Bisco Smith “The Broadcast” Album Review
This is my subway album. I say that about an album maybe once or twice a year, and this is the first for 2010. Basically, my subway album, also known as my morning commute album, is something that I listen to in the morning while I’m riding the train to my daily grind. My subway albums generally have four attributes: 1. they make my head nod; 2. they’re motivational; 3. they’re lyrical; and 4. they don’t last longer than my commute. Bisco Smith’s “The Broadcast” meets each of these criteria.

1. The Production
Probably the most important aspect of my commute album is the production. At 8 a.m., the exact halfway point between my 7 a.m. wake and bake and my 9 a.m. cup of coffee, I’m normally less than half alive. The addition of some beats in my headphones that make me nod my head inadvertently are like my morning calisthenics. Some motherfuckers go running in the park, I listen to hip-hop. The production on Bisco Smith’s “The Broadcast” serves this purpose well, with grimy warped beats featuring gritty baselines, heavy electronic synths and digitally-enhanced electro effects. Some of that shit that just makes you move and wakes you up in the morning.

2. Motivation
Sometimes it’s hard in the morning to ride the train into work. Sometimes the sun is shining, and the ladies are rocking their summertime gear, and there are a million reasons to take the day off. It’s good to have a subway album that motivates me to hit the day running. Tracks like Circuit Breaker, Fresh Water, Morning Breath, Transmission Live and Vibrations are very positive get up, get out, get motivated types of tracks. I normally hit the song Morning Breath about 8:15 a.m., and the song’s vibe always inspires me to keep moving. I always catch myself rapping along on the train:

This one’s for all of those who ever had a dream/
Chase it like a crush, find out how real it could be/
And this one’s for y’all already been here cashed out/
Pushed yourself too fast, too tired and bounced/
This one’s for y’all going grizzly grinding tough/
Don’t forget why you first messed with this love/
And this one’s for y’all who’s here super live/
Feeling better than ever not getting trapped with the times

3. Lyrics
Another important thing I need in the morning is to get my brain moving. So a subway album has to have some words and topics that make me think. In “The Broadcast,” Bisco Smith utilizes a lot of metaphors and lyrical twists that will have you thinking and rewinding to listen again. One good example is the following verse from Fresh Water:

Under the imprints influence/
Words are powerful instruments/
Some for protected instances/
Others suggestions/
Footprints to step in/
Got ‘em following them leaders/
Corrupts and crippled the teachers/
A fast food nation of eaters/
Needs more substance, I wonder where it leads ya/
Gotta see the real for yourself/
Stand behind what you about/
Slow serving up them doubts/
Increased the pen, in the end they see zeros/
Pacino got himself a Scarface/
Just like the moves that they make/
Luck is from a fantasy place/
No lighter shelter/
Misusing wish will help ya/
To the young and the restless/
Times swallow the misconceptions/
Reality’s some perspectives/
Here’s the prescription/
Go get the right medicine/

Another good example of Bisc’s lyrical abilities is in Transmission Live, which could be my favorite track on the album. This track focuses not only on the necessity of change, but on expecting and embracing that change. Check the following verse:

The road is long, so many ways to move/
No point if what you do don’t help you grow and improve/
I chose to let ‘em listen with no sort of regard/
Seems like everybody wanna get their face on a player’s card/
Things flipped up looking straight, like that’s strange/
Everybody needs victory and they spell it out with fame/
Victory’s a mystery for whatever that means/
I guess it’s different for each of those that stitch their own seams/
Does that grind seem to be fading your dreams?/
For the paper and the schemes/
Turning us into hustling fiends/
Nah mean? It’s like the green money got you/
Only so many plans ‘cause life hands will stop you/
So while I’m here I hold my head like it’s the ammo/
Speak through these wires, slide by dipped inside camo/
They outside like ‘Everybody look at me!’/
I’m in the cut with these beats, peace/
Paint a picture, go travel the globe/
Spread thoughts, plant seeds so we can watch it grow/
Detrimental, the whole world is looking treacherous/
And I’m just trying to navigate my cityscape effortless/
These days my breath is Atlantis deep/
Had to cut out them cancer sticks, you know get myself free/
Years in the tracks had me feeling all numb/
Now I feel better than ever off the tongue/
Off of the mind clearing them clouds out of the sky/
Blue as you ever seen at the beautiful day that you die/
Lost thought – see it all at once/
Chains inside my world, we still burning them blunts/

4. Time
The last criterion for a good subway album is length. If your shit is 21 tracks and 80 minutes long, I’m only gonna hear half of it before I’m forced to turn off the music and work. And it’s hard to start where I left off nine hours before. Bisco Smith’s “The Broadcast” is ten tracks and just under forty minutes long, making it the perfect length if you’re commuting from the vicinity of Prospect Park to the vicinity of Times Square. Most mornings, I hit ‘play’ right outside my door, and am finishing the album as I walk into the office.

Overall:
Pick up this album. Bisco Smith is one of the most talented underground hip-hop artists in the NYC underground, and “The Broadcast” is a great album on many levels. My favorite tracks include Morning Breath, Railroads, Time Zones, Transmission Live, and Vibrations. Peace.

Album Track Listing:

1. Tune In
2. Morning Breath
3. Vibrations
4. Time Zones (247365)
5. Railroads
6. Transmission Live
7. Never Know
8. Crooked Hearts
9. Fresh Water
10. Circuit Breaker

This is the fifth and final remix project from Bisco Smith’s new album “The Broadcast.” Time Zones has become one of my favorite tracks on the new album, and I dig the way the remix creates an edgier feel than the original. The remix is produced by Cassettes Won’t Listen. If you like this, check out Bisc’s new video for Vibrations. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Time Zones Remix:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Vibrations is the third video release from Bisco Smith’s spectacular new album “The Broadcast.” If you like this, check out his videos for Fresh Water and Morning Breath, or just click the Bisc1 link below to preview the majority of the tracks from the album.

One of the things I’m really loving about Bisco Smith’s new album “The Broadcast” – which I been bumping nonstop lately, is that in addition to all the tracks on the album, Bisc is releasing FREE remixes of almost every song. The remixes give a dope new perception on the music while showcasing Bisco’s lyrical versatility. This latest one is the remix for Transmission Live featuring Loer Velocity. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Transmission Live Remix:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Vibrations is the third track from Bisco Smith’s “The Broadcast” that has been remixed and distributed around the Internet for FREE – and the one that strays the furthest from the original. Remixed by Scott Thorough with emphasis on warped sounds, pounding drums, and a descending synthesizer bass line, the Vibrations Remix provides a dope feel to Bisco’s lyrics. If you like this, check out the original Vibrations track. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Vibrations Remix:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Vibrations is the fourth release from Bisco Smith’s brand new album “The Broadcast” – which finally dropped yesterday, and has a release party going on tonight at No Malice Palace in NYC’s East Village. Vibrations is an escapist type of track which Bisc says can “help you forget the past and future for the time being and just exist in the moment.” If you like this, click to check out the three previous releases from the new album, Railroads, Morning Breath, and Fresh Water, and be sure to pick up a copy of the album if you haven’t already. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Vibrations:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Broadcast Live is a dope new track being released by Bisco Smith in preparation for his highly-anticipated album “The Broadcast” – which is dropping January 19. Broadcast Live is a remix of TV On The Radio’s “Wear You Out” with new lyrics. Although the track is not included on the album, the remix serves as a summation of the themes that Bisc touches on in “The Broadcast.” Click below to listen to Broadcast Live:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

This is a brand new remix of Bisco Smith’s Railroads, which was the third preview from his upcoming album “The Broadcast.” The Railroads remix features Human?, Grimace, and Esen – just like the original – but this version was remixed by Turnbull Green. If you like this, check out Bisc’s other two pre-releases from the album, Morning Breath and Fresh Water. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Railroads Turnbull Green remix:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Railroads is the third new track from Bisco Smith’s upcoming album “The Broadcast” – which is officially dropping on January 18. Railroads features Human?, Grimace, and Esen. If you like this, check out Bisc’s other two pre-releases from the album, Morning Breath and Fresh Water. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Railroads:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download

Fresh Water dropped last month as the second preview track from Bisco Smith’s upcoming album “The Broadcast.” You can peep the video here. Just one month later, Bisco has collaborated with Def Jux’s own Blockhead to create this remix. Click below to listen to Bisco Smith’s Fresh Water remix:

[See post to listen to audio]

And right-click the following link to download the track for FREE: Download