Aesop Rock
Fast Cars, Danger, Fire And Knives EP
(Definitive Jux)

With Aesop Rock's latest release, not only are Def Jux offering up seven brand new tracks but also a limited edition 88-page lyric book spanning Aesop's whole career.

While hiphop fans across the globe admire Rock's ability to turn a phrase, in the past it has proved to be a case for the cryptologists to decipher his fast lyrics. Including the sacred texts with this album is a great idea, destined to make fans pick up a copy despite its difficult 'inbetween album' status.

There is plenty more, however to recommend this release than a glorified inlay sleeve. The EP is a seven song tour de force that starts with a plea from Aesop's mum not to pirate it (what and photocopy the lyric book?) and continues with the kind of edgy fervour you would expect from an Aesop Rock release.

"Number Nine" is a stodgy slice of digitized funk, "Winners Take All" carries with a contagious head-bobbing beat and the smooth-flowing "Zodiaccupuncture" offers quintessential Aesop rhymes like "And it looks like war / Quacks like war / So it's Occam's Razor and I'm Swayze out the door."

This EP furthers the template formulated on previous album Bazooka Tooth. Aesop Rock produces three of the seven tracks himself, with longtime collaborator Blockhead handling three and labelmate Rob Sonic on one. Aesop's own production is, in my opinion, the liveliest of all, but his colleagues always provide enough sparse funk to keep it interesting.

Overall this is volatile, angry, and highly unappreciative of the current US administration (especially its war policy). Many have expressed similar politicised opinions in hiphop over the last five years, but few have done it so eloquently.

If you pick this CD up after the 20,000 limited edition lyrics booklets are gone, you will still find much to appreciate from it. You just might not be able to understand every line tho. Get one while they're still hot!

Definitive Jux website

Jared Wilson

Cass Mccombs
Prefection (4AD)

Cass Mccombs, US singer songwriter, is bringing the 60s back to the present day with his retro sounding new album Prefection. This, his second album, is released hot on the heels of his debut album, simply titled A, which was released early last year.

Prefection is a combination of rock and acoustic ballads. Here Mccombs treats the listener to a new collection of pessimistically optimistic lyrics entwined with a Phil-Spector-esque backing.

First on the bill is Equinox. The tracks catchy guitar riffs and reverberating drums make this a pleasant opener, even though it’s not one of the best on the album. Subtraction, Bury Mary and Tourist Woman are a little livelier. The fuzz bass riff laid down by Mccombs’ band member Trevor Shimizu on Tourist Woman had my head nodding uncontrolably at times.

It is not until the penultimate track, City of Brotherly Love, however, that Mccombs true talent begins to seep through. His Belle and Sebastian style vocals are stripped bare and is allowed to run free of its tormented reverb. The bands acoustic guitars are dusted down and the musicianship of the other members, Natalie Conn on keyboards and Dutch E.Germ on the drums, truly reveals itself for the first time.

Reviews of Prefection regularly compared Mccombs sound to The Smiths and his personality to that of Morrissey. Sure, Mccombs has a love of literature, often creates lyrics from sometimes negative experiences and is apparently a hater of publicity, but only time will tell if this comparison is accurate.

Prefection has already spawned one single, Sacred Heart, and has a number of future potential releases amongst them. However, the albums impact, as a whole, is in serious danger of being jeopardised by its overproduction. This aside, Prefection is a sound piece of work by an artist who may well become a success story in 2005.

Cass Mccombs website

Alex Kocan

UK Takeover DVD
Sureshot Entertainments

As we gear up for the almighty looking UK Takeover 3 it's worth bearing in mind how things started out.

This DVD is near-complete footage of  the first Takeover. The original event featured the likes of Taskforce, Blade, Klashnekoff and the mighty Roots Manuva alongside a mix of talented Notts artists such as Tempa, Midnyte and Big Trev's Inna Nuttin.

For those that don't remember that long ago, after a lengthy saga involving a gunshot at a Canibus gig, the police, the newspapers and a healthy dose of moral panic, the original UK Takeover event was postponed and moved from it's original venue (The Garvey) to Isis. Respect to the organisers for keeping the faith and rescheduling! Those that were at the gig had a great time, without even the slightest hint of trouble. For those that weren't, however, this release offers up a chance to see what you missed out on.

The packaging and DVD menus for this are good quality. It's a pity, however, that there isn't much in the way of extra features (some freestyles or interviews from the dressing room would have been a nice touch), but the quality of the live acts on display is unquestionable.

The only other slight disappointment is an on-screen flicker /fuzziness that leads you to believe that, at times, the production team may have estimated the levels of light in the venue incorrectly or chosen the wrong speed of film to record onto. All these faults taken into account, however, as hiphop videos go this is pretty damn good!! It features solid performances from some serious names in the current UK scene. Parts of it could have been done a little better, but how many Nottingham promoters are bringing out DVD's of their gigs anyway?

UK Takeover and Sureshot are breaking new ground in this city with both their line-ups and the packages they are offering. It's good that UK hiphop has found a home outside of London. It's great that this home is Nottingham...

www.uktakeover.net www.sureshotents.com

Jared Wilson

Shake The Streets
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (Lookout)

When you hear the name ‘Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ what instantly comes to mind? A hippy band that are all beards and sitars? If so, you’d be sadly mistaken. This is the work of Ted Leo, former punk. He is now putting the world to rights with his combination of rock and pop, with a little bit of politics thrown in for good measure.

Shake the Sheets, his fourth solo album, is the follow up to Hearts of Oak which was released in 2003.  Playing alongside Ted (vocals / guitar) are his band Dave Lerner (bass) and Chris Wilson (drums).

The opening track, Me and Mia is an absolute corker. The punk power chords running throughout wrap seamlessly over Leo’s lyrics of love. The drumbeat has your foot tapping while the lyrics have your head ticking. Obviously that review is a little over the top but this album has been on my CD player ever since it dropped through my door. This album is one of my favourites of the year so far.

Walking to do and Shake the Sheets are also highpoints but Counting down the Hours is, by far, the best song on the album due to its combination of the ballad and rock song without going into corny territory.

All of the tracks were written by Leo in the basement of his childhood home in New Jersey in early 2004. Soon after completion he headed across to New York where producer Chris Shaw worked on the piece to huge success. Shaw has worked with many famous artists over the years including, the one and only, Bob Dylan.

My only criticism of the album, however, is that there is little variety amongst the tracks. This is only a small qualm though; my opinion of the album remains untarnished.