REVIEW: !!! & Shabazz Palaces @ The Talking Head Club, Baltimore, MD, 4/17/12

!!! @ The Talking Head, 4/17

On Tuesday night here in Baltimore, I hit The Talking Head Club (housed in Sonar) to see disco punk band !!! (aka Chk Chk Chk) and alternative hip hop group Shabazz Palaces perform. The room itself isn't particularly big, which made the turnout all the more surprising; it was a good turnout, but it seemed to be just under full capacity. These two acts are great on record, and, not surprisingly, put on great live shows, as well.

!!! & Shabazz Palaces Performing @ The Talking Head Club in Baltimore, 4/17

Yes, yes, and yes. Two of MM's favorite acts, !!! (or Chk Chk Chk) and Shabazz Palaces will be sharing the stage at the Talking Head Club (a part of Sonar) here in Baltimore this Tuesday, April 17th. Who came up with this bill? Whoever you are, you are wise and awesome. !!!'s most recent album is 2010's Strange Weather, Isn't It?, and Shabazz Palaces' most recent album is Black Up -- which was my #2 album of 2011. When it comes to great alternative, genre-leading artists, look no further than !!! and Shabazz Palaces. I highly recommend catching their show this Tuesday.

Top Albums of 2011 (Quinn)

Well, 2011 is over, and that's kind of scary, but I think I'm more thrown off by the fact that my birthday is tomorrow and that day always seems so far away. None of that matters though, because the end of the year really means year-end list time. I think I'm thrown off by this more than anything else because you've got to go over the whole year and decide which albums rank higher or lower than this album and that album. Generally, these lists seem predicated on what album is technically better than a group of others. I'd like to think that it should be a mix of that, but also what you actually listened to and enjoyed throughout the year. So, without further ado, here's my "Top 10 Albums of 2011."

Top Ten Albums 2011 (Simon)

When I finally found the time to start writing again, I realized how close we were to the end of the year. The end of the year at MM (and at pretty much all other music blogs) means choosing our Top Ten lists, and while 2011 had some great records to offer, the theme for this post is going to be, "Challenging". If nothing else, many of the records on this list (I'll note the exceptions) were at first markedly imposing -they were tough to get through the first spin. They're innovative, creative, and in a lot of ways unique, but none of them have the same easy groove of some of last year's picks (see Ray LaMontagne, Tallest Man on Earth, and others). So, without further ado, my top ten albums of 2011.

REVIEW: Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
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Up until the past few months, Seattle hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces had been shrouded in a fair amount of mystery. Their initial, official promotional photo featured a man with what looked like a black hole – or a galaxy – for a face, seated in a sci-fi, CGI-generated planetary landscape. The image happened to be rather apropos when it came to representing the project. Following 2009’s self-released Of Light and Shabazz Palaces EPs, interest in the group only skyrocketed. While it’s not strictly a solo project per se, there is a particular individual who’s at the forefront of Shabazz Palaces ascent and music: Palaceer Lazaro (aka Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler of 90’s rap group Digable Planets). The latter fact will certainly be used to give context to Shabazz Palaces, but, honestly, there is nothing quite like this out there right now – Black Up, the debut album, proves it.

Shabazz Palaces Score "Tough Bond" Documentary

Experimental hip hop group Shabazz Palaces have provided the score for the upcoming Village Beat documentary Tough Bond. The film is about children sniffing glue to survive street life in Kenya’s disappearing villages and exploding urban slums. Below is the trailer, which features Shabazz Palaces' "Blast It."

Learn more about the film and cause 

Village Beat Facebook

www.villagebeat.org

Shabazz Palaces is shrouded in mystery. The only recognized member of the group is Digable Planets member and Cherrywine frontman Palaceer Lazaro (aka Ishmael Butler). Back in March, we featured a track from the group's forthcoming album, Black Up. The effort was originally scheduled for release on May 31st, but it is now set to arrive on June 28th in the US and June 27th worldwide via Sub Pop. For those that missed it, check out the featured song below.

LISTEN: Shabazz Palaces - “An Echo From the Hosts that Profess Infinitum”

What lies beyond the hypnotic? It's the kind of thing that penetrates the subconscious and fills the mind with something that surpasses haunting -- a certain inescapable entity. Whether it's the creepy, looped beat of children's voices or the overall cold aura that sits like a dark cloud, this song is less about a hook and more about its mood and texture. If the above picture -- the official promo photo -- is any indication, the mystery that shrouds Shabazz Palaces only amplifies the mystique of the music. What's more, this sounds like an international movement, like something that bridges cultures and connects people through sound. In an indirect way, it suggests that we must dig deeper and move past the surface of things if we ever want to really know.

Stream/download "An Echo From the Hosts that Profess Infinitum" below. The song comes from Shabazz Palaces new LP Black Up, out May 31 on Sub Pop.

Shabazz Palaces
Official Site
Sub Pop Page