Ninja High School is Toronto’s finest “positive hardcore dance-rap” outfit, and they are newly signed to the lovely Tomlab label out of Cologne. As you know, Tomlab is usually known for more rarified acts like the Books, Niobe, Patrick Wolf, and Final Fantasy. Ninja High School marks a major deviation for the label, but I love it. I can’t shake this stuff. Think kids who grew up listening to Public Enemy, Pavement, Eric B. & Rakim, and the early K records output equally. The two songs we have for download here are fairly representative cuts of the album writ large, though Ninja High School avoids being a one-trick pony through wit and energy. What I’m saying is that it’s the “jam” (is that still cool to say?), like Gregory Abbott’s “Shake You Down” was in its day.

“If you can leave behind the pesky reverence to the genres they swipe from, you might have as much fun as Ninja High School do on their debut. Stealing the party vibe from Golden Age hip-hop and the bratty arrogance of church-basement hardcore, Ninja High School leave the weight behind and make an album with a sharp ear and a positive, inclusive atmosphere.”