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.

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.
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.
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.
The Woodrow Wilsons | The Devil Jonah
The Woodrow Wilsons are a haushold name — to anyone familiar with Jamaica Plain's Whitehaus Collective, that is.
Scuba | Personality
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.
Black Bananas | Rad Times Xpress IV
It's a rare thing when you listen to a record and can actually hear drugs spewing from the speakers, but such is the gift of Rad Times Xpress IV , the latest from Jennifer Herrema, the exRoyal Trux chanteuse now doing business as Black Bananas.
Bruce Springsteen | Wrecking Ball
There was a time when Bruce Springsteen didn't need rousing choirs, swelling orchestrations, or repetitive Pogues poses to broadcast anthemic populist subversion.
Review: Project X
When you start making negative comparisons to films like Porky's , you know a film has problems.
Photos: Mindless Self Indulgence and Morning Wood at The Worcester Palladium
Mindless Self Indulgence and Morning Wood played The Worcester Palladium on March 3, 2012.
Interview: Alice Bag of Stay at Home Bomb
Alice Bag (nee Armendariz), who shone bright in the Los Angeles punk scene of the late-1970s, will be in town Saturday to read from her book Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage and to play a few tunes at 7 pm at Rochambeau Library.
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Topics: CD Reviews , Music, dope, drug, More

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