Boom Bip

Hailing from the Guelph, ON-based Plague Language crew that exposed Noah 23 through two full-length albums, Baracuda72 drops his debut full-length. Like Noah's Neophyte Phenotype debut, Baracuda's Tetragammoth is less an album than a collection of drum & bass and hip hop-songs recorded over a period of time (1999 to present), with the varied sound quality one would expect. Unfortunately, after hearing Noah's Quicksand, it's easy to hope that all future Plague Language releases would sound as good. Tetragammoth is raw, but it's also a strong introduction to another talented Guelph MC. The pseudo-scientific speech that seems the norm for Plague Language members is still prevalent, but more structured (and thus easier deciphered) than many songs by Noah 23, which may make Tetragammoth more appealing to fans that may have shied from the label in the past. The best moments are often the drum & bass tracks, like "Waking Life Moment," "Snap" and "Deadly Ray" (the last previously released on a split twelve-inch with Noah 23). A few dark, high-octane hip-hop moments like "The Pattern That Lies Beneath Us" and "Mutagen" also remain memorable - the sample of soldiers on the march in the latter song helps bring the battlefront to life in your very own headphones. In fact, there are very few low moments on Tetragammoth, although it probably isn't for everyone. And as an interesting aside, everyone who sees the cover art is compelled to make a positive comment.