In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death(Japanese Cartoon)

Japanese Cartoon has arrived with their official, debut album, In The Jaws Of The Lord Of Death, and you can download it for FREE above at allsabotage.com. Japanese Cartoon contains Lupe Fiasco (a.k.a. Wasalu "Double J" Jaco), Graham Burris, Matt Nelson, and Le Messie. The short story is that this is Lupe's foray into indie/punk rock, but there's a lot more depth to this project than may meet the eye. It's not rap, but Lupe & Co. are still spitting out some thought-provoking messages that may take a few listens to fully interpret. One of the album's defining tracks, "All Sabotage!!! (STSO)" sets the tone, exhibiting an analytical and rebellious attitude that is further carried out by the uptempo rock productions across the entire body of work. From this second track onward, the album keeps getting better and better with such strong efforts like the previously released "Heiruplanes" and my early favorite on the album "Firing Squad". "ARMY" is one of the standout tracks - an entertaining one where JC explicitly and fearlessly takes aim at the powerful. And finally, "Gasp" is an excellent record to cap it all off - clearly ITJOFTLOD's (gotta love that acronym) most chill record and one that you can just sit back with and take it all in. Overall, In The Jaws Of The Lord Of Death is a unique, fearless, and motivational album from top to bottom... and one that I wasn't expecting to like this much. There's only a couple tracks that didn't really hit me on first listen, but otherwise, I can't wait to keep comin' back to ITJOTLOD, especially when in the mood for an intellectual listen outside from the copious amount of hip hop and R&B you see on this site daily. When considering the entire project, I can't help but draw paralleled moods and feelings from the music to the moods and themes in one of my favorite movies, V For Vendetta. The revolutionary aspect in both works of art, combined with JC's FBA's (Fake British Accents) and V For Vendetta's setting in London, help contribute to my connection and inspires me to only dig deeper. But one thing's for sure: give Japanese Cartoon a download above and see what sort of thoughts and connections stem from your own complete listen.