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Simple Song

Ever since Local 604 I've been a fan of Sweatshop Union and the emcees and groups that that union was comprised of (if you're not be aware of them, they haven't put out an album in 6 years and even at that I believe they may have been more of a Canadian commodity that was known stateside in isolate pockets [primarily the west coast]). As a group, Sweatshop isn't all that active these days however individually they're still out there. Off the top of my head I know Pigeon Hole are putting out bangin' west coast bass and playing festivals/touring regularly, Ray Black is out there DJing, and Mo Moshiri, well he put out his debut solo album this past September. If you don't recognize the specific name Mo Moshiri you may recognize him as Mos Eisley of Dirty Circus..of Sweatshop Union, haha. When I heard about Mo's pending album, Can I Tell You Something, in February I was pretty excited, after all..new Sweatshop. Was Can I Tell You Something a major departure from Mo's output under the Sweatshop Union/Dirty Circus brand? Na. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. I'm actually sort of surprised how much it sounded like a new Dirty Circus album (minus Metty), I had always thought Metty produced Dirty Circus but it would appear that the colab wasn't just as emcees but as producers as well. With his debut album, Mo and Rob the Viking provide an organic, (even when the beats are electronic there's somehow a very earthy sound to them) poppy, and often soulful canvas for Mr. Moshiri's smooth and melodic delivery, spitting socially conscious lyrics that comment on the state of the world while reflecting Mo's faith without allowing it to overtake the music. The songs are typically around the 3 minute mark which allows Mo to say something without overstaying his welcome. Mo's songs aren't cluttered, there's texture but he knows when to draw the line. Can I Tell You Something is comfort food for the ears (at least for me, it's familiar but with a new twist). It's a thoughtful album that reminds one that there's a lot of good in this world..and if we want it to remain that way we have to work for it.

I've previously mentioned the 2 kettle cooked chip brands that I remember from childhood, Dutch Crunch and Miss Vickie's. For some reason I haven't actually blogged about either of these brands on this here site. For some reason I assume that most people have already tried DC and MV's standards so me writing my thoughts is redundant, well if that's true the below words are about Dutch Crunch Jalapeno & Cheddar "Crafted in small batches" Kettle Cooked potato chips and if you've already made up your mind you can stop reading now. They smell like vegetable oil, there's a hint of jalap scent but it's just a hint. The chips are your standard uniform off-white with very little skin or browns to be found. The crunch is on the lighter side of kettle cooked, they're crunchy but not super thick or crunchy. The seasoning is fairly well distributed throughout the bag, there's the odd dud but for the most part seasoning is present. What does this seasoning taste like you ask, at the start of mastication you get a bit of fake cheddar flavour which is followed by a relatively mild jalapeno bite, it's spicier than black pepper but on the heat scale it's closer to a 3 or 4/10 (when I was younger I had thought that these were hotter, not sure if I've changed or if Old Dutch changed their recipe). Don't bet me wrong it's an enjoyable heat, but IMO they could kick it up a notch. Unintentionally I just ate the 200g bag so that must say something. In general Dutch Crunch is a slightly spicy chip that to some can be a comfort chip..for me they're just something I'll polish off if someone else cracks a bag.

Stay hydrated,
Marc
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