Jhelli Beam

Busdriver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 9, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Anti
• ASIN: B0026T4RL6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,810 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Both smart and smartass, theatrical without being pompous, and, as always, funny. BD's breath-defying flow teeters precariously on top of samples of classical music, jazz drumming, and proggy guitar parts, without ever losing sight of the electronic music that helped define his sound. Mindfully engaging and booty shaking at the same time. A wholly unique take on what an underground hip-hop album should be. RIYL: Animal Collective, Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vinyl Version, October 1, 2009

By 

mateo gutierrez (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jhelli Beam [Vinyl] (Vinyl)

This is an amazing album. I just wanted to make it clear that the track listing amazon has up for the vinyl album is not accurate. The songs "Do The Wop", "World Agape", "Unsafe Sextet/Gilded Hearts of Booklovers", and "I've Always Known" are not on the vinyl album. The vinyl does have a track called "Moon Boots" that is not on the cd or download versions.

This doesn't really matter though since the vinyl comes with a code to download the full cd version of the album from Anti's website.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tasty Experimental Beats, but Lacking Lyrical Growth, August 28, 2009

By 

J. Brazil (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jhelli Beam (Audio CD)

I've been a BD fan since Temporary Forever, so I wanted that in the clear before going for the jugular. I love Busdriver's past works. I loved the cerebral drifting of Roadkill Overcoat. I enjoyed the snarky anger of Fear of a Black Tangent and I especially loved the avant garde of The Weather, but Jhelli Beam leaves me longing yet satisfied simultaneously. I'm satisfied because I can totally hear the musically experimental maturity of BDs' work. It's nothing I've heard from him before and I love that he's taking a leap in the right direction.

Still, I am disappointed with Jhelli Beam's lyrical content. Perhaps I am spoiled from the raw power of BD's lyrics from ediT's Crunk de Galle, or heartfelt confusion from Daedelus' 'Something Bells' matching that of Pigeon John or even Etheral Driftwood's eeriness, but most of JB's content makes me feel that Busdriver was digging in the bottom of the creative barrel and just tossing it on a track. This is only with the exception of 'Least Favorite Rapper', which is the best track on the album, in my opinion.

Still, I would recommend Jhelli Beam to long time fans hands down; even BD's less than stellar is leagues better than mainstream's best. As for new listeners, I would recommend Temporary Forever or Fear of a Black Tangent before graduating to Jhelli Beam.

4.0 out of 5 stars Busdriver does it again..., November 18, 2009

By 

Joe Shmoe "Some Guy" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jhelli Beam (Audio CD)

Another great album. Busdriver shows an incredible amount of rhythmic and tonal control on this album. Songs speed up and slow down, and fast rapping gets faster and more staccatto as the beat demands. Creative, innovative, and thoroughly Busdriver.