What do you get when you mix a little Kanye West a twist of Cannibal Tribe and a whole lot of Shepperton based grass roots Oz Hip Hop? Well, you get Homemade Bombs the Debut EP from Briggs.

Actually there is very little of Kanye West styles on this EP, in fact quite the opposite but the opening track Greetings Featuring B-Pain does include some Autotune work which is an interesting tact for Oz Hip Hop. Are you still a pioneer of a style if no one else has done it locally? I don’t think so but it actually works well in this instance and is fairly limited.

Briggs tells it how it is with Bad Move and if one look at this bloke isn’t enough to make you cross the road, well then this track surely will…[insert witty analogy here, pass me another bong please] Luckily for you Briggs and Hazard productions have given us permission to let you be the judge.

Click >> Briggs \’Bad Move\’ from the HOMEMADE BOMBS EP

My Priority Featuring Reason is a hilarious contrast of personalities. Briggs a piss head, pie eating dole bludger and Reason a hard working family man who likes to spend his spare time investing in the stock exchange.

The final and feature track Homemade Bombs (produced by Trials), is a short biography and an insight into the mind of Briggs. Struggling with adversity and being pushed around by those who thought they where better than him is something we can all relate to.

Briggs plays at the Social Change Gig at The Laundry (VIC), this Saturday 9th of May. Go cop his EP now or beg him for a copy at the Gig or check him out online http://www.airbriggs.com/

The debauchery filled Funkoars are back with “The Hangover”, their third full length release. Hons, Sesta, Trial and Reflux return with more punches, flow, laughs, drinking tales and sexual references than a dodgy stoner comedy. So is this a bad hangover or the type that makes you wanna crack a fresh one and keep going?

Well lyrically the topics are still pretty much the same, but why change something that they do so well? Trials still comes with lines that will either have you laugh or cringe such as “It can’t be/so big when ya piss you gotta shake more than Ali”. Hons spits about gambling and drinking. Sesta spits about how amazing he is and drinking. Trials spits about chicks scared of the dick and drinking. This is not to say the album is full of simple lyrics and topics, quite the opposite, all three emcees have untouchable flow and twist words around in ways that make you grin. The biggest testament to this is probably that they can make you listen and hang on each word even if it is on similar grounds in regards to topics and on top of this; shit is fun to listen to. This is the definitive get mates around, drink and play this shit loud album.

Production wise there is a fuller sound to this album, more of everything. Lots of guitar rock style licks, heavy drums, soul samples and big bass combine to deliver a full sound not really like anything released in this country but certainly with a signature funk that the oars always bring. Sesta and Trials share all the production credits bar one beat from Suffa. One thing that is notable are the hooks are a lot more intense this time around, anthem chants, big crowd sing along style hooks dominate in tracks such as “Reign on the masses”, “Lock Me Up”, “Bootleg It” and “Show Money”. You can easily picture the Oars on crowd control with quality shit like this, live, it will be huge.

The Hangover certainly will give Funkoars fans what they are after and will probably grab the ears of some new-comers. Full of big beats, quality quotable lines and an overall sense of fun, this album will certainly lead to few hangovers in itself and while the saying says “avoid hangovers, stay drunk”, I would say in this instance grab this hangover; but still stay drunk fuckers.

By Gareth M

With much speculation over the past few months about the future of Obese Records and Hilltop Hoods relationship, It looks like fans can put there worries aside as it looks like Hilltops have found a new home at Golden Era Records. While there was no public announcement from either parties it looks like they have parted ways mutually. Obese will continue with it’s rostered acts less Hoods, Funkoars and Downsyde and focus on Spit Syndicate,Muph and Plutonic and Pegz of course I am sure there will be more up and comers in the works.

It appears Hilltop Hoods have gone back to basics and started there own records label. But can anyone really be surprised by this? It looks like the Oars will now be signed to this label as well. Time will only tell how these fellas progress. But I think it is safe to say they won’t have any problems having gained a vast amount of experience over the last few years and knocking heads with world artists. The hoods recently played at the Glastonbury festival in the Uk alongside a shit load of other big acts I can’t be bothered looking up at the moment.

Visit the new Hoods online home here – Golden Era Records http://www.goldenerarecords.com.au/