| It's almost become a curse to be original these days. Most musicians seem to get by and achieve coveted artist status by dropping slick, overproduced repetitive beats and formulaic lyrics, marketing their look and style instead of sheer talent and content. Where is the beauty in that? Am I being too naive? Much of today's pop music, in order to receive mass approval (read: money) ends up too shiny and/or sanitized. Although it might sound dangerous, it is hardly ever on-the-edge. I am aware that this is an age-old lament of critics and music lovers everywhere, and one that will be around forever. But it's still worth addressing. Hey, I like 50 Cent for all he's worth. But can you believe the props he got at the Tribeca Film Festival's closing concert? It was less about him becoming a musical force than it was about being a blurb, a commodity, a social commentary. Where's the emotion in that? Original music should make you feel uncomfortable. Or overcome you with an awesome feeling that can hardly be described. It's a resounding "yes." A fist in the air or the uncontrollable head-bobbing motion. It converts you into a preacher: "Hey everybody, you just gotta hear this." Slanguage might not be for everyone, but it sure is original. Combining free music stylings (not in the strict sense but in a collage / cut-and-paste style) with traditional hip-hop sensibilities (heavy on the commentary tip), it delivers the rantings and stories of a laidback experimental duo. Daddy Kev and Awol One sound like they just got up, took a few huge bong hits and hit the record button. "Finger Paint With Bloodlike War Paint" is a crazy juxtaposition of an old-school style beat and rhyme with a grand orchestral backing track. The two aren't even in sync melodically. It's almost as if the cut was done accidentally. Nevertheless, dramatic tension is evident all over the track, making it clear that, planned or not, some crazy shit had to have gone down for this track to be completed. "Grey Skies In Psycho-Delic RGB" is almost painful to listen to. But it was probably meant to be that way. While the beat comes on strong, Awol One menaces the listener with his shaky rhymes and leads up to a spoken-word call and response, defining the beauty of free music, he says, "I just let the music take me where the music takes me... the only thing about free music is that you have a greater success of not succeeding because it is free. It is unstructured. But the fun is when you get the good moments." That said, this album is not for the un-adventurous. Awol One's sleepy, don't-give-a-fuck vocals may turn off those accustomed to an assertive voice. But if you listen enough, you'll find that he's got something you can relate to. - Repellent |
2XLP/Out Of Print