with rave reviews on the new york times, a cover appearance on wire magazine, an appearance on portlandia, an appearance on the tonight show, and so on and so forth, it is fair to say that this group has generated a significant amound of buzz lately. they caught my attention when they published a 'protest playlist' on innauguration day here in the states. i listened to the new record on youtube a couple of times, thought it maritorious enough to download into my collection, and was pleased to discover that the band offers its album for free over on its website. i'd like to see them on their upcoming tour, but area shows are already sold out. i've been a fan of el-p, one half of rtj, since his late 90s run with seminal rap group company flow. his raps are dense and intellectual and angry. a problem i had with el's solo career was that, in focusing so much on being innovative and countercultural, he sacrificed listenability. on r.t.j.3., i am pleased to report, el-p and killer mike have added heaps of pop sensibility to their angry and innovative music, and done so with excellent results. \
_alibi