Big Urban is okay, but the best two tracks were free releases from the label I already had. Still, he's an interesting emcee with a very low key delivery, which is what I've been drawn too lately. But some of the instrumentals sound a little too close to generic indie rock for me.

Gonjasufi rounded out the rest of my valentine's iTunes gift card purchase. Good stuff. Probably more reigned in then his Kufi and a Killer album, but less misteps, too, IMO. Some weird cool singing over some good left field beats. Wouldn't mind if he rapped more, I think he's good enough at it to mix it up a bit.

EMV would be the cynical, market-tested to be fool-proof industry album if every 14 year old girl had my tastes in music. Just everything I'm digging right now in music. Field recordings, beats, lo fi samples, right on the line between head nodding and noise. All it's missing is a low-key MC.

On the free front, my favorite thing I've downloaded recently was Matthewdavid's mix for XLR8R. I think it's from last year, but it's a really good mix. Even though it includes stuff by Michael Jackson, Milli Vanilli, Jodeci and even Shai, in addition to the beat scene stuff, the way he mixes everything with a murky, lo-fi cassette aesthetic makes it sound super cohesive. It's a mix that succeeds in making every single song sound like a Matthewdavid song, which is great if you like Matthewdavid.