A Single Spark, by Ransom-Notes

A Single Spark

by Ransom-Notes

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1.	A Single Spark 02:53	buy track
2.	Continuity and Rupture 03:09	buy track
3.	Rumors and Slanders 02:53	buy track
4.	Dream 02:30	buy track
5.	This is Not a Dinner Party 03:24	buy track
6.	Socialism or Human Extinction 03:33	buy track

about

If you wish to purchase a physical copy of this album, please go to Xiangyu's Bandcamp page: comradexiangyu.bandcamp.com/album/a-single-spark

Shortly after his 2018 album "Bombard the Headquarters" was nominated best hip hop album by the Golden Indie Music Awards, Xiangyu, one of the few openly communist rappers in the Sinosphere, together with his comrade Ransom-Notes from the UK, began working on "a Single Spark." In comparison to his previous album, which contains comedic songs like "Paolyta B" and "the Idol's Handbook," "a Single Spark" takes on a more serious tone and delves deeper into Xiangyu's ideology.

Despite the comparatively somber tone, this new album avoids repetitive preaching. Through sharing his personal experiences and the things he saw growing up in the United States, Xiangyu debunks the so-called "American Dream." Using materialist dialectics, he tells us how hip hop has lost its rebellious essence, and also analyzes power dynamics and touches on topics such as the environment. It is difficult to imagine how Xiangyu and Ransom-Notes were able to condense such a vast expanse of knowledge into an album less than 20 minutes in length. You will not be disappointed should you decide to sit down and listen to such a bold album while studying the lyrics. Reminiscent of hip hop's golden age, Ransom-Notes' beatmaking provides the listener with the sugar that makes the pill easier to swallow. Xiangyu's carefully constructed rhymes and the occasional humorous punch line demonstrate his sincere attempt to make his agitprop more accessible to the layperson.

Criticizing US hegemony and the socioeconomic order of today is tantamount to shattering the fundamental beliefs of many, and Xiangyu is acutely aware of this. The fact that hip hop can serve as a platform for pointing out injustices is what attracted Xiangyu to the genre in the first place. "A Single Spark" is similar to "Soundtrack to the Struggle" by Lowkey, one of Xiangyu's influences, in the sense that it is truly revolutionary in content. Those who truly seek to transform the predicaments plaguing our world today will certainly find inspiration in Xiangyu's music.

credits

released July 27, 2019

Album credits:
All lyrics written by Xiangyu,
all beats produced by Ransom-Notes,
recorded by Xiangyu,
mixed by Xiangyu and Ransom-Notes,
mastered by Glenn Schick,
artwork by Bijan Nader Sharif

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Ransom-Notes Brighton, UK

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