Sweatshop Union is a collective of five emcees and one deejay from Vancouver that have been producing soulful, thoughtful hip hop for over ten years. Bill Murray marks their first release in three years, and their fifth overall.

The EP starts off strong, with a very short intro that builds atmosphere before giving way to “Makeshift Kingdome,” which features some great production from Pigeon Hole. Layers of keyboards play off each other, building tension as a simple drum march pushes everything forward as Mos Eisley and Conscience trade verses. “Sunburn,” features Dusty and Marmalade on the mic and horns and vibraphones that push a calm, sunny song to a swirling, frantic instrumental climax.

The only real slip-up of the EP comes with “Bring Back the Music.” The production actually features a nice incorporation of “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits, and D-Sisive guests on the track. The problem is choosing MTV as subject matter for the song. For one, I don’t know if anyone’s written a good song about the quality of TV programming since “TV Party” by Black Flag. Also, picking on MTV at this point just seems like an easy target. Everybody was making these complaints ten years ago. Why now?

Not to worry though, as things pick right back up with “Nuclear Family.” Metty the Dert Merchant and Mos Eisley provide some introspection into family life. If things get a little heavy there, you just have to wait for the title track. It’s not the best thing they’ve ever done, but if you’re a nerd like me and take pleasure from a group of emcees using one of the great comedic actors of our time as a jumping point for rhyming, you’re going to have a good time. “John Lennon” might be my favorite track on the EP, with a sweet steel drum sample. The chorus of “Instant Karma” (not sampled, but reworded by Dusty and Marmalade) provides us with a hopeful hip hop song that inspires hope and inspiration for making your life and others’ better. I’d like to think that Lennon would be happy with their work here. If it were up to me, I would have just ended the EP there. Instead we get one more song in “Staring at the Walls (Too Late).” It’s a decent song, but it’s slow and dark in tone, and kind of a bummer after getting lifted up by “John Lennon.”

All in all, Bill Murray encapsulates everything I like about Sweatshop Union. They share the spotlight, have fun, and tackle serious subject matter. The EP isn’t perfect, but it packs a lot into a twenty-minute set of songs. If all EPs were as strong as Bill Murray, we’d be doing all right.