Radius - Neighborhood Suicide

Radius - HydePark (Imissyou)

Radius - L.S.D. (Interlude)

Radius - LoganSquare (Rent’sDue)

Chicago based beat-meister Radius’ tracks are definitely varied and eclectic in a world of increasingly formulaic hip-hop, but Neighborhood Suicide feels like a prelude to something bigger and better that never arrives. The album’s intro “Humboldt Park” got my attention. I badly wanted someone to grab a mic, mainly because the beats get so challenging at times, I wanted to see a verbal take on them. I understand that applying lyrics would probably detract from the immersive experience. The focus is on the beats themselves, their intracies and subtleties and whatnot, but this album needs just a little bit more context to establish itself past the level of background noise. I think an artist like MF Doom or Asheru could effectively lay down some verses that would make these tracks three times as significant. Radius crafts pulsating sample-based beats that manage to be cold and clinical but still maintain a therapeutic quality, and a lot are jazz and swing-inspired (and sampled) with syncopated rhythms (”Bucktown,” “LoganSquare”)

Much of the album reminded me just a little bit of trip-hop elites like Tricky or downtempo like Massive Attack. (”Uptown,” “Hydepark”). “Hydepark” is like listening to dolphins in amniotic fluid…sounds gross, but trust me, it’s actually very intriguing. On the album’s closer “SouthChicago,” Radius uses a sampled piano that seamlessly mutates into an angelic harp. Listening to the disjointed, stuttering “L.S.D.” can make anyone feel cool, but as an interlude it’s too short-lived, being a good example that this album continually builds up a formidable momentum only to burn out soon afterward.

It’s like when your friend excitedly tells you he has something “cool” to show you, but it turns out to be a dead animal in the road. Obviously, he sees something interesting in it, but you only end up asking him why he brought you out there in the first place. Neighborhood Suicide plays in part like a motion picture soundtrack, while the rest just seems like a portfolio of loops and glitchy beats. Artists like UNKLE and the Beastie Boys have made just as compelling beats or instrumentals, but they would become more tangible and real within the context of the bigger picture. Neighborhood Suicide is definitely worth a listen, or two, or maybe even three. But unless you’re a rapper, or just trying to zone out waiting for your next stop on the subway, you’ll probably not have much use for it.

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