Hands up! On the Floor! give me your Omotion!

"Its like playing a piece of music without it being written down"

A few months ago I spoke to Improv at one of his shows. I was questioning when Omotion would be out. He said give it more time they were making sure it was perfect. I made the mistake of saying something along the lines of, "You'd have to fuck up huge to make it suck"

I preordered his CD the day it popped up on the page and waited to get my hands on it.

From the starting track I knew I should've have said those words. The album doesnt suck. It is far from it. I enjoyed listening to the whole thing. From the opening track it sounds like he is coming out fighting. Ready to take on anything. One of the lines is "This is my church and gospel"

That is what it boils down to. A few months ago after waiting 6 months for Omotion I was lacking of the faith. I was lacking of the vision. Dispite seeing him give his heart and soul I doubted. Often times that is what buying an album relies upon. Faith. As a fan your investing 15$ and an hour of time into the idea that this will be worth both the time and the money. Perhaps your paying 10$ cover at a show and investing 2hours of listening to acts you dont care about to hear who you really want.

Was it worth it? Hell yes. From the time when he first debut'd the song "I call your Bluff" I was hooked on the bass. Its the type where you could be standing at the back of the club and it rattles your teeth. It reminds me too much of life is someone telling you that "X will happen if they dont do Y". So often you roll over and take it but sometimes you gotta stand up and call them on it. Goto his myspace page. Select This song. Turn your speakers up and make sure your bass is ready to go. (I kinda wish this song was the one they posted to the 93.3. The idea of people in thier cars thumping along while listening but Miss Hedonist is a better song over all.) The bass deliciousness continues into the following song "Really Real" feating Doc Oscify and Rampage.

Its a solid CD. Each song has an excellent beat to go with it. Ranging from the bass to the sound of an lifesupport machine to a beatbox and random voicemail calls. All masterfully mixed together.

So it boils down to faith. Trust that the goods will be delivered. Trust that one is not going to be disappointed. This CD did not disappoint. Also since he played most of it live I had a good idea what to expect. Overall I give this song 5 heroin needle tracks as it mainlines the bass strait to my ears delight.

Arcanium

So Friday May 23rd I went to a show at Hodi’s Half Note. There was a band called Arcanium (http://www.myspace.com/arcaniumband ) that I wanted to see playing there. They were also having a CD release party to promote their first self-titled CD. Overall I didn’t get to stay for the whole show so much of my experience with them is based off their myspace page and their CD, which I was able to snag before I had to go.

I’ve always been a fan of hard rock music. Slowly over the years my tastes have pushed the heavier stuff into the realm of death metal and such. Things like Hatebreed, Engel (http://www.myspace.com/engelmusic ), and Black Label Society. While my tastes vary the main thing that I need to make something enjoyable to me is a melody or somewhat of a melodic part to the sound.

Arcanium does this by multiple vocalists providing the various bits of melodic singing to support the growling-harsh singer. Some bands use the studio magic and bits of prerecorded sound files to duplicate something that can be achieved by having band mates provide. In Arcanium’s case it works rather well and they are enjoyable to listen to.

They have melody. They have intriguing lyrics. They have the ability and skill to entice and pound your skull into the ground while they perform. Only thing they don’t have is a major record deal in order to get them more exposure. They are also a young band and may evolve into something better. They already have 2 people doing vocals now and then with other band members they could explore that more. The effect of several overlaying melodies can be a sweet assault on the senses.

So I give their CD a rating of a sore neck and 2 bittersweet but hurting eardrums for standing closer than I should have.

It doesnt matter if the crowd is 15 or 200

I first heard Improv at a music festival in Fort Collins CO. Called New West Fest. I heard part of a song called Crowd Control. The key thing that got me was the line "Hip-hop needs to act its age and quit the face lifts"

I've always been a big fan of rap. Ranging from EazyE to JayZ. My collection is huge and varied from gangsta rap to outkasts and Eminem. So hearing that one song which was all I really caught of their set I decided to buy his CD from the little booth. Have not regretted it since. After that show I made it a point to catch Improv when I could live. Saw him open for another band called Flobots and the crowd was good. Saw him play in a Local musician contest where he was the only rap act and saw him give 110% even though there was literally 15 people in the crowd. He gave it all when he preformed for the Hip-hop Congress Breakdance battle also which had a significantly much bigger crowd. I imagine if you were to play a 6-degrees of Colorado Hiphop you would find Improv is linked to quite a few people.

"Conscious, intelligent hip-hop." - Improv

http://www.myspace.com/improvmusic

I ask once if he has thought about ring tones and tell him good show and he recognizes me the next time I'm there. I throw together a little vid showing some breakdancing with his music in the background and hes like "That's dope". It is that attitude like that which draws me to small acts. How long will it be until others discover Improv I do not know. Until then I will at least be 1 in the audience cheering for him.

How to describe his style. One could say he is quick and astute in both his performance and when he freestyles. However instead of making music that follows usual popular hip-hop rap he goes a more intelligent route. Songs that tell stories and try to provoke thought. You see the stories in the songs on his Grace EP... "Castles made of Sand" "Fort Granted" However you also have a song that try to go for a change as seen in "Inner-World Blues" Then the usual fun songs but contain hidden gems of intelligence in them such as "Party" and "Crowd Control"

Intelligent hip-hop. I know of another group of white rappers who are pursuing the same thing. I'm hoping this is the next wave for rap. Socially Critical(So-crit?) and Intelligent. I'm tired of bling, ho's, 40's, huge rims, and gold-plated everything. I'm sure others are getting to that point to. Where 80's rock got too glam and too flashy I'm hoping current hip-hop will get to that point also and then we will have a huge change as a new wave comes out and takes over the music world much like what Grunge did.

That wave I hope will have Improv and another group Whiskey Blanket at their forefront.
While I've had the CD Grace EP for quite a while now and I imagine my review is long over due I highly recommend giving this guy a try and seeing if you like his style. You can hear some of his music off his myspace. There is also a link to listen to or download his Grace CD.
So ditch your bling and cheap ho's. Give real a chance.


May 2 2008 8:00P --- The Roxy (18+) Denver, Colorado

May 10 2008 7:00 --- REMIX ’08 "Hip Hop Performance Competition" @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins, Colorado


Get this CD which I give a rating of :2 hot intelligent ladies willing to discuss 3rd world poverty and hopefully the direction hip-hop will take us in the upcoming years.

Introduction

So this is the start of my music blog. Here I hope to cover a wide variety of music and hopefully introduce people to bands they havn't heard about. I know that musical taste is dependant upon the palate of the person listening. So I can understand if my opinion will differ. Also know that as I go on my tastes and style evolve a little more. I'm sure everyone has expierenced it. Bands or sounds we enjoyed when we were younger now seem more foriegn. I think that music and if one likes it is often dependant upon on your state in life when you hear the song. So music that you like or enjoy more when your upbeat is going to be different from when your depressed.

Though the years I've gained access to some Advance CD's from various recordstore sales, yard sales, and flea markets. So if I do cover something of such know that it will be available soon. The other thing is I want to give more attention to local bands and unsigned acts. Recently a band I like called Flobots ( www.flobots.com/media ) has been signed and they have a bright and wonderful future in front of them. Another artist named Improv ( http://www.myspace.com/improvmusic ) keeps pushing along. Both I like equally however I do like to root for the underdog. So if you get tired of me about one artist or band at least understand I want to share what these people have created.