Category: Music

With Def Jux already having release two of the best albums of 2007 already, a strong contender to join them is the new record from Rob Sonic. The rapper-producer didn’t really turn my head with Telicatessen, but the new album has seen him take a giant leap towards his label-mates El-P and Aesop Rock.

The production style has that awesome Def Jux 2007 style that reared its head on I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and None Shall Pass – the sludgey yet accessible sound that equates to a potent mixture when layered under Sonic’s flow which seems at times as though connected throughout the entire song without pause for breath.

And that is certainly not to say Sonic is coming with some bullshit Sole style delivery which sounds as though he’s about to pass out at the end of every line. No, Sonic’s cadence is nigh-on untouchable which he proves in standout tracks The Over Under, Ready Aim Shoot, Smoke If You Got’um [with a great guest spot from Aes Rock] and the track you can hear above, Brand New Vandals.

Aesop Rock and El-P made 2007 Def Jux’s year, and with this album Rob Sonic just joined them on the podium.

Abjekt.

I couldn’t tell you what Atlanta, Georgia is famous for, but it doesn’t really matter when bands as good as Manchester Orchestra are from there because nothing else could compete.

This 19-year old band produce a sound far greater than their years suggest, with an epic mix of indie and rock. Think a cross between Death Cab For Cutie, Songs: Ohia, Placebo and Arcade Fire, and you start getting close to the awesome mixture of all-out loudness and delicate, whispery songs that feature on I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child.

The whole album seems very heartfelt, with lyrics that sound more biographical than anything I’ve heard for a while. Songs about real things you have experienced will always be better, have more passion, and be more believable. That’s why Elliott Smith was so good.

The opening track, ‘Wolves At Night‘ has everything you could want from an album opener. Crashing guitars, organs, and a chorus you remember instantly. This leans towards the Placebo end of things and it’s also the debut single from them, so you’ll be hearing it a lot by the time you read this.

One of the best songs on the album is the one that touches on the softer, quieter, Songs: Ohia end of proceedings. ‘Sleeper 1972’ is a melancholy track that seems both sad and cheerful at the same time. There was obviously a lot of emotions going into lines such as “When my Dad died, Worms ate out both his eyes”, and the choral section on this one accompanies it perfectly.

Not to be confused with the philharmonic collective from northwest England, Manchester Orchestra’s debut album will be stuck in your head for some time. I’m not talking lightly when I say it’s one of the best albums I’ve heard in years.

Moose