You can stream/download the track below.

Download: Jel & Odd Nosdam - Geti Beats Vol. 1 [Bandcamp]

Last time we heard from Anticon artist David Cohn, known as Serengeti, it was from his out of the blue collaboration with Sufjan Stevens and composer Son Lux as s/s/s for Beak & Klaw. The unlikely trio drew more attention for Sufjan’s name than it did any actual success as an EP, but yielded some interesting results nonetheless. On that release Serengeti played a pivotal role, providing his vocals over an array of glistening productions. Now, Serengeti is back but on his own with the solo album C.A.R., but unlike the Beak & Klaw release, this really sounds like a product of his own creative mind.

Instead of the glossy beats of s/s/s, the production here is from Anticon OGs Odd Nosdam and Jel, providing a sufficiently weird sound pallet for Serengeti’s free association rap to roam. Lyrically he has a knack for wandering to seemingly unrelated topics without missing a beat, subject-wise in the same vein as Aesop Rock. Actual style and delivery though is far more laid back, like he’s in between consciousness and dreaming, rhyming about whatever pops into his head.

C.A.R. is most successful when the production vibes align with his lazy delivery, which happens for a majority of the first half of the album. “Talk To Me” boasts shuffling production where some of Serengeti’s strongest/weirdest lyricism is found. He references becoming a chauffer, Bon Iver, scuba coaches, James Polk, and Papa Roach in the span of just a few bars. “Amnesia” and “Get Life” succeed for the same reasons, sounding like effortless products created over a sofa and a few beers on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

It turns out, that’s exactly how it happened, too. The trio of Serengeti and producers created C.A.R. in a cottage, basking their surroundings, creating beats and rhymes that eventually became an album. In spite of the short thirty minute run-time things stumble some at the end with short interlude “Say What” and the abrasive “Chill”, where the laid back vibes are traded for a lo-fi crunch that doesn’t quite hit the mark. C.A.R. is short, but it’s dense with intricate lyricism and production. With close, attentive listens the subtle nuances will reveal themselves, but if you blink, C.A.R. will hustle by before you notice.

3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5 out of 5

Here’s what Odd Nosdam said about the project.

We each picked five choice tunes from our record collections. Nosdam digitized the 10 selections, edited the songs down and/or looped up parts for Jel to play over. Once Nosdam got a rough sequence of edits and loops going, Jel stepped up and banged out MPC drums live over the bulk of the shit (first & last tune are sans Jel drums). Nosdam then added 808s throughout and did the final mix. Matthewdavid mastered the thing.

You can stream the podcast here and download it below.

Download: Potholes Podcast (Jel + Odd Nosdam) [Right Click Save-As]

Track list:

Check out the track below.

Support! Themselves – CrownsDown

Guess who’s back! It’s been about six years since we heard from the quintessential Anticon hip-hoppers, Themselves. Earlier this year however, Doseone and Jel resurfaced the Themselves moniker, with theFREEhoudini, a mixtape that was probably as impressive as it was slept on. It featured a bunch of original content, jam packed rhymes, and some previews of tracks that appear here on their new full-length, CrownsDown.

CrownsDown is literally a tornado. Let your mind wander for two seconds while listening to Doseone’s furious rhymes and Jel’s twisted beats, and the album may turn to a blur. It is hectic, disorienting, and at times hard to follow, even with repeat listens – but it’s all for a purpose, and this time it works. Dose’s rhymes are as crisp as ever, making it possible to dig a bit deeper into his internal rhyme schemes. And he’s got some things on his mind. Besides the usual freeform lyrics that frequent experimental hip-hop records, Dose is talking about the hip-hop industry, and the emotional pains of life. Best of all are the subliminal shots at a certain rapper (Themselves was never shy of a little underground beef). Check out the taunting rhymes on the brilliant “Oversleeping” a constant rap whirlwind that fires over Jel’s snappy electronic production that sounds like a distorted light-saber fight.

Jel is likewise operating on a fully charged battery here. The pacing of the album is almost perfect. The beats rage on relentlessly, suiting Dose’s rhymes very well. Jel splices his samples with careful attention to detail, layering them neatly on top of one another. The electronic beats indulge in delicious distortion, creating a crunchy sonic backdrop. But the production truly excels because there are thoughtful, at times atmospheric, melodies in place here as well. These melodies are best heard on “Daxstrong” and “Roman Is As Roman Does”, the latter being one of the albums finest cuts. Things momentarily slow down for the futuristic “You Ain’t It”, which is unfortunate since this track falls right in the middle of the album. However, some of the most mind-boggling nearly incomprehensible rhymes grace the track adding a welcome textural element.

CrownsDown is a dense album, and for all those lyric heads it will absolutely require many, many listens. Fortunately, there is content to be uncovered underneath the chaos. What is nice about this album, is that for those who simply want to take the album at face value, CrownsDown is accessible for its fun, energetic, and experimental approach. Either way you slice it, Themselves has put together a concise album that just kicks ass.