DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEK: Blink-182, Elzhi, King Fantastic

Blink 182 - After Midnight

I am a big fan from way back. When I heard Blink were doing it all over again I felt what I think we all felt – excited to hear and see them again, but wondering if perhaps it would just come across as pathetic, desperate and sad. When the first single dropped I had to try real hard to take something positive out of it. It just seemed way too ‘rock’ with little feeling in it. But this second single offers way more.

It shows a slight throwback to the self-titled album 2003 era. The production is clever in just how simple it is. Yes, it’s a pop song but it’s a perfectly crafted pop song with obvious thought put into it. Each hit of the snare, roll on the high-hat and ringing distortion is there for a reason. It is potentially the next big anthem that we will all be singing along to when we next see them live – perhaps at Big Day Out 2012 if the rumours end up being true!

Now, although this track is 100% free, they do make you work for it. You have to ‘win’ it by playing the little online game. It’s very addictive and beautifully irritating. It took me 176 goes…no kidding. See if you can beat that!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Elzhi – Elmatic LP

I don’t want to take anything away from Elzhi but I really need to start this article by talking about J Dilla. You see, Elzhi was J Dilla’s boy. J Dilla has been called ‘one of the most highly respected and influential producers in hip-hop’ and his untimely death in 2006 has cemented this forever. Elzhi belonged to the hip-hop group Slum Village along with J Dilla and Baatin (also deceased 2009). It is clear Elzhi has pain from his past to draw on lyrically. Rather than focussing on being down and introspective he uses life experiences to offer a positive uplifting message in his tracks.

This solo effort is a tribute to Nas. Elmatic = Illmatic + Elzhi. Along with Will Sessions they have recreated the sounds of the Nas album but with the tricky rhythms of Elzhi. There are few who can string together words quite like this. Ok, so maybe it is not crazy catchy but man, his word play is real impressive. The album has been getting great respect from the critics and I am on team ‘YES’, but can this be carried over into a live show? He recently played in NZ and it seems reports indicate that if the sound was just a little bit better then it would have been a stand out performance.

Lyrically? No fault, all class. Flow? Tighter than Rosie O’Donnell sitting in economy class. Beats? Hmmm, I would hope they were just a tad more different from the Nas album. I mean I get that it is a tribute album and that has to be obvious but the samples from Illmatic are very much front centre and the differences Will Sessions have thrown in are a bit too subtle. I guess Elzhi just always goes for carrying the track with how he spit-i-ty-spits. There is something about Elzhi’s style that is truly cool. Its kind of like you have walked into some cool underground New York speak-easy and you get to be the first person to tell your friends just how cool it is and just how cool you are for knowing about it before all of them.

It seems the general consensus is that it is a classic re-imagining of a classic album. It is tough to take on a sacred album like Illmatic and actually pull it off so it is worth a listen.

Tracklisting:
The Genesis
Detroit State of Mind (Houseshoes Shout)
Halftime
Memory Lane
The World Is Yours
Represent
Life’ A !! f. Royce 5’9” & Stokley Williams (of Mint Condition)
One Love
It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Pete Rock Shout)
Pete Rock Shout

DOWNLOAD HERE

King Fantastic – Death of Summer EP

If you want an idea of their sound then the name of a track from their last album sums it up pretty well, ‘Westcoastsynthesizerbeachbumgangstermusic’. And, yes, the lack of spaces is deliberate. There is no room for gaps, it’s all mashed together and spat at you.

King Fantastic is a duo of rapper Killer Reese One and producer Troublemaker – there is obvious equality in this duo. Both the vocals and production get balanced attention; both pump through the mix with the same clarity. It’s full of insane beats that jump around everywhere but still carry the lyrical delivery pretty well. If you are into original production and tired of the same old hip-hop formulas then this is worth a peep.

Now, lyrically it is not exactly classical poetry. Gangsters, bitches and the whole ‘I’m the best, better than you’ stuff. But, to be honest Killer Reese One sells it. I have not looked into his criminal background or high school permanent record, but he does seem ‘bad’. So, perhaps he is rapping what he knows. There is a nice combination of slower swag delivery as well as double time constant flow. Stand out track is ‘Break His Motherfucking Back’ without a doubt.

Click the link to grab a 4 track EP that is actually different to anything else you listen to.

Tracklisting:
Locals Only
¿Cual es mi Nombre, Nina? (Daddy Baby)
Break His Motherfucking Back
Locals Only (Knight Riderz Remix)

(Just to the right of the screen is a little box. Wack your email in that bad boy and you have yourself four new tracks sitting in your inbox.)

DOWNLOAD HERE

If you are greedy and want a bigger slice of the free download music pie and frequent news on what’s new and good then get on twitter and follow @electricpuppet.