Sole And The Skyrider Band – Sole And The Skyrider Band (2007) (CD) (320 kbps)

Sole—accompanied by the Skyrider Band (Bud Berning, William Ryan Fritch, John Wagner, Tim Holland)—holed up in the Flagstaff, Arizona desert to record this self-titled release, and that isolation results in music that is just as drastic as the climate. The Anticon co-founder and MC doesn’t stray far from his tightly-packed, trash-talking battle raps, and on his first album with the band, they range from harsh political critiques to paranoid freak-outs. But that’s understandable: Sole witnessed the 2005 Belgrade bombings, while Berning landed in a coma after a 2002 accident in Mexico City. Surely these experiences inform the songwriting process, and these tracks are subsequently desolate and beautiful, hopeless and proud, and the band’s moody compositions naturally complement Sole’s esoteric lyrics. While categorizing Sole is a tired, futile game, this is undeniably rooted in hip-hop and branches out into a whole lot more.

01 – A Sad Day For Investors
02 – Ghost, Assassinating Other Ghosts
03 – Nothing Is Free
04 – The Bridges, Let Us Down
05 – A Hundred Light Years And Running
06 – The Shipwreckers
07 – Sound Of Head On Concrete
08 – Magnum
09 – The Bones Of My Pets
10 – In Paradise
11 – One Egg Short Of The Omelette
12 – On Cavalry
13 – Stupid Things Implode On Themselves

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