Cadence Weapon
Remember house music? Cadence Weapon sure does. The Edmonton native plays dance-friendly hip-hop that can be heard in any type of club.
Usually, when you think of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hip-hop is a long thought behind the cold weather and the Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky put the province on the map, but Cadence Weapon may be opening doors for hip-hop from the ‘Great White North.’
Cadence Weapon’s sound can be a throwback to the 1980s, like new school act The Cool Kids. At other times, it sounds like straight rap over techno and disco beats. You may just hear one of his songs in one of those oh-so-hip boutiques.
The emcee was just signed to Anti, an imprint of Epitaph Records, and is taking the Radiohead route for his recent release.’ Fans have the option to select exactly how much they want to donate in exchange for the downloadable version of the record, Separation Anxiety, which will be available for any price the customer desires and can be acquired at www.cadenceweaponmusic.com.
The Serious Geniuses
These guys are geniuses – seriously. OK, maybe not real geniuses. As a matter of fact, there is nothing earth shattering about a simple formula of pop rock. However, simplicity can be a genius thing when done right, and this foursome from Boston has hit the nail on the head.
Driving melodies, catchy hooks and a collection of upbeat songs make the The Serious Geniuses a better alternative to bands like The Plain White Tees.
Coming from the blue-collar music town of Boston, which have produced punk and hardcore acts like The Dropkick Murphys, The Unseen and Slapshot, The Serious Geniuses’ music is more reflective of Vagrant Records’ heavyweights like Hey Mercedes and The Get Up Kids.
The album You Can Steal The Riffs, But You Can’t Steal The Talent is currently out on Kiss Of Death Records and can also be streamed at the band’s profile on www.punknews.org.
– Mike Damante
The Devil and the Lion
This South Carolina quintet is a fresh new face to the music business, but the group has just recorded and released their self-titled EP for free at their Web site, www.thedevilandthelion.bandcamp.mu.
The band isn’t bringing a revolutionary or even as refreshing a sound as you may think, but they are a young band with a lot of potential. Their sound dabbles in familiar territory. They could be placed on tours alongside bands like Colour Revolt or Manchester Orchestra.
Instrumentally, they are reminiscent of Texas post-rock stalwarts Explosions in the Sky, indicating a very moody and ambient backdrop. The storytelling nature of many of the songs is also an obvious draw.
If these comparisons aren’t enough to sell you, remember the fact that the album is free and you’d be a bit ridiculous to turn that down.
Dessa
Dessa, born Maggie Wander, had initial aspirations of being a basketball player and even went to the University of Minnesota on a basketball scholarship. However, an injury thwarted that dream, and eventually led her to write poetry.
Initially a spoken-word artist, Dessa joined the poetry slam circuit and eventually meddled with hip-hop. Her hard work paid off and landed her a sweet spot with Doomtree, a hip-hop collective based in Minnesota.
Dessa’s EP Falsehopes explores exactly that, taking into account her verbose and quick delivery. She also possesses a slight, soft and soulful tone to her voice, making it easy on your ears.
Her collaboration with P.O.S. on his track ‘Low Light Low Life’ is hands down one of the best things she’s worked on and her verse is easily the most outstanding in the song.
‘ Dessa’s potential is seemingly limitless, but we’ll see if she delivers on her coming debut LP, due out later this year. For now, she’s released a book called Spiral Bound, which is available through her Web site, www.myspace.com/dessadarling
– Roshan Bhatt
