Rating: 4/5

While gangsta rap always seemed to be a bit cartoonish to me, I always had a soft spot for more experimental form of the same genre (call it trip-hop, abstract hip-hop or what have you). And its always nice to discover that there’s local talent producing some of the more groove-tastic material of this kind…

Jenova 7 is nom de plume of Michael J. Sirois, Boston-based musician and filmmaker and “Soul For Sale” is his way of introducing himself to the world. “Soul” is a giant labyrtinth of sounds, all layered and modified – there’s stuttering beats and harmonica samples on a title track, hot guitar licks on “Last Breath And Beyond”, warm synth sounds of “World Still Turns” and so on and so forth.

At the center of the “Soul” (no pun intended) lies a love for all things vintage – whether its funk, psychedelic rock or jazz. Yet the production and technique are undenaibly modern and the way in which this record fuses together the past and the present is nothing short of mind-blowing.

Stream/buy “Soul For Sale” via Bandcamp

Further Info: Soundclick | Youtube