"a strong performer that defies expectations, sets a high standard and leaves you wanting more" – The BIll Murray EP
At first glance, Sweatshop Union's unlikely choice of a namesake for their first release on Urbnet and their fifth release overall, might raise a few eyebrows. After all, the last guy who tried to wring a little hip-hop credibility out of a Ghostbuster was Bobby Brown, and that was a long, troubled time ago.
But for a veteran Vancouver hip-hop collective known for going their own way, The Bill Murray EP is surely as good a choice as any. Murray may not be a hip-hop icon, but these MCs make a strong case for him as a kindred spirit throughout the course of their EP's all-too-brief 24 minutes.
Like Murray, these tracks are memorably witty and irreverent. There's a top-notch flow and a top-shelf level of wordplay at work throughout the disc, most notably on collective efforts like "Sunburn," "Makeshift Kingdom" and the title track.
The disc is fearless but engagingly accessible. Sweatshop Union's conscious, compelling approach to its subject matter is as sharp as ever here, from their brutal indictment of the state of music television on "Bring Back The Music" to the heavy but hopeful "Staring At The Walls (Too Late)." It's backed at every turn by eclectic beats and solid production, and the message always goes down easy.
In the end, Sweatshop Union's latest disc is a strong performer that defies expectations, sets a high standard and leaves you wanting more — much like a certain comedy legend we could name. So they've got that going for them, which is nice.