Scene

Average Rap Band are a far from average rap band consisting of Tom Scott and Lui T, who you've probably heard of before via HomeBrew Crew or @Peace. They've both shifted to Melbourne and formed ARB, serving up Stream Of Nonseneness and now El Sol. Truth be told, Stream Of Nonsenseness got lost amongst a bunch of other music and sport musings, so when El Sol came around I knew I had to put my other musical ramblings on pause and enjoy two artists who have guided my ears and thinking for a number of years now.

Songs

Intro (42 Degrees): Pure music, building suspense and what not.
El Sol: First up funk, one time for the mighty sun.
Fly Casual: Best drum pattern you'll hear this year, groovy.
Pool Side: Juxtaposition.
Purple Mink Suit Rap ft. Wes + Dirty: Simple raps, raps that relate are great raps.
Pizza Man: Confiding in the pizza man over trippyness.
Jealous ft. Jane Deezy: Relationships aye, with the opposite gender and friends.
What Am I Doing With My Life: Low key storytelling genius.
El Eh: Drift.
Entertainment ft. Kody Neilson: Fuck, hard to describe but Tom Scott breaks it down.
El Sol Reprise: Nice, mellow, crisp, easy description of the sun. Allow it to simmer.

Vibe

One could simply describe the vibe of El Sol as trippy/buzzy, for those who've listened to previous @Peace projects or SoN, it follows a similar vibe though. Listening to El Sol, you'll hear instrumentation and general noises that you've never heard before and to try box it in as a mix between any sorts of music wouldn't do it justice. That's why I've come to love ARB and Team Dynamite as they just dish up music that can't be replicated, nor does it replicate.

Part of that is thanks to the way ARB combine relatable raps with their funky musical shenanigans. The language used and the stories told are easy to comprehend or transfer and apply to your own life, especially for those of us who come from a similar sort of situation or vibe in Aotearoa. This also comes through in the way everyday struggles or the realities of trying to be a professional creative are portrayed, it's extremely refreshing and honest.

Honest. Sure there's musical funk and pretty trippy ideas explored, but everything is honest.

Music

I knew that trying to describe and decipher the musical side or production for El Sol would be tricky, so I won't. Instead, listen to it and experience how the different sounds, patterns and rhythm make you feel, that's what matters the most. Same with the bars, there's lots and bars like the ones below do a poor job of reflecting the story telling, but it's a tradition so...

"No wonder all these dudes chain smoking, I do the same but I hate smoking
but I can't relate, can't wait for my break, lock myself in my room spend the day floating." Lui on Pool Side

"Dude in the front row is yawning, while we're performing, two dudes next to him are talking
Another two brawling, young hoe in the front row watched the whole show on her cellphone
Drunk bro looking un-co, doing that dumb dance with his elbows" Tom on What Am I Doing With My Life

"Blame Rome, blame our need for control, blame the greedy, blame the book, blame the vultures who prey upon the needy, blame anyone who ever killed in the name of God, for the one true creator has no interest in war. The night killer, life beginner, all praise due to the divine life giver." Lui on El Sol

Finale

I like to view ARB - Tom and Lui - as guiding myself and how I go about my day to day excursions. This is coming from someone who came across HomeBrew Crew in my first year of university, a time when you start to really form your own views on the world and hearing music and ideals that I found extremely relatable had a great influence on my views. El Sol kinda came at a time when I needed another dose and yeah El Sol is awesome to vibe on out to and air-rap some of your favourite bars from Tom or Lui, there's so many little gems to be had that can inspire your life on the daily as well.

It's a long weekend, so why not just whack it in your ears and enjoy the vibes.

You can stream it or buy it via their Bandcamp page, or their website, or this....