| Two years in the making, the latest from Melbourne's Curse Ov Dialect shows once again how the Aussies (namely COD and Macromantics) are kicking hip-hop ass in the innovation department. With MC's Raceless, Atarungi, August 2 and Vulk Makedonski surrounding the generated sounds from DJ Paso Bionic, the multiculti aspect these guys put in the forefront on their last album gets kicked up a notch here; it's such a whirlwind tour of the world of sounds you almost throw up, but at no point do you sense a loss of focus or get the impression you're being tossed esoteric shapes for the sake of forced eclectism. Flowing rhymes and scratches complement Muslimgauze-ish beats, baroque horns, kid choruses and operatic flights, Bollywood cooing, Balkan horn blasts all presented in sharp precision appropriate to the assorted lyrics (which focus, needless to say, on worldly diversity/cultural unity). It's really admirable that all this can be presented with total energy and cohesiveness while *still* acknowledging all that is right about hip-hop history. The fact these guys have namedropped the Boredoms in interviews probably speaks volumes as well. - WMFU |
