Indigoism by The Underachievers
Although six months feels more like six years on the Internet, fans of New York rap duo The Underachievers have been eagerly anticipating the release of their mixtape, Indigoism, ever since the video for “Herb Shuttles” went viral on YouTube six Internet-years ago in August, 2012.
The mixtape was released February 1st through DatPiff.com as a free download. Instrumentally, the beats boast of wide range of styles from ’90s-era jazz rap to futuristic club bangers, but one thing remains constant from track-to-track: the duo’s rapid-fire flow that seems to go nonstop as soon as the album starts. Even more impressive is that Indigoism features no guest artists, allowing rappers AK and Issa Dash to run a lyrical marathon around listeners’ ears.
Some complain about the duo’s esoteric brand of spiritualism, but it’s all too easy to ignore as none of the tracks on Indigoism ever manage to become anything more than a chill rap song featuring hip-hop’s usual brand of lifestyle boasting.
Don’t be fooled though, as the unapologetic high-speed flows of AK and Issa combined with a vast array of quality beats has lead Indigoism to raise the bar for future releases from the up-and-coming rap scene of Flatbush, Brooklyn.
Christopher by The Ruby Suns
Largely a solo venture by Ruby Suns front man Ryan McPhun, their new album Christopher was written by McPhun when he moved to Norway after breaking up with his girlfriend. That being said, Christopher is a great example of why a musician should never break up with his or her boyfriend or girlfriend and then move to Northern Europe to write an album.
It is a shame that McPhun decided to ditch the rest of the Suns for his first expedition into glitzy synth pop because Christopher has some bright flashes, but they come largely uninspired, and overall the album desperately needs the warmth and depth of a full band.
Christopher‘s main problem is inconsistency, as though McPhun tried too many things at once. This pattern of drawing inspiration from a variety of sources is what made the Suns’ first three albums so interesting, but unlike Christopher, their previous albums made sense.
Simply put, Christopher lacks commitment. It transitions too much, back-and-forth between grandiose dance anthem and introspective ballad, refusing to choose a direction to follow, thus leaving the listener altogether confused.
MBV by My Bloody Valentine
The closing track to My Bloody Valentine’s iconic 1991 album, Loveless, is mistakenly titled “Soon” when it should have been titled “20 Years Later” as that is how long it took the Irish shoegazers to release Loveless‘s follow up record, MBV (stylized m b v).
From the beginning the record sounds like My Bloody Valentine ignored the last two decades of music completely, as though no time passed between MBV and Loveless. MBV sounds completely its own, like the ’90s never ended and The Pixies are still the most relevant rock band in America. It goes without question that MBV is the most potent dose of nostalgia released this year.
It’s hard to pick a stand-out track from MBV because they are all so phenomenally consistent with one another, providing listeners with a steadily distorted ride from start to finish. “If I Am” serves as a perfectly subdued halfway point for the album, filling the gap between the somber and guitar-less “Is This and Yes” and the hopeful-sounding flangered guitar of “New You.”
MBV is a very straightforward release that will impress old fans of My Bloody Valentine with how uncompromised their sound is after 20 years of dormancy, but it remains to be seen if MBV will draw any followers to the faithful shoegaze fanbase.