For the third crossover episode of BBB Radio and Retrospect Reviews, Ricardo and I touch on the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins via a prop gun fired on-set by actor/producer Alec Baldwin, the first season of the Netflix adult animated comedy series “Inside Job”, the third season of the DC/HBO MAX superhero series “Titans”, and the three current feature-length incarnations of Frank Herbert’s beloved novel “Dune”: the 2013 documentary “Jodorowsky’s Dune”, the infamous David Lynch adaptation from 1984 and this year’s highly-anticipated adaptation from Denis Villeneuve.
“Escape from Moonbase” is the final entry in the “Moonbase” trilogy of sci-fi-themed, hip-hop concept albums from Boston producer SV and St. Louis rapper Gage. It’s also the shortest album in that trilogy with its nine-song tracklist. It picks up right after the conclusion of last year’s “Moonbase: SVG” record, where Gage was forced to leave his badly-damaged spaceship Calliope via an escape pod. Before the pod crash-lands onto the frozen wasteland that would serve as the backdrop for the recently-released album “The Ice Cap”, we’re treated to a first-hand look at Gage’s experiences inside that pod.
But much to my surprise (leave it to a Moonbase album to do that), the story this time involves the character of Moon, a sentient, digital copy of Gage’s consciousness uploaded to the escape pod through a main supercomputer called Orpheus. Moon acts as the main narrator of this story, informing the listener of both his and Gage’s experiences in the pod during a six-week period. An unlikely partnership is formed between both ‘versions’ of Gage, fueled by Gage’s disillusionment with his space-propelled life path and Moon’s desire to exist outside the threat of permanent deletion. Upon the discovery of intel in Orpheus’ data banks concerning a number of nefarious Moonjuice cartels, Moon and Gage embark on a quest to become the heroes who succeeded in bringing them down.
On “Escape from Moonbase”, production duties are handled by SV and Capo – with Capo producing four of the album’s nine instrumentals – and they brilliantly maintain the consistency of the spacey, downtempo, synth-assisted instrumentation established on the previous records. I really dug how distinct from one another the beats on this album were and how they individually set the appropriate mood and tone for each song.
Take the opening track “Ghost in the Machine – Part I” which features a hazy, psychedelic beat from Capo, with some noticeable, clicking percussion in the background, that works as a pitch-perfect soundscape for the introduction of Moon into the story (points for the “I am not your pal, I am not your HAL” line, by the way). Or the smooth, synth-laden, lo-fi sounds of SV’s “Strange Trip” (easily one of the album’s BEST songs) used as the soundtrack to a highly entertaining sequence involving Gage and Moon ‘under the influence’. We also get some occasional inflections of 80s-style production, like on the Capo-produced track “Rebuild” with its subtle, electro-inspired drum patterns and SV’s “Kill Yourself” with its melodramatic keyboards and a noteworthy use of a common yet well-chosen KRS-One sample.
In my review of “Moonbase: SVG”, I mentioned the James Gray-directed sci-fi film “Ad Astra” as an unintentional tonal and thematic reference point: de-mystifying the grandeur of outer space and emphasizing on the loneliness it actually embodies. With this album, loneliness is at the heart of its narrative, and you can almost picture Gage at the end of his rope, conversing with himself as a means of coping with his failures and losses.
With the exception of “Ghost in the Machine – Part II” and the album closer “Homecoming”, the songs on “Escape from Moonbase” center on Moon speaking directly to Gage. Matter of fact, the narrative itself is told ALMOST entirely from the perspective of Moon, with Gage – in a clever bit of irony – serving as the secondary character. We get some truly compelling moments of character growth and development out of Moon; like on the aforementioned “Rebuild”, where he discusses with Gage three well-thought-out courses of action with regards to the next step they should take in their journey, and the genuinely poignant track “Moonshine” (whose chorus, an interpolation of the hook for “Calliope’s Last Ride” off “Moonbase: SVG”, can be viewed as an Easter Egg of sorts) where Moon has this heartfelt final conversation with Gage. Compared to Gage, Moon’s decisions and actions aren’t entirely noble, but as an artificial intelligence seeking meaning and purpose, they make logical sense.
Similar to the previous Moonbase albums, we get some strong performances from Gage throughout “Escape from Moonbase”. Playing a similar yet vastly different version of his character must’ve been a challenge – both in writing and delivery – and somehow he managed to pull it off and make it look easy! He also brings some memorable hooks to the table, like the mantra-like chorus to “Ghost in the Machine – Part I” and the optimistic, self-assured refrain to “We’ll be Alright”, a track which finds our heroes heading towards uncertainty and danger over this jazzy, disenchanted beat with some haunting female vocals in the background.
As far as guest features go, Antonia Marquee comes through with yet another superbly-performed chorus (similar to her work on the previous Moonbase records) on the aptly-titled track “How it Ends”. And while I won’t spoil how that track ends, what I can say is that Capo, the sole guest rapper on this album, BODIES his verse as he plays a cartel member seeking vengeance on Gage (and to an extent, SV) after a violent run-in in Moon City on “Moonbase: SVG”. Now I could be wrong, but I suspect Capo’s reprising the same role he played on the track “Moonjuice” (one of the best tracks off “Moonbase: SVG”, by the way) as this tough, grimy SOB who knows a thing or two about Moonjuice and how far one would go to acquire it.
As a whole, I dug the hell out of “Escape from Moonbase”! While it’s not as atmospheric as “Moonbase: SVG” or adventurous as “The Ice Cap”, its existential vibe clicked with me and its relatively small-scale narrative kept me engaged throughout the album’s runtime. It’s easily the most ‘spacey’ record in the Moonbase trilogy, since a majority of it takes place in space. And I can imagine some Moonbase fans deliberating over whether “Escape from Moonbase” or “The Ice Cap” was the better album to conclude the trilogy, but technically, the latter is the actual final album. But I would argue that thematically, “Escape from Moonbase” is the better way to end the trilogy.
And in case you were wondering, it’s my FAVORITE entry in the Moonbase series, thanks to its captivating production, great performances from its small cast of talented artists, and its concise, compelling and truly emotionally-driven story! The kind folks at Jim’s Pool Room Records really knocked it out of the park with their sci-fi concept album trilogy, and though I honestly doubt they’ll be making records of this nature any time soon, I do hope that we continue to get more great, exciting and engaging music from this label.
OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Now available on Bandcamp; available on other major streaming platforms on October 31st.
For my latest track review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the new single from rap duo TT (TopTier) entitled “Step Up”. From the release of their 2018 single “Thousand Times” onward, TT (TopTier), made up of rapper IgnoVa and rapper/vocalist MC, has garnered a loyal fanbase and a rather impressive amount of YouTube views (off their catalogue of music videos), Soundcloud plays and Spotify streams during their music career so far. Even more impressive is the fact that they have yet to release an EP or studio album.
As a biracial rap group, TT (TopTier) has successfully managed to find a creative common ground with regards to music, lyrics and themes, without letting their individual backgrounds, beliefs or life experiences get in the way of creating great music together. And it’s this common ground that resulted in their carefree, party-oriented and delightfully raunchy brand of hip hop, usually set to bouncy, pop-trap production. But as a newbie to TT(TopTier)’s style and sound, I think the duo’s greatest strength is their ability to craft some incredibly catchy hooks, whether it’s the sexually-charged chorus for “Thousand Times” or the cocky, impatient demeanor emphasized on the chorus for “Enough”.
With “Step Up”, we’re treated to a sunny, trap-flavored instrumental interwoven with a spacey guitar loop and a thumping bassline. Designated as the hook provider on this track, IgnoVa comes through with a truly memorable, half-sung/half-rapped chorus which opens with some of my favorite lines in the song: “Step up in the building, lookin’ / Higher than an escalator / Team hella good / I bring life, call me Respirator”. He also delivers a solid first verse laced with braggadocious bars, shots at the haters (mainly centered on the sexual prowess he exudes around THEIR girls) and quick mentions of how focused he stays on his grind and how small (“like a peephole”) he keeps his social circle.
As expected, MC brings some harmonious flows to the table, and I was thoroughly impressed at how natural he sounds over this production. Lyrically, he compliments IgnoVa with a verse centered on how the hangover he feels from the night before (most likely, a weed hangover as hinted by the line “What I’m on make me feel strange” but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little alcohol involved) has done literally nothing to stop him from continuing his seemingly non-stop partying.
The beauty of “Step Up” is that it knows EXACTLY what it is: a feel-good, “life of the party” song that doesn’t overstay its welcome and is designed SPECIFICALLY to make heads nod, feet move and asses shake! And like their previous singles, TT (TopTier) delivers the goods on this track, with their creative chemistry and distinct rap/ trap-pop sound at the forefront. Overall, I found myself enjoying the hell out of this track, and I can certainly see it drawing a wider audience to TT (TopTier)’s music. I do hope that we get an album or EP from the duo in the near-future (I can easily suspect their current singles will be added to the track listing), but in the meantime, if you’re looking for a fun, upbeat song to add to your 2021 hip hop/trap/pop party mix, look no further than “Step Up”.
For the second crossover episode of BBB Radio and Retrospect Reviews, Ricardo and I team up with fellow collaborators Tracy Hutchings and CC Lilford to talk about the second season of the hit animated comedy series “Star Trek: Lower Decks”, major highlights from this year’s DC Fandome, spoiler-free reviews of Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, “Halloween Kills”, the follow-up to 2018’s “Halloween” and the fifth and final Daniel Craig Bond film “No Time to Die”, and conclude my Best and Worst of the Bonds special with our ranking of the theme songs for Craig’s Bond films and our picks for Best and Worst Craig Bond film.
In the first crossover episode of BBB Radio and Retrospect Reviews, Ricardo and I team up with fellow collaborators Tracy Hutchings, CC Lilford and Alice Oscura to review the new DC animated feature “Injustice” and share our picks for the best and worst film in the Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan series of James Bond films, in addition to paying tribute to the George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton entries in the James Bond franchise and our favourite Bond themes.
For my second music video review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the official visual for “Gonna Be Alright (Better Days Mix)”, the new single from French-born smooth jazz singer/songwriter Aneessa. As the title to this single suggests, this is less of an actual remix (i.e. different instrumental and/or lyrics) to “Gonna Be Alright”, which was released on April 30th of this year, and more of an alternate version of the original song.
Interestingly, the ‘Better Days’ title of this single reminded me greatly of club-oriented songs from the late 80s onwards which featured ‘intriguing’ (by modern standards) version titles like “Extended Boilerhouse Mix” (A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?”), “Montego Mix” (Robin S’ “Show Me Love”) and “Jam on the Groove” (Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life (However do you Want Me)”. Funny I should bring up “Back to Life” since Aneessa’s 2018 debut single was a marvelous cover of that particular song, reworking its soulful lyrical delivery and iconic hip house/R&B-fused instrumental into a laid-back jazz cut laced with crooned vocals from Aneessa and a FANTASTIC sax solo from guest performer Fernando Harkless.
On this Better Days Mix of “Gonna Be Alright”, we’re treated to the same instrumental from the original, save for a few subtle embellishments and tweak. Production is handled by veteran producer/singer/songwriter and Aneessa’s husband Michael B. Sutton, whose credits include Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Thelma Houston among others. Mixing was handled by Jason Anderson whose credits include New Edition, Johnny Gill, Keith Sweat, Boyz II Men, Los Lonely Boys, En Vogue, Faith Evans, BeBe Winans and the Pointer Sisters.
With some of the best elements of a top-class team on board, we get a song that’s an absolute joy to listen to, with its bouncy piano and keyboard combinative melody and gentle, jazzy percussion and horns in the background, the latter of which become more prominent on the song’s bridge. Aneessa flows over this beat effortlessly with her low, butter-smooth vocal range as she delivers a simple yet charming and emotionally resonant message of hope to the listener, along with a RIDICULOUSLY catchy hook. And from a lyrical standpoint, I love how timely this song feels (especially in this already-problematic decade), proving that it’s more than just your average feel-good song, but a genuine, heartfelt message presented by someone who got through hard times through faith and optimism and seeks to encourage others to do the same.
But what truly surprised me about the Better Days Mix music video were its visuals. While the music video for the original version featured Aneessa in various locations in and out of her home, with some shots of her rocking a 70s-inspired outfit complete with hippie sunglasses, bell bottom jeans and, of course, ROLLER SKATES, this particular video is essentially a montage of symbolic and didactic visuals presenting a real-world perspective on how positive change can be achieved amidst the uncertainty of our times.
The majority of the video is centered on imagery from various rallies and demonstrations, with universal messages like “Love Wins”, “Stop Hate”, “Justice Now” and “Fight Today for Better Tomorrow” written on placards. The presence of individuals wearing face masks gives the video an appropriately contemporary feel, along with significant messages like “Stop Racism” and “This is Not a Moment, It’s the Movement” acting as instant reminders of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests of 2020.
Interspersed into the video are a few relatively life-affirming scenes of people engaging in positive activities like dancing and exercise, in addition to a few text-based visuals – each with a bundle of words hinting at a particular emotion, mood or condition – at the beginning of the second verse and in the song’s closing seconds. And while there’s a huge contrast overall between these two music videos, I’d argue that the timeliness of the song itself is amplified on the visuals for the Better Days Mix. Tonally, “Gonna Be Alright” maintains its sunny, delightful luster but thanks to the video’s powerful visuals, the song gains an extra layer of depth and meaning which becomes more noticeable, meaningful and emotionally rewarding with every subsequent listen given to it.
Overall, I found myself appreciating and enjoying the “Gonna Be Alright (Better Days Mix)” music video way more than I expected! Not only does it make for a good starting point into getting into Aneessa’s music – along with the original version, of course – but it also shows there’s still a place in this world for anthems of positivity. Here’s hoping we get more great music – and another aptly-titled version of “Gonna Be Alright” – from Aneessa in the near-future.
WATCH THE “GONNA BE ALRIGHT (Better Days Mix)” MUSIC VIDEO HERE:
For episode 15 of BBB Radio, I review “The Many Saints of Newark”, the long-awaited film prequel to “The Sopranos”, and we discuss the full season (with the exception of the first two episodes which we covered recently on the show) of Marvel Studios’ “What If?”, the final Netflix-released stand-up comedy performance from Dave Chappelle “The Closer”, the Netflix horror/drama miniseries “Midnight Mass” and the South Korean survival drama series that literally took the world by storm – “Squid Game”.
“La-Bas (The Damned)” is the latest album from Oklahoma City rapper Steven Gaines. Admittedly, I haven’t caught up on Steven’s work since I covered his “Gain the Emcee” record back in April of last year. However, in preparation for “La-Bas”, I listened to his recently-released collection of unreleased tracks entitled “Southpaw: Sessions 2012-2014”, which served as a welcome reminder of Steven’s superb, unconventional (in terms of rhymes and rhyme schemes) rapping capabilities.
With this eleven-track project, Steven steps out of his comfort zone by collaborating with South African artists Sabelo Cyprian (rapper) and Bryan MacKK (rapper, engineer on eight of the album’s tracks) and Algerian rapper Ali. He also grants his rapping partners-in-crime Mista A1, 2Shades, Big Thoughts, Goosy (who appeared on “Northern Lights”, one of the standout cuts from “Gain the Emcee”) and his brothers Gramz, Boo and Nook guest appearances on the album. But the main draw of “La-Bas” is hinted at with the album title. Much to my surprise going in to this record, Steven incorporates a substantial amount of FRENCH into his rhymes, which not only gives the album its own character and flavor, but places Steven in a creative league of his own. Think of the French language as an achievement he unlocked in some random video game and the album itself is the level where he gets to utilize it.
“La-Bas” opens with “Dey Danse”, the first of two collaborative tracks with Sabelo Cyprian, which features a slightly tense piano-driven instrumental with finger snaps and female vocalizing in the background. Sabelo impresses with a solid first verse, followed by Steven who, on this and other tracks on the album, RAPS HIS ASS OFF, without ever sounding like he’s rambling or pulling random words out of thin air (Points for his RIP shout-out to Aaliyah, and his clever reference to two of her classic songs with the line “One in a million, if you knew my age”). An uncredited Mariona, one half of the duo La Emcee, brings the song to a satisfying close with a rapped outro where she compliments Steven and Sabelo – and clearly having fun in the process – without trying to outshine them.
Speaking of La Emcee, they get their own song……kind of. On “La Emcee (La-Bas)”, Divon, the second half of La Emcee, comes through with an entertaining second verse rapped entirely in French. Interestingly, the track’s spacey, 80s synth-pop inspired beat is the exact one used on the “Gain the Emcee” track “Gimme Yours”. 2Shades and Bryan MacKK deliver decent third and fourth verses respectively, although I did come out of the song wishing that Bryan’s verse was a bit longer.
And speaking of “Gain the Emcee”, we also get a reworked version of its final track “Take the Time” on this album. Save for the instrumental which remains untouched, the verses are completely different. In addition, Steven allows 2Shades and Big Thoughts to spit over the first and second verses. And while both artists deliver compelling, personal stories of self-affirmation, Steven steals the show with an incredibly vivid and lyrically grandiose final verse as he raps about his deity-like status as a rapper (“All my songs will be enshrined / I view remotely with Thai Buddhist / Study the ripples and hairs on the Earth / My tongue is a relic / I spoke 3,000 years ago in the mountains with dinosaurs”).
But what makes this album special is that while Steven sticks to his idiosyncratic rapping style (except for one track which I’ll get to in a bit), he constantly finds ways to fit within conventional, less abstract production, lyrics and themes whilst maintaining his artistic individuality. And it’s this outside-the-box approach to his bars which results in some of the album’s most memorable moments.
Take the tracks “Beaucoup” and “Through the Smoke” with Goosy. On the former, which starts with a hilarious “Rick and Morty” soundbite used as a producer tag and segues into a chilly trap beat with slow, ominous piano keys, Steven delivers this dense, well-written verse which starts off with a sticky hook involving some woman who posts a lot of ‘shit’ on social media (who he dubs a “shitposter”) and concludes with a catchy-ass refrain where he spits “Who can beaucoup beaucoup as much as me? Beaucoup beaucoup rapping as much as moi?” Goosy sounds cocky-as-hell on this beat, but I won’t be surprised if he actually freestyled his verse. On “Through the Smoke” which, as the title suggests, is a weed song, he comes through with a short but pretty dope verse, rapping about the joy he gets from getting high – even by himself. The psychedelic instrumental for this track has a West Coast, G-Funk vibe to it, and both rappers keep their verses appropriately lightweight over it, especially Steven who raps about the clarity he attains and memories unearthed whenever he gets blazed.
We also get a trilogy of solid posse cuts, the first being “Ridin’ in Tha Ghost” which is, hands down, my FAVORITE SONG on the album! This track features a dark, haunting, 90s-inspired, boom-bap instrumental with a vocal sample that’s near-impossible to forget the moment the song ends (“RIIIIIDIN’ IN THA GHOST!!!”). With the exception of Boo who handles outro duties, Steven, Goosy, Gramz and Bryan MacKK approach this instrumental like hungry battle rappers, and you can actually picture their performances as part of this cypher where each rapper’s trying to outdo the other. Bryan MacKK walks away with the MVP award on this track, as he completely BODIES his verse with one aggressive bar after the next. But to be fair, Steven drops the phrase “C’est Beavis cleavage” in his verse, which is easily one of the most memorable phrases I’ve heard in a song all year!
The second and third tracks in this posse cut trilogy are “On My Soul” and “You Can Get Fucked Up”. “On My Soul” fans the flames generated from “Ridin’ in Tha Ghost” with its head-nodding, Spanish guitar-led instrumental. Admittedly, Goosy’s hook took a while to click with me (I attribute that to the syncing of his vocals to the beat), but it effectively sets the moody, introspective tone of the song which Steven, Gramz and Boo (who delivers an EXCELLENT verse here) sticks to. “You Can Get Fucked Up” is pretty self-explanatory as, over a hard-hitting instrumental which starts with an upright bass and violin (not something I expected to hear in a “Fuck the club up”-type song), Steven, Goosy, Gramz, Boo and Nook (who ends the track with an incredibly fiery verse) spit aggressive, confrontational bars at their respective haters.
In addition to the aforementioned Goosy collabos and opening track, we get three other rap duets. Over the tense, KingEF-produced instrumental for “Grand Chien”, Steven raps alongside Ali (who delivers an impressive, French-spoken verse) and manages to drop another catchy-ass refrain which involves waking up “bright and early”, “smelling like a birdy”, throwing (oneself) back in a casket and “hoppin’ like a rabbit….savage”. On the final track “Alive” which, from a songwriting perspective, is technically a Mista A1 song featuring Steven, we get a moody, piano-driven trap beat which A1 uses as a means of cathartic emotional release from the pain, loss and regret that held him back in life. In a wise, admirable move, Steven approaches his verse from a mental and spiritual perspective, finding the light inside of him to overcome external and internal darkness.
But it’s the second Sabelo Cyprian collaborative track “Watch Your Mouth” – set to a menacing, trunk-rattling beat – where, for the first and only time on the album, Steven breaks away from his esoteric rap style and delivers these concise, cold-blooded lyrical shots at his detractors. Along with showcasing Steven’s versatility as a rapper, this moment highlights his ability to adapt to the appropriate vibe and tone of an instrumental.
Overall, “La-Bas (The Damned)” was a really entertaining and enjoyable record. Though it tightropes back and forth between alternative hip hop sounds and concepts and trendier, more conventional lyrics and themes, I can imagine the most casual of hip-hop fans enjoying this album nonetheless. Steven made the most of his incorporation of French on this record, in addition to getting some great collaborations out of the artists included on it. Will we hear more French – or another language – on Steven’s next album? Time will tell. But regardless of whether you can speak French or not (I know little to none of it, in case you were wondering), “La-Bas (The Damned)” is certainly worth checking out.
OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10
Now available on Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp and Deezer
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