Milk

This cd is a must have, defenitely one of the best cd's of the year. Popular Demand was a nice cd, but the sound on tronic is cleaner. The beats are crazy and the flows are nice. Like Larry said before, if you like the dilla, atcq, madlib style beats you better pick up this one cuz this kid is the future o f hip hop!

The comparison between Tronic to Black Milk's previous album "Popular Demand" is kind of hard as the sounds of the albums are really different from each other. To be honest Popular Demand is a better album in terms of sound and quality. However, if this is your first time hearing Black Milk you'll definitely become a fan after listening to this release. The overall sound of the album can best described as organs over electronic jazz breaks. TRONIC indeed describes the sound. Airy, atmospheric electronic organs sounds and electronic drums.


'Long Story Short' a great song to start off the album! The third best track off this release. Some people may recognize the drum snares from Dilated Peoples classic song "Work The Angles".

'Bounce' is nice,funky and well...bouncy. Check the rhyme from Bounce:

"It ain't just us with the pain struck /Even old school artists feel like the game is f*cked"....so true Black so true.

'Hold It Down' is the second best track off this album and 'The Matrix' featuring DJ Premier,Sean Price & Pharoah Monch being the best of all the tracks.

'Hold It Down'is a club banger type joint. It has lots of energy.

'Losing Out' featuring Royce Da 5' 9".Royce & Black Milk do I really need to even speak about this track..it's Royce Da 5' 9"..you better know. It's the fourth best track.

'Try' is similar in sound to 'Losing Out'. It's great track as well. It contains ,I believe , a Gladys Knight sample.
'Overdose' and 'Bond For Life' featuring Melanie Rutherford I really enjoyed. I would say 'Bond For Life' is the fifth best track on TRONIC.

'Summer' is a fun little instrumental track. Those who liked A Tribe Called Quest's song "Find A Way" will probably like this song.

'Reppin For U'> featuring Ab is something I know underground heads will feel.

The two songs I wasn't feelin were 'Without U' and 'Give The Drummer Sum'. I'm not saying they're bad just I wasn't really into them.

'Hell Yeah' featuring Fat Ray is the WORST track on TRONIC. It should have been left off this album or reworked. The drums on the song are good but the organ sounds are down right annoying.

Well 14 songs total and only one filler joint. I would say that's a good strong album. So far El Da Sensei & The Returners "Global Takeover" is the best Hip Hop album released this year but Black's album is indeed in my top five best albums of 2008.

Go grab that it's definitely worth your support and money.
BUY THE ALBUM

Hot, new, refreshing hip hop right here!!!!
Flow 4.5
Beats 5
Entire Album 4.5

Cop It Quick!!!!

Black is droppin' so heat once again!! If you love real hip hop just get this album. This is what today's hip hop can sound like, if every mainstream radio rapper would stop doing what the other guys doing. No copycat trends(no autotune)here, just straight originality, live instrumentation, and Beats. Black's a beast with the beats, and he stepped up his lyric game. If Black Milk name is on it, cop it, guaranteed to bring da heat!! Hate on him if you want, no other rapper/producer coming out this consistent in a while. A must buy for Dilla, Madlib, ATCQ, Slum Village fans. More of that Detroit sound, like Berry Gordy came back... don't lose out!

The lyrics are poignant, the meaning behind them uplifting, the instrumentation frantic and the vocals strained and real. Some people seem to get caught up on the lead singer's voice; so he's not Paul McCartney, but I don't have a problem with it. CSNY didn't want to let Neil Young sing at first either, but he's had one of the longest and most successful musical careers in memory. A simply beautiful album if you have the capacity to listen to it (yes, musical snobbery. Egads!)

Greatest Album of All TIME. this album is simply the best album I've ever listened to. I have listened to it once a week for a few years now and don't plan on stopping.

A quintessential lo-fi masterwork of acoustic power and unrestrained vocal, this highly influential album helped pave the way for the broken-boy aesthetics of Bright Eyes and literate ballads of Decemberists to be the prominent independent music it is today. Sure, some of the production should have been tuned up a bit even if the overall quality of hearing the performance right in front of you is partly why this album still shines bright, but mostly it is because the sincerity and simplicity coupled with thematic ambitions preserved this track listing better then it ought.

As far as lo-fi goes, this took the sub-genre in a whole new direction. Not for everyone, and you'll be hard-pressed to find hit single potential in any of these early 90's noise pop-rock confections, but the lyrics are strong, with a strong Anne Frank theme throughout. If you enjoy this kind of music, you will fall in love with this album. It's as simple as that!

By the time I was appreciating music as a young man stumbling onto records, one group I would grow to love was already over - and I was crushed to learn online that there would probably never be a chance for me to see the group perform the songs live. I remember fervently trying to make up for that by searching for hours for Neutral Milk Hotel rarities and demos, an act I normally just don't do - even for bands I really enjoy. I searched for photographs and interviews with Jeff Mangum, wondering where this mysterious, power-voiced balladeer disappeared to.

And I am still reasonably sure that the allure is more than just the mystery, or whatever it was about losing Cobain that made everyone think Nirvana was so great. Even now, after listening to this record for years and years, I'm still floored by the lyrics and delivery, the sheer, brute force and clarity of the communication. I don't think I'll ever shake the eerie feeling of barely-perceived magnitude - of utter awe- I got when I heard the songs on Areoplane at 15 or 16. It makes me utterly uncomfortable to have such a strong one-way avenue of communication from such an enigmatic, commanding figure. When I put the records on now, it's like he just walks into the room, sits you down, and says listen to me. Don't move. Don't speak. Don't breathe until I'm finished, and everything will make sense.

The lyrics are poignant, the meaning behind them uplifting, the instrumentation frantic and the vocals strained and real. Some people seem to get caught up on the lead singer's voice; so he's not Paul McCartney, but I don't have a problem with it. CSNY didn't want to let Neil Young sing at first either, but he's had one of the longest and most successful musical careers in memory. A simply beautiful album if you have the capacity to listen to it (yes, musical snobbery. Egads!)

Greatest Album of All TIME. this album is simply the best album I've ever listened to. I have listened to it once a week for a few years now and don't plan on stopping.

A quintessential lo-fi masterwork of acoustic power and unrestrained vocal, this highly influential album helped pave the way for the broken-boy aesthetics of Bright Eyes and literate ballads of Decemberists to be the prominent independent music it is today. Sure, some of the production should have been tuned up a bit even if the overall quality of hearing the performance right in front of you is partly why this album still shines bright, but mostly it is because the sincerity and simplicity coupled with thematic ambitions preserved this track listing better then it ought.

As far as lo-fi goes, this took the sub-genre in a whole new direction. Not for everyone, and you'll be hard-pressed to find hit single potential in any of these early 90's noise pop-rock confections, but the lyrics are strong, with a strong Anne Frank theme throughout. If you enjoy this kind of music, you will fall in love with this album. It's as simple as that!

By the time I was appreciating music as a young man stumbling onto records, one group I would grow to love was already over - and I was crushed to learn online that there would probably never be a chance for me to see the group perform the songs live. I remember fervently trying to make up for that by searching for hours for Neutral Milk Hotel rarities and demos, an act I normally just don't do - even for bands I really enjoy. I searched for photographs and interviews with Jeff Mangum, wondering where this mysterious, power-voiced balladeer disappeared to.

And I am still reasonably sure that the allure is more than just the mystery, or whatever it was about losing Cobain that made everyone think Nirvana was so great. Even now, after listening to this record for years and years, I'm still floored by the lyrics and delivery, the sheer, brute force and clarity of the communication. I don't think I'll ever shake the eerie feeling of barely-perceived magnitude - of utter awe- I got when I heard the songs on Areoplane at 15 or 16. It makes me utterly uncomfortable to have such a strong one-way avenue of communication from such an enigmatic, commanding figure. When I put the records on now, it's like he just walks into the room, sits you down, and says listen to me. Don't move. Don't speak. Don't breathe until I'm finished, and everything will make sense.

Limited but passionate debut from the alt-folksters might not have all the cathartic power and indie-might their acclaimed follow up possessed, but was a good start indicating the abrasive acoustic direction to expect. Too many songs just seem to embellish a simple chord progression to make the songwriting noteworthy, but these are one of those bands that thrive off of making simple transitions sound far more urgent and truthful then they ought.

If your reading this, you probably are wanting more after In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (and if your trying to figure out which one first, still find out, it might help you).

The people who love In the Aeroplane Over The Sea, don't worry. That album will not become a distant memory. Their first album, though, is a lo-fi acoustic based classic. There's a bunch of differences that seperate the two albums (Neutral Milk Hotel only released two full length albums). So this album isn't a replacement for In the Aeroplane Over The Sea.

On Avery Island is acoustic based, but Jeff Magnum, whenever he plays it, the guitar's tone is fuzzy (well, almost). However, the fuzzy guitar sounds excellent, and the more you listen, the guitars will grow on you like fungus. You could eat that kind of tone, at least that's what it feels like (you know like cheerios? Heh). The drums thump and drive along, though they sound a bit messy as well. But it totally works. There's no shortage of different instruments, but they are used very differently. There aren't many horns, but when they do appear, they give the sense that your soaring. A couple of unique workouts are there are too, though completely different.

I think the overall tone, in the end, is LESS unhappy. Well, Magnum ain't sunshine, but it's not as, I dunno, I can't really explain it in words. Just one listen at Song Against Sex, and you get the sense it's not going to be as harrowing as ITAOTS. But that tone that Neutral Milk Hotel, from the vocals to the instrumentation, the world that his music engulfs me, it's still there. The cover kind of fits it, though it's much more than that. I'm not giving it out. Make your own, because it's better for you.

All together, I really liked all the things it offered: The irresistable fuzzy tone, the lo-fi that makes it sound even more great (not for novelty value, it's used to get the great sound), lyrics that are easier to figure out (less personal, for sure), the drums, everything else is different enough that both stand out on their own (no small feet). Still, I came from ITAOTS, and this record generally sounds like a good thumbs up. So dig in. Forget it. Get them both. They both demand to be listened to.

8.5/10

I'm only giving this one four stars because it isn't "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," but you still need to own this album. Absolutely phenomenal. Jeff Mangum is amazing.

The first thing I noticed about 'On Avery Island' was the fact that almost all the songs are buried under a thick layer of noise. However, once (if) one gets past that, there are some good songs beneath. The entire album has a strange, somewhat surreal feel to it; previous reviewers have described it quite well as 'carnivalesque'. Jeff Mangum, regardless of what one may think of him as a songwriter, is NOT a good singer. His voice takes a bit of getting used to. I don't mind it now, but at first it seemed rather jarring. (note to previous reviewer: just because one doesn't think Mangum is a good singer doesn't mean they're a mindless pop music drone.)
In short form, 'On Avery Island' is a decent but not brilliant album. The production will (understandably) be unlistenably abrasive to many.

Highlights:
Where You'll Find Me Now
Naomi

I purchased On Avery Island after hearing and loving In an Aeroplane over the Sea. While On Avery Island doesn't measure up to the album from Neutral Milk Hotel that followed, I'm glad I got it and enjoy several tracks from it.

It is a delight to have this early Jerry Herman show in my collection again, as it was going at quite a steep price at one time..I had the original 61-62 version in my collection for years and recorded it on CD and then recently bought the new CD...The music is very good and captures quite well the esscence of the story of the show...You really cannot go wrong with a Herman Score...the stories often don't work, but the music is a delight!! This is one of his that I have never seen staged, and of course, did not see the original version..We get a bonus track of Robert Goulet singing his version of Shalom from the show and it is quite good!! He did a series of Broadway Albums, which this song comes from, some of them not very well known, but quite tuneful!! He was in a show called the Happy Time, and that is another wonderful score by kander and Ebb..and sometimes is hard to find, but worth the trouble...At any rate I would recommend Milk and Honey to anyone who loves fine music of an earlier era..

Finally the CD has been re-released to this magnificent, if somewhat forgotten gem of a musical. Jerry Herman's first Broadway show has a score full of stunning ballads, marvelous comedy numbers and hummable ensemble pieces. The songs performed by Robert Weede and Mimi Benzel (and there are several) are fantastic, Molly Picon's numbers are witty and catchy and there is a ballad, I Will Follow You sung by Tommy Rall (he of the numerous MGM musicals) that causes goosebumps, it is so beautiful. Though the show had a respectable run of over 500 performances, it wouldn't be until years later, after Herman's success with Mame, Hello Dolly! and La Cage Aux Folles, that people began to take a look at Milk and Honey. If ever there was a show deserving of a revival, this may be it!!
A wonderful CD even if the recording technique at the time is annoying today, having the vocals move back and forth between tracks to create (what they thought at the time) a live performance feel, a stereo style that mercifully did not last too long!! I wish they had remixed this release to eliminate that annoyance.

Although "Milk and Honey" did not make the waves that "Hello Dolly" and "Mame" did, it ranks along with Jerry Herman's best scores. It is a wonderful mix of romance, enthusiasm, and humor.
The original cast, with Robert Weede and Mimi Benzell in beautiful voice, along with Molly Picon's touch of humor without reaching into parody, are in top form. The interplay of the two leads and the chorus in "There's No Reason" is brilliant.
This is only the first of several scores written by Herman, some of which did not receive the acclaim they should have, and one or two that were over-hyped.

Milk and Honey is an old musical that is in short supply and I was so pleased to find one on a CD. I have copy on a phonograph record that a friend put on a CD for me and I enjoyed listening to the music, but to today's ear, it was scratchy. What a pleasure to have a copy which is so easy to listen to. Thank you Amazon.com.

Jerry Herman made an impressive Broadway debut with his score for this musical set in Israel. Although the show ran 543 performances, it never quite developed into a blockbuster and was quickly forgotten once it closed. RCA Victor reissued the cast album on CD in 1994 but unfortunately the master tapes had been lost and the sound quality of the CD is less than perfect: you can hear noise and drop-outs from time to time.

Nothing can dim Jerry Herman's delightful score, however, and Robert Weede, fresh from his Broadway triumph in MOST HAPPY FELLA displays his warm baritone in "Shalom." Molly Picon is wonderful with her "Hymn to Hymie." The title song becomes a brisk march, similar in style to the title number in Herman's DEAR WORLD. You'll also hear some of Jerry Herman's trademark love songs in "Let's Not Waste a Moment" and "As Simple a That."

The booket has a detailed synopsis, a history of the production and biographies of the stars as well as photos of the recording session.

The CD has gone out-of-print and copies often sell for $50 or more...if you can find one for sale.

Harvey Milk dwell outside the bubble, where the air is poisonous and thoroughly intoxicating. This record rules.

Something happens where nothing was before. It perhaps sounds like Thelonious Monk's introduction to Misterioso, and this something is the ontological rift: the birth of being. It keeps going, the universe unfolds and folds in on itself presenting a self reflexive consciousness, and awareness of being: this is the primal throes of what you do when you realize you are: you scream: your truth of being is a violent tear in the cosmic fabric of universe. The first thing you know... Uncle Jed's a millionare.

This EP is worth the price based on the title track alone. The rest of it is pretty interesting as well, although the last song is a bit strange. Nothing most E6 fans aren't used to.

I personally love Neutral Milk Hotel, and I'm glad I purchased this, but it's certainly not for everyone. The recording is extremely low-fi, and there is a great deal of spoken interludes before songs. "Aunt Eggma Blowtorch" is almost entirely one strange sample of a sample. But I do feel the rest of the songs are of good caliber, but their certainly not Neutral Milk Hotel's best. If you're looking for an introduction to NMH, stick to the full lengths, this ep is probably only enjoyable for devout fans.

Buzzing, staticky voices open the "Everything Is" EP, followed by a staticky, buzzing drum solo. Neutral Milk Hotel is in fine form here, with frontman Jeff Mangum providing his usual hallucinatory innocence to the offbeat songs and catchy, fuzzy music.

The "Everything Is" single is a solid, swirling song with a weird spoken intro. It's also insanely catchy by Neutral Milk Hotel's standards, enough to make you bounce in your seat. A slower, rippling song follows in "Snow Song Pt. 1" and the bouncy, unexceptional "Tuesday Night." Perhaps strangest and most striking is the eerie "Aunt Eggma Blowtorch" is basically an experimental collage of music and recorded sounds.

Neutral Milk Hotel is known for its low-fi sound, and that's definitely present here. It's rough and unpolished (anyone else hear Mangum coughing into the mike?), which makes its quality all the more striking. Mangum's high-pitched voice sounds full and solid in this outing, without the reedy quality he had in "Avery Island."

Mangum's sweetly psychedelic lyrics are as striking as ever ("As children draped in flowers form a chain/They sing a song with jelly jars and bird calls/As night falls into dust and it's day again"), and the fuzz guitar and rapid-fire percussion are pretty solid. And in "Aunt Eggma Blowtorch," things get even weirder. It was recorded when Mangum was only seventeen, and so this is just a bunch of sounds patched together. There's a food blender, vocal samples, somebody singing, his sister playing piano, accordian, and strange sonic waves.

It's hardly the best introduction for someone new to Neutral Milk Hotel, but "Everything Is" is a solid EP of this brilliantly oddball band's bits and pieces. People who love bucking musical conventions will adore this.

This is a rerelase of the "Everything Is" single from 1994, plus one bonus track, "Tuesday Moon." Although the depth of Neutral Milk Hotel's two full-lengths hasn't really been developed yet, there's some very accomplished songwriting here, and some rather nice lyrics ("Won't you stay awhile? We can close the door and sleep all day"). The best track by far is the warm, fuzzed-out, lo-fi title track, which is clearly the product of the same collective as early Olivia Tremor Control tracks like "Beneath the Climb" and "Fireplace", although a bit more melodically sophisticated. Weirdly, though, Jeff Mangum doesn't really sound like himself on most of these tracks. You can hear the roots of his distinctive vocal style on "Everything Is", but he has something akin to a California surfer accent on "Snow Song Pt. 1", and "Tuesday Moon" sounds more like the crazier side of Of Montreal ("Coquelicot", for example) than anything else. "Aunt Eggma Blowtorch" is not a song but a bedroom sound collage in true, self-indulgent-but-fun Elephant 6 fashion. Crying babies, vocal samples, out-of-tune piano noodling and random assorted noises combine into an entertaining, if a bit pointless, composition.

All in all, this is a very nice collection, although I wouldn't recommend it as anyone's first Neutral Milk Hotel purchase. And it is a bit overpriced...Still, it's essential for any NMH fan who wants to see where the band was coming from.

Up to now, most of Milk Inc's stuff seemed unfinished, or not fully realized. Except for the occasional tune, there stuff seemed like a collection of good ideas that had never been fully developed. But with "Forever", they finally (FINALLY) hit the mark. This entire CD is a great listen. The songs are fully developed and there's not one track of filler. Some really memorable melodies. On their previous CDs, only one or two songs ever got stuck in my head. IMHO, every track on this one could be a hit. I will be wearing this one out for a long time to come. Great job.

I really like this cd. But I am torn. I can't figure out where to rank it among Milk Inc's other albums. Although, I think "Closer" is their best full length album, this CD comes close to being my second favorite from Milk Inc.

But here's the interesting thing....I think that nothing can top Supersized as far as singles go. That album contains some of the best singles (and songs),Milk Inc has ever recorded-- i.e "Run", "Go To Hell", "Tainted Love" and "Whisper". This album, "Forever", includes, in my opinion, my two least favorite Milk Inc singles, ever..."Tonight" and "Forever". But I do love this album as my second favorite Milk Inc cd because, as a collection of songs, it is excellent. Which makes this a great album.

Hands down, the best song on here is "Sunrise". That songs ranks among the best of anything they've recorded. A real powerhouse of a trance song, I think. The chorus is so catchy. "Maniac" is a great cover of the 80's Flashdance theme, and a highlight of this cd. Another cool song is "Race"- which to me is very similar to "Run", from Supersized. Other highlights include "Guilty", "Waste of Time", "Summer Rain"-which is a dance song but has a slower bpm compared to the rest here. Also included is the song, "Live Her Life", which was rumoured to originally be a duet between Linda and September, but those plans fell through.

The one thing that I hear in this cd that I havn't heard in Milk Inc albums before, is the pop sound. These songs sound a little more commercial and "pop" than anything they've released before. At least for an American audience.

Being labeled as the next J Dilla(RIP) raises your expectations especially if its your debut(not including EPs, mixtapes, etc). Past producer(s)-rapper(s) haven't been considered god MCs either. Few have actually gotten critical acclaim. A few that come to mind are Large Professor, J Dilla(duh), Kool Keith, Dr. Dre, Danny!, Warren G, Q-Tip Kanye West, among many others. The point is, being a producer-rapper, people will criticize you if you don't balance your work equally. That being said, I'mma overview the album.

Production: Its clear that this is his strong point, since this is his main focus and he certainly delivers. They are stuck between banger and soulful, the blend is just perfect. Its hard to pick a highlight as they are just perfectly blended.

Lyrics: In all honesty, Black Milk isn't a great lyricist. Giving credit, he's not terrible but there wasn't much that stood out and made me rewind. He can improve a lot. What surprised me was the quite limited of features. I mean, he has 6 solo songs, which is rare for a producer-rapper to do. You would expect for him to give us a crazy amount guests, do the hooks and a few short verses. But, in truth, the guests aren't exactly talented cats, atleast on this album. I haven't done much research yet and discovered some of these others cats' material, other than One Be Lo and Slum Village.

Overall: Black Milk has a lot to improve and it seems like his main focus on this record was to represent his hometown of Detroit 313(heck, he released it on March 13!). In God's honest truth, I wish he would give his beats to other talented rappers. Is this a good record? Yes. Is it enjoyable? If you like laid back production. Is it the next coming? From a lyrical stand point, no but Black Milk could be the next underground producer to blow up as he has a lot of hype already. You be the judge on whether or not to pick this up.

If you listen to a lot of hip hop records, and you check the album credits, you come to realize that while there are many nice MCs and many quality producers, there are very few that can do both. Swizz Beats and Kanye West are two notable producers who have tried, but they generally come up short as MCs. Looking for that cat who does both, and even does them well? Enter Black Milk.

The production on Popular Demand is, in my opinion, flawless. Black Milk mans the boards from top to bottom without help. He crafts a wide variety of beats, from the booming "Sound the Alarm" to the instrumental "Play the Keys", and flows seamlessly from track to track with interludes that would make Pete Rock proud.

Black Milk handles the bulk of the rhymes on his own. Guest spots are minimal, and are reserved for Black's fellow Detroit MCs. Everyone, from reasonably well-known cats like Gulity Simpson and Slum Village to relative newcomer Nametag more than justify their places on the album. Each bolsters the quality of the track, but none outshine the man of the hour, Black Milk. He's not out to baffle the listener with intricate rhyme schemes, but he has a nice, straight-ahead flow. His rhymes fit perfectly with the music.

It's very difficult to pick standout tracks on an album so strong, but I especially love the banger "Sound the Alarm (w/ Guilty Simpson)", "Shut it Down", and "Action (w/ Slum Village & Baatin)". Choosing favorites is really like pulling hairs though. You're getting top quality from beginning to end. There's no subpar material here. I couldn't skip anything if I tried.

Conclusion: Black Milk-Popular Demand is easily one of my favorite albums of 2007. I've had this album for 6 months now, and I still find myself unable to push it aside. I'm convinced, after hearing this album, that Black Milk is a big part of hip hop's future. I highly recommend this to anyone fond of the Detroit/Chicago hip hop scenes. No matter what music you like though, do yourself a favor and give this a listen. Flawless.

Finally! This is the type of music I've been looking for for a long time. Black Milk is a dude who I wish everyone knew about. The first track on the album had me hooked, and there's not one whack song on this whole album. It's not often you find a producer who can murder beats and is hard on the mic like Black Milk can. The crown has officially been passed down from J Dilla to Black Milk. EASY 5 STARS!

Rapper & Producer Black Milk (A.K.A. Curtis Cross) delivers his sophomore album with "Popular Demand" (2007). The Detroit artist enlists guest appearances from home town artists: Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat, Ty & Kory, AHK, Nametag, Slim S.D.H, Fat Ray, Que Diesel, Lil' Skeeter, Slum Village, Baatin & One Be Lo. Black Milk gets things started on the title track "Popular Demand", letting it be known that while he is underground he wants to get paid. "Sound the Alarm" features a guest appearance from Detroit MC Guilty Simpson who reps his city. Black Milk laces "Insane" with some harder production, then tag teams "Lookatusnow" with Phat Kat. This is the first cut where the production grabbed my attention, solid collaboration, nice instrumental. Black Milk provides an ode for a woman he's feeling on "U" which features guest appearances from Ty & Kory. Black rhymes about his confidence in his work on "Shut It Down", then kicks some rhymes about garbage mc's, and making money on "So Gone. Backed by a distinct piano loop Black Milk collaborates with Nametag & Slim S.D.H for "Say Something" and lets the instrumental do the work on "Play the Keys". Fat Ray & Que Diesel drop in for "Watch Em" which is laced with a bumping beat. Black Milk rhymes about having many different women on "Three+Sum" feat. Lil Skeeter. The album's most well know guest appearances come from Detroit's Slum Village & former member Baatin who appear on "Action". Another short interlude follows in "Luvin It", and then Black Milk rhymes about his city & himself on "One Song". Another instrumental follows in the short but tight "Im Out". One Be Lo is featured on the album's bonus track and the two close off the album on a good note with "Take It There". Disc two contains some on point instrumentals and a few guest appearances most notably from Denaun Porter of D12 who is featured on "Keep It Live". The highlight of this release for me was Black Milk's production, which is consistent and show's him to be a beat maker with a lot of promise. I don't think people should be comparing him to Dilla, but understand why they do - his sped up soul samples remind me of another producer who dropped his album this week. Lyrically Black Milk is not the most entertaining of MC's but doesn't blunder either. While I don't hold the reverence for this album other reviewers do I think "Popular Demand" is a solid release which is worth checking out.

I have to admit, I found this album by chance. I have never heard of Black milk before, but I was seduced by the great feedback that Amazon reviewers had given this rapper/producer. Beware though, this album is addicting. As I listened to the first track, once the talking ceased, I became infatuated with the beat. I was just hoping that his rapping ability was somewhere close to his producing ability. He does a quality job through punchlines and story telling. His smooth voice melds into the production like liquid metal. Every track seems perfect for his delivery (which is only average); In addition the album moves along with quality song after song. You'll find no weak songs on this album.

The best production on the album also coincide Black doing his best not to let down the beat. He seems to step up his ability to address the beat on the same level at least. If the beat is lacking I just don't think that Black could keep the listener interested throughout so the production is key and here he is sure not to disappoint.

The guest appearances are not bad, but not great either, (except for One Be Lo's verse), which in a way is not a bad thing because no rapper wants to be out-shined on his own album. The other high quality appearance would be Slum Village on "Action."

So the flaws in the album would be Black's rap skills needing some improvement and some relatively weak guest appearances. With that being said he has an amazing amount of potential.

The best tracks on "Popular Demand" are "Popular Demand" "Insane" "Shut it Down" "Three+sum" "Action" & "One Song" the bonus track is also very good, thanks to One Be Lo though.

I have to admit that this album made it difficult for me to decide on whether to give it 4 or 5 stars. My decision was cemented on 4 simply because I feel it is closer to 4 than 5. I'll end this review by saying that this is easily a very enjoyable listen, don't pass it up because you've never heard of Black Milk.

I'm not going to bother adding to people's previous comments about this album. they did a great job of explaining/praising/worshipping it so I am just going to add that Creston's vocals are, by themselves, just completely on another level altogether. His voice is horrible and pained and raw, and yet packed with gauze at the same time....and it's completely arresting to listen to the guy at moments....He actually reminds me more than a little of David Yow's best moments on LIAR (Jesus Lizard), but applied to a much deeper well of emotional tremulousness.

This is some of the most sincerely tortured and emotional music I have ever heard. It is not quite like anything else out there. Nothing else quite gets to such a level of sounding so disgusting and so beautiful at the same time. Highly reccomended.

In this day and age, with bands claiming themselves "emo" (short for emotional), it's hard to think clearly about what it truely means to be emotionally honest. If I had to decide on one record, this one would qualify as the most emotionally charged I could ever think of.

Firstly, I'm very happy that Relapse released this. Now it's not only easier to pick up a legit copy, but all those who debated the 'heaviness' will now have nothing to gawk at--Harvey Milk is undeniably metal, and heavier than a lot of music that is labeled with five dollar words as being "crushingly heavy".

And I'm not discounting Aquarius records at all! This album really is "heartbreakingly heavy"--so much so that this feels like an understatement. The album cover alone conveys so much strain as to make one wonder what is actually going to be heard when you listen. And a huge listen it is! By covering so many tones--poetic minimalist acoustic pieces, sludge laden doom metal (to name just two)--the band may have actually outdone themselvs in some places.

Not that I find fault at ANY point during any of the tracks, but this album is undeniably hard to understand to someone not familar with their sound. Guitars fuzz and drone out for ten minutes at a time, then being broken with silent guitar chords, and then being turned up once again, this time with an added wail of grief.

That is another matter to discuss--the vocals. I love them, through and through, but Creston Spiers vocals are thee definition of what you'd attribute the sound of "heart on your sleeve" mentality. He wails with pain at times; at others, he whispers, barley audible; he even prays ("The Lords Prayer"). He's also willing to step back and let the band create a sound that is as demanding of your patience as it is beautiful to hear each time you play it ("Pinnochio's Example", "My Broken Heart Will Never Mend").

I've read that this album, along with their first release, was giving mixed reactions when it was released just as it is today. Thankfully, we can now see that it has stood the test of time and indeed seems to be strengthened by it. This album is beautiful, frightening, emotional, heavy, and--yep, they're right--heartbreaking. More than anything, though, it's truthful; a true testament to the value of emotional creativity and what it is to be honest with oneself.

We love doom sludge dirgelords Harvey Milk. That should be painfully self evident by now. So you can imagine how thrilled we've been with the recent spate of HM action. A brand new record!! A mind blowing DVD documentary and this, a deluxe reissue of perhaps Harvey Milk's finest moment, an all time doom dirge slowcore sludge classic, Courtesy And Good Will Toward Men. Until recently, Courtesy was available on the tUMULt label, in a super swank, hand assembled, die cut, letter pressed sleeve, designed to replicate the original vinyl release. But as the supply of those dwindled, and interest in the Milk began to soar, Relapse leapt into the fray and offered to re-issue it with a bonus disc!

So here we have it. The packaging, while maybe not as cool as the handmade version, is still quite striking, but the real attraction here is the addition of a bonus disc, Live At TT The Bears, a previously cd-r only release, long out of print, that features HM at their Courtesy prime, completely laying waste, proving they could create the same malevolent beauty live, in front of a crowd that sounds like it couldn't number more than 20 people. But oh how we envy those lucky souls. So basically, if you're new to Harvey Milk, but are a fan of any sort of slow, heaviness, that for the love of all that is unholy, pick this up, it is your new favorite record. And if you already have a copy, well, if you're as obsessed with HM as we are, you'll just have to buy it again. The bonus disc is SO worth it. Here's us gushing about Courtesy way back when the tUMULt version first came out:

Crushing and pummeling majestic beauty, interspersed with delicate moments of hushed whispery strum. Lumbering downtuned hyper-rhythmic skull crack dropped delicately into suffocating expanses of near silence. Delicate pointillist piano mutates into a dirgey exercise in tension that sounds like a lost Dario Argento soundtrack performed by the Melvins. Lilting and melancholy near-ballads are disrupted by incessant and brutally heavy riffs. Amidst the pummel and beneath the negative space swirls a barely audible maelstrom of whispered vocals, warbling turntables and whirring vacuum cleaners, all adding to the confusional brilliance that is Harvey Milk. And their heart wrenching cover of Leonard Cohen's "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" features what has to be the most tortured and anguished vocal performance ever recorded.

Too heavy to be post rock. Too weird to be metal. Too everything to be anything, Harvey Milk are unconventional and wholly unique, both structurally and sonically, touching on territory mined by the likes of Gastr Del Sol, Codeine, Queen, Husker Du, Man Is The Bastard, the Melvins, and ZZ Top, but slowing it down, making it HEAVY, and f-cking it up. Making it more beautiful, while making it difficult to listen to at all.

Hypnotic, repetitive and jarring. Unpredictable, exhausting and perplexing.

And although we do get carried away now and again, and declare certain records best ever, and weirdest ever, without any trace of hyperbole or irony, we can unequivocally proclaim that Courtesy And Good Will Toward Men is quite possibly, the greatest, heaviest, weirdest, saddest, most beautiful record ever made. Seriously.