Hello, music lovers! We've been searching for some more in-depth album reviews, and boy did we find some! This week, we have WUVT DJ Skyler Rapp reviewing two of his favorite albums, with more coming soon!

Police & Thieves by Junior Murvin

Skyler Rapp

In 1976, a young Junior Murvin wrote and auditioned just a single song for famous reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry’s iconic Black Ark Studio. The song, being about police brutality and gang wars in 1970s Jamaica, immediately caught the producer’s attention. Perry found the song to be so moving that he would record it the same day. That powerful song would be known as Police & Thieves, and it would quickly become a major hit in not just Jamaica, but the US and especially the UK as well. Abroad, it became an anthem against the police and famously caught the attention of famous punk rock band, the Clash, who later famously released a cover of the song (which sparked an interesting chain of events on its own). A year later, Junior Murvin would work with Perry to release an album of the same name, which would see some success too. Junior Murvin would release more music, but nothing would ever come close to matching his initial success with that one hit single. Nowadays, he’s best known for it and his later single, Cool Out Son, which famously appeared in the popular 2010s skateboarding game Skate 3. Knowing this, is there a reason that not many people talk about his other work- particularly his first album?

There’s no doubt that this album is carried by its hit single, but Police & Thieves is still a great listen that deserves more attention. Not every track on the album is memorable, and none are certainly as significant or striking as his initial single was, but if you enjoy roots reggae, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not giving this album a listen. Every track is a great showcase of Junior Murvin’s unique falsetto and the Upsetters’ special sound working together to create something deserving of praise. Some of my favorite tracks on this album that especially show this are its title track (obviously), Roots Train, Solomon, False Teachin’, Easy Task, and Lucifer.

Junior Murvin may only be mostly remembered today for Police & Thieves and Cool Out Son, but the album itself demonstrates that he’s a lot more than just those two hits. It may not be anything super special, and it may not stand out among the giants of roots reggae albums, but it still deserves to be near them. Maybe a shelf or two below? Police & Thieves made not just an impact on Jamaica, but the international world as well, and in a world that somehow grows with even more violence, terror, and oppression despite us thinking that there’s no way things can get worse, Junior Murvin’s music remains very significant and asks everyone to do one simple thing: hear what he says.

Because Maybe! by Renard

Skyler Rapp

Back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was a vast difference between the kind of music you’d hear in everyday life and online. While airwaves and iPods were filled with the 2010s EDM-influenced and upbeat pop you’re likely familiar with, online music culture was fairly decentralized. It could be characterized by heavy and random sampling, incredibly hyper beats, ridiculously loud drums, and… chiptune? Sometimes? That’s the thing- you could never really know what to expect. Sure, there were common themes, but the most random people would always be experimenting and making something new that would unexpectedly blow up. Oh, and what’s a group of people who have famously never stuck to the mainstream while having a large culture related to art and experimenting with it? Furries- it’s always furries! Like many things, furries had (and arguably still have) a major impact on the online music scene at the time to the point where it’d be pretty surprising not to see any furry-produced or furry-related music in your recommendations. Whether you realized it or not, furry-produced music helped to define early to mid 2010s internet music, and a famous example is 2010’s Because Maybe! by Renard (now known as Emma Essex).

Because Maybe! is a raggacore/breakcore album that perfectly encapsulates online culture and music in the 2000s/2010s. The album- technically a DJ mix- is composed of Renard's favorites that are slightly sped up, tweaked, and made to flow seamlessly into each other, creating a very satisfying experience. To start, the album opens strongly with Go To The Party, a perfect first upbeat and hyper tune that samples… My Chemical Romance and Dig Dug? Among other interesting choices? You’ll soon realize that many songs on here use unexpected samples, from Michael Jackson, to Beastie Boys, to Sonic the Hedgehog, to Marvel vs. Capcom 2, to Wonderwall, to… I could go on forever but despite the goofy samples (and some poorly aged ones), Renard incorporates them in an extremely enjoyable and fun way that makes you get super hyped up while feeling like a loud, bright, and colorful furry OC.

This album showcases both upbeat and intense Renard tracks. Continuing from earlier, my favorites on the upbeat side are the previously mentioned track, I'm a Blind Cave Salamander, Sean Paul Opens A MFing Casino, Sinisterrrrrrrr, and Dear Spark. These are songs that seriously put me in that 2010s hyper-random-fun mood! On the other paw, my favorites on the more intense side are Dracula, Wrecka, Team Murder, Spacedragonstyle Raggamissile, and TU4AR. Now THESE are songs that bring the beast out of me. However, there are a few tracks on here that are pretty confusing picks. They’re definitely not bad, but for a “best of” selection, tracks such as With Me and Chelsea Smile are kind of strange inclusions when there are undoubtedly a few tracks that I feel would fit much better.

Much like 2010s pop itself, some people look back fondly on 2010s internet music, while some people think it’s great we moved on from flaming hot garbage. Because Maybe! reminds the latter people to show some respect. It demonstrates what was so special about that period of internet music and why it should be appreciated. The saying “this could never be made today” gets thrown around a lot, but it rings very true for this album. Renard had already been a fairly popular artist online since the mid 2000s, but the right experimentation, the right combination of songs, and the decentralized nature of internet music and culture led to what was initially a limited release becoming a staple of 2010s internet music that all kinds of people were listening to. There’s a reason why a lot of popular online artists today- furry and non-furry- are trying to replicate Renard’s sound. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s absolutely a very fun listen, and it acts as a perfect lens into 2010s internet music and culture. So, what are you waiting for? Shake that tail and put those paws in the air!

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