I am astonished. I have just heard the phrase "Bitch, Fidel Castro," and realized these words, in this order, have no niche in our society. A phrase that accomplishes more in three words that the average college student completes before noon, and I have no specific usage for it. Outrageous! Before you are five syllables that tie together the incongruous with the profane; and still it sotre enough ammunition for ulterior plans. And from whence is such a phrase born? A song titled "Trill Co$by," the 9th track on The Holdout EP, care of Houston musicians, and sentence innovators, Cee$pitz and Don Munchie
Despite my words, AFE Union's logo covers all my writing so far without making a sound. A multicolored hamsa, along with a superimposed psilocybin mushroom that is careful not to obscure the all-seeing eyeball in its center, adorns the top of their Bandcamp page. It serves as proverbial welcome-mat at the door of this group's intention. The inverted hand stares out of the computer screen as if to say, first, “this is not music that owes its listeners an explanation”; but more on this later. The second is more of a recommendation: open minds are preferred but not necessary.
T-Rell, $ir Charles, Jayso the Miracle Kid, Don Munchie, and Cee$pitz as a whole make up the Houston based crew AFE Union. Together they have been active since since 2010, but the focus of this review has a more narrow gaze: the latter two members and the collaboration project they released on the 28th of May. Now the blinders come off because the strong point of this release is in its inherent wide ambition. The Holdout EP manages to break geographic boundaries which technology has already loosened. Despite the immediate references to southeast Texas - Big Moe, Paul Wall, Fat Pat, and DJ Screw - the sounds attributed to these names do not confine this new generation of artists; all of which is best observed in the audacity to not rely of the “Screw effect” or pitch/speed changes, but rather use it both sparingly and pointedly throughout.
Cee$pitz appears to feel as comfortable utilizing a traditional East-coast "lyrical" style - one could say, in the vein of supposed underground rap - just as much as the stylistic delivery of the south. Atlanta and New York are, after all, on the same coastline. Appropriately, the production enables the emcee; cues are readily picked up and the tempo is adjusted accordingly. The listener is never subjected to the droning of a monotonous flow. If nothing else, this is the primary reason for why the end product sounds summarily polished; and if this reviewer can have any guess on the matter, it would likely revolve around the line, “Staying on my grind, and mastering my craft” from the track “Kiss my Ass.”
The content is largely autobiographical: a necessity just as much as an inevitability. These songs are not composed to create a character or an image. Self-expression is the purpose; to do so in a way that is unique to the two auteur’s personalities is the endgoal. In this sense it is a product that audiences can take or leave. Which is to say, over time the overall feel is unlikely to change. The cornerstone of these sounds, after all, are their insulatory nature. The input (influences) have been just as carefully selected as the output. Popular convention. however, has not been entirely pushed aside. As in his previous release, Songs from My Room, where Cee$pitz uses auto-tune for “Know Me”, The Holdout EP shows a propensity for awareness of modern tastes. Do not fret, snare rolls can still be found throughout - not to mention that “DWI” and “Werk” are certifiable bangers, despite the aforementioned “Trill Co$by” and its anarchic samples conspiring to create the strongest number.
Despite my words, AFE Union's logo covers all my writing so far without making a sound. A multicolored hamsa, along with a superimposed psilocybin mushroom that is careful not to obscure the all-seeing eyeball in its center, adorns the top of their Bandcamp page. It serves as proverbial welcome-mat at the door of this group's intention. The inverted hand stares out of the computer screen as if to say, first, “this is not music that owes its listeners an explanation”; but more on this later. The second is more of a recommendation: open minds are preferred but not necessary.
T-Rell, $ir Charles, Jayso the Miracle Kid, Don Munchie, and Cee$pitz as a whole make up the Houston based crew AFE Union. Together they have been active since since 2010, but the focus of this review has a more narrow gaze: the latter two members and the collaboration project they released on the 28th of May. Now the blinders come off because the strong point of this release is in its inherent wide ambition. The Holdout EP manages to break geographic boundaries which technology has already loosened. Despite the immediate references to southeast Texas - Big Moe, Paul Wall, Fat Pat, and DJ Screw - the sounds attributed to these names do not confine this new generation of artists; all of which is best observed in the audacity to not rely of the “Screw effect” or pitch/speed changes, but rather use it both sparingly and pointedly throughout.
Cee$pitz appears to feel as comfortable utilizing a traditional East-coast "lyrical" style - one could say, in the vein of supposed underground rap - just as much as the stylistic delivery of the south. Atlanta and New York are, after all, on the same coastline. Appropriately, the production enables the emcee; cues are readily picked up and the tempo is adjusted accordingly. The listener is never subjected to the droning of a monotonous flow. If nothing else, this is the primary reason for why the end product sounds summarily polished; and if this reviewer can have any guess on the matter, it would likely revolve around the line, “Staying on my grind, and mastering my craft” from the track “Kiss my Ass.”
The content is largely autobiographical: a necessity just as much as an inevitability. These songs are not composed to create a character or an image. Self-expression is the purpose; to do so in a way that is unique to the two auteur’s personalities is the endgoal. In this sense it is a product that audiences can take or leave. Which is to say, over time the overall feel is unlikely to change. The cornerstone of these sounds, after all, are their insulatory nature. The input (influences) have been just as carefully selected as the output. Popular convention. however, has not been entirely pushed aside. As in his previous release, Songs from My Room, where Cee$pitz uses auto-tune for “Know Me”, The Holdout EP shows a propensity for awareness of modern tastes. Do not fret, snare rolls can still be found throughout - not to mention that “DWI” and “Werk” are certifiable bangers, despite the aforementioned “Trill Co$by” and its anarchic samples conspiring to create the strongest number.
And as the record progresses so do the sounds. With each passing track the music becomes increasingly experimental, until it culminates in the syncopated and off-beat glory rapped of the last song, “Wet Jame$.” The conclusion is abundantly clear. This is good music. It is comfortable creating something pleasant just as much as it is in making a challenging proposition. The ultimate take-away is that which these artists are decidedly still coming to be, the ceiling is high. Hopefully this is just the beginning.
- John Noggle
No comments:
Post a Comment