Grayskul
is Count Draven (Onry) and Count Magnus (JFK), a innovative hip-hop
group born out of the Pacific Northwest’s Oldominion hip-hop
collective. ‘Bloody Radio’ is the second release under
the Grayskul moniker and follows the critically acclaimed ‘Deadlivers’
album. Onry and JFK push the boundaries explored on ‘Deadlivers’
to develop a well produced slice of chunky gutter-hop which features
keen rapping, well carved instrumentation and a eerie gothic feel
carried over from their debut release. A quick look at the contributors
(Cage, Slug, Aesop Rock, Pigeon John) suggests that Grayskul occupy
the higher echelons of hip-hops burgeoning underground. It is
testimony to Onry and JKF that none of the contributors outclass
them. Onry says that “We basically look at our new album
as reversal brainwash-- hip-hop music somewhat sounding like all
these genres, but interwoven with message, substance, concepts,
wittiness, opinion, and most of all, honest while still maintaining
a sense of humour, imagination, and originality. Bloody Radio
has something for everybody”.
Across the album there is a sense of grandeur as the listener
is graced with heavily layered ‘Cannibal Ox-style’
soundscapes which feature chunky beats, fluctuating and infectious
synth melodies and sharp vocal delivery which changes tempo with
ease. Choruses are another strong point as Grayskul showcase a
deft ability at crafting relatively unique and catchy choruses
which occasionally features subtle female background vocals. There
are moments of pure hip-hop excellence which avoids the pitfalls
of commercial hip-hoppers by offering substance and style, thus
resulting in distinctive, catchy, energetic cuts which have longevity.
Sonic illustrations of this are scattered across the album. For
example, Track 4 ‘Bloody Radio’ is an unbelievable
slice of rap as Onry and JFK constantly raise delivery speed over
a crazed, nauseous track with a ever-increasing tempo. Track 7,
‘Scarecrow’ features a bouncy dancehall style groove
and claps which are intertwined with crunked out beats and high
octane rapping. The result is a storming and infectious track
which is a natural choice as a single. The 12” of ‘Scarecrow’
includes 7 tracks which includes an instrumental, 3 P.O.S remixs
and a further track/instrumental. What follows is one of the star
tracks of the album. Track 8, ‘Haunted’ is dark, pumping
Lil’ Jon-esque track which is underpinned by a creepy synth
melody, skittering snares and the odd metal guitar riff to add
tangible energy. What’s so refreshing is that you get to
hear high quality, high-tempo MC’ing over this gigantic
fluctuating soundscape, and the ode in the chorus to ‘Hell
on Earth’ era Mobb Deep really gives the track a touch of
gritty class. Track 13 ‘Us’ is the epitomy of beefy
commercial hip-hop and underground coarseness. A thrusting, beefy
and multi-dimensional electronic soundscape featuring deep kicks
and muffled bass is used as a foundation for coherent fast tempo
rapping and a captivating chorus. 50-Cent would have gained major
credibility if he released this bad-boy.
‘Bloody Radio’ is produced by Grayskul’s Oldominion
brethren (Mr Hill, Smoke, Coley Cole, The Gigantics) and other
Pacific Northwest reps (Sapient, Bean One). The producers succeed
in creating a full bodied sound which takes mainstream sensibilities
but fuses them with gritty, ear-to-the-street sounds. Overall,
‘Bloody Radio’ is a 16 track, 55 minute tour-de-force
which takes the strongest elements from commercial and underground
hip-hop and fuses them into a creepy big-beat, sharp-tongued advert
for independent hip-hop.
For fans of: Jedi Mind Tricks, Cannibal Ox, Company Flow, Dark
and gritty underground hiphop cloaked in a energetic commercial
hip-hop aesthetic
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