I suppose this is the “word of mouth” episode of HipTrax. Each of these artists became known to me through other acts that I dig, and, I suppose, that’s exactly the way it should be. Behold the power of networking!
“The Crystal Shard” by Selfhelp
I was introduced to the music of Selfhelp by another Canadian rapper, SJ the Wordburglar. Once Burg explained to me that he and Selfhelp had collaborated on a song about Robotech, I knew I’d found another artist worthy of my geeky attention. You can get that cut, as well as this amazing lyrical retelling of The Dark Crystal, on Selfhelp’s newly released album Old Friends.
“Burn” by Evil Giraffes on Mars
Evil Giraffes on Mars shares its tenor sax player, Jamaal Sawyer, with videogame covers group FOXHOUND. And while EGOM and FOXHOND also share a similar rock/jazz fusion sound, the similarities stop there. They describe their new album Cydonia as an “instrumental soundtrack to War of the Worlds, but with giraffes.” I reckon that sums it up ably.
“Chance of Showers (feat. MC Lars)” by My Parents’ Favorite Music
My Parents’ Favorite Music has been a fixture of the online nerdcore community for years, and I was first introduced to their music by my pal Beefy. Since that time, MPFM has gone through some changes, most notably transforming from a two-piece to a solo act consisting only of rapper Steffo. The newly released full-length Testing the Waters shows that Steffo has significantly broadened his writing style, as evidenced by this track featuring HipTrax staple MC Lars.
You can subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax #30 via this link, or just listen in the embedded player below.
The HipTrax theme song was created by Snake Eyes. Interestingly enough, I discovered Snake via Doctor Popular’s Crate Digger Deathmatch!
