No Bird Sing - Definition Sickness CD
Stand outs in the indie-rap haven of Minnesota, No Bird Sing combines the talents of emcee Joe Horton, drummer/producer Graham O'Brien, and guitarist/producer Robert Mulrennan. With Definition Sickness, the trio has maintained the integrity of their live-band roots while exploring a more produced sound that ranges from stark minimalism to lush expansiveness.
The first single, “DON’T THINK”, is a brooding track where Horton shares vocal duties with SFR label head SAGE FRANCIS.
Other guests on the album include FIX cohorts Crescent Moon (Kill the Vultures) and Kristoff Krane, as well as Sadistik, Chastity Brown, James Diers (Halloween, Alaska), Aby Wolf, Adam Svec, and Molly Dean.
NBS released their eponymous debut to critical acclaim in 2009. Their 2011 follow-up, "Theft of the Commons", along with the US tour dates that followed, served to expand their loyal, burgeoning fanbase across the Midwest and beyond.
Their SFR debut, "Definition Sickness", offers a meditative commentary on modern life, owing much to leftist political theorists like Howard Zinn as well as Eastern-leaning philosophers like Alan Watts and Lao Tzu. Musically the dark, transcendent instrumentation of the record creates a rich and varied soundscape that will immediately entice fans of multiple genres. Repeat listeners will be rewarded by both the layered lyrical themes and the ear candy that’s provided by the nuanced sonic compositions.
Check out the first video from the album, "AND WAR":
"If you took away the vocals, you'd never know it was hip hop," admits drummer/producer Graham O'Brien. "We're just investigating the relationship between hip hop and other genres—taking the spoken, rhythmic word and putting it in other places."
"That's what creativity is," vocalist Horton says. "It's coming to this point where you don't know exactly what you're doing and having to figure out what to do. The second you're not doing that, you're just rehashing old shit."
"That's what creativity is," vocalist Horton says. "It's coming to this point where you don't know exactly what you're doing and having to figure out what to do. The second you're not doing that, you're just rehashing old shit."
"Apogee" is the second video from the album:
REVIEW:
"I wanted to wait and see if the rest of “Definition Sickness” measures up to the two songs promoting it. Turns out it does more than that."
Check out TRASHMUTANT's review of "Definition Sickness" here.
TRACKLISTING
01 Breathless feat. Chastity Brown
02 Apogee feat. Aby Wolf
03 Reality Hunger feat. James Diers
04 Target Practice feat. Kristoff Krane
05 Flag Waver
06 Boom Day feat. Crescent Moon
07 Heaven and Other Drugs
08 Rapture Muffin feat. Adam Svec
09 And War feat. Molly Dean
10 Vinestar feat. Sadistik
11 Fashionable Cannibal
12 Don't Think feat. Sage Francis
13 Friday
14 Freedom Slave