by CyPhEr777
Parallel-Say What? Absent Meridian
What is “It”? “It” is that indefinable sense of a group hitting its stride and delivering in their finest hour. Every beat and rhyme is infused with the utmost urgency and a punishing focus.
If you don’t know what I mean then check this out:
“Can you still rhyme, Can you still bust,
If I’m alive I probably will …
This is the time to show you whassup,
Forget all the lines that make you say WHAT?
It’s not what’s the matter; it’s the mind with the power
I was gonna ask what’s the matter with these cowards,
I’d rather ask Bush about the Twin Towers,
Ask Christians why they give him flowers,
It’s all polluted propaganda rebooted,
Reviewed it then defused the time bomb.”
These first few lines on the 1st track “Livin n Buildin” from Cali’s Parallel EP “Say What?” And if this is any indication of what the other six tracks are about, then you’re in for a treat.
The only problem you’ll face is that it’s only 7 tracks deep (two of them being instrumentals).
Parallel has at least 12 members but, only about six appear on this EP. Each emcee seems to come in at the right spot, leaving the listener with a tight verse every time as evident on the opening track. It gets even better with “Summer of ‘93”. The beat has that distinct dusty Cali sound. Sort of reminiscent of the vibe Saafir and Souls once displayed. Here the vocals are given more room to grow accompanied by a jumpy loop riding some heavy bass kicks and some light snares. A definite nod factor is achieved here, and the flows are unbelievable.
Seizmic comes thru with a smooth jazzy track named “???” which displays his beat creating skills. The two minute plus beat makes you want to bust your own freestyle.
The title track “Say What?” is the sickest track on here. It starts of with a Ron Carter type bass line followed by a spacey aesthetic for the background. The beat is sensationally crafted from a sweet formula of melody and simplicity which allows the crew’s lyrics to flow above it uninterrupted. The bass line carries over to the 2nd of the instrumentals in “Buzzkill” which is handled this time by Hyphen. It’s a more laidback lounge type joint; something you can chill to. It doesn’t carry the same upbeat hypeness as “???” but, it’s good nonetheless.
Add to this, the last dose of dope tracks (like “Daily Grind” and “Paving the Way”), and you have a tight collection of songs. Even though the introduction of Parallel to the world is short, you get seven hard slicing, mind melting tracks along with quality, strength and aggressiveness, both in the lyrics, as well as the beats. They cram more styles into one song than most bands could pull off in a career but, they make it all sound so damn easy and seamless. It’s easy to lose sight of just how frighteningly talented they really are. If you’re not a fan, this one could change your mind.
The success of “Say What?” comes down to two very important ingredients: sick beats and even sicker rhymes. Parallel are following the overriding rule that there are no rules, everything’s fair game, and it all fits in their expansive, incredible vision. Support by visiting http://www.myspace.com/absentmeridian and http://www.absentmeridian.com/ CyPhEr777
