Death is Silent

by Kno

I'd been looking forward to this for a while (although not as long as I've been anticipating his promised Chico and the Man collaboration with Tonedeff), and this album has not disappointed.

Kno is the producer, and sometimes rapper for the Cunninlynguists, a Southern hip-hop group that has evolved from a joker, novelty act into serious and mature makers of quality music.  Kno's beats, both on this project and for his group are delicate, ethereal affairs, full of morose beauty (and usually sped up Chipmunk-voiced hooks).

He applies the same sensibility here, and creates some very lovely beats (the full album instrumentals play after the songs finish, and can be played on their own and be just as satisfying as the songs).  Kno contributes lyrics to most of the songs, and while he is not as accomplished on the mic as he is on the boards, he holds his own here.

He's joined on this project by fellow 'Lynguits Natti and Deacon the Villain, regular QN5 mainstays Tonedeff and Substantial, and solo artists Sheisty Khrist, Thee Tom Hardy, and Tunji.  It's a nice album, although I feel I have to admit that no single song stands out in my mind.  It's more of a gestalt thing I think...

Crate Digging: A Piece of Strange

by CunninLynguists

Whenever a conversation turns to discussing someone's "top ten" albums, or which cds you would take with you to a desert island, this album is on my list.

It was with this disc that I first became familiar with the CunninLynguists (a rather unfortunately-named rap group from the south).  Their earlier releases were a little more jokey and frat-party ready, but this album was a sea change for the group.

This is a very mature, thoughtful example of hip-hop at its best.  It is almost a concept album, with a string of connected tracks that tell the story of a father with a mixed-race daughter.  This cycle, which features Immortal Technique and Tonedeff is brilliant, as it progresses into all instrumental tracks that show producer Kno's versatility.

The rest of the album is just as wonderful.  The disk starts rather conventionally, but Kno's more soulful production helps push rappers Deacon the Villain and Natty to challenge themselves.  The last three tracks of the album are very beautiful.

The other thing I wanted to mention that I'd never noticed until tonight is that the cover artwork is done by Becky Cloonan.  It doesn't really look like her usual style, but I think that's incredibly cool.  I love it when some of my disparate interests line up.

Strange Journeys Volume One

by CunninLynguists

I've both admired and been frustrated by the CunninLynguists since I picked up their brilliant third album, 'A Piece of Strange'.

I love the way they combine Kno's layered and textured beats with Deacon's deep voice. When they write serious songs, they are among the best in the game.

What frustrates me (or, depending on who's in the car, embarrasses me) is their penchant for low-brow humour. I guess anyone that sees the group's name would expect some juvenile antics, but I find too often, they move to the lowest denominator.

This album/mix-tape tries to balance both sides of the group. Kno provides all of the beats, and they are gorgeous. They thoughtfully included the instrumentals to all of the new compositions here, and some of those are more likely to make it onto my ipod than the vocal tracks. Kno is one of the best producers in the industry, and he deserves a lot more attention than he gets.

Perhaps part of the problem is that the Lynguists (and friends - there are a lot of guests on this album) take a beautiful beat (like on 'Nothing But Strangeness') and sing about a girl who defecates so hard she breaks a toilet. 'Never Come Down (The Brownie Song)' is another example of a lovely track sullied by low intentions.

Once you edit through the toilet and drug humour, there are a lot of fantastic tracks on here. Former Lynguist Mr. SOS gives us 'Die For You', which works nicely with Tonedeff's 'The Distance'. From the Lynguists themselves, stand-outs include 'Don't Leave (When the Winter Comes)', which features Slug, and 'Broken Van (Thinking of You)' featuring Mac Lethal. Also notable are the remixes from Dirty Acres: 'Georgia', featuring Killer Mike and Khujo Goodie; and 'KKKY' featuring some of the Nappy Roots.

Apparently volume two is out - I'll have to look for that.