A bit different from the self titled, but still amazing
z funk | portland, OR | 12/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"last time i was down in san fransisco i actualy saw zeph and he's amazing. Well i won't waste any time getting into the review, and ill start off by saying what a great cd this is, i waited and waited for this and rushed out a bought it as soon as i could, and it's worth every penny. Track one "Unsubtractable" is probably one of the best opening tracks of any cd. The beat is awesome and the piano looped throughout the song is really cool. I really like the somewhat random, yet calculated synth wind ups fading in and out with the snare. i don't really know synth terms but there's alot of really cool stuff in that song. "shake it on down" is also really good. It's a pretty simple beat, simple bassline, but it flows really well. It's the first rap song on here, with boots (the coup) who i don't really know but really like. He's got a sortof odd voice, kinda like hes got alot of smoke in his lungs haha, but it's an awesome song. "midnight Crewsade" is also really good. It's got a pretty nice breakbeat, not that complex, but really cool sounding, and i cool horn section, it's kindof like the bronx zulu of sunset scavenger. Hands up is obviously an awesome track, because it has lyrics born, so it has to be good. The beat is pretty cool, i don't know if the snare is tuned weird, or if they were just weird sticks, but whatever the case, its pretty cool, and lyrics born flows so well over it. Towards the end of the song, he starts goin really really fast and it's pretty awesome. Raw B Interlude, is well... an interlude. But it's a really good song. It slowly progresses, adding in new bits and pieces over a pretty simple, but heavy drumbeat. It's got a funny little bit after it about scratching, but it's a guy directing a girl where to scratch his back by giving her names of areas in san fran. The next track, "underscore" is probably my second favortie song on here. The beat is as usual, an awesome breakbeat, and over it is a really cool string arrangement. It's violins and such but it has a very middle eastern vibe to it. It's an awesome song. Floorwax is also a really good song, with a kindof dancebeat, its another hip hop track. The lyricist is really cool, i'm guessing he's from san fran, i don't really know him but he's really good. Imperial interlude starts with what sounds like a sitar, but im not really sure. It has a really cool break that has a very acoustic sound to it like it's a live drum set. This song was actually used in the team video for a skate shop up here in portland. It's really short, but a cool song. This leads into sunset samba. I knew id like this because it's got samba, and if it's at all brazillian ill almost definitely like it, and this is no exception. It has a very brazillian vibe to it, its basically brazillian with a trip hop beat playing with it. Then the beat drops and adds some really cool percussion, great song. Frogs, is also really cool. It has azeem, who i really like. He does alot of work with zeph, they did a song for deep concentration 4 which is actually where i heard about zeph. Then from the self titled, rubber and glue, which is probably my favorite song off that cd, this song is also really good. It's definitely one of the best on here. I'm not gonna go into it much but go back is actually really good. It grew on me and i really like it. I like the strings in the song, it actually sounds like a classy song, it's oretty cool. It also actually has turntable sctracthing, which zeph doesn't really do that much, but its really good. THEN, is my favorite zeph song ever, and possibly one of my favorite songs period. The beat is fairly simple, but really heavy. Cormorant, is a really eerie song. I don't know who it is, but some guy telling a weird sortof story about going throught a night in san fran. It gives kind of a lone, dark feeling, but not depressing at all. It's just creepy. The lyrics are pretty weird, they don't make a ton of sense, but then again it is a guy talking about smoking crack. It's kindof like mc 900 ft jesus, a bit of spoken word, its amazing. organ eyes is really cool also, but after listening to cormorant, you don't have much to say. Dhamaal interlude is really cool. It feels very middle eastern. It's all percussion, using alot of different hand drums that sounds aweosme. Listen hear, is also very brazillian, starting off with a bossa nova sound. It adds in a pretty thick drumbeat, and plays in front of the brazillian. Then it adds in an acoustic guitar loop that works really well, and some other cool stuff. Also a really great song. The flute is the highlight of this song for me. After hearing it for the first time, i was blown away. It wasn't quite what i expected. It was quite different from the first album, but unmistakabely zeph. There isn't a bad song on here. If i could, i'd give this more than 5 stars, it's better than his first album.
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Track Listings (15) - Disc #1