OR   Search for Artist/Title    Advanced Search
 
you are not logged in...  [login] 
All Reviews    Edit This Review     
Review: 'Loud Apartment'
'System Breakdown'   

-  Label: 'Nolej Records/bandcamp'
-  Genre: 'Dance' -  Release Date: '23.10.20.'

Our Rating:
System Breakdown by Loud Apartment
This is the second album by New York's Loud Apartment that has been produced by Bill Laswell who also plays bass on the album alongside Nevaris, DJ Logic, Peter Apfelbaum and Lockatron who are the current line-up of Loud Apartment.

Some of the album was recorded prior to the pandemic hitting and part after and contains some of the bands anger at how badly the American system has performed this year and how we all need to help replace a broken system.

The album opens with No Justification a funky hip-hop tune that rails against the use of religion as justification for all sorts of wrong actions that go against the spirit of most religions, the brass section on this recalls The Daktari's over a monster bass line and some turntablism.

Enough is Enough is a digi-dub screed that cries for revolution to bring down the corrupt system and to stop all the pointless killing and violence, and removing the racist core of the current system, I like the flute funk edge to parts of this that gives it a bit of a Philly funk feel, even though they are from New York, to it in places that marries righteously angry lyrics to really nice funky music.

Going Down is about that sinking feeling most of us have had this year as our livelihoods have disappeared or been seriously curtailed, as we all fight to survive this brutal year, over soul stirring brass and scratchy turntable action and a searing almost out of place guitar solo before this gets so funky I can't help but dance to it.

Hot Like The Sun revolves around a sinuous bassline and a spare funk break that keeps building as it's adorned with all sorts of stuff from the vocals and scratchy sounds to some keyboards and bongos as the vocals draw you into the points that are getting across about love and the modern times we live in.

Restless is has an early 80's hip hop dj feel to the backing vocal sample and scratching over a very late 70's Philly Funk sax break led tune and a vocal pattern that's achingly familiar that makes this one of this tunes that feels like I already know it well after a couple of listens as I try to figure out if it's a tune by the Blackbyrds that I'm thinking of or another reworked afro-beat break or three either way it makes me want to re-wind the selector to try to figure it all out.

The Thrill Is Good is party time disco flute funk to get down as low as that flute and the drum driving the beat as you try to dance the seduction at the core of the lyrics hoping to make that connection in the middle of the guitar solo as you get closer and closer like it's just a natural thing to move to that flute thang as your Thrill Is Good this needs to be heard on a hot sweaty dancefloor.

Gimme Some Love go on go and Give Loud Apartment some Love as that's the way forwards, to a better world, yes we all need to go give each other some love, and this cool laid back chilled out Hip hop funk should help to get you in the right mood, as that groove drives everything on so we can all be out dancing to music like this soon.

The album closes with the 9 minute long Dub Enough, so spark up a fat one sit back and let them slowly nail you to the couch with almost Nyabingi style percussion and shakers for the keyboards to float and explore through deep dub version of Enough is Enough hits deep down that the autotuning of the vocals becomes the cool effect it was meant to be, while sounding like an old school Gregory Issacs style dub mix this will sound mammoth on a proper loud system as the flute helps you get deep into that zone of spectral keys and the squelchy noises as the vocals finally come back in as the cry for revolution gets louder and we all want a peaceful sane world once more.

https://loudapartment.bandcamp.com/ https://loudapartment.com/ https://www.facebook.com/loudapartment
  author: simonovitch

[Show all reviews for this Artist]

READERS COMMENTS    10 comments still available (max 10)    [Click here to add your own comments]

There are currently no comments...
----------