Hudson Music
JC Hip Hop, Hoboken Psyche-rock
APITO GOIEZ and WULVERINE - “Infinity Watch” (streaming)
Jersey City rapper Apito Goiez and busy NYC producer Wulverine have collab’ed for five fairly short tracks. Drill rap may be the rage but Chilltown rappers go their own way, and the strongest element of Apito Goiez comes from his refusal to follow trends or imitate the hitmakers. Instead you get gritty rhymes in his own style about trying to survive in a hard world, with Wulverine’s samples and loops high in the mix.
The titles “Don’t Bother Me” and “(No Thanks”) Imma Do My Own Thing” sum up the message. Blunts figure heavily in the narrative; women do not. The final track “You Heard” (with an ethereal female background vocal or sample) offers a master class in flow: ”you gonna hear what you want to hear till you ready to hear it, and if you ain’t heard, now you hear it.” I hear it.
TIMELORD SMITH - “Turtle” 6-song EP (streaming)
Hoboken’s Timelord Smith have been plying their fuzzed-out popcraft for a while now; the 6-song “Turtle” follows 2022’s “Who Made the Egg Salad Sandwiches” and 2018’s “Observer Highway.” I hesitate to trot out the tired trope “psychedelic,” which has splintered into as many different styles and sub-genres as “punk.” Let’s just say that on Turtle, Timelord Smith conjure up a collection of sprightly pop tunes with jangly and iridescent guitars, swirling synths, and lead vocals from Christine Miller-Polselli and David Pol. While only six tracks, this feels like an album, with songs that vary from commanding narrative to pastoral harmonies. There’s a jittery freneticism that runs throughout the album, while the complex arrangements and high-caliber musicianship recall the pop-fizz of NJ’s Speed The Plough. An echoing and building sense of dread infects “Condensation Builds,” which features David’s lead vocal with a harmonic chorus; a more upbeat and forceful vibe drives the title track. The outlier comes in “Under The Tree,” a happy, syncopated pop tune with lots of whistling (I love whistling) that’s bright and cheery and all about celebrating stolen kisses “under the tree.” Taken together, there’s much to like in the impeccable and crisply delivered arrangements and distinctive songwriting. Timelord Smith may not expand your mind, but “Turtle” remains a trip worth taking.