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Review: Jack Foley
NAMED after a crispy fried pork skin snack, The Chicharones are
a two-man hip-hop partnership comprised of Josh Martinez and Sleep,
and their music positively sizzles!
The duo intend to launch a wholehearted musical assault on the
world in 2005, beginning with the Pork Rind Disco EP,
which suitably wets the appetite ahead of the debut album, When
Pigs Fly, in the summer.
The EP consists of four tracks from the album and includes remixes
and instrumentals that merely serve to highlight how much the
duo love playing around with their music.
But what sounds borderline repetitive actually becomes quite
alluring, allowing The Chicharones to work their magic over the
course of 27 minutes of easygoing rhythms, laidback beats and
indie-hip-hop melodies.
The title track kicks things off in suitably impressive fashion,
featuring a lively hip-hop beat, some gentle guitar riffs and
short, sharp bursts of strings during the chorus.
It's the type of flavoursome hip-hop more usually associated
with the feel-good vibe of DM & Jemini, or early De La Soul
and succeeds in getting you to want to hear more.
Red Carpet Treatment is a little more urban in attitude,
courtesy of a harder, more fast-talking rap, and a grittier collection
of beats, but it still makes the right sort of impression and
suggests that Martinez and Sleep are more than capable of mixing
up their styles a little.
Guys Like Me, the pick of the EP, is a strings-laden,
smooch-tastic hip-hop ballad that drips sauciness - pork rind-style!
In instrumental form, it's an epic in its own right, easing you
into a laidback mood, and generally making you feel good.
Last but not least comes Can't Find The Time, a funky
little number that perfectly encapsulates the duo's ability to
marry party-orientated raps around feel-good hip-hop beats (including
some nice piano).
On the strength of their entree, don't bet against the full rack
of The Chicharones to be one of the tastiest hip-hop treats of
the year.
When Pigs Fly LP reviewed
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