- P.O.S and Astronautalis have joined forces to form FOUR FISTS. Doomtree Records proudly presents their debut release: a limited-edition 7-inch featuring two new songs, “Please Go” and “MMMMMHMMMMM,” and the instrumental version of each.
Astronautalis is part emcee, part method actor, with an uncanny ability to channel characters on the edge—of a breakdown, of a revelation, of a fistfight. P.O.S (Rhymesayers/Doomtree) made his name as a gifted risk-taker, fashioning head-nodding beats from strange noises, and writing anthemic lyrics from unexpected vantage points.
These first two tracks from FOUR FISTS were produced collaboratively by the duo, holed up in P.O.S’ attic during an exceptionally brutal Minnesota winter. In these songs, listeners will hear the rappers’ usual sharpness and a nod to traditional notions of hip-hop collaborations, but their noir approach yields an entirely new sound: dark choral layers and punk rock gang vocals create a sense of impending doom. “Please Go” is a haunting number that runs on thick, brooding bass; it’s shaped by a frayed synth, whispered vocal takes, and soaring strings that sweep in and out of the darkness like cars passing in the distance. “MMMMMHMMMMM” opens with quick snares, in the sharp staccato stabs of an Underwood typewriter, and a bass synth that pulses like an idling outboard motor, till the track explodes into a wall of layered drums and throat-shredding vocals—P.O.S and Astronautalis at their most deadly. The two songs clock in under 8 minutes and still hit like a ton of bricks, leaving you dizzy, breathless, and eager for this duo’s coming full length album.
This is a fucking good track.
Been loving this. The local public radio station has been playing this a lot. POS is a pretty big deal around here. The Current, 89.3, is our local publicly funded radio station, part of MPR. They play all kinds of indie music and non top40 stuff, some local to Minnesota, but stuff from all over as well. I'm only mentioning this because it just occurred to me that Hubski might like this station based on the weekly music threads. You can stream live! If you love it, donate! http://www.thecurrent.org/ Astronautalis actually moved here to collaborate with POS and some other Rhyme Sayers artists, and mainly be apart of the hip hop community here. He does quite a few shows around here, but haven't made it out yet. I'm not a huge hip hop fan live show person, seems most groups can't really pull it off. :(
I can't remember who so I'm indiscriminately tagging BrainBurner and ButterflyEffect? I've had Astro conversations with someone on hubski before. Not sure who.
It was ButterflyEffect: http://hubski.com/pub?id=75080 & http://hubski.com/pub?id=75112
I'M SO EXCITED OVER THIS AND JEALOUS THAT YOU'RE SEEING HIM AGAIN /allcaps. These are easily two of my favorite artists making hip-hop today.
Wasn't me. I've never been into rap as much as I think I should be. Most I can do is listen to some old school stuff or a project like Fela Soul by Amerigo Gazaway.