REVIEW: UNKLE, Psyence Fiction (Mo'Wax/London)
- Tim Hulsizer
The album isn't even out yet in the states and already some reviewers are calling this a "seminal" release. I'll spare you that brand of rhetoric (sorry guys, that's like the way Disney calls every new movie a "classic" before it even hits theaters) and get right to the meat of it: this is a great album. Producers DJ Shadow and James Lavelle (head of Mo'Wax) have put their skills to the ultimate test and the results are nothing short of dazzling.
Rather than work within the confines of the traditional "turntablist" genre or even regular pop music, these guys have combined breakbeats with lyrics on many tracks to create a whole that is more than equal to the sum of its parts. Each track has a unique personality here, rather than most releases I've heard lately. Amazingly enough, that doesn't send the album off into a million pointless directions; rather, it is all held together by the canny over-seeing of the two gentlemen, who keep a thoughtful yet loose feeling going on throughout. Whether it's a rap cut or a verse-chorus-verse song, you can pick up on a rather unique atmosphere here. For reference, check out some of the remixes UNKLE has done in the past couple of years for other artists (not to mention the entire output of Mo'Wax Records, which includes DJ Shadow's stuff and a thousand other category-defying musical releases).
Vocals and songwriting chores are picked up by a number of talented artists. Kool G Rap, one of New York's finest rappers is present here. He kicks off the whole affair with a track called "Guns Blazing (Drums of Death Pt.1)", and it hits like a bomb. Mike D of the Beastie Boys delivers in Pt.2, and we also have songs from Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Richard Ashcroft of The Verve (both of whom recorded their vocals before their bands' latest hit releases). Metallica's Jason Newstead helps out, as does Wil Malone, Massive Attack's string arranger. There are more, but I'll let you have fun finding them all for yourself.
I'm not quite sure how to describe the aforementioned "feeling" of the album correctly. Does it have the proverbial "phat beats"? In spades. Does it "swirl"? Well, yes it does, but that's only half the story. It also whispers, shouts, and winks at you while it hits you in the face. Above all, this is a great album because it so aptly reflects the unique creative visions of Shadow and Lavelle, who borrowed money to start Mo'Wax in 1992 and has never looked back. Their music is indicative of forward-thinking individuals, but with their ability to play well with others they have perhaps created this year's finest album.
