| I've grown so used to Doseone's approach to art that I'm starting to forget how obscure some of his music really is. For me and many others, the left-field vocal and instrumental layering of cLOUDDEAD have become an excepted (and beloved) sound. This collaboration with the nu-skool jazz maestro Boom Bip sees a continuation of that progressively weirder tangent that Doseone seems to be on, ever since the (comparatively) more simplistic days of Hemispheres. Circle had all the potential to follow the blueprint of the typical emcee and producer collaboration album, and these two artists would probably have made an amazing record. But let me make it clear - this is not that kind of record! Instead, Circle is Dose's obscure, poetic musings, over Boom Bip's often equally obscure production. It would be hard to call them beats, because the musical accompaniment to many of the tracks is just some ambient sounds, though grouped together consistently well. In twenty-nine tracks, there is no one emerging theme or mood. Rather, this is a mish-mash of late-night thoughts, trippy ideas, hip-hop, random sounds and, I can only assume, several kilos of weed. Let's try and be more specific. "Questions Over Coffee" is one of the darker moments here - a series of lengthy, metaphorical musings, all in Doseone's signature Yoda voice, broken up by half-sung half-chanted distorted vocals, and backed by some murky synthesized percussions. For those familiar with Doseone's previous work, you'll recognize "The Birdcatcher" as typical Dose. It's strange, because Dose's name is all over this album, musically, but it is hard to find any trace of Boom Bip's usual style here - even the instrumental tracks on Circle are creepy and weird. Many tracks are very minimalist, some mixed so low that they are verging on silence, but all of the songs make up this cohesive, baffling masterpiece - there is no such thing as padding on this record. The few more tangible tracks, in the classic sense - like "'Art Saved My Life' - 71" and "Ironish" are very short. Both musicians have clearly gone out of their way to make this album very, very obscure. The single, definite highlight of Circle has to be "The Birdcatcher's Return." A short-ish track, but one that is perfectly crafted and self-contained. No genre descriptions here are relevant, but the specifics are important - Dose's vocals are not only full of poetic grace and mystery, but are often used as an instrument in their own right, and build up this track almost to breaking point, before a bongo beat takes over and almost peters out. And then the main beat drops, and when Dose begins to flow atop, for some thirty seconds this could almost be drum and bass. The track is stripped down - a small, synthetic bassline, live-sounding sporadic drums and - is that a guitar? Wow! The thing is though, as obscure as Circle is, there are no hints of pretense (despite what images of free-form poetry and ambient backdrops may conjure up), due to the thematics of the album being routed firmly in the realm of the abstract. This album is miles away from the definition and petty angst of so much of the music that surrounds us. Circle is not an easy album to listen to, but it's worth the effort. - Dot Alt |
2XLP/Out Of Print