On the Human Inhuman Records label, catalog no. hi009d* is 1347 AD by Slumlord Philadelphia, which is not a formulaic album; it was not cooked up by some industry corporate weasels to appeal to a very very specific demographic. No software was used to spit out a list of musical elements they must utilize to achieve a maximum market share of some revenue stream generated by the purchasing trends of a subset of the global economic community.
It does not have one mass-marketable perfect cut followed by 10 lesser quality variations or retreads of a corporate-mandated formula culled from focus group survey data.
No, this is nothing as cold and calculated as that. 1347 AD by Slumlord Philadelphia is a collection of 12 songs, 11 of which were composed and performed by 3 musicians/ music fans who put the songs together based on shared notions of what makes great music. These shared ideas include stuff like:
Catchy basslines and guitar riffs
Funky and headbangin beats and fills
Lyrics that come from the heart and mind sung with passion, but not in a way that aims at being pretty or superhuman
All performed with precision, energy and excitement
Recorded and produced so as to make the raw live performance the focal point, in no way enhanced/cluttered by 21ST century techno-illogical gimmickry
Oh, and that 1 other song? Yes, it is performed by these same 3 dudes using the criteria described above, but they did not write it. It is a kickass cover of "Use Me" by 70s Soul artist Bill Withers. It is reverent and real, edgy and unexpected.
So if you are looking for an album that reflects a variety of moods and themes but does so with its own new and unique sound somewhat reminiscent of both current and old stuff, using the musical elements listed just above, well then, good citizen, Slumlord Philadelphia’s 1347 AD is the PERFECT album for you. Congratulations.
*The d means we set the album up with digital distribution via cdbaby.com. Physical distribution is handled by Worldeater.
1347AD by Slumlord Philadelphia's Friend Space (Top 8)
