Project Polaroid - Project Polaroid (2006)

Comprised of Kool Keith (of Dr. Octagon) and TOMC3, Project Polaroid is one of my favorite Kool Keith releases. The production is similar in style to Dan the Automator so the album does end up sounding somewhat like Octagonecolagyst and that is definitely not a bad thing in my opinion.

The "Project Polaroid (Intro)" sets off the album right. Just from the intro you can get a sense of Kool Keith's lyrical style but mainly TOMC3's beatmaking and scratching skills. After about the 1:20 mark the track is an instrumental featuring TOMC3 on the wheels of steel and he tears it up. Solid. Real phat drums.

"Diamond District" has got that groovy bass line goin for it and Kool Keith just sounds so damn mellow on the mic. His flow is so relaxed and he drops creative ass lines that no one else could pull off.

My epidemic is formatted with static dramatic
The baddest P.I. supreme, P.I. with steam
The 104th Street walker, a.k.a. beat walker
The sharp unique walker
Overtonin drinkin Corona, sidestep a evolution scheme
Pro-calistheticssss... boost, credits from the duration
Illustration tough, illustration rough
The plaid stay sharp as a pencil, designed with a 3-inch
cuff
Operating drastically, I still active be
And octave see ozone
I'm comin through Technic trebles and pro tones
Actually in pro tone

"Rhyme That Quit" is similar in structure to the intro in that it starts with a flow and then breaks off into some scratching. Keith raps about a wack MC who is pushing his rhymes up a hill but his rhymes quit on him and roll back and crush him. Interesting topic and sick choir samples for the beat.

"Midwestern Shoe Calhoun" is another solid track with some piano and guitar samples. I just wish TOMC3 would loop that sick ass electric guitar loop a little bit more. It loops 2 times then disappears and I wish it would stay longer. The outro also features samples from that tight movie with Robin Williams in it "One Hour Photo."

I was impressed by the solid performance throughout by Kool Keith and this release helped restore my faith in Kool Keith after his more recent upsets. The production on this album is a departure from the style that Keith has been pursuing since Dr. Octagon and I like the direction that Project Polaroid is heading in. Good shit from TOMC3 and Kool Keith.

Project Polaroid - Project Polaroid (2006)

or support the artist and:

buy it here

1. "Project Polaroid (intro)"
2. "Space 8000"
3. "Talk to the Romans"
4. "Mechanical Mechanix feat. Prince Po"
5. "I’m Libra"
6. "Diamond District"
7. "Rhyme That Quit"
8. "Clubber Lang feat. Motion Man"
9. "Uphill.....Strange"
10. "Digital Engineering"
11. "The Overviewer"
12. "Feel Me feat. Roughneck Jihad"
13. "Midwestern Shoe Calhoun"
14. "Photo Shop (outro)"

The Beta Band - The Three E.P.s (1998)

The Beta Band is a scottish group of fellows whose career together lasted from 1996-2004 with a discography comprised of three E.P.s and three L.P.s. This album is a collection of their first three releases (which by the album title you could probably speculate were E.P.s)

• Champion Versions (1997)
• The Patty Patty Sound (1998)
• Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos (1998)

One of my favorite tracks on this compilation is the first song "Dry the Rain." The Beta Band are often labeled folk-hop for their blend of mellow acoustic guitars and sick drum beats and "Dry the Rain is a very good display of the Beta Band's overall style. Starting off with some sick guitar and shakers until around the two minute mark those drums kick in and then it just keeps building. Adding in more and more guitar tracks more and more shit starts happening and the whole track seems to start swelling up and then around 3:30 that bass gets damn funky and then those horns come in and then the final layer comes which is the perfectly suiting lyrical refrain:

If there's something inside that you wanna say
You can say it out loud it will be okay
I will be alright, I will be your light
I will be your light, I will be your light

I need love
I need love

That build up is just so fucking religious at the end it makes the weight of the world feel just a little bit lighter.

"I Know" is a mellow song with a funky tambourine drum loop some guitar and some beeping sounds and thats about it and it rocks the whole way through.

"Dog Got A Bone" has no phat drums but does have a cool accordion sounding instrument and a bunch of vocal tracks on it. You can't really complain because the harmonica solo comes in after the three minute mark somewhere and the vocal tracks keep on layering and building up. A real chill track that builds up nicely without relying on the funky drumming.

"Monolith" is one trippy ass song that explores multiple genres. The beginning starts off with some ambient sounds and some vocal loops. Then the drums fade in and out and the song even goes into a Middle Eastern or Indian sounding beat and then they use like some scratched up dog bark to create the beat around 12 or 13 minutes. Sick percussion throughout this track.

"She's The One For Me" builds up until the 4 minute area and then those crazy altered pitches keep repeating the song title while the drums and guitar just go off. Good shit right here.

Overall, the Beta Band are a very experimental and creative genre defying band that explores many new structures, styles, and sounds. I think that my favorite E.P. at this time would probably be their first, Champion Verses, because lots of my favorite songs on the album are from this E.P.

The Beta Band - The Three E.P.s (1998)

or support the artist and:

buy it here

1. "Dry the Rain" – 6:05 (Champion Versions)
   
2. "I Know" – 3:58 (Champion Versions)
   
3. "B + A" – 6:35 (Champion Versions)
4. "Dogs Got a Bone" – 5:58 (Champion Versions)
5. "Inner Meet Me" – 6:20 (The Patty Patty Sound)
6. "The House Song" – 7:15 (The Patty Patty Sound)
7. "Monolith" – 15:48 (The Patty Patty Sound)
   
8. "She's the One" – 8:21 (The Patty Patty Sound)
   
9. "Push It Out" – 5:22 (Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos)
10. "It's Over" – 3:50 (Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos)
11. "Dr. Baker" – 4:08 (Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos)
12. "Needles in My Eyes" – 4:32 (Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos)