Loganprojects — Character Assassination
Most tracks are produced by Blucyde but Anticon’s Alias produced three songs and Sole one. After a short intro, the CD starts with Words aren’t real. Simple beat bound to make your head shake, quite up-tempo. A very catchy tune, a dream start! Then comes the title track, featuring guest MC’s Sole and Alias. It sounds like a typical production from the latter. The track is based on an excellent sample from an Asian traditional string instrument spiced up with Alias’ trademark goth-hop beats and haunting basslines. Alias is also responsible for the next tune, Fragile which features another guest MC, KGB. Once again very dark, crepuscular. Not as good as Character assassination though. Blucyde is back in charge on Random Thoughts, an excellent song which is at the same time very contemplative and groovy. 30 seconds of almost creepy keys, then 30 seconds with an almost funky bass, then back to the creepy beats and so on... jdwalker changes the rhythm to his flow and adapts it to the two different moods. Then comes the first disappointment: Kerry. Uninteresting, almost boring. One could have expected better from a Moodswing9 production. Breathe is a tad better, but not as good as the first few tracks. The ideas used here are good, but the song sounds as if it is just a draft. A part of me is quite a traditional hiphop song but its chorus will stay in your head. One sounds much more interesting with its prominent bassline and intriguing little sounds in the background. After a few tracks hinting that things were going downhill, Loganprojects seem to be on the way up once again. There is something threatening about Zombie: a relatively heavy beat, a constant feedback deeply buried in the background. Things are only lightened up with a bit of keyboards. Dirty words is very different from the rest of the album: a guitar endlessly repeating the same theme and a repetitive non-hiphop beat. It actually reminds me of The Swans. The Music is the third Alias-produced track and once again sounds a lot like what he does usually. However there is something lacking. The spirit doesn’t seem to be quite there. Here I sit is much more interesting and bears once again the Anticon touch (it’s produced by Sole). A nice little guitar sample, phat loud beats and nice work from jdwalker on the chorus. I want more ends Character assassination on a quiet but excellent note. jdwalker chanting calmly over very soft beats and double bass lines. You can aslo hear the sound of a few people chatting. Perhaps an odd ending, but so nice!
No party nor hoes and bitches lyrics to be expected in here. We are in the area of “personal journalism”. jdwalker, as much as any other human being, knows pain, deceit, regrets but also hope and tell us about it. This gives to the whole CD a very introspective, contemplative, melancholic tone.
Character assassination, together with the Our condition ep (review here) proves that jdwalker is one to watch in the future. It’s also a proof that Motion Recordings is one of the most interesting DIY hiphop label.