officernarc

It doesn't get much better than this. With professional beats and tight rhymes, this is definitely the real shit right here. Light years ahead of what's pretending to have any credibility, The Underground Collective have crafted an album that respects the roots of hip hop as much as it tries to push the boundaries. Though they never forget their purpose, there are a few missteps, but overall 'Underground Collective' never stumbles. Breathy, atmospheric tones sit next to old school funk and record scratches as A Cappella melodies, samples and fragile guitars lay out soundscapes. And everything centers perfectly, centering a perfect summer album.

If you've never picked up a hip hop record and are looking for a great place to start, you could do far worse than joining The Underground Collective.

while some people will inevitably write this off as pretentious nonsense, even i must admit there is something compelling about this recording, for all its flaws. with each track more annoying than the last, 'sympathy for the dadaists' is overwrought with numbing repetition. it can be likened to that of a cut on the roof of your mouth that simply won't go away because you keep poking at it with your tongue.

at its worst, 'dadaists' is a throwaway merzbow record or third rate skinny puppy. as i said before though, within the repetitions and poor sonic construction looms something deeper, or at least the perception of something deeper. it is for that perception that i give this a 7. which may seem odd, but to really rate it lower or higher just doesn't seem appropriate, even considering that, i can't really stand to listen to this. it is somehow simultaneously mellow and aggravating to listen to. honestly, i can't in good conscience really recommend it to anyone unless they are into exceedingly niche forms of underground music. even then, it's a hard sell.

so there you go. take that as you will.