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Review: 'WesdaRuler'
'Ocean Drive'   

-  Label: 'Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records'
-  Genre: 'Hip-Hop' -  Release Date: '13.9.19.'-  Catalogue No: 'HHBTM201'

Our Rating:
It's time once more for one of my very rare reviews of a Rap album and no it's not all gold chains and no brains thankfully in fact WesdaRuler is far more at the middle class intellectual end of the rap game, can I even use terms like that, speaking as the sort of reviewer who couldn't tell an Kanye West track from an Usher one.

But still this Album by one of Athens Georgia's own opens with The Intro which is all whooshing ocean sounds and Piano and is rather gentle and laid back. Eventually the Drum and bass kicks in as it morphs into Butterfly as Wes starts to rap about being a middle class black guy, it's a sparse butterfly that he's rapping about.

Stay At Home starts off muted with almost Casio like keyboards then a slow drum pattern comes in for Wes to then lay it on about the depression he suffers from and why he wants to stay indoors and not go anywhere as he prefers his own little cocoon the effect of which for me is to be reminded of several old R. Stevie Moore songs.

Dreaming is all dreamy and floaty but with sparse breakbeats and I almost expected a Burroughs style Spare Ass Annie type rap to accompany it.

Let Da Music Play is more upbeat almost dancefloor ready, all be it for a very slow shuffling dance. Interlude does what you'd expect it too, a calm musical break heralding the end of the side one on the vinyl version of the album.

Side two opens with GeturAssinthecar yes, it's all one word with no Dollar signs or Benz references. It has an insistent sub bass beat as Wes lays down why you need to get ur ass in that car and who are we to argue with him.

Life Life is all slow spacey keyboards and drum and bass with a careful rap about getting it together to live and shine with some good odd noises to go along with it. Wannado keeps the keyboards front and centre as he gets ready to go and get down on it, a very laid back rap against an odd backing.

The album closes with Ocean Drive a slow chilled exploration of the coastal drive whose percussion is at odds with the keyboards almost like the tide is coming in just like that very funky bassline.

If you get the vinyl of the album and use the download code you also get as a bonus a download of the Instrumental version of the album that's perfect if you feel like freestyling your own raps over the tunes or dropping them into your next DJ set or re-mixing and sampling them into something else if that's your particular bag, for me the instrumental version works as a sort of oddly 21st century chill out wonky jazz album.
If this all sounds like your sort of thing find out more at wwwhhbtm.com or wesdaruler.bandcamp.com
  author: simonovitch

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