Hey look, Troll is getting back into it! Hey, look, I'm sitting here listening to Sonic Youth!
Album: Spiritual State
Artist: Nujabes
Genre: Instrumental Hip Hop
Suggested by: YorkeDaddy
Familiarity: None.
1. Spiritual State - I love this. Not at all hip-hoppy, but very jazzy, and almost oriental. Excellent start.
2. Sky is Tumbling - The combination of jazz influences and rapping is absolutely amazing on this one. I really like this. The texture towards the end is really cool with the synth.
3. Gone Are the Days - Another awesomely jazzy song. Also got a bit of an oriental sound to it.
4. Spiral - Another solid beat, with some soft vocals fading in and out. It's all very soothing music.
5. City Lights - Really nice bass here. Puts me in the mind of modal jazz. It's short, but definitely sweet.
6. Color of Autumn - I really love the combo of hip hop and jazz. I think this is one of the best examples of the crossover.
7. Dawn On the Side - Really excellent floutist, whoever is playing here. Again, just spectacular jazzy music.
8. Yes - Already more production value to this one. Overall, this one is quite a lot dancier than the other tracks. I like the rhythm of the rapping, and the lyrics are impactful too. This is probably one of the best tracks on the album.
9. Rainyway Back Home - Another basic but beautiful track. Absolutely adoring this album.
10. Far Fowls - I like this one. Kind of a medieval feel with the instrumentation. The beat comes in and sets a unique mood for this one. The guitar work is simply amazing, if nothing else. And as usual, the flute adds a certain flair to the song.
11. Fellows - May as well have said, "And now for something completely different." This song, with it's obvious mixing, is a sharp departure from the previous song. Another clean and smooth song.
12. Waiting For the Clouds - Great lyrics, great rhythm, great instrumentation, and overall great song. This is my favorite song so far. Let's hope there's even another which takes its place.
13. Prayer - Another smooth, pretty brilliant song. I'm waiting for these guys to slip up, but they haven't so far. The concept of this album is so unusual that it's holding my attention all the way. The female vocals are pretty cool on this one, and the main riff is catchy as hell. Nice.
14. Island - A mellow track for a mellow island feel. Just more great mellow music.
Listen, you can put it on in the background for all I care, it doesn't really matter how you listen to this album. I can certainly understand how some will be bored out of their minds by this album, but for me, it's soothing and fun at the same time. Whether you're a hip-hop fan, or a jazz fan, you could probably get some enjoyment out of this album, though it's definitely leaning more towards the jazz side. Just give it a try, because I love it.
OVERALL RATING: 10/10