Antibalas
Security
Anti (2007)
The Anti label is willing to produce the type of DIY artists who are obviously more concerned with what their music is doing for them as opposed to what it may do for whoever is listening. It's this type of balls out approach that brings us Brooklyn's Antibalas: a reggae-infused, ska-inspired, band playing funk-derived afrobeats. If that description seems longwinded, it needs to be. Feeling more like a jam session than a record, their label debut, Security, offers seven tracks coming in at a running time of just under an hour. With two songs going over the ten minute mark Antibalas, who's name is Spanish for bulletproof, makes use of the length to showcase all of their dozen members; encompassing synths, a full horn section, guitars, bass, and various percussion to create their unique style. Anachronistic in their approach the band comes up with something I assume would have been frequent on the likes of the original Shaft, or Magnum P.I., series with no sense of irony being offered as justification. It's obvious that, though fun, this is not a kitsch release, or even meant as a throwback to something in an earlier decade. The achievement of originality is questionable, … Read more
Inhale Exhale
The Lost, The Sick, The Sacred
Solid State (2007)
The Lost, The Sick, The Sacred starts off with this atmospheric near dirge ditty that I thought I might have … Read more
Our Resolve
Demo
Independent (2007)
If you glance over the list of hardcore bands coming out of Cleveland over the years, you'll find that most … Read more
