Vinyl Life – Vinyl Life [Tape Theory]
Posted by Andre on August 17, 2009 under Releases | 
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Every once in a while something comes along that knows no boundaries, knows no limits, knows no right from wrong, and my world gets turned upside down. Vinyl Life, a new-ish NYC outfit, has accomplished just that with their self titled debut album, Vinyl Life.
With an LP release nearly 2 weeks ago, the boys, all staunch proponents of the analog era and style of music, are releasing on August 18th (tomorrow), the entire album on CASSETTE! Talk about a throwback to simpler times. Regardless of your medium of preference, you’ll certainly find pleasure in the depth, warmth and well articulated lyrics found on this long player.
With influences as varied as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Cameo, Claude Debussy and others, you’ll likely have a hard time labeling these yorkies. If I had to compare them to current artists, I’d fail miserably, but at times, y0u’ll find glimmers of sounds that would fit well with say, Lady Gaga, The Lonely Island, Flight of the Conchords, and a few Dubstep outfits to boot! This isn’t house, this isn’t hip hop…for the sake of this review, let’s call it hip-house.
Read on past the break for my quick rundown of the album, some key samples and more deets on these boys.
The Parts
The album kicks off with Hot Sauce, a tasty little vintage vinyl infused number that features some auto-tuned and vox-boxed vocals rhyming off an infectious stream of verbage. From here the album revs up quickly with Hi Tops, Bass Go Boom, Electric Symphony and Innovation. I’m considering this section to be the more club friendly, faster paced section of the album, creating a rather interesting contrast to the songs that follow.
The second half of the album takes a much darker route than the first, with tracks like Like This and Good Life showcasing some slight dubstep influences and the latter vocal heavy tracks Take it Off and Press Rewind highlight the lyrical fluidity of MC Phaze Future, and selected guests.
The Whole
As a whole this album stands out from start to finish. I tend to review albums and releases with a critical ear as a DJ, but this album, as amazingly refreshing as it is, would be a challenge to use in any of my current DJ gigs and sets. This however, doesn’t take anything away from it, au contraire, it solidifies these blokes position at the forefront of their electro hip-hop techno infused sound.
The album has quite a bit of variety, considering the different styles, collaborations and a few remixes. I’m looking forward to any single releases, along with remixes, that might come out of this unique and inspiring album.
The Verdict
Original? Check
Loud? Check
In Your Face? Check
A solid 8/10 from me, and I can already see that value climb as I continue to discover the subtle nuances in this album. The digital version of this album, which is already available on Vinyl and Cassette lands on September 9th, 2009.
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