Sugar - House of Dead Memories 7"

 
Granary (2026)

These days, it seems like just about any band (aside from Operation Ivy) could potentially get back together provided the band members are in good health.  Because of that, I don't suppose that I was surprised to hear that Sugar was playing again, but I was definitely excited about it.  So much so that I immediately bought tickets to one of their NYC shows when they were announced.  The timing of those shows ended up not working out exactly, so I didn't end up going.  Though the way things are going, it doesn't look like that will be the only time I will get to see them as they announced a full tour and have put out this new two-song 7".

The A side is "House of Dead Memories" and it's kind of exactly what you'd expect from a Sugar song.  Upper mid tempo, gigantic guitar sounds, a driving verse that pushes into a chorus and a bridge and a little instrumental interlude with some guitar squawking.  It's pretty short, clocking in just over the two-minute mark, but it gets the job done as far as paying off the anticipation of waiting for new music for so long.

On the flip we have "Long Live Love," which if I'm being honest, mostly ticks all of those same boxes as the A side.  It's perhaps a bit more straightforward and slightly less dynamic than "House of Dead Memories," but I am absolutely not looking for Sugar to reinvent the wheel.  I want them to sound like Sugar and they mostly do.

There's nothing here that's too dissimilar to Bob Mould's solo records, which really weren't all that dissimilar to what Sugar used to do anyway.  Am I blown away? No, I'm not.  But I definitely enjoy both songs and would be eager to see them worked into a full album.  I'm hopeful that's in the cards once the touring is done.

Sugar - "House of Dead Memories":

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk5QT4r46jM

Sugar - "Long Live Love":

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=fK7khG6zPvE

Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development 2xLP +7" - Black & White Splatter Vinyl (/500)

Rhymesayers (2026, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Future Development is Del's third album and it was originally meant to be his third for Elektra before he was dropped.  There's a lot of lore about how much of the eventually released album would have been the Elektra version, but that's not anything I can speak to with certainty.  All I can say is that the first version of Future Development that was released was on cassette only in 1997.  I mail ordered that from the Hiero website in those early internet days and found it to be solid, but I din't like it as much as his prior two.  

The next time this album crossed my path was when I found a copy of the 2002 reissue of it on CD at a random NYC record store that I don't remember the name of and I think that was the only time I was ever in there, killing time before a show at Arlene's Grocery or Luna Lounge or whatever pop up venue in that area of the city had bands playing.  It made me reevaluate the album and I liked it a lot more having let some time pass.  Eventually, I picked up the double LP a few years ago and for whatever reason, that's when it really clicked for me.

I'll still say this is an album with highs and lows.  I don't love every song on it as there are some where the production is just a little too slow and dreamy for my personal taste.  But as a whole it's a very strong record and has many highlights where Del reconfirms why he is my favorite MC of all time.  His flow is unlike anyone's and his ability to weave complex rhyme patterns, internal rhymes, external rhymes (sometimes no rhymes) and still all make it work in a way that seems so effortless is nothing short of remarkable.  Even on the tracks that might not have my favorite beats, Del still shines on the mic.

I'll have to be honest, the main reason I bought this LP again was the art of the deluxe version.  It harkens back to the original cassette artwork and I have a fondness for that.  Including a bonus 7" with some extra songs doesn't hurt either.  While they weren't part of the original release of this album, they're of the era and fit in pretty seamlessly.  Makes me wonder if they were slated to be part of whatever version would have ended up on Elektra.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Future Development:

https://delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.com/album/future-development

Swami John Reis & Co. - Don't Believe In Yourself 7" (/500)

 

Swami (2026)

This latest Swami John Reis 7" is something of a precursor to the next Swami John Reis LP, Navajo White, that is due out in August.  I say 'something of' as neither of the songs on this 7" are destined to be part of that record, they're exclusive to this 7" that was only available from the Swami web store.  It was limited to 500 copies and sold out alarmingly fast when it was put on sale a couple of weeks ago.  I'm just relieved that I was able to secure one.

Keen-eyed readers will note the "& Co." suffix after Swami John Reis this time out.  In this case the Co. is Gar Wood, Ben Moore,  Glen Galloway, J Sinclair K and Rick Froberg on the A side with Ben and J also appearing on the B side.  The A side is "Even the Lobsters Can Sing and with the Hot Snakes lineup +2, musically this feels like Automatic Midnight era Snakes with it's repetitive, yet melodic, rolling bass, coupled with a big guitar crunch what veers off into unique chord progressions.  Rick is on guitar only on this track with Swami John handling the vocals.  It's a truly incredible song and the highlight of the 7" for me.

Not that "Bad Lightning" over on the B side is any slouch, but it is different.  This one has a thunderous, galloping drum beat with a clangy, somewhat unusual guitar riff.  It's really wild sounding and while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's metal sounding (because it isn't), it has a higher pitched, piercing tone than stands out as unique in the Swami canon.  It results in two songs that are not similar, but work together by the sheer will of the Swami and his ability to put a signature stamp on anything he creates, no matter where he takes the song to.

You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger fan of John Reis' work than me, I am absolutely predisposed to like it and carry around that bias with me.  But, these are two incredible songs.  John is not rehashing the same Swami John Reis album over and over.  Each time out he brings something new to the party while still always sounding like him,  I cannot wait to hear what he has in store for the LP next month.

 

Rough House Survivers – Straight From The Soul 2xLP +7"

90s Tapes (2025, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I wrote about the original pressing of this Rough House Survivers record a couple of years ago and looking back on it, I spend more time writing about what a great year 1992 was in hip hop than I did the actual record.  To be fair, I still don't think 92 gets the credit it deserves, but in some ways I didn't give Rough House Survivers the credit they deserved while trying to make that point.

Luckily I get another swing at it because hip hop's best reissue label has reissued this classic as a double LP (with a bonus 7"),  As usual, the pressing g sounds incredible and really highlights what I love most about this album, the incredible production work.  This is an album full of jazz based loops, be, fat drum beats and the sort of accompanying horn accents that set off the whole package.  There's a good, solid tempo throughout the album.  It never gets super fast or frantic, but it also never drags or becomes too slow to keep things interesting.

In addition to their DJ Swinn, Rough House Survivers have 3 different MCs taking turns on the mic,  As is the case with a lot of multi-MC crews that don't spend a lot of time identifying themselves, I won't pretend that I always know exactly who is providing the rhymes at every turn but whether it's Dread One, Kev or Roberto, all three rise to the occasion that the production provides.  You're never going to get a subpar bar.  That fact is even more impressive when you see the rogue's gallery of guest appearances with microphone killers like Grand Puba, CL Smooth and Sadat X dropping by to further light up a few tracks.  That the main 3 MCs are never overshadowed is nothing shot of remarkable.

Once again, I cannot say enough great things about the amazing work that 90s Tapes puts into their release.  I wish they were allowed to handle every hip hop reissue, though that sort of workload might be a tad overwhelming.  I can only be grateful for the classics that we do get to have and their Rough House Survivers reissue is a perfect example of how to treat an album.  While the group may not have gotten the attention and accolades that they deserved at the time, at least they have a incredible version of their album to put on the shelf.

Rough House Survivers – Straight From The Soul:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/straight-from-the-soul

Swami John Reis - Turn On You 7" (/250)

 
Swami (2026)

Swami John Reis kicks off his 2026 with a 7" of two new songs.  If I remember the listing on the Swami shop page correctly, I think these were from the same sessions that produced the last full length.  Though I am not positive about that as the page for this on the site is now gone, likely because the 250 copies of this record that were pressed disappeared pretty quickly.

On the A side we have "Turn On You."  This one is a medium tempo chugger with lots of good downstroking in the verse.  But the guitar really shines through said chugging as it has a bright tone with just a hint of jangle. We blast into the expectedly big chorus that also has some nice keyboard flourishes.  It's a fun one.

"Meme Bitch" holds down the B side and is much faster with perhaps double the downstrokes per minute. It kicks off with a relatively straightforward verse with a chord progression that feels very Swami, even though it probably would seem unusual for many songwriters.  I, however, am not a songwriter, so I probably don't know the technical name for this part of a song, but there's a bridge/transition/breakdown thing right before the before the chorus that has a a strong Hot Snakes feel to me, but without the big crunch of guitars that is synonymous with that band.  RIt's great.  The chorus is a cathartic shout along and The whole shebang wraps up pretty quick. 

The Swami can do no wrong by me and this 7" is just another excellent record to add to the collection.  I feel like the amount of new Swami music is definitely on the uptick these last couple of years and I hope that continues to be the case.  I always want more.

Mrs. Magician - High Resolution 7"

 
Swami (2026)

It seems both inconceivable and ridiculous that it's been ten years since the last Mrs. Magician record came out.  This is a band responsible for two incredible albums, the first of which is easily in my top 10 records that have come out in the 2000s (probably top five, honestly - but I don't have time to check and do the math right now).  This two song 7" marks their return in 2026, leading up to a new album next month.  Which coincidently includes both of the songs on this 7".

Now, I must remind people that I have an aversion to listening to songs from un upcoming album outside of the context of the full album.  I find that it makes me hear those songs differently than the rest.  In the past I have overplayed advance singles and I've learned that it does the album no favors, so I avoid that now.  I bring this up because I'm writing about this 7" only having listened to it once, with no plans to listen again until I can hear these songs with the rest of the full record.

I did write down some notes while I listened, knowing that I wouldn't be back for a little bit.  A side "High Resolution" is a driving pop song with a big guitar riff doing the heavy lifting in the verse.  There's some nice surfy secondary guitar sprinkled in and a great hook for the chorus.  The song is very good and as I listened to it I was getting pretty excited to hear the new album when suddenly at about the minute forty-five mark or so, the song veers into an incredibly catchy bridge or breakdown or whatever you want to call it.  It's just bonkers and makes the song even better than I already thought it was.  What a ride.

On the B side, "Dead Alive" starts off with that scrappy, early, reverb heavy Mrs. Magician sound before cleaning itself up when the main thrust of the song kicks in. I hope we get a little more of that fuzzy aesthetic on the rest of the record as I really dig that.  But again, this is another cracking good song with crunchy guitars and some really nice vocal interplay between Jacob and Tiffany Turnbloom where there's a back and forth before coming together into a harmony.  

Like I said, I only listened to this once, but I definitely liked what I heard.  What it really does (and I do believe this is the point of singles, I'm sure it's in a book somewhere) is make me excited to finally hear the full length.  I am counting down the days and doing finger exercises to ensure I can preorder the vinyl as quickly as possible once it shows up in the Swami shop.

Mrs. Magician - "High Resolution":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C55h4t9BF-I

Mrs. Magician - "Dead Alive":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPapZ7Y4laU

Gentlemen Rogues - Half Empty, Half Fool 7" - Pink Vinyl (59/100)

 
Self Released (2025)

It's becoming a recurring thing lately where I say that I'm writing about a record I've had for too long and that I should have probably written about it already.  This becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as it means that anything I get now runs the risk of getting old as I try to prioritize the records that already are old.  It's a vicious cycle and no one cares, but I do feel bad that I'm only getting to this Gentlemen Rogues record as it's not only great, but Danny is a sweetheart.

A sweetheart that always seems to be in bands that can crank out tunes like nobody's business.  The A side is "Half Empty, Half Fool" which is a song from their excellent 2024 full length Surface Noise.  This version has been updated since the full length version, having been remixed and remastered and (so the Bandcamp page says) "partially re-recorded."  Now, if I'm being truly honest, my ears can't hear a whole lot of difference between the new version and the one on the album, though I've also never claimed to be an audiophile with a keen ear for nuance.  But this doesn't really matter to me as the song sounded great before and it sounds great now. 

The B side is a cover of the T.Rex song "Children of the Revolution."  The Rogues do a great job taking ownership of this tune and really making it sound like one of their own, while at the same time retaining enough of the original that it stands out.  With its mid-tempo, chunky guitar hooks and vocal melodies, it's right at home with their other songs.

I love me a good 7".  We don't see as many of them these days as they are so cost prohibitive to make and sell and buy (and process?).  But the old school album-track-on-side-one-and-cover-song-on-side-two gimmick is one that I will always get behind.  Even though Gentleman Rouges have the band name that I am most likely to misspell while writing about them, it's always a pleasure to add a new record of theirs to the collection and to let the world know how great they are.  And I didn't even mention Jill this time.

Gentlemen Rogues - Half Empty, Half Fool 7":

https://gentlemenrogues.bandcamp.com/album/half-empty-half-fool-2025-single

Unwound - New Energy 7"

Numero (2025)

This is one of those records that definitely falls into the category of being a collectible.  This was made to be a tour only 7" for Unwound in 2025.  Once said tour was over, Numero sold some on there website.  Both songs are originally from their 1995 album The Future Of What.  Not sure why it was decided they needed to also be on a 7", but I do like 7"s and Unwound and I have all of their other 7"s, so I bought it anyway.

I didn't go crazy though, they made three different screened covers for this and they randomly sent them out to the folks that ordered.  They didn't promise that if you ordered three copies you'd get all three versions, though they did say they'd try.  While I wanted one, I don't need three different versions.  

Based on my usual luck, I assumed I'd get the cover that I was least interested in, but lo and behold I actually got the Godzilla cover.  This really is the one I wanted and needed, so I thank the record collecting fates for actually letting me get the version I coveted the most.  And now that the picture of it has been taken, it's off to the 7" storage box to sit next to my other Unwound 7". Rarely played as I have all of those songs on albums.

Unwond - "New Energy":

https://unwound.bandcamp.com/track/new-energy

Unwound - "Petals Like Bricks":

https://unwound.bandcamp.com/track/petals-like-bricks

Various Artists - Rock Stars Kill LP + 7"

Kill Rock Stars (1994)

Recently, my buddy Alan and I were talking about the albums that were most influential to us. In fact we did a whole YouTube live stream about it if it's something you'd be interested in (YouTube: Perfectly Excellent).  The topic wasn't necessarily our favorite records of all time, but those really important ones that were life changing and sent us down different paths.  One of the five records I selected was this compilation album that I heard for the first time in 1994 early on during my senior year of high school.  It then dawned on me that I still only had the CD that I bought back then and never picked up a copy on vinyl.  Due to its importance, I felt that I really needed to correct this.

In 1994 I started to go through something of a musical crisis.  The hip hop landscape was drastically and rapidly changing into something that I didn't really like the sound of anymore.  I knew absolutely nothing about anything that was going on outside of the hop hop world until a friend of mine, Scott, played me the Beck album Mellow Gold because there were a few songs on there that he thought sounded enough like the Beastie Boys for me to be interested in them.  Not only was he right about those songs, I ended up loving that album.  Especially the weirder stuff and that sent me digging around to find more things like that.  

That's where my other friend Dave came into the picture.  He wasn't even a particularly close friend at the time.  Just a guy I had a few classes with, but he was more knowledgable about punk and indie rock than I was.  He let me borrow his CD copy of this album.  When I played it for the first time, it was kind of that second awakening where I just couldn't comprehend what I was hearing.  This stuff didn't sound like anything I had ever hear before.  I had no idea that music like this was being made and even less of an idea of where to get more of it.  That led to my friend Pat taking me to Flipside records for the first time and I was finally able to really start exploring rabbit holes.

I'm pretty sure it was the diversity of sounds that really intrigued me when I first started listening to this album.  There's loud songs, quiet songs, fast songs, slow songs, weird songs, serious songs and everything in between.  There were a handful that jumped out at me immediately.  I can't tell you how much I loved (and still love) the Peechees song "Patty Coahuila."  At least the actual song after the intro thing (which is way too long).  I bought three different Smog albums trying to find a song anywhere near as good as "37 Pushups."  I was not successful.  

This compilation is where I discovered The Spinanes (who I ended up being a huge fan of, especially their first album Manos), Rancid (this is pretty much the only Rancid song I ended up liking, though enjoying this song let to Pat recommending I try out Operation Ivy) and Team Dresch (whose record I bought on an early trip to Flipside, but I didn't end up enjoying the record as much as the song on here).

This album also marked the beginning of my Compilation Era.  I bought so, so many comps during this time period as it was pretty much the most economical way to discover a whole pile of new bands all at once.  I did discover a ton of bands this way.  But all of that sort of stems from listening to this album at a very important, transitional time in my life.  I'm grateful that I heard it when I did (especially as a good amount of it doesn't really hold up to me 30+ years later) and I'm really appreciative that Dave let me borrow this.  I haven't spoken to him in over 25 years, but him lending me this album had a far more profound impact on me that I'm sure he realizes.

Various Artists - Rock Stars Kill:

https://killrockstars.bandcamp.com/album/rock-stars-kill

Mad Skillz - From Where??? 2xLp + 7" (/750)

90s Tapes (2023, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

This is another one of those albums that's been in my backlog to write about for ages.  90s Tapes rereleased this back in 2023.  Even though that doesn't necessarily make this the most timely time to write about From Where???, it has given me a good amount of time to sit with a record I had never heard before picking up.

The story goes is that Mad Skillz debut album, packed with top tier producers and guest appearances, was dropped in 1996 the same day as a 2 Pac record and The Fugees.  This led to it being drastically overshadowed and resulted in Mad Skillz being dropped.  Which led to him changing his name to just Skillz and taking another swing at things in the early 2000s.  By 1996, I wasn't paying attention to hip hop at all really, so I wasn't aware of this album.  I'm not sure how I would have felt about it if I had heard it at the time.  I think that if From Where??? had dropped in 1993, I would have been into it.

We've got a rogues gallery of producers on here including Large Professor, The Beatnuts, Buckwild and J Dilla.  They've put together an album that's full of cool and interesting beats that are way better than the bulk of production that was happening in 1996.  That said, it does still suffer from slow-tempo-itis for the bulk of the album.  Don't get me wrong, it's good.  It's very good, in fact, if you think about the year it came out.  But I'm always going to be more interested in an album that has some higher bpm numbers.

Lyrically, Mad Skillz can really hold it down.  He reminds me a lot of Maestro Fresh Wes in his voice, cadence and subject matter.  He spends a lot of time talking about how good he is in relation to his geography.  Just as Maestro Fresh Wes liked to spit about how good he was despite being from Canada, Mad Skillz treads similar territory, but swapping Canada for Virginia.  This isn't a dig.  I love Maestro Fresh Wes, so if you have something in common with him, I'm going to be OK with that.  Guest verses by the aforementioned Large Pro and Q-Tip don't hurt either.

This is a fun record.  I wish it was a little faster and had it come out a few years earlier it probably would have been.  Considering the desert that 1996 hip hop was, Mad Skillz and From Where??? stand out as being among the top tier of that year.

Mad Skillz - From Where???:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n5AE8o7T2ysIpYQmlSf5PRrVRRVORV35M

Tha Alkaholiks - Likwidation 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2023, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I didn't listen to Tha Alkaholiks back in the 90s.  I discovered them much later, after hearing their 1993 debut 21 & Over.  That record really impressed me and sort of annoyed me that I hadn't heard it back when it came out.  I think I would have liked it even more back then, but don't get me wrong, I really dig it now as well.  From there I hunted down a copy of their 1995 album Coast II Coast.  I didn't really like this one as much.  Lyrically, it was quite good, perhaps even an improvement over their debut.  But the production was that post 1994 style that I'm not always loving as much as earlier hip hop releases.  Plus the fact that I overpaid collector prices for a copy stung my wallet a little harder than usual.

You'd think going to a bands 1997 release after not loving their 1995 release would be a fool's errand.  But sometimes I'm a glutton for punishment and when 90s Tapes did a double drop of reissues of Coast II Coast (I should have waited for this instead of buying the copy I did a year earlier!) and 1997's Likwidation, I decided to grab the one I was missing anyway.  

I think I like it better than Coast II Coast as the production is better in places.  But in other places it's kind of the same.  We don't have golden era 1993 style beats here and that's what I miss the most about hip hop.  Again, on the mic, the Liks are great.  I really dig most of the vocal performances, but the production isn't quite my cup of tea in spots.  Though I think the biggest issue I have with the album is that it's just way too long.  It's an hour and 13 minutes and that's just too much for me at the best of times.  There are enough songs on here with beats I really like that I think you could trim this up a bit and have a really solid record.

Inconsistent feelings about the album itself aside, you really can't go wrong with this 90s Tapes pressing.  If you want the record, this is the version to get.  No one does reissues better than 90s Tapes and once again they've outdone themselves with this version.  I really wish they did a version of 21 & Over.  My favorite Alkaholiks record reissued by my favorite hip hop label?  You know I'm double dipping on that one.

Tha Alkaholiks - Likwidation:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mi0gOaOcBS7hBNFzLw3ik-kahNx0r0CvU

Original Flavor - Beyond Flavor 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue) 

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late '80s and early '90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Original Flavor was one of those groups that I came across looking for 90s hip hop that I missed the first time around.  I checked out their debut album, This Is How It Is, first and it didn't really stick.  I didn't check out their second album at the time.  When 90s Tapes released Beyond Flavor, I pretty much bought it unheard as I trust their taste in reissues and when they drop an album it's very much a buy now or cry later situation.  I'm really glad I took the chance.

I'll start with what is typically the most important thing for me on a golden era hip hop album, the beats.  And the beats are great.  Upbeat, jazzy loops with strong drums and lots of great scratching in the breaks.  It's exactly the sort of production I am looking for in my hip hop and while it definitely leans towards a more accessible sound, it does so in a way that still feels real.

The lyrics are solid, but not spectacular.  They sort of come off like a lesser UMCs (first album) or Leaders of the New School (also first album).  Never as good as either of those group, but in the same wheelhouse and totally fine.  There's a lot of post Das-EFX "diggety" being dropped throughout the album and also by Jay-Z (yes, that Jay-Z) on "Can I Get Open," which is kind of wacky.  It's the production that makes the record though and this is going to be one of those records I pull out when I'm looking for some upbeat hip hop to brighten the day.

Original Flavor - Beyond Flavor:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-flavor

Illegal - The Untold Truth 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late '80s and early '90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I'm not positive, but I believe that Illegal was meant to be part of EPMD's Hit Squad before that collective (and EPMD) splintered.  It feels like the gimmick was every crew needed some kid rappers back then.  Illegal stayed affiliated with Erick Sermon and he produces three of the tracks on their 1993 album, The Untold Truth.  He's joined on the boards by Diamond D, Bi Markie, Lord Finesse and others.  A real smorgasbord of producers as was becoming the trend.  Luckily the album still sounds cohesive with the sort of '93 era beats that I do tend to enjoy.

Lyrically, Malik and Jamal are really skilled for being younger teenagers.  Their rhyme schemes are sophisticated and their delivery is about as rugged as you can be at that age.  The disses of other kid groups like Kriss Kross sound pretty silly these days, but it's not like they cornered the market on diss records back then.  More than anything, I think this record benefits mostly from coming out in 1993.  It was pretty hard to miss on beats back then, unless you were barking up some G-Funk tree, which Illegal is not.

As usual the 90s Tapes reissue is everything you'd want and more.  Even though the artwork is simple, it looks great.  The songs (which to be honest sometimes overstay their welcome a bit due to their length) are spread out over two LPs with a bonus 7" that has an extra Lord Finesse helmed remix of "We Gets Buzy."  While not a record I heard back in 1993, it's a slice of that time that I miss and am glad to have a new record from that time in the collection.

Illegal - The Untold Truth:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-untold-truth

Kamakaze - Head On 2xLP + 7" (/750)

90s Tapes (2023) 

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late '80s and early '90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I still have piles of 90s Tapes reissues that I haven't been able to write about yet.  As I was going through some things, I noticed that I still hadn't gotten to Kamakaze, which had come out in late 2023.  This was the first official release for a shelved album that was supposed to have come out on Reprise back in 1995.  I'm not sure why it didn't get released back then, but if I'm being honest I probably wouldn't have heard it back then as '95 is when I was pretty checked out on what was happening in hip hop.

The production on this record was mostly handled by Marley Marl with a few tracks done by K-Def (who did one of my all time favorite beats on "Funky Child" by Lords of the Underground among others).  I think having Marley on beats mostly helps this album hold on to that sound that I prefer rather than dipping into the post 1994 style of production that I don't care for as much.  There are traces of that, as I don't like the G-Funk sounding keyboard whine on "Spread It Around" or the slowly, slinky sounds of "Da Rocks Ya'll" and "Goodlife."

But there are several songs on here that have good, hard hitting drums and an aggressive tempo that falls much more in line with the sort of early '90s hip hop that I prefer.  The tracks that are the ones that make this a record to keep on the shelves are the ones like "Snakes In The Grass," "House O' Hitz Crew," "Devastating" and the title track, "Head On." As far as lyrics and delivery goes, KL and Solo both sound great.  They've got gravelly flows that are engaging and are the type of rappers that I think would always excel if given the right beat.

For me, this isn't a top tier-untouchable lost gem of a record.  It's a really good album that is way better than a lot of records that came out in 1995 and beyond.  It's not perfect and there's a handful of songs that I don't dig all that much, but in general it's a solid album and one that I tend to enjoy more with each subsequent spin.

Kamakaze - Head On:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/head-on

Mystidious Misfitss – A Who Dat? 2xLP + 7" (/500)

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

If you are looking for a hip hop group that has a name that is difficult to remember how to spell, Mystidious Misfitss might just be the group for you.  Their lone album, A Who Dat?, originally came out in 1995.  I didn't make much of an impact at the time, and from what I gather, that seems to be because their original label, Epic, didn't even bother to release the album on CD in America.  But had I heard this album, it's definitely one that I would have been into.

I know there is only a one year difference between 1994 and 1995, but I can't even begin to explain just how different hip hop production in those two years sounds to me.  It's like almost an entirely different genre of music for the most part.  Over the years I've learned that there were good beats still being produced after 1994, but I still find them to be on the rare side.  But for whatever reason, A Who Dat? is absolutely full of them.  

If you told me this came out in 1993, I wouldn't even bat an eyelash.  To the point where I'm mostly convinced this was recorded much earlier and the release just got delayed to 1995.  I haven't read that anywhere and have no proof other than the aforementioned nugget that this didn't come out on CD in the US, but this just sounds like that perfect, early 90s golden era sound that I love.  On top of the strong beats are 3 MCs that do a great job.  It's similar to other multi-person groups of that like Yaggfu Front, Pharcyde and maybe Leaders of the New School as long as you understand there's no one like Busta in Mystidious Misfitss.  There's a few too many skits, but that's not a problem unique to Mystidious Misfitss.

As usual, 90s Tapes sets the bar as high as high could be with this reissue.  It's a thoughtfully put together package with excellent artwork, great sounds and everything you would expect from them.  There's a reason I set an alarm multiple times a month to wake up in the middle of the night to buy their releases.  I don't deprive myself of sleep for just anything.  If you see one of these on Discogs or eBay or whataever and it's a nice price, go grab it.  Mystidious Misfitss created a great record that more people should hear.

Mystidious Misfitss – A Who Dat?:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/a-who-dat

Arcadian Starship - No Feelings 7"

Debauch Mood (2024)

Arcadian Starship is a group fronted by Shirahama, who was also in Sleeping Aides and Razor Blades.  They put out a full length a couple of years ago that I didn't get as the bits I heard of it didn't light my world on fire.  My understanding is that album was more of a solo endeavor, but on this 7", Arcadian Starship is reimagined as a full band.

Japanese powerpop/poppunk is often the best version of those genres, especially these days.  Arcadian Starship dabbles in both and I can hear the influence of the 90s UK scene, sort of like a Mega City Four, but it's filtered through a power pop lense that has echos of The Cute Lepers.  As you can imagine, this is great, upbeat music with lovely choruses and lightly fuzzed out guitar work.

It's so good, it really does make me want to give that first full length another chance, but more than anything I'm looking forward to seeing what this group does in the future.  A whole album of songs like this is something I would sign up for immediately.

Arcadian Starship - No Feelings 7":
https://debauchmood.bandcamp.com/album/arcadian-starship-no-feelings-7

Swami John Reis - Time To Let You Down LP - Black Vinyl (/500), Yellow Swirl Vinyl (/1500) & Mystery Wax 7" (/136)

Swami (2025)

As the years have gone by and more music by John Reis has entered the world, I've found that I've had an increasingly difficult time writing about new records and finding ways to describe said music accurately or interestingly.  His bands have been such a gigantic part of my life for over 30 years now, and the sounds that he crafts are in a way part of the lifeblood that keeps me functioning day to day.  I realize that sounds a little heavy handed and perhaps kind of stupid, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if there's a soundtrack to my life, John is absolutely one of its main composers.

Time To Let You Down is is third record as Swami John Reis including a one album detour as Swami & The Bed Of Nails.  Of the the three, this one is my favorite.  The first album, Ride The Wild Night,  was build on top of a lot of acoustic guitar and piano.  The second, All Of This Awaits You, was more electric with a focus on tight, economical songs. This third one probably has more in common with All Of This Awaits you sonically, but with a more diverse array of song styles.  There's tight, hook filled pop songs like "Prince of the Parade" right along side of slower, more deliberate songs with noisier guitar bursts like "Fed to the Dogs." 

There's so much to love here and it's definitely the record that has gotten the most repeated listens for me so far this year.  There's even a cover of the Kamen Rider theme song.  He'll be in NJ next week and I'm really looking forward to hearing these new songs live. 

Regarding the different versions released, the main release that's in stores is a limited to 1500 copies pressing on yellow swirl vinyl.  There are an additional 500 copies that are limited on black vinyl.  300 of these were sold via the Swami webstore and the remaining 200 copies are being sold on the upcoming tour dates.  And if you want to hunt even more, 136 random orders from the Swami webshop also received a Swami Mystery Wax 7".  These are 7"s that the Swami has affixed a label onto so that you don't know what it is until played.  These are typically older 45s and my copy ended up being "My Meloncholy Baby" b/w "Really Need Your Love by The Marcels.  A fun little bonus.

Swami John Reis - Time To Let You Down:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=uOIpCbqDL-w

Da Homlez – Abandoned In Da Streetz 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue)

On Wednesdays, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Abandoned In Da Streets was originally released on CD and cassette on a label called Noir.  A quick peruse of Discogs shows that this album and an accompanying 12" single may have been the only releases that the label ever put out.  The same can be said for this group.  I certainly never heard of Da Homlez back in 1995, when this was originally released.  I imagine they didn't make a lot of noise being on a new, independent label.   And to be honest even if they had gotten a sniff of exposure on Yo! MTV Raps or the Source, I wouldn't have heard anything about it in 1995 as I had moved on from those.

What I can say is that if I had heard Da Homlez back then, there is almost no way I wouldn't have immediately loved it.  Even though I am pretty sure I only bought one hip hip album in 1995, that one was the second Souls of Mischief CD.  Even as I had started losing interest in the hip hop I had access to, I was still taken in by Souls and Hieroglyphics.  And that's the niche that Da Homlez kind of slides right into.  Maybe they are not quite as left of center as Hiero, but they are mining a similar west coast vibe, particularly when it comes to production.  Another kindred spirit definitely being the first Pharcyde record.

Over strong, jazzy beats, the multi-MC crew trades killer lyrics back and forth.  For a lot of the forgotten classics of the golden era that I have come across in later years, I have often said that the production is great and the vocals are good, or fine, or don't get in the way.  That isn't the case with Da Homlez.  These guys are great and if anything their skill only elevates the beats even higher.

As usual, 90s Tapes does a flawless job with this reissue.  Everything looks amazing and sounds even better.  There's more than one reason they are my favorite reissue label.  There's the quality of the packaging and vinyl, of course, but they have done an incredible job of finding these hidden gems and making them available.  I am pretty confident I would have never heard of Da Homlez if not for 90s Tapes, and man is my record collection better off having heard it.  Highest recommendation if you can find a copy.

Da Homlez – Abandoned In Da Streetz:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/abandoned-in-da-streetz

Superchunk / Not Wonk - Split 7" (/300)

Merge / Bigfish Sounds (2024)

This 7" was one that I wasn't aware of until I just saw it on Superchunk's Disccogs page when I was looking up something else.  It's a split 7" with Not Wonk that was made for a Japanese Superchunk tour.   There were 300 pressed in total and 100 of them were sold at the Merge 35 merch table, according to an Instagram post that Mac made that I found this morning.  I wasn't at that show or at any of the Japanese tour dates and it's only through the kindness of my great friend Kazu that I have this in my collection. 

Both songs on this 7" are acoustic, with the Superchunk side being a version of "Hyper Enough."  "Hyper Enough" is probably my favorite Superchunk song, if I was forced to pick one, but at worst it's in my top three.  I'm not positive that it's the Superchunk song that translates best acoustically though.  It's significantly slower and delivered with Mac's vocals being a whole lot more gravelly than they were 30 years ago (it happens).   It's certainly not bad and it's an interesting take on a song that I have loved for 30 years, but I can't really see myself listening to it very often.

Not Wonk is a band from Japan and I have their first two albums, which I like quite a bit.  They've put out two more since then, but I don't have either of those.  Their contribution is an acoustic take on a song called "Asshole."  I'm not sure that there is a non-acoustic version of this one as it's not on either of the Not Wonk records I have and according to Discogs it's not on either of the ones I don't.  It's also not a Beck cover.  Like the Superchunk side, this is a slow song that while nice, isn't particularly exciting.

It probably sounds like I'm being negative about this record, but for what it is - a limited tour only 7" - it does everything it needs to.  Only crazy, completist record collector people like me are going to miss it if it's not in their collection.  But as a crazy, completist record collector, I am deeply and eternally grateful to Kazu for helping me keep my Superchunk 7" collection complete. 

The Ape-Ettes - No Matter What 7" - Red Vinyl (/400)

Snappy Little Numbers (2024) 

As a casual fan of Curling (let's face it, it's challenging to be more than that in America with the lack of televised coverage of this great sport), I was immediately taken in by the cover of this Ape-Ettes 7" and was determined to try to like it no matter what the music sounded like.  I was pre-judging the book by its cover, but luckily this 7" is great and I definitely don't need to force myself to enjoy it.

To me, The Ape-Ettes sound like another in the longstanding line of great bands that are sometimes classified under the 'cuddlecore' banner.  I'm not sure you could listen to this 7" in a vacuum and make that statement as the guitars are a little warmer and crunchier than the traditional cuddlecore band and there's a garage pop edge to these songs that make them all the more enjoyable to me.  

At the same time, it's hard for me to not be reminded of bands like Cub, Dressy Bessy and Go Sailor.  Are they one to one comparisons?  Not at all, but I think you'd be hard pressed to not like The Ape-Ettes if you're a fan of any of those bands.  We've got three songs on this record and all of them are great, making this a no brainer recommendation.  And I vote for more curling in the artwork for any future releases.

The Ape-Ettes - No Matter What 7":
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/no-matter-what