| LA based producer Antimc, first gained notoriety through work with Radioinactive and as part of the sprawling Boom Bip collective. As a solo producer, his trademark is an ability to wear many hats, straight hip hop is juggled with melodic guitar pop and electro tinged dance. This ability alone, though, is not enough to stand out in today’s crowded market place, so has debut release, It’s Free, But Its Not Cheap got enough to stand out? Irritatingly, the answer is yes and no. There are some really well crafted and genuinely pleasing moments on this album, but as a whole, it feels a tad disjointed. It’s all well and good to layer a myriad of differing musical strands onto an album but there has to be a coherent thread tying it all together, otherwise, its just a collection of songs. For example, opener "Ten Days Out" features almost 3 distinct moods, from weaving electronics, a punchy scatter break and guitars, to a low tempo, sombre mood before staggering into fast paced funk. Each part is well done, but doesn’t really feel as though it should fit with the other. Long time MC collaborator, Busdriver, features on "Bellies Full of Rain," the electro pop and quick tempo fitting his vocal delivery well. Of the MC tracks, it is "The True Believer" featuring Saafir that excels. The hook is tight, the beats spinning and the MC does the track justice. "Canadian Dreams" fires a straight, hip hop arrow, there’s a nod to Aesop Rock in the muffled, padding beat in what is a decent track. In opposition, "The Nogoodnick" is slow, strummed country pop and Single Life takes pop on an ambient tip. Equally, "Or I May Just Dream (My Life Away)" featuring Clue to Kalo owes to early-90’s British electro pop, the mushy jogging funk and rising synths combining interestingly. It is not that these tracks are badly produced, rather they just feel a tad odd on the album. It’s as though you’ve put a CD on, left the room and then come back to puzzlement derived from not realising someone has changed the CD. Although, it’s difficult to fault Antimc’s musical ability or courage, so It’s Free, But It’s Not Cheap is worth a look for all those curious. - Subba-Cultcha |
1XLP/Out Of Print