| One of LA's most revered underground artists, Busdriver, returns to the global arena with his second full-length LP, Fear of a Black Tangent, three years after achieving recognition for his first solo release, Temporary Forever. Back in 2004, Driver released the mini album, Cosmic Cleavage and gloriously found his feet in the avant-garde world of indie hip-hop on Ninja Tune's sister label Big Dada, producing a work that chewed up elements of jazz and old school hip-hop along with the ethics of underground music. Fear of a Black Tangent continues in this vein, with Busdriver's overtly random sonic assaults casting their shadow over this eclectic soundtrack, from the aging electronic-organ-inspired freestyle of the opener, "Yawning Zeitgeist Intro (freestyle)" right through to the hints of lounge-jazz of the closing track, "Lefty's Lament." Throughout the album, the quirky production, variations in style and speed and blend of genres presented to the listener provide a multi-layered tapestry that should be given a few listens to get its full impact. The musical backdrop changes with every new track, yet somehow blends seamlessly from one to the next, creating a tangible range of abstract continuity. With production duties taken care off by some of California's brightest underground luminaries, such as Daedelus, Omid, Danger Mouse, Paris Zax and Thavius Beck, each weaving their particular brand of transcendent magic to create the perfect platform for Busdriver to develop his perplexing wordplay. After conquering the underground with the Project Blowed collective, Busdriver maintains here his left-field stance on hip-hop and bestows a stupendously diverse and creative piece of work. His rhymes are speedy to say the least and trying to take in every word is a colossal challenge; yet, with continuous touches of humour, Busdriver remains perfectly on track and ensures that the album never loses momentum. - The Milk Factory |
1XLP/Out Of Print