| "My speech is littered with double-entendres and sharp sarcasm." Indeed. Busdriver's voice is heavily sardonic, reminiscent of Gil Scott-Heron, Micheal Franti, Jello Biafra. So far so good, but be warned, his particular brand of archness might start to get right up your nose after a wee while. There's nothing at all wrong with his flow, though; it's tough, rhythmic, sometimes a threatening laid-back drawl and very often extra-super-machine-gun-fast. And the lyrics? They range from the sublime to the gibberish. Fear of a Black Tangent is utterly aptly-titled. It's about blackness, and strangeness; in short, the world of the underground rap artist. "I am not their zeitgeist," he reminds us, "nor am I Christ-like, nor do I dislike whites." There's a raft of producers at work here, but they follow a basic template, involving loadsa reverb on the drums, and loadsa boomy bass, the judicious use of samples, and the occasional outburst of bone-rattling percussion. However, there are a fair few standout tracks. "Reheated Pop!" manages to bring to mind the daisy age, the JA dancehall, and college rock a la Crash Test Dummies, all at the same time. 'Happiness(s Unit of Measurement)" is a junglist's delight, extremely catchy, with a trademark is-he-or-ain't-he chorus: "I've got a point system that determines my happiness, this unit of measurement is your interest in my crappy shit." "Avantcore" has a rinky-dink piano that dares you not to wiggle your behind, whereas "Low Flying Winged Books" is a full-on queasy hippy drone trip. Album closer and keystone is "Lefty's Lament," an awe-inspiring outpouring of heartfelt bitterness and discontent which could raise a few eyebrows round these parts. "Love is not enough," he reckons. I could also mention the three secret bonus tracks, wicked electronicky remixes for the UK dancehall/grime massive, snappy synthetic wonky beats and warping woofing bass. But that might spoil the surprise. - Big Chill |
1XLP/Out Of Print