This week’s In Rotation is a family affair as brothers Oh No (shown above) and Madlib battle for attention in the ALARM office.
Oh No
Dr. No’s Oxperiment (Stones Throw)
Release: July 31, 2007
Employing samples from nearly anywhere he pleases, Oh No (brother of Madlib and son of Otis Jackson, Sr.) returns with twenty-eight tracks of material typically under two minutes each and full of Mediterranean, psychedelic, folk, and classic rock cuts. Dr. No’s Oxperiment is a welcome creation for fans of hip hop with short attention spans.
Hexstatic
When Robots Go Bad! (Ninja Tune)
Release: August 14, 2007
Looking for dance-inducing electro-rock jams in the vein of Daft Punk? Let Hexstatic be your guide as When Robots Go Bad intersperses the aforementioned with moments of ambience, hip hop, and R&B.
The Minor Times
Summer of Wolves (Prosthetic Records)
Release: June 26, 2007
The Minor Times crush listeners with mid-tempo hardcore that boasts big rock riffs and draws comparisons to groups like Twelve Tribes. Summer of Wolves excels with punishing guitar work, but could use more stylistic intermissions like the organ-based outro of “Bring in the Suit” that incorporates melodic “nah nah nahs.”
The Minor Times: “Casket City Lights”
Yesterdays New Quintet
Yesterdays Universe (Stones Throw)
Release: July 17, 2007
Leave it to über-producer Madlib to break up a band that doesn’t exist. But that’s just what he did on the this month’s Yesterdays New Quintet album, splitting the fictional five-piece jazz/soul ensemble into ten new groups. Yesterdays Universe begins with a hip-hop-flavored recreation of Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew” and features drummers Karriem Riggins and Mamão (Azymuth).
Yesterdays New Quintet: Various Madlib Tracks
Oh No photo credit: Dan Monick