N.A.S.A.

The Spirit of Apollo

2009-05-11

The Spirit of Apollo is a hip hoppidelicous compilation of diverse voices amazingly paired together, layered over electronic instrumentation (including occasional outer-space sound effects) and infused with brazilian flavored percussion. This upbeat brainchild of Speak E. Clean and DJ Zegon was created over a 5 year time span. N.A.S.A is an acronym for North America / South America and represents the artists involved in this project. Check it out: #2 and 3 If there's anything David Byrne hasn't done yet, hip-hop isn't one of them. #8 O' Dirty Bastard's lyrics are cleaned up to the point of wondering what he's talking about. This recording may have been his last before his OD/death in 2004. #9 Tom Waits sounds very convincingly and meshes well with Kool Keith. #13 Whachadoin? (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold and Nick Zinner) #14 O Pato: Donald Duck like voice saying "Who's Yo' Daddy." The greatest strength (as well as a possible weakness) is that this album has a surprising element of uniformity and cohesion. It's possibily the coolest hip-hop album released this decade. - Victoria aka vudu Note: Track # 17 is not a 15:32 minute song. It starts out as a tribute to the Apollo mission then fades into a chant with crazy piano music at the 3:45 minute mark. There's nearly seven minutes of silence (except for a moment at the 7:23 mark where a male voice says "Uh, that sounds good", then at the 10:25 minute mark a totally different song starts. If that song had a name it would be "I Need You To Know I Need You."