King Amongst Many

Review: Horrorshow "King Amongst Many" album

Released: 2 August 2013                
Elefant Traks


I have to admit right now, on my first listen, I didn't "get it".  Although I enjoyed Horrorshow's first two albums immensely, I have since moved on.  The first couple listens I skipped through the majority of the songs thinking Horrorshow had disappointed me by only providing more of the same, emotional and soft hip hop that doesn't push any boundaries or take a stance on anything too controversial.  But at a second glance I realised that I was looking at it the wrong way.

It wasn't until a very late night walk with the dog down near Blackwattle Bay with the air thick, damp and heavy as it is before the rain, my quiet and reflective mood finally latched onto the music and the words. What was revealed to me was something beautiful, dense and meaningful.  The meaning behind the words finally stood out to me as though I was stepping out of the fog, and the music provided the perfect backdrop for them to whirl around within.  So what I'm saying is don't set this album aside if at first you're not in the mood to embrace it, cause it definitely has the potential to come back and surprise you.

This is not a lighthearted album.  This is a deeply pensive, listen alone in your room with the lights off type album.  Not that there aren't tracks would work in a concert setting, but it's not dancing music. This is sway on your feet with your lighters in the air music.  This is the type of music that will make us take a collective breath and just listen, which I think holds much more power than the type that we want to cheers beers to. This isn't The Party Life, in fact there's not one party track here.  This is exactly the type of music that works for Horrorshow. This is In My Haze type music.

While leaving the party songs and more festival orientated songs alone, you would think that the JJJ crowd might not take to it as readily, but the doesn't seem to be the case at all as Horrorshow fans and new fans alike have seen the album debut at #2 on the ARIA charts. Like it or hate it, it's refreshing to see that this album didn't have to  follow the well defined formula in order to achieve success.  In fact, from the first album right on through to this one, Horrorshow duo never seem to be making music for anyone else at all, simply combining beats that sounds pleasing to them with lyrics that allow the emcee to express to us the inner workings of his mind.

That being said, is it on par with the best beat makers in the world? Not by a long shot. Are the lyrics revolutionary and showing us a brand new perspective? Not for the most part.  But these two are definitely growing as artists and their music has a place in the Australian music scene and in worldwide hip hop. Though it's not everyone's cup of tea, in terms of emotional content this album is ace.

The first listen we had of this new material was during the Hilltop Hoods "Speaking in Tongues" tour.  Dead Star Shine was a chilling anthem that made us all stop dead, so to speak.  This was a year before the album came out and it had a great response.  However the chorus on the finished version leaves much to be desired.  I think the effect over Solo's voice lessens the emotion, to where it sounds boring and dull.  And that carries on through most of the chorus' on the album.  I think as a rule, Solo could work on the expressiveness of his voice, both in singing and in rapping.  Though the evenness works one one level, it does make all the songs sound far too similar.  And though I love Adit's knack for picking samples, the beats could use more variety as well. Having a few songs with more of an edge to them and a harder hitting beat would surprise us and keep us interested.

The song that stood out to me first was Down The Line.  This is story telling at it's best.  So emotional it nearly made me cry although it's not a particularly sad.  Through a story about his ancestry, Solo tells us the importance of family, something that speaks to everyone universally.  This is the only track with a female singer as well, Sarah Corry, and possibly the only song that really has the chorus it deserves.  The recording of his grandmother at the end is beautiful.

I think the album overall has a few too many guest spots and Suffa could have been cut out for me.  I don't think he adds anything to the track he is on called On The One Hand and in fact I think he draws attention away from Grieves who is the first international guest that Horrorshow have welcomed to share in their art. They have chosen well here; Grieves and Solo have a similar hip hop style in that their songs are deeply personal and emotional.  I want to like this track the best because it's Grieves but in truth it bores me a little.  I was expecting more of a standout on this one, but whatever that sample is that comes in as the outro of this song, I love that better than the rest of the track.  A beat more like that would have excited me more.  Not to worry though, I think Grieves and Horrorshow could have a beautiful thing going and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing a further collab if this kid ever makes it out to Australia.  (If you want to know more about Grieves check my links at the bottom and stay tuned.)

Surprisingly out of the whole album the song that turned me off the most is the first single.  This is actually what kept me away from the album a long time.  I don't think it has the right effect, it doesn't catch you right away and it is not memorable.  A terrible choice in my opinion.  All it does is remind me that we're ready to see something different from these guys.

The absolute best and most important song on the album, and the one that makes the listening all worth while is Own Backyard which features newly signed Elefant Traks artist, Jimblah.  This track tells of a young white male's perspective of racism in Australia, how he goes from simply believing what he was taught in school to discovering the truth of Australia's bloody past for himself.  Then Jimblah comes forward to tell a tale which we never see in Australian hip hop.  A black perspective of continued racism in this country.   Stunningly poignant, the harrowing last line reminds us, "They tried to wipe us off of the face of the earth dude, need proof? Look around you."


 More than a lyricist who throws out catchy puns and one liners, Solo is a poet spinning a story that makes you feel you are in that moment with him if you listen closely enough, and that's something I hold  highly.  Honesty as well is a trait that is not optional for me, he's certainly not trying to represent anything that he is not, the downfall of many of the more popular hip hop artists.

Horrorshow is on tour! 
Their next few dates are:

TONIGHT
Thu 19 Sep
ANU Bar
Canberra

Fri 20 Sep *
Metro Theatre
Sydney

Sat 21 Sep *
Sprung Festival
Brisbane

Thu 26 Sep
Corner Hotel
Melbourne

*all ages
For a full list of tour dates and ticketing information click here

Link me up
Elefant Traks
Horrorshow official site / Facebook page
Jimblah official site / Facebook page
Grieves official site / Facebook page

She Lives Her Life in the Graveyard

written on: 2nd April 2006

       Walking the street one day I came upon a graveyard, and as I was passing by, I heard it call my name.  It beckoned to me with its little blue flames.  But I couldn't stay.  Because when I entered through the gate I laid under a tree in the shade, and it was reminiscent of the grave in which I laid too many times.  That darkest winter, alone and blind- still living through that borrowed time of days and nights just marching by.  And when spring finally did come, was it years or months until it stopped and I was born again?  And as I contemplated, the wind picked up and shook the trees and sprinkled me with autumn leaves.  So I knew it was about that time again.  Why do I remember it? And why do I linger so long now?
       So I got up to leave, I got out of that sleep that was pulling at me.  That old sense of familiarity.  That haunting, calming, alluring dream.  I tried to leave but the full moon above the trees was beaming down on me, rainbows cascading over me.  Hypnotized, it stopped me dead.  And as I stared into its encompassing beauty, the wind passed over me, surrounding me, it was holding me.  And as shadows passed by they whispered to me.  They said, don’t leave, there is someone we’ve been waiting for you to meet.

       Picking my way through the graves, the whispers drove me to this certain place.  A grove of pine trees with an opening where the moon was beaming down with it’s full intensity.  And as soon as my eyes spotted it, my mind was tripping over memories, and I slipped into a different dream.  The stars were moving rapidly until their images where no longer one clear spot, but a solid stream, white lines painted on a canvas of black ink.  I fell, but was that in the dream or in reality? 
       I awoke to a familiar smell- a match.  And then I saw the smoke of a cigarette- curling, dancing- then disappearing into the blackness.  Slowly you brought it to your lips and that single puff was like a kiss.  From where do I remember this?  Then I realized I was on my knees, as in prayer, still in the clearing and you were there, looking at me indifferently.  Lingering purposefully in the shadows so I could barely see your face.  But I knew instantly that I was safe.  I recognized you from those images in my head as I lay in the grave.  But as I walked toward you, you turned away as if maybe you’d forgotten what had already taken place.  In frustration I screamed to the trees, I demanded the moon tell me what was happening. 
       But I wasn’t the only one waiting to see.  Soon others were there, surrounding me.  Everyone was questioning, but their identities were unclear to me.  Soon I felt as though we all were in a sea.  Riding waves of uncertainty, drifting endlessly, just waiting to be saved.  The faces bobbed in and out of my vision, but no one seemed to realize the division between what was a dream and what was really happening. And no one seemed to notice me.  They were all lost in a hell of their own questioning.  For what were we waiting?
       I slipped under the water and found that I could breath easily, but all around the the others seemed to be drowning.  I saw you again as you swam beneath me.  You turned and smiled at me.  And then once again I was standing- with you next to me.  The world held its breath with the waiting.  The leaves weren't rustling.  No one was whispering.  Was it majestic or haunting? 
       I might have seen it first about the earth as if it were a distant star.  A point of light so far away.  It came upon me suddenly- the biggest flash, the brightest light I had ever seen.  And when it covered me I thought finally.  But it was instantly.  It seeped into me, filling me, engraining itself fully into every particle of my being.  I left my body and I was free.  I was released.  And when I went into it I knew everything.  It wasn't like the sea because there was no more questioning. There was no uncertainty.  The light became seamlessly part of me.  I was that thing.  I was everything.  The world was before me to see, and I was absolutely stunned by its beauty.  This connection that runs through everything.  I still felt you next to me.  Surrounding me, inside of me, all around me.  This is our journey.  You're an integral part of me.  And we're just floating through that stream, where history has no meaning because it's still happening.  
       I knew this couldn't last because I have a soul not yet complete, but these lessons are becoming easier.  I see everything with a soul much clearer.  So maybe I'm nearing a day when I can spend eternity inside this Perfect Unity where all information is available to me.  And I can access anything and live through it as if it were part of a dream.  And flow forever through this never ending stream with stopping points along the way.
       Then I awoke as if that were my dream.  But I remembered everything.  I knew it was reality.  I understood what was shown to me.  And then I turned over in bed to look at you.  Because I believe now is the beginning of our life where you can remember it too.

Peace and Love my lovelies! Stay tuned for more reviews next week!

<3 <3 <3 Jen <3 <3 <3

Inspiration in the form of a head bent over pen and paper

written on September 13^th, 2010

I know times are tough but
we are rich in Love.
And that’s something that no one can take away.
It can’t be erased,
like imaginary numbers on a bank balance in cyberspace
Your fake riches will never surpass us,
Because we’re deep in trust,
free as doves,
and full of Love.

And our army will be 100x stronger
with no weapons
just deepened perceptions
and richer connections
to each other
and this world.

We’ll find in time
that the human soul
can feel fulfilled
instead of always missing a beat.
Not feeling happy 

when we’re supposed to be happy,
or bursting at the seams.

Maybe there’s more to this world
than we ever imagined
a rich tapestry of fabrics
instead of just washed out faded jeans
old and worn out,
but so comfortable we can’t take them off.
What if this world is full of meaning
and information,

Connections we never even thought to imagine?

I hope you feel like you’re home again
but don’t get so comfortable that
you forget to imagine-
         another life,
            another world,
                another way to do things.
Don’t get tripped up over the same old
shoe strings.

I’m open in all the right ways.
There’s always something to chase
whether it’s a white rabbit,
or a Bible page

It’s really the same
just called by a different name
A means to an end.
It’s all in your head.
No really, the answers are all there.
There are many stories,
to help us achieve.
So we can finally realise,
and see the same things.
What is Enlightenment?
And how can it be that One Moment-
contains everything?

Step up and believe.        
with me
with all of us
we’re all in this moment
and we can make it
how we want it.
There’s no end in sight
just that fiery might
brute strength and ambition.
We can get all these kids to
lift that curtain
and then it won’t need to be
covered up again.

I’m finding my passion
and now I won’t let it go
It’s all about catching and riding
that flow.
And so if we teach
to never stop dreaming
because then you’ll never stop reaching.
And remember that each new end,
is really a beginning.
Can we get them to start listening?

There’s no time to waste with the negative
Fill yourself with positive thoughts
and more positive energy will be drawn to you
We can all direct our future
toward that bright light in the distance.

Positive energy will help you achieve it
And when you do reach it,
you’ll realise it was your own creation
made of bits of dreams you had
along the way.
Picked up like shells on a beach
If you look close enough, you’ll see
that even a single grain of sand radiates beauty.

And the deeper our brains go
the more stuff we can fit in
or we can imagine
what’s already hidden there
deep within the dragon’s lair
information and secrets
that hold the key to the Universe
Patterns deciphered .
Come on we’re all trying to find out.
Why is there order in confusion?
And what’s that mood you just got me in?

Pray at church
or at home, when there’s bud in a bowl
its just the same.
There’s that connection,
and we felt it.
We all come from the same thing
And mankind is the children.

We’re all fragments of One Being
step back and see the tapestry
that we are all just threads in.
Connected by destiny.
Yet it doesn’t make sense unless you
step back and see
the whole thing.

Whether you feel it kneeling
to God
Or just reeling,
 through mushroom clouds.
Whatever book you’ve been reading
any song you’ve been singing
It’s all pointing to the
One Thing.
If we look within each other
We’ll see part of ourselves
And if we realise that we’re all brothers
then maybe we could learn the lessons
that every religion in the world has been trying to tell us.

Be Good To Each Other.

And it’s as simple as that really
if we could be free and
open to our real human emotion
Instead of blaming all this hate
on some notion
that humans are inherently evil.
It’s just an excuse.

If we give love, we get it in return
something every person in this world
knows or could learn.
But our monetary society
instead dictates our common need.
And love is too easily
manipulated by greed.
And culture is in our ear
at all times,
singing us to sleep.

But don’t you weep
for someone who has nothing
if they’ve still got their dreams.