Music Review: "Make Horns!" by Apoc

- by Señor Editor, 3 May 2013

Patrick Felsenthal, better known as Apoc, is an artist whose name rings familiar, but whose music I haven’t heard before I received this EP to review. He’s from Chicago, his music is definitely hip hop based, though it blurs the lines between many genres (he describes his sound as post-hip hop), and he’s been quite prolific with his releases ever since 2003. “Make Horns” is a 5-song EP he released just a few days ago, and it's a FREE download.

The opening song is “Put Your Horns On Me” and you can see the cool video for it (directed by Scott Upshur) below. The single has Apoc both rapping and singing, and while the singing definitely surprised me, it was also a good fit. The single is unusual, weird, and it's fun.

As seen in the video, Apoc is all about the horns. On the EP, he refers to the "horns" hand sign in both the current way it's used by metal fans, and the old, mystical meaning of the gesture, meant to chase away bad spirits. In result he reappropriates it as his own thing, "a symbol of defiance against any forces, internal or external, that stand in the way of one accomplishing one’s dreams." I actually like that and Apoc, who seems like a likeable, down to earth kind of guy, manages to work with this theme without sounding like a pretentious anthropology major trying to woo you. More horns? The synth horn is heavily featured in the songs.

What this record has in abundance is style. The beats produced by Earmint are clean, tight and range from atmospheric to danceable (often being both in the same track). They're clearly influenced by many genres, but those influences are cleverly incorporated into a new, unique sound. From what I understand, both Earmint and Apoc are longtime collaborators and they really work well together, as this soundscape fits Apoc's vocals perfectly. Apoc himself, as a rapper/singer combo is very original and I can't really think of anybody that sounds similar. Like it or not, Apoc definitely has his own sound, and that's both rare and something that I appreciate.

Other than the single, there are two other standouts here. The title track (above) is the one that I enjoy the most on the EP. I like the vibe here and this song is where the multiple meanings of the “horns” gesture come into play the most. I also really enjoy the live cello at the end. I'm a sucker for cello in hip-hop tracks. Another song that I like here is the last one, the very tribal "What Aco Told Me". Who is Aco? It's Aleksandar “Aco” Todorović, a Slovenian human rights activist and a friend of Apoc's (the rapper himself currently resides in Slovenia, too). Both these last songs I mentioned show that there are many sides to Apoc, and that he's an artist to look out for.

I can't say I'm feeling "Can't Say No" and "Here I Am", but hey, 3 songs out of 5 is still pretty damn good!

All in all, "Make Horns!" has it's flaws, it's not for everybody, but it's also very original and stylish (and not without substance). It's worth checking out and it's free now, so go and check it.


Additional Apoc links to check out:
Apoc's official website,
Apoc's Twitter and Facebook,
His Soundcloud aaaand his Tumblr!

Tagged: music, Reviews.

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