Album:
      Songs
      I
      Hate
      (And
      Other
     
     
      People
      Moments)
     
    

    
     
      Artist:
      Sixtoo
     
    

    
     
      Label:
      Anticon
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Songs
      I
      Hate
      (And
      Other
      People
     
     
      Moments)
      contains
      no
      shout-outs,
      big
     
     
      hooks,
      mindless
      thug
      posturing,
      bitch-
     
     
      es
      and
      no
      bling,
      bling.
      On
      this
      album,
     
     
      Halifax’s
      Sixtoo’s
      re-imagining
      of
      hip-
     
     
      hop
      as
      hyper-intelligent
      poetry
      makes
     
     
      average
      rappers
      seem
      like
      sub-literate
     
     
      mumblers.
      The
      one
      problem
      with
     
     
      Songs
      I
      Hate
      is
      that
      on
      many
      tracks
     
     
      Sixtoo
      is
      simply
      trying
      to
      do
      too
      much.
     
     
      The
      overwhelming
      number
      of
      words
     
     
      and
      images
      that
      Sixtoo
      spits
      are
      so
     
     
      tightly
      packed
      within
      each
      song
      that,
     
     
      even
      after
      repeated
      listening,
      trying
      to
     
     
      decipher
      more
      than
      a
      general
      message
     
     
      or
      story
      is
      extremely
      difficult.
      Songs
      J
     
     
      Hate
      is
      littered
      with
      references
      to
      the
     
     
      difficulty
      of
      communication,
      leading
     
     
      the
      listener
      to
      believe
      that
      Sixtoo
     
     
      understands
      that
      translating
      his
      one
     
     
      liners
      (“If
      I
      was
      a
      killer,
      I
      would
      sim-
     
     
      ply
      buy
      the
      liberty
      bell
      and
      sell
      the
     
     
      crack.”)
      and
      personal
      complexities
      (“I
     
     
      play
      dice
      with
      my
      soul
      every
      time
      I
     
     
      walk
      down
      the
      street.””)
      into
      a
      manage-
     
     
      able
      whole
      is
      not
      a
      simple
      task.
      If
     
     
      Sixtoo
      does
      find
      a
      way
      to
      focus
      his
     
     
      considerable
      skills,
      it
      is
      hard
      to
      imag-
     
     
      ine
      an
      MC
      who
      would
      be
      able
      to
      match
     
     
      him.
     
    

    
     
      -Matthew
      DORRELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Album:
      Hot
      Shots
      IT
     
     
      Artist:
      The
      Beta
      Band
     
     
      Label:
      Astralwerks
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      subtle
      placement
      of
      beats
      and
     
     
      samples
      is
      the
      defining
      characteristic
     
     
      of
      good
      trip
      hop.
      The
      Beta
      Band
      take
     
     
      trip
      hop
      and
      grind
      it
      into
      an
      organic
     
     
      pulp
      of
      pop,
      soul,
      and
      ambient
     
     
      grooves.
      This
      is
      not
      an
      album
      that
      will
     
     
      catch
      your
      ear
      right
      away:
      It
      takes
     
     
      patience,
      and
      multiple
      listens
      before
     
     
      you
      will
      fully
      appreciate
      the
      seeming-
     
     
      ly
      sloppy
      arrangements
      and
      mash
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Choice
      Cuts
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Reviews
      of
      Everything
     
    
   
   
    
     
      styles.
      But
      eventually
      the
      charm
      and
     
     
      fun
      of
      this
      Scottish
      group
      will
      take
     
     
      over
      your
      CD
      player.
     
    

    
     
      -Stephan
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Album:
      Complete
      Discography
     
     
      Artist:
      Man
      Afraid
     
     
      Label:
      Half
      Mast
      Records
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      is
      the
      first
      time
      Man
      Afraid
      has
     
     
      been
      available
      on
      CD.
      Man
      Afraid
      is
     
     
      (or
      was)
      one
      of
      the
      most
      amazing
      and
     
     
      powerful
      bands
      to
      come
      out
      of
      the
     
     
      punk
      hardcore
      scene.
      They
      play
      driv-
     
     
      ing,
      catchy,
      and
      occasionally
      melodic
     
     
      hardcore
      punk
      with
      yelled
      but
      deci-
     
     
      pherable
      vocals.
      What
      really
      blows
      me
     
     
      away
      is
      the
      quality
      of
      their
      lyrics,
     
     
      which
      for
      the
      most
      part
      address
      the
     
     
      horrible
      ideological
      sham
      which
      is
      the
     
     
      U.S.
      Military.
      Unlike
      most
      punk
      bands
     
     
      who
      wrestle
      with
      this
      topic,
      Man
     
     
      Afraid
      writes
      from
      personal
      experi-
     
     
      ence,
      their
      singer
      having
      spent
      time
     
     
      himself
      in
      the
      army,
      during
      the
      Gulf
     
     
      War.
      The
      result
      is
      14
      songs
      of
      pro-
     
     
      foundly
      emotional,
      haunting,
      and
     
     
      inspiring
      rage,
      angst,
      and
      criticism,
     
     
      directed
      towards
      society
      and
      the
      state,
     
     
      with
      an
      eloquence
      and
      sophistication
     
     
      not
      often
      encountered
      within
      punk
     
     
      music.
      You
      may
      be
      asking
      yourself
      “If
     
     
      this
      was
      such
      a
      great
      band,
      then
      why
     
     
      does
      their
      entire
      discography
      clock
      in
     
     
      at
      under
      an
      hour?”
      Sadly,
      before
      the
     
     
      band
      could
      produce
      much
      material
      or
     
     
      achieve
      very
      widespread
      recognition,
     
     
      their
      singer
      committed
      suicide,
      so
      uh,
     
     
      that
      was
      the
      end
      of
      that.
      Get
      this.
     
     
      Somehow.
      Borrow
      it
      (from
      me,
      even).
     
     
      Read
      it.
      Now.
      ““We’re
      the
      proud
      heirs
     
     
      to
      a
      thousand
      Mai
      Lai
      massacres
      and
     
     
      Wounded
      Knees.
      I
      couldn’t
      count
      the
     
     
      dead,
      I
      wouldn’t
      even
      want
      to.
     
     
      Recoiling
      at
      the
      thought
      of
      blood
      we
     
     
      wash
      our
      hands
      with
      as
      the
      patriots
     
     
      salute
      that
      fucking
      flag.”
     
     
      -
      (All
      This)
      In
      Defense
      of
      Blood
      and
     
     
      Land.
     
    

    
     
      -Jonah
      CAMPBELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Show:
      Bloomfield
      House
      Basement
     
     
      Show
     
    

    
     
      Location:
      The
      Basement
      of
     
     
      Bloomfield
      House,
      Halifax,
      NS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      way
      to
      the
      basement
      was
     
     
      down
      slightly
      treacherous
      stairs
      in
     
     
      near
      darkness.
      Sixtoo
      identified
      the
     
     
      smell
      as
      cat-piss,
      but
      it
      was
      also
      the
     
     
      smell
      of
      insulation,
      earth,
      bare-
      bulb
     
     
      lamplight,
      and
      soon
      enough,
      sweat.
     
     
      The
      basement
      was
      dim
      and
      hot,
      like
     
     
      the
      girls
      you
      liked
      in
      high
      school.
     
     
      Unlike
      those
      girls
      it
      was
      also
      small
      and
     
     
      squat.
      If
      your
      parents
      are
      doctors
      or
     
     
      lawyers,
      there
      are
      bathrooms
      in
      their
     
     
      houses
      larger
      than
      this
      room.
      The
      ceil-
     
     
      ing,
      which
      is
      the
      underside
      of
      a
      floor
     
     
      first
      and
      a
      ceiling
      second,
      was
      six
      feet
     
     
      at
      its
      highest
      point,
      four
      at
      the
      lowest.
     
     
      It
      was
      crisscrossed
      with
      rafters,
      sup-
     
     
      port
      beams,
      strings
      of
      tiny
      Christmas
     
     
      lights,
      wires
      and
      pipes.
     
    

    
     
      I
      smashed
      my
      head
      hard
      into
      a
     
     
      metal
      pipe
      and
      thereafter
      decided
      to
     
     
      express
      my
      enthusiasm
      with
      less
     
     
      mobility.
      The
      wiser
      Sixtoo
      moved
     
     
      awkwardly
      and
      with
      care,
      his
      name
     
     
      honestly
      expressing
      his
      height,
      which
     
    
   
   
    
     
      surpassed
      that
      of
      the
      ceiling.
      He
     
     
      switched
      from
      dj
      to
      poet,
      his
      live
      per-
     
     
      formance
      easily
      as
      intense
      as
      the
     
     
      recorded
      equivalent
      —
      perhaps
      much
     
     
      more
      so
      because
      one
      had
      the
      benefit
      of
     
     
      seeing
      brilliant
      words
      emerge
      from
      so
     
     
      unassuming
      a
      frame.
      Long
      live
      long-
     
     
      form
      hip-hop.
     
    

    
     
      More
      than
      two
      dozens
      bodies
     
     
      were
      bringing
      the
      heat;
      the
      shorter
     
     
      ones
      were
      dancing.
      The
      shortest
      three
     
     
      of
      these
      were
      elementary
      school
      girls
      —
     
     
      as
      terrified
      and
      amazed
      as
      anyone
      —
     
     
      (friends
      of)
      the
      sister(s)
      to
      Mac,
     
     
      Bloomfield
      house
      resident,
      and
      gui-
     
     
      tarist/shoutist/screamist
      for
      The
      Break
     
     
      Up
      (imagine
      Radiohead
      comprised
      of
     
     
      younger,
      angrier
      geeks,
      and
      you’re
     
     
      halfway
      there).
      The
      band
      was
      flanked
     
     
      by
      Selwyn,
      keyboardist/vocalist
      of
     
     
      epic
      proportions
      on
      the
      (stage)
      left,
     
     
      and
      keyboardist
      Erin,
      whose
      head
      was
     
     
      much
      farther
      from
      the
      heavens
      and
     
     
      thus
      in
      less
      danger
      of
      being
      involved
      in
     
     
      a
      rafter
      collision,
      on
      the
      right.
      The
      two
     
     
      framed
      the
      band
      like
      mismatched
      pil-
     
     
      lars
      from
      a
      free-form
      gateway.
      The
     
     
      Break
      Up
      were
      loud
      and
      beautiful.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sixtoo
      at
      the
      Bloomfield
      House
      Show.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2
      the
      cadre