CD Reviews

Sollilaquists of Sound | No More Heroes

Anti- (2009)

By CHRIS FARAONE | July 7, 2009

3.5 Stars

I've heard that the occasional rose is known to grow from concrete, but from tourist-trap strip malls like Orlando? Of course, none of the Solillaquists of Sound (S.O.S.) is originally from Florida, and that begins to explain how they could compose an eclectic cornucopia as sweet as No More Heroes — the follow-up to their 2006 debut, As If We Existed.

Like the Flobots, Boston's Foundation Movement, and other effective socially responsible outfits, SOS understand that messages are meaningless without melody. And beats they have aplenty, thanks to their universally inspired in-house producer, DiViNCi. Every track here has hella soul, but that's the only constant; whereas "Bulletproof" and "Heroes" are straight underground fodder, the lighter "Popcorn" has "Hey Ya" crossover potential.

No More's runaway winner is "The Curse," an Enya-esque aural-gasm so aesthetically pristine, it takes a dozen spins to confirm your hunch that it's an instant classic. The same goes for the Chali 2na–touched "Death of the Muse," a J Dilla dedication whose download proceeds benefit the late producer's "Ma Dukes." The first SOS disc was underwhelming, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; given Swamburger's enlightened pop sensibility and Alexandrah's varsity vocals, their improvement could and should evoke some well-deserved Fugee comparisons.

Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music, More

| More

Friends' Activity

Popular

Most Viewed

See more deals

view all

[ 02/12 ] 69˚S [The Shackleton Project] @ Paramount Theatre

[ 02/12 ] Boston Lyric Opera conducted by David Angus @ John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

[ 02/12 ] Stephen Petronio Company @ Institute of Contemporary Art

ARTICLES BY CHRIS FARAONE

J THE S | THE LAST DAYS | February 07, 2012
J the S has been promising The Last Days since he went by Jake the Snake.

HE WILL NOT BE MOVED | February 03, 2012
A few months ago, Boston hip-hop vet Marco Antonio Ennis stepped into a home studio in Dorchester to cut a verse for an old friend's teenage son.

WILL GOVERNOR PATRICK STRIKE OUT? | January 25, 2012
Governor Deval Patrick used part of Monday's State of the Commonwealth address to break his public silence on pending law-enforcement legislation.

OCCUPYING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY | January 11, 2012
The nation's first presidential primary isn't new terrain for activists.

KENJI NAKAYAMA TAKES AN AGE-OLD CRAFT TO NEW PLACES | January 11, 2012
This winter, the Butera School of Art in Back Bay commences its last-ever sign-making classes, teaching students how to hand-letter everything from yachts to mom-and-pop shops.

See all articles by: CHRIS FARAONE

Most Viewed

Most Emailed

CAN THE CHARLES RIVER ESPLANADE BE TRANSFORMED INTO THE WORLD'S BEST PARK?
What if — in place of the current three-story Museum of Science parking garage overlooking the Charles River — there loomed a giant Ferris wheel, on the order of the London Eye?

VAN HALEN | A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH
Who would've thought Eddie Van Halen would still be innovative in his late 50s?

AN INTIMATE GUIDE TO DINING IN — AND EATING OUT — THIS VALENTINE'S DAY
Food and sex have long been intimate bedfellows. What's the endgame of a dinner date but the prospect of the coital desserts waiting at home?

REVIEW: 69°S.: THE SHACKLETON PROJECT
“Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.”

THE BIG HURT: THE MIRACLE OF JAPANESE WIKIPEDIA
In a break from my usual bad-jokes format, I bring you something so strange and wonderful that I just had to share it with the world.