Manicproject
Squareone
Self release
Street:06.19
Manicproject = NIN – Trent + Phil, a monochromatic voice that hurts ears real bad.
While the down beats and atmospheric pressure of the seemingly distant background music put you in an ecstasy based trance, the lyrics and vocals that Phil Istomin chose to combine with them immediately pull you out of the drug cloud and straight into what NIN would be without Trent—nothingness. And while lyrics can be a difficult thing to dig out of the depths of the aorta; they shouldn’t make you pray for hearing abnormalities. Some people say music is a good way to put bad poetry into circulation. This is perhaps where Phil and I agree. Unless Phil means something other than, “please god make my vocal cords evaporate so no one has to listen to my toneless voice,” when he states in the song “Room 101”…make it stop. Regardless if we’re on the same page I have a little advice for you Phil: stick with the instrumentals. The whole monochromatic thing works well in photography… not so much in music. –Myles
Vividend
Thirsty City
raincLOUD Records
Streets: OUT
Vividend = Sage Frances + Sole
Jesus-tap-dancing-Christ! I want to be a hip-hop superstar. If only to be recognized under a pretentious barely literate, semi-biblical alias. I here by now proclaim myself Milengidnus Dikotemyor Mortakye. Get it right oh ye bitches. Vividend reminds me of my Grandpa learning to dance: he understands the basics but stumbles, never quite on top of the rhythm and beats (by far the best aspect of Thirsty City). Vividend’s sped up lyrics don’t open up much; he likes to deal in burnt out bumper sticker haikus repeating everything we’ve already seen plastered on some leftist’s ancient Volvo. “Fattening the Boredumb” is perhaps the most succinct song in summing up Vividend’s lacerating lyrics.. Man was he right.. This is boring. But you have to give it, Vividend drops bones and slides high-fives with his fuck you attitude. But listening I still can’t help but think that maybe Vividend should have headed the advice of the two rappers that told him he was doing hip-hop wrong. Umm. Word. –Myles
