Sole and the Skyrider band — Self Titled
This truly is a return to great, classic and original Anticon collective albums of the past been up their with the cLouddead –st, Themselves – The No Music, Why? – Oaklandazulasylum, Pedestrian - Volume One: UnIndian Songs- ect that all re-imagined hip-hop into a vibrate, mulit genre & quirky frame. But this is the collectives and Sole's sound grown up, being more atmospheric and produced, but with out losing the pure audio and lyrically invention of the past. Soles flow here is breath taking wordy and complex, he’s still sounded angry but much more focused and slick than every before, there are also greater harmonic and singing elements present through-out his flow too. Lyrically it’s as you’d expect with it’s a mix of sneering, anger corporate and politically snipping along with a new more personally and universal perspective on human and mankind’s states and failings.
Musically underneather Sole's flow The Skyrider band throw up a highly varied, textured, memorable and atmospheric mix of moody and at times chugging rock groove, edgy country/ acoustic music, string tones, ambience, lo-fi retro electronic synth throb, jazzy breaks, dub edger’s and of course hip-hop. Pulling instrumental epic colour and texture from a mix electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, bass, violins, cellos, flutes, organ, saxophone and clarinet all mixed in with the sampled elements. Rhythmically there’s a great mix of hip-hop beats, rock and jazz, etc rhythms manging a great balance between sound organic and real yet electronic and sampled.
A startlingly great muilt-layered album that is atmospheric, edgy and smart-that grows in it’s depth and wonder with each new play If I’d heard this early it would have been near the top of best of my 2007 list- truly a great, great record.