Break on a Cloud
Contributions made to the Nashville-based music blog Break on a Cloud.
- Party Trash “Remixes (Part One)” ()
There isn’t much of an expressed back-story behind Remixes from Nashville’s Party Trash… the album contains ten remixes, produced for fun, released for free. Straight-forward as the concept might be, the quality of the tracks is in no way diminished by the simplicity of the concept behind the release. In fact, the electronic dexterity on […]
- Evan Blocker “Reign Dance (Eyes Open)” ()
When I was first introduced to Evan Blocker‘s debut, Life’s in a Blur, I subconsciously slipped up and confused the young Nashville MC’s name with that of a pro-wrestler (Evan Bourne). Make no mistake though: his debut was memorable, and Blur stands as one of the better hip hop releases to come from the city […]
- Amerigo Gazaway “Gummy Soul Forces” ()
Following a meeting of the minds at Atlanta’s recent A3C Festival, Gummy Soul‘s Amerigo Gazaway has linked up with Detroit’s Clear Soul Forces crew, blending styles and summoning hip hop godfathers with a new collaborative track titled “Gummy Soul Forces.” Exuding a sound very much in line with Gazaway’s much-celebrated Bizarre Tribe mashup album, “Gummy […]
- Aesop Rock at Exit/In (Nashville, TN) ()
I went to a fight and an Aesop Rock show broke out… It wasn’t without incident, but for the most part Aesop Rock’s show at Nashville’s Exit/In felt like something of a light-hearted family affair. Ace, Rob Sonic & DJ Big Wiz opened strong with a series from the MC’s recent album Skelethon, immediately setting […]
- Penicillin Baby “Daddy Drove a Hearse” ()
A little over two months back, in my interview with Penicillin Baby and Favorite Face Records’ Jon Conant, the vocalist mentioned that the group was in the process of putting together a few projects including a split-release with Megajoos. The two bands have now wrapped things up and packaged everything together as MEGA/BABY, a four-track […]
- S.T.A.N. feat. Sofa Brown “The Almighty Dollar “ ()
The tone for “The Almighty Dollar” is set early in the first single from S.T.A.N.‘s forthcoming Nightmare Next Door release, as the brooding track flips between verses from the MC and the P.U.S.H. Productions mainstay Sofa Brown. Produced by Fred the Tech, the dueling verses cascade over the sounds of a haunting piano and thunderous […]
- Caveman the Wise “Harold of the Moon” ()
Back in 2009 Vic French connected with Jota Ese in Macomb, Illinois, where the two musicians eventually hooked up for a jazz project with French on sax and Ese on bass. From there a relationship with Ese’s Day Old Records was born, which is where French (now recording as Caveman the Wise) released his first […]
- D. Watusi “Brother & Sister” ()
New music from Nashville’s D. Watusi has been circulating for a minute, but among the ten new songs on Dark Party is the standout you best not overlook: “Brother & Sister.” Side one, track two kicks off with waves of slicing repetition, shrieking howls, and bluesy breakdowns before ripping into a spurt of majestic shredding […]
- Mr. Ahmad Rashad & Squikee “Play ‘Em Off” Video ()
A boomin’ granny rocking a gift-shop visor and a camera around her neck while keeping up with the locals down in Printer’s Alley: If for no other reason, that should be enough to encourage you to check out the new King Thai-directed video for Mr. Ahmad Rashad & Squikee’s “Play ‘Em Off.” The single, produced […]
- Dee Goodz “Look What I Came From” ()
With a first look at the forthcoming Donny Ca$h project dropping about a week back in the form of the Grady-produced “What’s On Your Mind,” Nashville’s Dee Goodz is keeping the momentum going with another “inspirational anthem” in the form of “Look What I Came From.” Sampling Lana Del Rey’s “Off to the Races,” the […]
- Rashad tha Poet “H.O.P.E.” ()
“H.O.P.E.,” the first single from Rashad tha Poet’s forthcoming Hope Lives Here EP, finds its pace while relaxing on a calm flow as the Nashville MC seeks relief in what he calls “a brighter side.” Borrowing the beat from Oddisee‘s “Beach Dr.” (from the Brooklyn-based MC and producer’s Rock Creek Park release), the song represents […]
- B-Hoody “Gwopaneese” Video ()
The video for B-Hoody’s “Gwopaneese” isn’t necessarily formulaic, but bathing in smoke with a room full of pseudo-punk white girls isn’t exactly groundbreaking art either. That said, the black and white visuals do complement the laid back feel of the Bandplay-produced track (from this year’s Properly Preserved mixtape), and have since come to represent something […]
- Squikee feat. Bill Breeze “I’m Really Hot” ()
As far as blends go, “femcee” is an odd one, if only that it remotely suggests that females can’t simply be emcees, but that they need to be relegated to a category of their own. But more than a catchy label, Gerrick D. Kennedy of the L.A. Times calls the femcee branding a movement of […]
- Kurtis Stanley “Ghost Protocol” ()
Keeping momentum alive with a second consecutive track produced by Las Vegas’ Clint Partie (aka Clinstrumentals), Gummy Soul’s Kurtis Stanley returns with another brass-blasting-banger in “Ghost Protocol.” Unlike the sax-happy “Airplane Mode” however, the new track goes in a completely different direction, with triumphant sounding horns projecting determination right out of the gate. “There’s just […]
- Classic Williams & Nephew “re(FLEX)tions” EP ()
In terms of the Nashville music scene, Murfreesboro’s Classic Williams is an original. His aim has historically focused on a musical arm of rap that’s hardly “southern,” with his songs typically club and electronic inspired rather than street-flavored. If you’re keeping up with locals on Twitter, chances are you know Williams as an obnoxious and […]
- Truth Clipsy feat. PM “Fly Away” ()
With an assist on production from Woozy Collins comes the latest track from Nashville’s Truth Clipsy. The initially strong thud of the beat is quickly calmed, complemented nicely by the refreshing vocals from PM (who most recently jumped on “Can’t Stop” with Bill Breeze), leaving Clipsy free to weave in and out of the chorus, […]
- Kellen “Time of Your Lyfe” ()
As the story goes, one night a few friends were sitting around relaxing while the instrumental version of “Feel So Close” began to fill the air. Not realizing who produced the track, Nashville vocalist Kellen asked who was behind it — only to find out that the friend who was playing it had planned on […]
- Titus Jones “Dance Alarm” Video ()
It’s rare that I can get excited for a dance album — there’s always an exception to the rule though, and today has provided a rather notable one in the form of new music from Nashville producer Titus Jones. “Dance Alarm” is a pulsating mega-mash that combines Nicki Minaj, Avicii, Owl City & Carly Rae […]
- Amerigo Gazaway “Bizarre Tribe: A Quest to The Pharcyde” ()
Blending the sounds of De La Soul with Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, last year’s Fela Soul mashup EP broke through to the mainstream where it was co-signed by the likes of MTV’s Hive, The Source and Okayplayer… not to mention NPR’s Bruce Warren who called it one of the best Bandcamp releases of the entire year. […]
- Derek Minor “PSA Volume 3” ()
“I am entering a new chapter in my career,” revealed Derek Minor in a recent blog post, explaining his decision to shed his PRo moniker. “This new chapter includes a new direction, and new goals.” The first major act under his new name has arrived in the form of the third installment in his PSA […]
- Truth Clipsy “Live Forever” ()
Recently releasing The Very Ink… EP with producer JOTA ESE, Nashville’s Truth Clipsy is back with another determined offering in the form of his new track “Live Forever.” Lyrically, the song takes aim at modern rap standards, following an aging character’s development of self awareness as he makes the transition from “thinking that he will […]
- P.A. Lit “Birth of a Wave” ()
What does “Birth of a Wave” mean? To Nashville’s P.A. Lit the four words represent a youthful uprising amid the city’s broad musical landscape. “It’s the coming of the new youth,” he said via email. And through his new album the theme remains strong: ten tracks bonded together by a collective focus on the future. […]
- Quiet Entertainer “Dream Sequencer” ()
“[Quiet Entertainer‘s] Internet presence tends to be more cordial than controversial” writes Nashville Cream‘s Sean Maloney, and I tend to agree with him. A little over a year ago I was first introduced to the Nashville producer’s music, though it wasn’t his work that initially drew me in but his approach to online dialog. Before […]
- Truth Clipsy & JOTA ESE “The Very Ink…” EP ()
Growing from his 2011 debut album The VIP Room, Nashville MC Truth Clipsy has returned with the wordily-titled EP, The Very Ink with Which History is Written is Merely Fluid Prejudice. Where VIP served as a personal a coping mechanism, molded around a dark period where the MC lost four close friends, Clipsy calls the […]
- Kurtis Stanley “Airplane Mode” ()
Produced by Clinstrumentals and mixed by Truth Clipsy comes a fresh track from Kurtis Stanley out of the Gummy Soul crew. Laced with sultry saxophone straight out of a mid-’80s cop drama, Nashville’s Stanley keeps his flow steady throughout, wrapping an attractive chorus around casually humorous lines, “That’s brand-spankin’ new, baby/No Carfax.” Be sure to […]
- Penicillin Baby “Jams: Vol. 1” EP ()
Having evolved out of Magic Veteran, Penicillin Baby is a Nashville-based four-piece comprised of former MV members Jon Conant (vocals) and Anuj Pandeya (drums), as well as Charlie Davis (guitar) and Deep Machine’s Brennan Walsh (bass). We Own This Town called their sound “psychedelic space-y jams” but in catching up with the band via email, […]
- PRo “Get Up” Video ()
Directed by Marco “Oracle” Villalobos comes the most recent video from Murfreesboro MC PRo for the track “Get Up.” Maintaining a grounded beat — supplied by the team of Chinky P & Frank Dukes/Sarah J — the track focuses on PRo’s disenchantment with the world he sees around him, only to look back on himself […]
- Atmosphere at Marathon Music Works (Nashville, TN) ()
“If you’re gonna rap all of my words back at me, what the fuck do you need me for?” Denying that Slug is an elite MC seems a silly proposition. His ability to make an audience feel appreciated appears effortless. (During last night’s show he inserted various calculated local references throughout without appearing to pander.) […]
- ULTRAS S/C “Black Face Time” ()
The closing moments of “Black Face Time” come as an orgy of distortion with ULTRA S/C’s Jemina Pearl (Be Your Own PET), Ben Swank (Soledad Brothers, Third Man capo) and Chet Weise (The Immortal Lee County Killers) collectively peaking on a note of psyched-out fuzz. Perhaps making a little more sense is the Scene Cream‘s […]
- Treekeeper “Tròpiçále” Video ()
New from the Bohemian Hype Cult‘s Treekeeper comes this semi-psychedelic short in support of the Nashville producer’s latest track, “TRÒP!ÇÁL€.” Directed by his BHC brother Trillbee the Hooligan, a chill tropicália feel is invoked through not only the song’s smooth repetition, but also the video’s wavy visuals (though I’m cautious to throw out the chill-wave […]