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Bigger Pictures

by Rainman

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes 16 page lyric booklet with all lyrics and detailed artwork.

    Cover, disc and case art by internationally acclaimed artist Fintan Magee: fintanmagee.com

    Layout: Amanda Heelan
    Photography: Conan Whitehouse

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bigger Pictures via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 7 Rainman releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Reminder, LEARN.TEACH., F E A R, Rememories, Dream State (Hello ASIO 2014), Fire in the Belly (10 Year Anniversary Deluxe Digital Version), and Bigger Pictures. , and , .

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about

"Rainman’s calm, measured tones work well in both chorus and verse. The beats on Bigger Pictures’s 15 tracks are uniformly excellent” - The Australian (4 stars)

“a dizzyingly diverse collection of beats and lyrical feats accompanied by guests galore. Essentially, it’s everything a good hip hop album should be” – Rave Magazine (4 stars)

“Sometimes serious, always sublime, this is an album not to be missed” - CertifiedScribe

- Winner 2012 Queensland Music Awards (Urban) for 'The Valley'

- Nominee 2012 Queensland Music Awards Song of the Year for ‘The Valley’

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“Bigger Pictures” sees the collaborative partnership of Rainman and Sammsonite (The Optimen) return for the lion’s share of production but also features some of Australia’s finest beat-smiths including the APRA and AIR Award winning, ARIA nominated Count Bounce (TZU/Urthboy), DJ Bonez, Mangohig (Sietta), Chasm (Astronomy Class), Cam Bluff (Vegas Aces) and Calski.

Guest MCs on the record include Muph (Muph n Plutonic), Tommy Illfigga, Yuin Huzami (The Coalition Crew), Seven (triple j Unearthed winner) & 4TH (Vegas Aces), while Laneous (Laneous & The Family Yah), Kel on Earth (Bankrupt Billionaires) and Youka (Killbot Kindergarten) all lend soulful vocals across the album, mixed with a drop of folk courtesy of pear (Pear & the Awkward Orchestra).

The actual title of the album says a lot about the record itself. Rainman explains:

“Midway through making the album I realised how often I found myself saying ‘look at the bigger picture’ in conversations and in my own lyrics. There seemed to be this recurring theme for me about remembering to keep things in perspective and seeing that my own worries were pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

As I started to use it as a working title I realised how the tracks are like zooming in and creating a bigger picture of a topic or a moment or a state of mind or even a place, and often is about revealing something that may have been missed. So then it was settled, the album was actually a whole bunch of ‘bigger pictures’.

Lyrics-wise Rainman is rarely comfortable with speaking generally, preferring to dive into topics, swim in the details and paint the bigger pictures. Themes across the album range from poor eyesight to marketing; the creative process to ‘duck faces’; the love of music to the love of a lady. This is an Australian hip hop album that can take the piss and have a laugh, but still hold an intelligent conversation and tell a story.

It’s an album that swings from the bombasticism of 'The Valley' to the refined storytelling soul drop of ‘Muse Sick (feat. Laneous)’. It’s an album from a laidback hip hop head who grew up on dope rhymes and banging beats but doesn’t aspire to purity of the form. Hip hop that people who don’t listen to hip hop can still get into. Humorous, emotive and reflective, it doesn’t always scream at you that it’s hip hop, it just is.

It’s all best said in his own words:

“...this album is about perspectives. This is both my personal stories and trying to paint bigger pictures of where I’m coming from, but also my take on the world and with a broader encouragement for people to look around them at what’s going on with a wider perspective.

I think there’s also a kind of ‘call to action’ theme that creeps up throughout the album as well. From the more brooding ‘things suck, get active about it’ feel (‘Too much’), to the cynical take on marketing saturating out lives (‘WTF’), to just getting on with life despite the ups and downs (‘Count Blessings’) to a more direct ‘make a move’ anthem (‘Move’).

Musically we’ve stretched things a bit. It’s definitely still coming from a straight up hip hop perspective, but this time around there’s more synths and live instrumentation in the mix. With lyrics, I think there's a bit more soul searching and storytelling. It gets heavy at times but there’s actually a lot more humour in there too. I think I stayed away from the humour side of things on the last album and that felt like a big chunk of who I am was missing. It’s also possible I’ve been watching too many Lonely Island and Flight of the Concords’ episodes too though..

Lastly – tuning in with the different perspectives theme, there’s a few tracks that are the flip sides of each other and tracks that flip perspectives within the one song. 'Darlin' flips things in the third verse to speak from lady hip hop's view, 'The Buzz' flips from the intense moments at the start of a relationship to a time in the future when it's all over. With 'Big Night' we’re all heading out for drinks and yet 'The Valley' is about just seeing that whole ’big night’ scenario through a sober lens of an onlooker. 'Everything Ain't’ is me getting bogged down but it's then followed by the reality check of 'Count Blessings', that picks up from those same tensions but takes a step back. It's a reminder that I'm actually pretty damn lucky to only have the worries I do have - things could always be better but they could definitely be a whole lot worse y'know...."

(C) RAINMAN 2012

credits

released May 4, 2012

01. Welcome (Intro) (Prod. Cam Bluff, Cuts Rainman)
02. Can't See You (Ft. Laneous, Prod. Chasm, Cuts Rainman)
03. A 1000 Words (Ft. Muph, Prod. Rainman & Sammsonite, Cuts Rainman)
04. WTF (Ft. Kel on Earth & Yuin Huzami, Prod. Sammsonite & Rainman)
05. Duck Face (Ft. Kel, Prod. Rainman & Sammsonite)
06. Muse Sick (Ft. Laneous, Prod. Sammsonite)
07. Big Night (Ft. Tommy Illfigga, Prod. Rainman & Sammsonite, Cuts Rainman)
08. The Valley (Prod. Rainman & Sammsonite, Cuts DJ Butcher)
09. Everything Ain't (Ft. Leah Carr, Prod. Chasm, Cuts DJ Butcher)
10. Count Blessings (Prod. Count Bounce, Cuts Rainman)
11. The Buzz (Ft. pear, Prod. Cam Bluff)
12. Darlin’ (Ft. Calski, Prod. Calski)
13. Move! (Ft. Seven & 4TH, Prod. Calski, Cuts Rainman)
14. Too Much (Ft. Youka, Prod. Mangohig)
15. The Bigger Picture (Cuts & Prod. DJ Bonez)

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Rainman Brisbane, Australia

Rhyme writing, track playing, sample chopping guy.

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