| Modern hip hoppers are often as likely to cite Dj Shadow as a reference point as they are Grandmaster Flash, Dr. Dre or Prince Paul. An alternative view of hip-hop spawned as many imitators as it did fans and largely the standards was not up to the originator. The music created by San Francisco producers Kingston and Young God has many of the Shadow hallmarks. Brooding strings and piano lines glide over samples and sharp hip hop beats to create a gritty but beautiful sound-scape for the listener. A Heap of Broken Images marks their debut offering, a two disco album with half their own instrumental compositions and the other a series of emcee collaborations with such heads as Guru from Gangstarr, Rob Sonic from Def Jux and Wu affiliate The Holocaust. On the whole, this debut is a very satisfying listen. Without ever surpassing the likes of Shadow or Aim where you can draw similarities, the production is tight and intelligently composed to make for a record of depth and quality. The only criticism could focus on the fact that at some points, there is a lack of genuine diversity across the album. For this to be a classic, the listener would need to be surprised and challenged on each track. There are points where you do feel that they only have a limited amount of production tricks to play with, but this is only a minor criticism for now.The atmosphere built across the album is understandably (in relation to their artist name) dark and brooding. "Skies Open" sets out the stall early on with eerie, atmospheric sweeps of sound over a loping hip hop beat. Immediately you get a feel of the depth and quality of production values, a facet which is an album trait. "From Sun's Angle" punches driving strings over a Shadow-esque beat which then speeds up as the track progresses to pleasing effect. "Heroin for God" is poppin electro G-Rap with a high pitched arpeggio melody. The use of strings is an ever present for Blue Sky Black Death, at points it casts an emotive veil and others it feels a tad overused. Stand out track on Disc One has to be "Rap Creature Land" which proclaims a mechanic, electronic future aside angry samples and sounds. The rap tracks follow a similar production theme, Guru rhymes over a dark NYC beat and attacks the rap game from within. Jus Allah, Wise Intelligent and Sabac Red grab a phat beat and layered bed of strings to rhyme over in "Engage My Words." Then Virtuoso has a punchy bass hook and low fuzzing grind to deliver a dark flow on "Brain Cells." Kingston and Young God have delivered a quality and complex rap record with some solid guest rappers, that with a tad more diversity could have a been a classic debut. Regardless, it is still a record well worth checking out for all hip hop fans. - Subba Cultcha |
2XLP/Out Of Print