| From the label that brought us skewed hip-hop artists cLOUDDEAD and Aesop Rock comes Breathing Lessons, the catchiest blend of stripped-down, spacey breakbeats I've heard in quite some time. Seemingly unfinished in comparison to most hip-hop discs, the disc is chock-full of dirty, literate backing music in search of an emcee. Thanks to the Opus's refusal to muddy much of their work with lyrics just for the sake of having them, we're treated to a subtly complex list of layers, nuances which might otherwise go unnoticed if summarily trampled by street poetry and invective. The freedom to study the backgrounds as foregrounds provides some refreshing observations. The album has the Mush fingerprints all over it - off-kilter, mildly muted and startlingly intellectual - but it holds up well under cynical scrutiny and proves itself repeatedly listenable. There's an overarching new age theme to the mix, with titles like "Earthwalker" and "Life's Endless Cycle," but under that semi-generic cover you'll find some intricate and forceful rhythms. "Symbiotic" heaves to life like a tired beast that's been prodded awake and is none too pleased about it. The drum and bass is accompanied by breathy effects that approximate the strained and pointed huffing of an aging predator. "Isis" slides into being from a cradle of minor noise, lurching into a spindly string-based chorus that pricks up ears, eyes and goosebumps. Lord 360 makes an appearance in the third minute to drop some appropriately wise and world-weary lyrics, but only after the Djs have been given their due. And "The Addiction" sends the album off into the stratosphere, buoyed by phantom radio signals and the harpsichord of the heavens - a far cry from the earthbound throb of "Fanum's Organs" and "Mission Control". which kick the album off so potently. A Laundry lists of an album's merits rarely convey its actual listening pleasure. Even as I reread this, I'm sure there's a more succinct way to explain why Breathing Lessons caught my attention from its opening notes, but it's the kind of knowledge that can only be transmitted firsthand. If I come up with better analogies, I'll pass them along. In the meantime, I'm going to spin this disc a few more times and clear my head. - Splendid |
2XLP/Out Of Print