Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness

Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness (Arts & Crafts)

First off, I apologize for the length of time between posts. I have been busy with finals, going home to get some flying done, and going to parties and my sister's graduation. It was quite a busy week. Anyway, I'm back in Champaign and figured I would review some new releases. I am devising a heart review system with 5 hearts being the highest and I suppose zero hearts being the lowest.

Today, Apostle of Hustle's Eats Darkness hit stores in the states after slipping under the radar for so long. Its a bit different from the previous two AoH albums in that it doesn't seem to flow quite as well. The content struggles against itself, fighting through songs and into multiple interludes laced with comical gunfire, dramatic monologues, machine gunfire, and surreal sound effects and melodies. Then repetitive and highly poppy reverb-heavy guitar riffs rise through the chaos from front man and founder Andrew Whiteman's guitar.

Anyone familiar with Whiteman's previous Apostle of Hustle efforts, or the super-conglomerate that is Broken Social Scene, will understand the utter beauty of the musical stew created. When speaking about the release, Whiteman said,

"Eats Darkness is a serial poem about some struggles people go through. Battles, from the macro to the micro. Songs about tactics and attitudes needed in 'life during wartime'. Each track is like tapas at the banquet of conflict. A small contribution to the articulation of a f***ed and beautiful world.”

The album as a whole has yet to really stand out as did 2004's Folkloric Feel. The concept is there, but the breaks between tracks make the album feel as if its a compilation. Again, this is Apostle of Hustle and much like the older brother group Broken Social Scene, will most likely sound amazing during a live set.

I had the opportunity last October to see Whiteman with BSS at Foellinger Auditorium, a small lecture hall in the middle of the University of Illinois quad, and the show sold only 834 tickets. C-U has a pretty decent scene and it still upsets me that this community and this school didn't sell that show out. Nonetheless, it was an awesome, intimate show. While the album only receives 3 hearts, check out AoH and BSS on their tours this summer. They put on some incredible live performances.

Apostle of Hustle is: Andrew Whiteman, Julian Brown, and Dean Stone.

Website and MySpace

Eats Darkness:

1	Snakes
2	Eazy Speaks
3	Soul Unwind
4	Sign
5	Perfect Fit
6	Xerxes
7	What Are You Talking About?
8	Whitsle in the Fog
9	Eats Darkness
10	Return to Sender
11	How to Defeat a More Powerful Enemy
12	Nobody Bought It
13	Blackberry

Apostle of Hustle - How to Defeat a More Powerful Enemy