Adrian Younge Presents Twelve Reasons To Die

''Twelve Reasons To Die,'' is a groundbreaking concept album conceived and created by Adrian Younge that follows Tony Starks (one of Ghostface Killah's alter egos), as a soldier for the 12 DeLucas, a 1960's era Italian crime family. But when Starks leaves the family, an epic story unfolds like a vintage horror film with gangster elements. It's a gritty story of good versus evil that walks the line of the supernatural accented by Ghostface's grandiose, vivid storytelling. Sonically, Younge constructs a distinct aural realm for ''Twelve Reasons To Die.'' It's music based on the break, the sonic foundation of hip-hop culture. But Younge traverses new ground by incorporating elements of what a composer would have used while making music in the 1960s: live strings, horns and drums. He also recorded the songs on 2-inch tape, giving each track a sonic heft and depth virtually non-existent in modern music.