during the night time. Rainforest is as dense and multi-layered as its moniker suggests; overlapping, almost distorted layers of electronic auras mingle freely over retro drum programming and ethereal vocal tomfoolery. Honestly, the whole thing is a bit disjoined but each individual track works so well in unfolding its own world that you don’t want it to end.

Opener “Natural” sounds to me like Jesu meets King Tubby, whilst the excellent “Treetops” that follows it is more akin to a jam between Emeralds and Burial. I could go on in this vein for quite some time, but it feels like I’m not giving Clams Casino any credit for the sounds on offer here. It’s really interesting because Mr. Clams is a hip hop producer. You don’t really see that many hip hop producers releasing solo stuff like this (if anyone says Dr. Dre I’ll fucking clock you haha) and asides from the Instrumentals series he’s released over the years, it appears Rainforest is Clams Casino’s only stand-alone original material. I could be wrong on this shout though – if I am, hit me up with more of this stuff, it’s simply gorgeous.