THE BLACK DRUMSET – FRIENDS IN DARK PLACES

Little has been known or said about The Black Drumset, the recording project of Brian Willey, out of Austin, Texas, founded in 2009. The project has just released Friends In Dark Places, its third release since its inception. There is something here that’s piqued my interest and may quite possibly do the same for you. While the music is drenched in psychedelia, it’s also expansive while at the same time has the ability to draw us in much closer. Guitars flutter all around while the rhythm at times drones repetitively but never repetitious. No two songs are ever the same as instruments are utilized to their utmost potential, cracking shards in places you never dreamed of.

TOO LATE, BUT STILL – HOW MUCH WE CAN TAKE

Hit with this at the last hour, the Minneapolis post-hardcore Too Late, But Still is something to be reckoned with as the group’s How Much We Can Take (Cardinal Sun Records) showcases. The group moves at varying speeds, but it seems the mid-tempo tracks are sometimes a bit more poignant, because they’re tightly wound. That’s not to say the energy in its much more quickly delivered songs should be ignored; they’re still as fiery as the others. With “Message Boards,” although it seems a pool of molasses is holding them in place, it’s powerful and anthemic. With just 6 songs, this EP might be a good starting point for you to sink your teeth into.

DJ SPANISH FLY – CADILLAC WARNING

Everyone doesn’t know everything, and writers, although they may claim they do, don’t, as far as music is concerned. Someone clever will have you believing they’ve known things all along, but all the while, the only thing they have to go on is press information that might be included, but never tells the entire story. This is the impasse I never dare cross and simply address things the way I’ve been given. 

Chances are you’ve never heard of DJ Spanish Fly, and up until recently, neither have I. In the 1980s, Memphis, TN was hit with the Hip-Hop bug and local DJs like Spanish Fly started “mixing Miami bass and West Coast gangsta rap with early, rapid 808 beats.” Thrown in for good measure were those 808 beats. While the mainstream ignored pretty much all cities outside of New York, the underground scene thrived, which led to the birth of groups like Three Six Mafia, 8Ball & MJG, and others. But I digress. Spanish Fly is considered the Godfather of Memphis Rap, with many like A$AP Rocky offering praise, and today he releases Cadillac Warning [untitled (recs)], a collection of unreleased material recorded back in the 1990s. 

It’s easy to say the album offers nostalgia considering the era it was recorded in, with many of Spanish Fly’s lyrics sounding dated, which would have him quickly canceled in today’s climate, but if I’d take an educated guess, he probably has no flying fucks to give. The album opens with the boastful “Who’s The Man,” which is initially captivating with its lingering bassline as it crosses paths with rudimentary keyboard play, but the result is sheer attitude moving beyond arrogance & conceit, holding onto Spanish Fly’s every word.  When you get to “Jealous,” his vocal melody just might be on par with Nate Dogg, with catchy vocal phrasing across a sparse musical landscape. DJ Spanish Fly raps about the haters before the haters could get online and storm online communities with negative comments. Here, he stops them in their tracks when you would come face-to-face with one. He gives it no pause and continues on his game. 

There are a variety of timbres surrounding tracks here, which move from dark & brooding like “Cocaine Call” as he shouts out different cities, or possibly a trafficking circuit, and “Medicine,” alluding to shady dealings to sexual innuendos on “Shake Dat.” Spanish Fly runs the gamut of delivering a variety of ideas. Even with “Rolling In My Cadillac,” it’s more braggadocio with descriptions of his ride’s properties. 

With Cadillac Warning, we get insight into DJ Spanish Fly’s work in the past, which offers a refreshing take on the past. While moments may sound dated, you can’t fake the energy and heat the recordings deliver.

QUICKSAND – BRING ON THE PSYCHICS

When a group breaks up, reforms, takes its time releasing albums, it just might be a delicate care the band members are putting into releases. With age comes wisdom – not for all – but for some. From here on out, it looks like Quicksand, the remaining founding members of Walter Schreifels, Sergio Vega, and Alan Cage, just dropped Bring On The Psychics (Equal Vision Records), and they’re getting more intuitive while being more conscious of what Quicksand is releasing.

Through Bring On The Psychics, the band has fully developed and realized tracks, and it seems that’s what the group wants for your life as well, if you take the opening “Get To It” to heart. Schreifels’ lyrics are direct and to the point as he offers his thoughts, like a Nike slogan, on just getting at it, do it, because “Time is running out.” With everything we know of Quicksand, the band is a driving force of nature, and here they show it with a powerful rhythm, stop/starts on a dime, and a forceful melody. Yeah, no way you’re not in.

It’s on “Crystalize” where you might find yourself completely enthralled, where it seems Schreifels is exploring existentialism to an extent, and his ability to blend them seamlessly into the chorus within an exquisite melody. There’s so much going on here, and I find myself focusing on Sergio’s noisy bassline that’s covered in distortion effects. Pay attention, and you’ll hear it following the same path as the guitars. But you can’t diminish Cage’s contribution here as he does more than pummel away, directing the song towards its finality. Yes, it’s here where we can find the best of Quicksand. But maybe I’m just getting ahead of myself.

While “Supercollider” is fun and abrasive at moments, with sonic explosions showcasing a play with dynamics, I can’t help but think “Cool Guy” is so much more impressive. It’s probably the feel you get with Schreifels description of that annoying ‘cool guy’ who never shuts the fuck up,  and no one really likes. His words are set to a canopy filled with colorful guitars and an intense throbbing rhythm. We all know that person. It just might be a generational moment, where Gen X folk understand it all too well. But backtracking to “Supercollider,” there’s so much intensity here, the coils that hold the song together burst out, release, and shatter everything in its path. I don’t know which one is more impressive now.

Just about every song here is under 3 minutes, with “Days You Run To” pushing the group’s boundaries past the 5-minute mark. A much quieter song, delicately pieced together. It’s a different take, and while it is longer, it doesn’t feel burdensome and ends much too quickly.

With Bring On The Psychics, the band shows it doesn’t always have to rely on power to show its presence, although we all welcome it when it does show its face. The songs are all well thought out, and it seems the band is only getting better with time.