Review: Tuesday by Benjamin Bear

Benjamin Bear is a prolific artist whose musical presence has been making the internet that little bit more interesting for a number of years now. Although best known for his talent for rap, he has consistently demonstrated that he has both the inclination and the skills to express himself through a variety of different vocal styles. This versatility is well represented on Tuesday, his latest release. Predominantly a rap album, Benjamin Bear balances more traditional hip-hop sounds with occasional emotionally sung choruses (from B Bear himself on Dead Planet, and with a strong guest appearance from Marc with a C on the intensely personal Broken Windows), and a rock-infused attitude on Here, You Can Have This Back (featuring Betty Rebel and Schaffer the Darklord). The coherence of such contrasting tracks, and the differing styles of their collaborators, are a testament to the broad appeal of this album.

I'm sure it's clear by now that this is a collaboration-heavy album; eight of Tuesday's twelve tracks feature guest vocalists. This adds to the diversity of sounds provided, keeping the listening experience fresh throughout, and provides some of my favourite parts of the album. The Wordburglar's fun flow is well delivered on the appropriately titled Special Delivery, whilst YTCracker's love of all things scientific provides a powerful catalyst in the interaction between his and Bear's respective styles in Everyday Science You Can Do At Home. If there is a weakness to this album, it is that due to the variety on offer, you may not find every track to your liking. By the same token, however, most listeners will find something to their satisfaction.

Lyrically, Benjamin Bear doesn't disappoint. The more personal narratives presented are done so sincerely, and create an atmosphere which seemingly brings the listener closer than many artists can manage. Those lyrics that deal with less serious concerns are delivered with obvious thought and maintain a decent level of complexity without ever becoming a chore to follow. B Bear knows his audience, and provides his take on one of the hottest and most enduring topics in this community in About This Whole Nerd Music Thing. This combination of self-awareness and consideration of the listener is refreshing, and represents a significant part of this album's appeal.

Featuring Benjamin Bear at his best, Tuesday is indicative of years of persistence paying off, and it is well worth a listen. You can download the album for free from benjaminbear.net, and at that price I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Review: Cold Winter by The ThoughtCriminals

Followers of nerdcore should recognise the name of the ThoughtCriminals. A collaboration on Random's highly lauded Black Materia album and a track on the first Nerdcore Now compilation are but two signs of their whole-hearted participation in today's nerdcore community. If such guest appearances are your only experiences of this band, however, you are missing out on some of the most interesting and compelling music on offer in this scene, as listeners to Cold Winter, their latest release, will attest.

An atmospheric sound pervades this album, the band's tight instrumental and vocal efforts augmented by often subtle touches added by producer (and rapper) Mikal kHill. This level of atmosphere complements the vocal efforts of kHill and Sulfur, the group's other primary vocalist, which deliver emotion at a level suiting their lyrics. These lyrics are reminiscent of Random's in that they manage to deliver on thoughtful and personal levels as well as appealing to the nerds (and, in particular, the gamers) in the listeners. Combined with satisfyingly skilful flow, the result pleases the ears in ways both familiar and less familiar to fans of good rap music.

True to their habit of sharing the love amongst their fellow nerdcore artists, Cold Winter plays host to verses from five visiting luminaries of the genre. The first such guest of the album, Stevie D of the Illbotz, rounds off Return of the Antagonist well with a style melding nicely with those of the regular vocalists. Later on the album we are reminded of nerdcore legend Beefy's versatility as he delivers strongly on the personal-feeling Our Time. Following this, and closing the album, comes Earthbound – a strong closing track if ever I heard one, boasting the talents of Adam WarRock and the (twice) already mentioned Random. My favourite collaboration of the album, however, is delivered in the form of All the Coins, a great song made greater by the mature flow of Dual Core's Int80.

With no weak tracks, the only conclusion can be that this is one of 2011's strongest nerdcore releases so far. The clear and continuous respect afforded the ThoughtCriminals by more established favourites of the genre is justified by the consistent standard of this album. The group's somewhat raw sound is both an endearing feature of their music and an encouraging sign that further growth can be expected in their future releases. Now, on the back of this release and on the cusp of surely ever-better releases to come, is a perfect time to expand your knowledge of the ThoughtCriminals. And with this album's 'pay what you want' pricing model, what excuse do you have not to?