Magnetic North
I've been aware of Magnetic North for a while. Honestly, I wasn't really sure what I thought about them. The tracks that I heard on their website were interesting but the lyrics sometimes seemed a little weak. Anyway, I was interested enough in them to check in on their website now and again, and now they've released a full length album.
Overall, it surpassed my expectations. There are a lot of things to like on this album. Wendaojinxin calls them "emo-rap" and there's some truth in that. They avoid bragging or gangsta talk and instead tend to talk about their feelings. That said, I generally don't find their songs to be corny or overly sentimental. Although they start straying over the line on their last track "We will not be moved."
One of my pet peeves about Asian Americans that do become successful is that in order to avoid alienating their target audience, they say they aren't Asian particularly, nor are their songs particularly Asian either. Magnetic North to me seems distinctly Asian, and they don't really bother to me, although it's not really openly stated until the aforementioned "We will not be moved." Hell, even Jin has an "I'm Asian." track on his first CD. For example, "I'll never be the best son or the perfect daughter./At times I question why I bother/Cause all the times that I try to succeed/has left me with nothing but this need to believe." Best son, perfect daughter, succeed? These seem like distinctively Asian concerns, but Magnetic North generally makes them sound pretty cool. Furthermore, it's a rather unique perspective. I'm willing to hazard a guess that there aren't many other hip hop artists who are going to be addressing this perspective anytime soon.
Generally their voices complement each other well, and they also do pretty well on their own in their solo songs. Their lyrics are thoughtful and intelligently written. They also do some interesting things musically, such as their modification of "Drift Away." Overall, Magnetic North's CD is a pretty strong beginning. It will be interesting to see what they will do in the future.
Overall, it surpassed my expectations. There are a lot of things to like on this album. Wendaojinxin calls them "emo-rap" and there's some truth in that. They avoid bragging or gangsta talk and instead tend to talk about their feelings. That said, I generally don't find their songs to be corny or overly sentimental. Although they start straying over the line on their last track "We will not be moved."
One of my pet peeves about Asian Americans that do become successful is that in order to avoid alienating their target audience, they say they aren't Asian particularly, nor are their songs particularly Asian either. Magnetic North to me seems distinctly Asian, and they don't really bother to me, although it's not really openly stated until the aforementioned "We will not be moved." Hell, even Jin has an "I'm Asian." track on his first CD. For example, "I'll never be the best son or the perfect daughter./At times I question why I bother/Cause all the times that I try to succeed/has left me with nothing but this need to believe." Best son, perfect daughter, succeed? These seem like distinctively Asian concerns, but Magnetic North generally makes them sound pretty cool. Furthermore, it's a rather unique perspective. I'm willing to hazard a guess that there aren't many other hip hop artists who are going to be addressing this perspective anytime soon.
Generally their voices complement each other well, and they also do pretty well on their own in their solo songs. Their lyrics are thoughtful and intelligently written. They also do some interesting things musically, such as their modification of "Drift Away." Overall, Magnetic North's CD is a pretty strong beginning. It will be interesting to see what they will do in the future.
posted by lovelesscynic at 3:27 AM
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