There's plenty more where this came from

Iron Maiden
Ghostface Killah
Ironman [1996]
[Listen] [Buy]

Migraine
Edan
Architecture [2001]
[Listen]

Stress Box
MF Doom & MF Grimm
Special Herbs & Spices Vol. I [2004]
[Listen] [Buy]

Treehopper
Seal Boy
Escort Service [2003]
[Listen] [More Information]

Mark After Dark
Bullfrog
Bullfrog [2001]
[Listen] [Buy]


Not much time today (as indicated by this late-in-the-day effort), but there's always enough space to squeeze in a quintet of random, yet delicious, tunes.

From the top:

1. Ghostface Killah = you all know the story. This album was probably the last good one to come out of the Wu-Tang Clan's hypermanic solo albums from the mid-1990s, before all the semi-upsetting, not-bad second and third efforts came in the years that followed. Ghostface was always one of my favourite Clan members (a close second behind the prolific guru himself, the RZA). There's just something about his style that always appealed to me more than, say, Masta Killa or Method Man), and it's no mistake that this album is regarded as being one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums to be released. Great production, excellent samples, a ton of blaxploitation and kung-fu dubs; this track grooves like no other.

2. Edan's rapidly becoming some hot shit himself. With a top-notch album in 2005 ("Beauty & the Beat"), he's now asserting himself in that murky DJ/rapper/producer realm, and this cut from his independently-released "first" album is a excellent omen of what was to come --- Funky, addictive, filled with savvy sampling and verse.

3. MF Doom's become a grandpa of the scene. Anyone remember his days as Zev Love X & KMD or his cameo with 3rd Bass? Well, here he's behind the 'boards again, laying down his unmistakeable brand of old soul and 80s pop underneath Grimm's rhymes. Grimm is no newcomer either, having floated about in the 90s with Roc Raida, and he puts his lyrical nous to the test against Doom's beats. Another grooving track.

4. This track comes from one dusty-ass album I found deep at the bottom of the stack the other day. Fresh from the days of bargain CD challenges (great game to play in college: raid the dollar cd racks trying to find a slice of fried gold), Seal Boy was/is a Brooklyn outfit helmed by one Kevin Alexander. Having spent time under the wing of King Missile's Bradford Reed, SB emerged with a reasonably handy album, "Escort Service". It's hit-and-miss for the most part, but this track stood out as being refreshing and jazzy enough to earn the FMGT stamp. Looped piano parts swirl among a crisp horn section and gentle beat, "Treehopper" is a decent alternative to the hip-hop already proferred in this here post.

5. Closing out with something chill, Bullfrog makes the cut. Formed by Kid Koala and some groove-steady fellow Canadians, Bullfrog's sound is always pleasing to the ear: melodic, soulful, funky, full of humor and a sense of fun and personal enjoyment that is refreshing in a sometimes jaded scene. This song might be that "cuddle" song, that little 3-minute ditty that accompanies yr love moves on the couch. You know, that moment where you make that bold step, put yr arm around the one you love as the night draws in. Perfect for that, and a whole lot more.


Back tomorrow, with luck -- I smell a nostalgia post in my immediate future!