by: Sun-J
Hip Hop has come along ways since "Eric B was President." From just plain old backdrop, break beats, to the west coast gangster funk, to the pop influenced era. With their second LP, "From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots," Dalek pushes the bounds of hip hop in every direction. Similar to El-P and many of the Def Jux artists, Dalek is an acquired taste. Seasoned veterans, after touring for four years, Dalek, Oktopus, and new member Still combine heavy metal influenced hip hop with old, new, and now school drums to color a canvas filled with lyrical sketches. From the start, the group establishes a grunge-hop sound. "Spiritual Healing," with its positive message, is a grinding time travel through different spiritual emotions over hard hitting guitar riffs. "…From Mole Hills" almost seems as if pots and pans were used in place of drums to go along with a distorted guitar loop. "Black Smoke Rises" is Dalek's thin line between hip hop and "other." Filled with screams, shrieks, hisses, and ghostly cold vocals, the track rises and falls with an uneven flow. The east-Indian influenced instrumental on "Trampled Brethren" is a surprisingly unique addition to the mix. Yet despite the different backdrops and instrumentals, the key is in the standout lyricism. In the aforementioned track, "Spiritual Healing," Dalek passionately bellows out lines, "Who you pray to, my God, the black God?/ Who you pray to, my God, the brown God?/ Who you pray to, my God, the white God?/ Your reaction's kind of odd for a kid who loves to nod." And on the track "Forever Close My Eyes," Dalek spits, "My yesterdays don't matter now, they're gone/ Your careless expression left my wrists torn.../ Yesterdays don't matter now, you're gone/ Shattered glass of empty bottles cut my palms." Painfully deep, the lyrics provide politically correct meaning in a hip hop envelope pusher. Conclusively, the only major drawback is the twelve minute track, "Black Smoke Rises." Though it's musically creative in its own right, it is just too long and drags itself out while simultaneously providing a sharp turn in the direction of the album half way through. Again, Dalek is an acquired taste, and nonetheless, provide a strong sophomore effort.
Share
|
|
