Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Jenny Wilson - Exorcism about 5 hours ago
  • Mouse on Mars - Dimensional People about 5 hours ago
  • DiScover Diron Animal about 11 hours ago
  • The Damned - Evil Spirits 3 days ago
  • Slug - HiggledyPiggledy 3 days ago
  • Christina Vantzou - No. 4 5 days ago
  • The Fangasm: The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit 5 days ago
  • Laura Veirs - The Lookout 6 days ago
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

Sage Francis

Sea Lion

Label: Epitaph Release Date: 10/01/2005

2019
Mike_Diver by Mike Diver January 6th, 2005

So much rides on this, Sage’s first big release. The sole hip-hop representative on punk rock’s premier label (of ten years back), Epitaph, the pressure’s on to deliver on the promise of 2002’s Personal Journals album. ‘Sea Lion’ is a tentative first step into the big-hitter’s league – it won’t be played back-to-back with Jay-Z or 50 Cent, but it will prick ears up all over the place, thanks especially to the creaky voice of *Will Oldham *that comes moaning through the glitch-beats before Sage so much as whispers.

A 12”-only release, ‘Sea Lion’ won’t have the impact that its parent album, the mighty fine A Healthy Distrust will upon its February release. As an opening salvo though, it works just fine: Sage’s poetic rhymes are as smooth as top-brand chocolate on the tongue, and the beats from Alias mix perfectly with the battered guitar work of Oldham. “No one said it was gonna be easy” offers Sage towards the song’s end, and he’s right – convincing hip-hoppers and punks alike that he’s worth the fuss is going to be damn tough. This, though, is a convincing beginning to the argument of whether or not he's the best swinger in town.

“I’ll make mom proud of the deals that I’ve made.” Let’s hope so.

  • 8
    Mike Diver's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Jenny Wilson

    Exorcism


  • Mouse on Mars

    Dimensional People


  • DiScover Diron Animal


  • The Damned

    Evil Spirits


  • Slug

    HiggledyPiggledy


  • Christina Vantzou

    No. 4



Left-arrow

Various, 65daysofstatic, Jeniferever, Rocky Votolato

Play Dead presents: The Sh*t

Mobback
7348
7351

The Killers

Somebody Told Me

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    review


    Jenny Wilson - Exorcism

  • 105542
  • review


    Mouse on Mars - Dimensional People

  • 105541

    Interview


    DiScover Diron Animal

  • 105539
  • review


    The Damned - Evil Spirits

  • 105536

    review


    Slug - HiggledyPiggledy

  • 105535
  • review


    Christina Vantzou - No. 4

  • 105534

    Column


    The Fangasm: The Midnight Organ Fight by Fright...

  • 105533
  • review


    Laura Veirs - The Lookout

  • 105532
MORE


    feature


    A Month in Records: August 2008

  • 33467
  • review


    Coldplay - Ghost Stories

  • 95631

    review


    Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

  • 7335
  • feature


    Cursive - Six Recorded Highlights

  • 45147

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • review


    Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks

  • 26283

    DiScover


    DiScover: Friendly Fires

  • 93726
  • news


    DiS curates the #IndependentMusicMonday Playlist

  • 101788
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2018 DROWNED IN SOUND