MP3: Giant Robot - Helsinki rock city
I won't pretend to be any sort of hip-hop expert, but I know what I like when I hear it. For people already in the know, I've barely scratched the surface of Scandinavian hip-hop with yesterday's video mix, but realize that we all have to start somewhere. No disrespect to Looptroop, long considered one of Sweden's leading crews, but my favorite stuff is almost always done in the act's native tongue or performed with live backing. A perfect example would be Timbuktu backed by Damn! - that stuff is unfuckwithable, regardless of whether or not you can understand what they're saying. However, that's not who I'll be posting today. I've posted about the Finnish band Giant Robot before, but it's been awhile and I really like them, so I figure now's as good a time as any to revisit. The band's soulful live instrumentation and socially conscious lyrics immediately remind me of Michael Franti (Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Spearhead), but Giant Robot tends to concentrate more on the music than the message. They've got important things to say, but they're also a party band that knows how to get the floor moving. Today's track "Helsinki rock city" is a surefire crowd-pleaser in the hometown, no doubt. I think it works just as well abroad. To be completely honest, I prefer the band's second album "Domesticity" (2004), as opposed to "Crushing you with style" (1999) - the record this track came from. Both are good, but the later record has more hot songs and flows better as a whole. Anyhow, today's posting is still a fine place to start.
Giant Robot - Helsinki rock city