Search - Push Button Objects :: Ghetto Blaster

Junkmedia.org Review - Rhymes and hot beats

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 06/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ghetto Blaster, the second LP from Edgar Farinas, a.k.a. Push Button Objects, is hard to isolate from the current situation of independent hip-hop as a whole, given the record's supporting cast. Mr. Lif, Vast Aire, the Anticon collective, Del the Funkee Homosapien, Aesop Rock -- these emcees are key figures in indie rap's swiftly-solidifying hierarchy, and their ubiquitous presence on various compilations and collaborations has, at worst, brought the scene back to a state of pre-Cold Vein predictability. On Ghetto Blaster, the guest vocalists hit each track without breaking career stride: dope, creative rhymes, but nothing you haven't heard from this group before. But to dismiss the record on these grounds would be to mistake text for context, an unfair slight to Farinas, who brings serious skills to the boards throughout. Push Button Objects makes beats for producers and for emcees, and compromises nothing on either side. "Hustlin'," Ghetto Blaster's opening track, flows from robotic chaos to Shadow-y sampling and atmospherics, a testament to the eclectic sound that runs throughout the album. The next two tracks, and especially the spare "Fly," bring the kind of beats that I imagine emcees hear in their dreams, beats that couldn't possibly stand without a crew getting together for a cipher session. PBO also knows how to match production to his featured vocalists, best exhibited on the Anticon cut "3 Doctors" and "Shut Down," which pits Aesop Rock against a beautiful guitar track. For the most part, the instrumental tracks succeed as stand-alone productions, ranging from the haunting "Sleep" to the old-school electro of "Breaker's Delight." Ghetto Blaster ends with "Washington Ave.," which chops the urban congestion of "Hustlin'" into a serene head-nodder that perfectly sums up Push Button Object's sonic balance. The record, in the context of the hip-hop underground's present moment, isn't anything revolutionary, just hip-hop at its essence -- rhymes and hot beats. Robert Albanese
junkmedia.org Review"