| 
| 
| Mike LaddNostalgialator | Definitive Jux January 28,
 2008 3:42:18 PM 
“Fuck it, it’s a mind set,” Mike Ladd notes amid a dense verbal and aural barrage titled “Trouble Shot.” Then he concludes the verse with the caveat “It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.” These are useful guidelines with which to approach Nostalgialator. Fans of the poet/MC/beatsmith’s work under the Infesticons/Majesticons moniker will hear echoes of that project’s production sensibility here, but none of its MC collaborations. If Nostalgialator resembles anything in Ladd’s diverse (and extensive) body of work, it’s his 2000 album Welcome to the Afterfuture (Ozone), whose soundscape of future-shock breakbeats and layered lyrical musings cited (and sampled) scores of left-field sources like Firesign Theatre and the Jetsons. Here the mercurial Ladd uses grunge-era Sub Pop also-rans Tad as a referent. What’s more, Afterfuture did not serve up anything as bombastic or provocative as “Afrostatic,” “Black Orientalist,” or the ebullient “Wild Out Day,” all of which showcase Ladd’s skill at fusing his passions for punk and hip-hop. More Bad Brains than Kid Rock, Nostalgialator offers fresh hope for rock/rap cross-pollinations — and for anyone who thinks Rage Against the Machine ended the discussion.
| 
  |  |  | 
	
		|  
 |  
		| 
				
					
					
							 Trying to find some meaning in ace biz-boy columnist Steve Bailey’s move to London
  How did BU's research facility go from slam dunk to almost sunk?
  What is driving the widespread movement pressuring Hillary to drop out, even though she is very much still in the race?
  Ray Davies hits the road
  Never mind its tough-girl alt-porn feminism: SuicideGirls has already moved on to a new generation
  Some Things at Trinity
 
				
					
					
							 2nd Story’s Orpheus Descending
  How did BU's research facility go from slam dunk to almost sunk?
  Ray Davies hits the road
  Bill Gage has Down syndrome. And his band rocks
  Opera House captures Boston Ballet’s heart
  Art on the move
 |  
 
 |  
												Absolute Value | Fat Beats 
												Oi Oi Oi | Last Gang 
												Gangsta Grillz: The Album | Atlantic 
												† | Vice
 | 
  
 | Sidecar perform frequency modulation on Wave PrincipleCalcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar OdysseyMoonshine | www.greenleafmusic.comIV | Yep RockThe Elephant in the Room | Terror SquadHello | VirginRain | RykodiscShout! FactoryGood Time | AristaBeyond Even (1992-2006) | Opal
 | 
 
 | 
 | 
 |