From the album, A Miraculous Kind of Machine. Written, produced, directed, & edited by John Ta, director of photography, Leland Krane.

Baje One of Junk Science celebrates the launch of his new label, Modern Shark, with a free 4 song sampler including new music from Junk Science, Cool Calm Pete, Serengeti, Tone Tank & More. The label’s first full release will be the new Junk Science album, A Miraculous Kind Of Machine, which will be out on May 25^th, available digitally and in quality record stores worldwide. Peep their website @ ModernShark.Com.

Modern Shark Label Sampler

Modern Shark Sampler Tracklist:
1. TWEE  by Serengeti & J. Howells Werthman
2. MILLINS  by Junk Science & Cool Calm Pete
3. FORTIES  by Tone Tank & Scott Thorough
4. SOME AIR  by J. Howells Werthman

Indie hip-hop today is a hard hustle, just ask the folks at Embedded Music. Not to familiar with them? Well, Embedded is a forward-thinking NYC indie imprint, that is run by the guy who runs another forward thinking NYC indie imprint, Definitive Jux. That man would be Jesse “DJ Ese” Ferguson, and while El-P owns Def Jux, Embedded is Ese’s house. So while the two labels have been operating side by side for a while now, it’s only natural that we’d see some kind of merger, or at least, team-up, somewhere down the road. Last year, Cool Calm Pete’s critically acclaimed Lost LP was picked up by Jux for distribution in the U.K., while Embedded handled it’s U.S. distro. This year, we see the release of Junk Science’s Grandad’s Nerve Tonic with the copyright info reading “2007 Embedded Music, Under Exclusive Liscense To Definitive Jux”. So there you have it.

While Embedded may not have big names like El-P, Aesop Rock, RJD2, or Mr. Lif attached to it’s roster, it’s important that most of those guys were nobodies before the creation of Jux. That being said, Embedded might have a bright future ahead of itself, tapping into NYC’s massive Nuclear Family crew, with Junk Science. Made up of emcee Baje One and producer Snafu, the duo present a brand of underground hip-hop that just might make them the next backpack crew that every college kid can relate to.

Baje’s rhyme style is somewhat remiscent of Aesop Rock’s in it’s sarcasm, but he is a much more of a straight-forward emcee. Not overly poetic or too kooky with his delivery, Baje presents himself as the ultimate overworked-slacker-revolutionary. Introducing himself on “Slojo”, he kicks the ill-communication over a lo-fi, hard-hitting beat from Snafu, mixing political soap-boxing with a drunken slur. “Do It Easy” finds the duo utilizing the same formula, as Baje struggles to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning, just before Snafu chimes in with a neck-snapping Eric B & Rakim sample for the hook, suggesting a few more winks. Perhaps his strongest moment is “Jerry McGuire”, a humorous “Take This Job and Shove it” type of rant, where Baje lists the ten commandments of quitting your job. But the stand-out track of the album is “Third Person Stealth”, where Baje abandons his wittier side and shows his true value as a poet. Here, he vividly describes a scenario of a man escaping prison, with startling clairevoiance. Snafu also really proves his worth as here, starting the song with the untouched sample, and then chopping it into something completely unrecognizable (and also, dope).

While Grandad’s Nerve Tonic doesn’t quite strike a chord like Labor Days might have upon first listen, there is definitely talent in Junk Science. Some might be turned off by Snafu’s basement beat production style, which is comparible to a Madlib or Blockhead in certain aspects, while others may find nothing intriguing about Baje One as emcee. There will be many others, however, that embrace Grandad’s Nerve Tonic as their new beverage of choice. – D.T. Swinga

   “Feeding Einstein” is one of those albums that take a few spins to fully digest.  The first time around I wasn’t really feelin’ it.  It tasted a little TOO backpacky.  Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not my drink of choice.  But after the second or third listen, these guys started to grow on me.  Junk Science, comprised of emcee Baje One and producer Snafu, release a debut that covers a plethora of topics that, while at times seems disjointed, proves that the crew is versatile. 

   The duo announces it’s arrival with “The Junk-Off” (“And trust me, matter fact trust your ears / It’s a type of vibe that takes more than a couple years / to marinate so it can get done right / and we underground now but I love the sunlight”) and then it’s off to the races.  From a search for purpose (“Just One Thing”) to musing about how time flies (“You Never Know”) to discussing racial identity (“House Wigger”), Junk Science isn’t afraid to tackle substantive topics.  No where is this more apparent than the bluntness of the latter.  Baje One doesn’t sidestep the issue whatsoever, attacking it head on with no consideration for political correctness, just how we like it.  Read these lyrics carefully:  “It’s the same thing, it’s even worse / if you’re racist on the low telling fucked-up jokes / So when them black kids step in the spot, you shut down / Run across the room just to give ‘em a pound / That’s bitch, that’s material, stop runnin’ / You barely even foolin’ yourself, it’s not funny / Need to turn off the tele’ / need to stop watchin’ “Belly” / Need to stop with all the Makaveli / It’s a fetish, see you don’t like the fact / that if you wanna be Black, there’s nothing whiter than that / There’s a history there, for real, so you’ll might / wanna learn about it fore you pick up a mic / or tell another racist joke cause I figure / you’ll end up being just another house wigger / So why did the white kid cross the road? / He didn’t, the road’s not crossable”. 

   Think the group’s being too critical of others?  “Roads” proves they aren’t afraid to take an honest look in the mirror either. Nonsense tracks like “Mashed Topatoes” demonstrate Junk Science can loosen up and rock a party every now and then.   The downside to “Feeding Einstein” is the result of a double-edged sword.  Junk Science covers multiple topics which causes a slight discontinuity in the album.  This may not be a problem for some listeners, but to me cohesiveness is an important measurement of an album.  At times the album feel more like a compilation than a group debut. 

   Despite a few minor setbacks, Junk Science comes through with an impressive debut sure to please college campus inhabitants everywhere.  These are the type of artists you can only hope for, ones who will push the limits of what hip-hop artists can or should talk about.  When current media darling Kanye West dropped “Jesus Walks” a while back, it shocked everyone because it was “too real”.  I can only hope Junk Science’s “House Wigger” real talk catches on too.