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Edinburgh Castle April 11, 2003 Review by Jake Thomas All Music guide has this to say about Meanest Man Contest (MMC) "Oakland's Meanest Man Contest is like Boards of Canada doing hip-hop". I would say this assessment is pretty spot on; for the most part, the music ranged between Boards-style mellow electronica and DJ Shadow-type beats, with Erik solo having a voice pretty similar to Lateef from Latyrx. Having never heard of these chaps, it goes without saying that there was a hip-hop duo opening for Jim Yoshii Pile-Up (JYPU) at the Castle. I would soon find out that the man behind the music for MMC is also the guitarist for JYPU, and it had been so long since I'd seen him that I didn't recognize this until JYPU took the stage later. Back to MMC though - I dug it. I used to be really big into hip-hop, but have become pretty discouraged over the last few years; it just doesn't seem to hold the same zest for me as it used to. Lately though, things have been picking up, with all of the Solesides guys finally getting a little respect, Dalek producing some of the most innovative songs I've heard in ages, and now these guys. Although, I didn't know what I was getting into at the start, by the end I was transformed into a fan and immediately went over and bought their CD (which I am happy to say, as of me writing this a few days after the show, is quite good). It wasn't long after MMC was over that JYPU started playing. I've seen these guys a number of times opening for other bands, and I've always liked them, but somehow managed to never pick up any of their releases. So many bands, so little money, and all that. Anyways, they put on a fine show that made me quite sleepy, as I was sitting in a chair and having a job had forced me to wake much earlier than should be humanly necessary that morning. But I don't think the fact that they made me sleepy is a bad thing, it just goes to show that they make some damn soothing music. They would probably be the first to say they don't have the most energetic live show, but they more than make up for that by making some damn pretty tunes. From what I understand they focused on playing a lot of their newer stuff, but I can't testify to that. All I know is that I need to get off my ass and actually purchase some of their music, because it's good stuff. --- Check out our previous JYPU experiences: Photos: March 28, 2002 @ Great American Music Hall & November 18, 2001 @ Great American Music Hall Review: April 22 & 23, 2001 @ Bottom of the Hill w/Arab Strap ©2003 playinginfog.com |