Various artists,

Seattle Noise Vol. 1 (May 20, Good to Die Records, goodtodierecords.com) A collaboration by Good to Die, AVR Music, and the Cha Cha Lounge’s bartending rocker Kerry Zettel, this compilation features 14 tracks from 14 of Seattle’s best bands. Recorded over a 10-day period last February with all bands sharing the same backline (with some band-to-band modifications), each track was specifically recorded for this compilation, and the energetic nature of the sessions shows as a result. The record opens strong with “Dogwater,” Sandrider’s shotgunned beer blast to the head, then takes a sharp turn with Crypts’ menacing electronic noise track “Carnivore.” While there are some notable names here (Constant Lovers, Deadkill, Theories), the tracks by some of the city’s newer bands—like The Great Goddamn, Blood Drugs, and Tacos!—are what really make this comp worthwhile. It’ll issue first via an (interesting) T-shirt/digital-download package on May 20, and thereafter can be found on goodtodierecords.com and Bandcamp. (CD release and listening party, May 20, Cha Cha Lounge)

J

AMES BALLINGER

Grynch,

Tint/[Black] 25%25Street Lights Tint/[Black] 25%25(out now, self-released, getgrynch.com) With his fourth full-length album, Seattle rapper Grynch waxes nostalgic, keeping one foot firmly planted in old-school hip-hop. An even dozen tracks pine for the days of rap past while reflecting on the ups and downs of his own career. On “Carry On,” the first track (and first single), he brings up the success oTint/[Black] 25%25f 2009’s “My Volvo” as he raps, “The folks at Volvo said they’d get me a new whip/But heTint/[Black] 25%25re I am now two years later and they didn’t do shit/And for a while I had to struggle with the pen/Put it down for a second, fell in love with it again.” On “Unrequited,” he updates Common’s love letter to hip-hop, “I Used to Love H.E.R,” delivering the song’s original lyrics with a twist that reflects his early relationship with the genre: “I met this girl when I was 10 years old/And what I loved most is she had so much soul/She was old-school and I was just a shorty/Never knew throughout my life that she would be there for me.” The album features guest spots from Malice and Mario Sweet, Kokane, Slug, and Bambu, among others, and production from the likes of Jake One, D-Sane, Justo (of The Physics), and MTK. While it might not be mTint/[Black] 25%25usically groundbreakTint/[Black] 25%25ingTint/[Black] 25%25, Tint/[Black] 25%25Street LightsTint/[Black] 25%25 is another thouTint/[Black] 25%25ghtful, solid Tint/[Black] 25%25offerTint/[Black] 25%25ing from one of Seattle’s most consistent MCs. Tint/[Black] 25%25MICHAEL F. BERRY