June 30, 2021
Das EFX - Straight Up Sewaside (1993)
Hurricane #1 - Hurricane #1 (1997)
Aldo Nova - Blood On The Bricks (1991)
The Montrose Avenue - Thirty Days Out (1998)
Genre: Power Pop
Label Number: 491659 2
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1998 Columbia
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain (1997)
June 29, 2021
The Inbreds - Kombinator (1994) ☠
Shaquille O'Neal - You Can't Stop The Reign (Promo CD) (1996)
Various Artists - Raw Materials (Joints From The UK Hip-Hop Underground) (1999)
Kula Shaker - Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts (1999)
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: COL 493142 2
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1999 Columbia
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Fame was not kind to Kula Shaker, largely because Crispian Mills could not keep his mouth shut. Speaking like the child of privilege he is, Mills alienated a fair segment of the British pop audience and music press with presumptuous, misguided comments about mysticism and spirituality, as well as a general arrogance. A mere eight months after the release of their debut, K, Kula Shaker was dreadfully overexposed and the group's hippy-dippy neo-psychedelicism and rock classicism were falling out of favor, leaving them with little choice but to retreat to work on their second record. It wasn't quite as easy as that. After rejecting their original producer, John Leckie, and George Drakoulias, they brought Bob Ezrin aboard and began a lengthy recording process. By the time their second record, Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts, was released in the spring of 1999, it had been two-and-a-half years since K appeared in stores -- enough time to regulate the group to footnote status for many observers. You wouldn't know that from the grand, theatrical sound of Peasants, however. The record comes on as a blockbuster, deluging the listener with layers of psychedelic effects, swirling guitars, appropriated chants, Indian instruments, Deep Purple jams, Beatles references, and mystical babble. On a purely sonic level, it's easy to admire what Kula Shaker achieve. They have no shame in recreating the summer of love in a '90s studio and, with Ezrin's help, they've created some enticing, sugary Technicolor treats. The problem is, the high fades away pretty quickly, leaving very little of substance behind. As a songwriter, Mills, for all his portentous posturing, doesn't have a whole lot to say and he doesn't really know how to say it. Only a handful of songs -- "Shower Your Love," "108 Battles" -- are memorable outside of their sonic trappings, which leaves Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts in pretty much the same position as K. It's the kind of record that sounds pretty impressive as it plays, but makes almost no lasting impression.
Kula Shaker - Strangefolk (2007)
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia
Label Number: SFKS001CD
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 2007 EMI
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tommy Duncan once sang time changes everything but he never lived to hear Kula Shaker. The British quartet is impervious to time just as they are immune to criticism; they are what they are and nothing will change them, as their 2007 album Strange Folk proves. Ten years on from their briefly successful Noel-rock era debut K, the band sounds exactly the same -- an ungainly mix of early Deep Purple, Small Faces and Traffic spiced with a hint of Beatles, apparent in both swirling psychedelic hooks and George-ian mysticism. They are deeply, inadvertently silly -- "Great Dictator (Of the Free World)," a stab at anti-Bush criticism, is powered by the unforgettable chorus of "I'm a dick/I'm a dick/I'm a dictator" -- their jams are mushy and rudderless, and they never quite seem aware that their inability to resist clichés turns their exceptional taste in '60s rock & roll into something terribly tacky, but their gangly grotesqueness is the key to their limited charm. It is hard not to listen to Kula Shaker and their banal, blissfully insulated retro-rock and not be a little amazed that a band can get so many right elements so wrong. If you share some of their taste, there are two options: to get offended or to enjoy their ongoing quest at public embarrassment as they prove the truth in what Neil Innes once sang: "How Sweet to Be an Idiot."
Pete Rock - Soul Survivor II (2004)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: RR0032CD
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 2004 Rapster Records
AllMusic Review by John Bush
Though by the mid-'90s he had earned his status as one of the finest producers in hip-hop, Pete Rock's solo career didn't get off to a good start. He split with C.L. Smooth in 1995 and moved back into independent production for several years, occasionally getting together a project with personal appeal, like his brother's group, InI. Finally signed to Loud/RCA for his first solo album in 1998, Rock called in fans and friends from Wu-Tang Clan to Kool G Rap to Beenie Man for a very promising record. Despite some great material, it wasn't a commercial success and he was unceremoniously dropped from the label (with one final disrespect: five years later, the Loud website was still proclaiming the release of Soul Survivor on November 10, 1998). More productions followed before he signed to Rapster, which treated him more like an artist than a meal ticket, and reissued some old projects (Lost and Found) before following through with the sequel to Soul Survivor. Surprisingly, Soul Survivor II is a much better record than the original, and the best production album Rock's ever done on his own. He's less reliant on hooks than in the past, instead content to simply recruit a cast of great rappers and give them enough to run with. And with more focus (i.e., fewer tracks) this time out, the quality level has gone up. On the second track, "We Good," Kardinal Offishall gets the high honor of Rock's best production (or at least, the most immediately gratifying), and doesn't let it slip with a barrage of dense but freewheeling rhymes. Next on the mike is Pharoahe Monch, the recipient of a classic Rock track (airy effects and slightly stuttered beats) called "Just Do It," on which he preaches self-reliance with informed lyrics. Pete Rock's two-song reunion with C.L. Smooth, "It's a Love Thing" and "Appreciate," illustrate that Smooth still has plenty of what originally gave him his name but hasn't come too far from ten years ago. More than any of his other records, Soul Survivor II displays Rock crafting his productions to fit the rappers -- just compare the tense track that drives the politicized "Warzone" for Dead Prez to the smoothed-out '70s samples and horns laid underneath GZA and RZA for "Head Rush."
- Use this page to report a broken link in this post -
tags: pete rock, soul survivor 2, 2004, flac,
Pete Rock - PeteStrumentals 2 (2015)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Instrumental
Label Number: MMG-00071-2
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 2015 Mellow Music Group
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
- Use this page to report a broken link in this post -
tags: pete rock, petestrumentals 2, 2015, flac,
Purple City - Road To The Riche$: The Best of The Purple City Mixtapes (2005)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Gangsta Rap, Pop Rap
Label Number: BBG-CD-50
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 2005 Babygrande
Review by Allmusic.com
Purple City is more an attitude created and cultivated by rapper/producer/entrepreneur Shiest Bub than any particular location (although it does embody the spirit of the Harlem and Washington Heights sections of New York City where it originated). As he rose in the hip-hop mixtape world, Shiest Bub routinely adorned himself in purple, producing an indelible image as he joined up with Agallah and Un Kasa, and aligned with the powerful Diplomats crew to become one of the strongest East Coast mixtape producers.
- Use this page to report a broken link in this post -
tags: purple city, road to the riches the best of the purple city mixtapes, 2005, flac,
Helloween - Helloween (2021)
Language: English
Genre: Power Metal
Label Number: 6013-2
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 2021 Nuclear Blast
Review by Gareth Williams for Wall of Sound AU.com
Firstly, and most importantly this album is pure unadulterated 100% Helloween. The band have in the past strayed from the power metal path on occasion with varying degrees of success, not so this time. The first track Out For Glory is a perfect example of this. The united pumpkins collaboration is on full show with this Michael Weikath composition. The veteran guitarist gives a vehicle for each lead vocalist to shine. Andi Deris’ harsher style is in perfect contrast to the great Michael Kiske’s soaring smooth operatic vocals, throw in the triple threat NWOBHM galloping guitars courtesy of Weikath, Sascha Gerstner and the legendary Kai Hansen, a touch of atmospheric synth, the driving rhythm section of Markus Grosskopf and Daniel Loeble and you get a feel for what is in store on the hour long self-titled release. But wait there’s more! Let’s be honest, when it comes to power metal more is always more, in this case the more is in the form of OG vocalist and guitarist Kai Hansen. On first listen his vocal delivery had me reaching for the media release to check if these crazy Germans hadn’t grabbed Judas Priest’s Rob Halford for a guest appearance. No mention of the Metal God just Hansen taking it to the next level. This is as strong an opening of any Helloween album in recent memory.
From that blistering opening, things calm down a little with the second track and latest single Fear of the Fallen. This song is pure Deris, the vocalist put pen to paper and produced an absolute banger! It’s beautiful and complex from the acoustic intro, the chugging riffs into the double threat of Deris and Kiske delivering a rousing chorus, all wrapped up in an orchestral arrangement. On initial listen its hard not to think the band has gone out too strong too early in the album, but subsequent tracks put any doubts to bed. The third cut is fun and uplifting, it delivers positive vibes by the truckload. It’s hooky as anything, the perfect antidote for a world gone mad … “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery” At a time when things change daily and hourly the best thing we can do is stay positive, help those around us who’re struggling and have the Best Time.June 28, 2021
Somethin' For The People - Somethin' For The People (Promo CD) (1995) ☠
Quo - Quo (1994) ⚓
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: G-Funk, Pop Rap
Label Number: EK 57689
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1994 MJJ Music
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
- Use this page to report a broken link in this post -
tags: quo, quo album, 1994, flac,
Kula Shaker - K (1996)
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: SHAKER 1CDK
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1996 Columbia
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
By the mid-'90s, most bands had abandoned the sounds and sensibilities of late-'60s psychedelia, which is what makes Kula Shaker's debut album, K, such a weird, bracing listen. The band doesn't simply revive the swirling guitar and organ riffs of psychedelia, it embraces the mysticism and Eastern spirituality that informed the music. On both "Tattva" and "Govinda," lead singer Crispian Mills has adapted portions of Sanskrit text for the lyrics, chanting Indian mantras without a hint of embarrassment. Similarly, Kula Shaker are unashamed about their devotion to Hendrix, Traffic, and the Beatles, cutting their traditionalist tendencies with an onslaught of volume, overdriven guitars, and catchy melodies -- though they have a song called "Grateful When You're Dead," all of their psychedelic sensibilities derive from British rock, not the more experimental American counterpart. Kula Shaker may play well -- they have a powerful rush that makes you temporarily forget how classicist their music actually is -- but they still have trouble coming up with hooks. About half the record ("Hey Dude," "Tattva," "Govinda," "Grateful When You're Dead") has strong melodies, while the rest just rides by on the band's instrumental skills. Consequently, much of K doesn't stick around once the record is finished, but the singles remain excellent blasts of colorful neo-psychedelia.
Noisy Mama - Everybody Has One (1991)
Tipsy Wit - Songs & Dreams (1991)
Xzibit - At The Speed of Life (1996)
Xzibit - 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz (1998)
June 27, 2021
Icon - Right Between The Eyes (1989)
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 7 82010-2
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1989 Megaforce/Atlantic
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
Rosanna's Raiders - Clothed In Fire (1989)
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: SPCN7900604316
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1989 Refuge Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
The Four Horsemen - Nobody Said It Was Easy (1991)
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 9 26561-2
.FLAC via Florenfile
.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile
© 1991 Def American Recordings
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
For a brief moment at the start of the '90s, everyone seemed to be doing the retro-rock thing, and while most bands were digging back to the late '60s for inspiration, the Four Horsemen's ambitions went no further than the late '70s -- more specifically AC/DC. There's not a single original riff on all of their first full album, Nobody Said It Was Easy, mind you, but the band's raunchy guitars and gritty delivery make up for this in spades. And had he not been arrested seemingly every six months for one misdemeanor or another, outlaw frontman Frank Starr may have even challenged Axl Rose for his "king of the bad boys" crown. Starr's whiskey and broken glass vocal style literally ignites the album's best moments, including the title track, "Can't Stop Rockin'," and the incredible "Rockin' Is Ma' Business." And while "Hot Head lifts its main riff directly from AC/DC's "Rock'n'Roll Damnation," the slightly more original "Tired Wings" actually received some MTV rotation thanks to its mellower Southern rock vibe and slide guitars. Rounded out by the easy strut of "Moonshine," the all-out fury of "Lookin' for Trouble," and the lazy jamming of "I Need a Thrill/Somethin' Good," this album scores low on originality, but high on honesty and charisma. A sure winner for lovers of no-image, no-class rock & roll.