CD Reviews

Schoolboy Q | Habits & Contradictions

Top Dawg Entertainment (2012)

By MICHAEL C. WALSH | January 31, 2012

3.5 Stars

It's fitting that Schoolboy Q's narcotic flip of choice is OxyContin — as opposed to, say, weed or crack or whatever the push du jour has been throughout hip-hop's longstanding partnership with the drug game. Appropriate not only because it places the Los Angeles-bred MC in an oddly divergent pocket from his contemporaries, but also because he turns out the audio equivalent of dope here on his second independently released LP. Without much that can be considered "structure" in terms of the verse-chorus-verse standard, Q confidently wobbles through an album's worth of jaded bangers. The key is confidence. Moments that would be cringe-inducing if delivered by the less intrepid come across as triumphant — check his reappropriation of the intro to Kid Cudi's nauseatingly played-out "Pursuit of Happiness" on the chorus of "Hands on the Wheel." Genesis is sampled on "Gangsta in Designer," Portishead on "Raymond 1969," and there's an unabashedly out-of-his-lane cool-jazz flip by Lex Luger on "Grooveline Pt. 1." The standout is "Blessed," featuring closest confidante and likewise poised-to-blow label-mate Kendrick Lamar. A dark affirmation on par with UGK's "One Day," the cut is indicative that once people start paying attention, Q won't be residing in the underground for much longer.

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone
Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler's documentary details Fishbone's quarter-century journey from musically-diverse South Central middle school classmates to becoming one of the most influential Los Angeles bands of the '80s.
Nite Jewel | One Second of Love
Los Angeles songstress Ramona Gonzalez began home-recording dark dance music in 2008, attracting the attention of blogspots and boutique labels with her soulful voice, lo-fi post-disco beats, and distinct sense of weirdo minimalism.
No Age | Everything In Between
What are a couple of LA noise rats like No Age trying to say with a stargazing track like "Katerpiller" smack in the middle of their new album?
Abe Vigoda | Crush
Over the past three years, Abe Vigoda have made some serious progress, going from California kids making cryptic but pretense-free DIY clatter to the sole opening band on one of Vampire Weekend's national tours.
Review: Janie Jones
Borrowing the name of a Clash song with which it has nothing in common, this generic riff on the Crazy Heart template by writer/director David M. Rosenthal ( Falling Up ) also cribs from Sofia Coppola's Somewhere .
Assaf Kehati Quartet | Flowers and Other Stories
The Boston-based Israeli guitarist Assaf Kehati and his quartet know how to straddle the great divide.
Ash Borer | Ash Borer
NorCal black-metal trio Ash Borer's debut full-length is as diminutive as their namesake (limited to a 150-cassette run) but no less destructive or striking as they hurtle through three tracks in 40 minutes.
Active Child | You Are All I See
Pat Grossi used to be a choirboy, which is not surprising at all, given that his full-length debut under the Active Child moniker sounds like it was cut in some sort of dimly lit, hallowed hall under the cover of night.
Review: Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
The little TV series with the can-do pipes rolls out a concert tour that's essentially a love-in with its fan base.
Skipp Whitman | Skipp City
I was hardly expecting one of the freshest rap discs this year to come out of Brookline.
Occult Detective Club | Crimes
It's tough coming up with anything new in punk rock that isn't going to sound as if you were trying too hard to reinvent something that's as basic as it gets
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ARTICLES BY MICHAEL C. WALSH

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A knife-wielding maniac plots his exploits off of a popular slasher film. If you were to call out Joseph Kahn for unabashedly ripping this plot straight from Scream 2 , he'd probably take it as a compliment.

THE DANCE-MUSIC SCENE HEATS UP AUSTIN | March 21, 2012
"Like in 10 years, this is Lollapalooza— we're just ahead of shit," said Nick Hook of Cubic Zirconia on Saturday night, toward the tail end of his solo set during SBTRKT's collaborative shindig with burgeoning UK-label Young Turks.

SCUBA | PERSONALITY | March 06, 2012
Believe it or not, there still exist some pockets of the globe where dubstep remains sacred, with champions of purism deflecting the ever-tainting mainstream intrusions.

ITAL | HIVE MIND | February 07, 2012
If there was a broken-record knock against electronic music in the last decade, it's that it all sounded the same.