Put A Record On: N.A.S.A. Takes Off
March 2nd, 2009 | Global
Forty years after NASA sent men to the moon, a similarly named musical outfit is impressing audiences with its other worldly aspirations. Debut album The Spirit of Apollo N.A.S.A. (aka North America South America) has set the bar for all hip-hop albums with high hopes.
Producers Sam Spiegel (brother of Spike Jonze) and Ze Gonzales represent both American hemispheres, drawing on the two continents in their multi-layered sound. Gonzales' Brazilian soul and funk mixes well with Spiegel's San Francisco-inspired beats. After five years in the making, The Spirit of Apollo boasts an impressive roster of collaborators.
From the hip-hop arena, expect appearances by members of Blackalicious, Jurassic 5 and Wu-Tang Clan, including rhymes from the much-missed Ol' Dirty Bastard. The album's lineup doesn't stop there, however. Expect to also hear the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O singing along in a sleepy voice on "Strange Enough" and Talking Heads' David Byrne wailing on "Money." Elsewhere, CSS's petite Lovefoxxx duets with Jamaica's Sizzla, and Tom Waits goes up against Kool Ketih. But perhaps the biggest surprise is the trifecta team of Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold.
N.A.S.A may not have charted wholly undiscovered territory, but they sure took one giant step toward it.
—David Hellqvist
Forty years after NASA sent men to the moon, a similarly named musical outfit is impressing audiences with its other worldly aspirations. Debut album The Spirit of Apollo N.A.S.A. (aka North America South America) has set the bar for all hip-hop albums with high hopes.
Producers Sam Spiegel (brother of Spike Jonze) and Ze Gonzales represent both American hemispheres, drawing on the two continents in their multi-layered sound. Gonzales' Brazilian soul and funk mixes well with Spiegel's San Francisco-inspired beats. After five years in the making, The Spirit of Apollo boasts an impressive roster of collaborators.
From the hip-hop arena, expect appearances by members of Blackalicious, Jurassic 5 and Wu-Tang Clan, including rhymes from the much-missed Ol' Dirty Bastard. The album's lineup doesn't stop there, however. Expect to also hear the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O singing along in a sleepy voice on "Strange Enough" and Talking Heads' David Byrne wailing on "Money." Elsewhere, CSS's petite Lovefoxxx duets with Jamaica's Sizzla, and Tom Waits goes up against Kool Ketih. But perhaps the biggest surprise is the trifecta team of Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold.
N.A.S.A may not have charted wholly undiscovered territory, but they sure took one giant step toward it.
—David Hellqvist
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