This week we look at the latest releases from Stanley Mayambo, HALO 89 and Querious.
Matt Carter
Stanley Mayambo – For Tha Streets 3
Cliches aside – and this album is full of them – the latest release by Fredericton rapper Stanley Mayambo manages to prove its worth where it counts the most – in the music (or at least part of it).
As its names suggests, For Tha Streets 3 is the third album in a series from Mayambo and follows previous releases For Tha Streets and For Tha Streets 2, both released in 2018.
Since the release of his debut After The Party in 2016, Mayambo has become a dedicated student of hip hop evolving musical and lyrically across numerous singles, EPs and albums all created using purchased beats.
Now, while the use of purchased beats is a point of contention for some, Mayambo’s lyrical flow shines bright on this album, elevating the artist above this potential critical pitfall through his use of clever phrasing and rhythmical structures that challenge expectation by creating a sense of unpredictability and excitement with each track.
HALO 89 – Unreleased
I’d like to know more about this album. Halo was a Saint John industrial music project that according to the liner notes of this release, involved a wide range of city musicians including members of Penny Blacks, The Tasty Wangs, Shrimp Ring and others.
Unreleased was recorded by engineer Marc Gosselin about a decade ago and has existed on a hard drive until recently.
Part mystery, part musical time capsule, the release of this EP serves to document a little known part of Saint John’s music history. I wonder how many other unreleased recordings by now-defunct bands are out there sitting in a box or on a computer waiting to be heard. Kudos to Dan Chamberlain and whoever else helped pull this recording out of obscurity.
Querious – Tint #4
An interesting work of sound collage, Tint #4 is the latest in a long list of releases from Querious (Hue/You) that blend collected noise art with field recordings and samples to create distinct moods and atmospheres that exist free from traditional form. Between heavy waves of white noise, short-lived lines of melody work to create a mysterious, otherworldly narrative that helps to define this release.
Tint #4 is a welcoming deep thought sure to shift in meaning with each individual listener’s experience. Very cool.
Send us your Music!
If you are a New Brunswick artist or group, have new music on the way and would like to be considered for a future edition of Midweek Music Mix, send us the details at gridcitymagazine(at)gmail.com
