Two albums I really can’t stop listening to. Really. (1st Quarter)

May 9, 2008 by Sexy Fitsum  Send to a Friend

J Dilla: Ruff Draft
Stones Throw Records
2007

Slum Village’s first album, “Fantastic Vol. 2″ released in 2000, floored me the first time I checked it. Compared to the jokey southern bounce nonsense that was bubbling at the time, Fantastic’s laid back brainy emcee-ing was a breath of something fresh. But it was the production that stood out like the cute girl at church. Confidently low-rez and lego’d into form from sparse, clever samples and a touch of that RZA-like fragmented slackness, but tighter. Hence my first taste of Jay D. Over the next few years, Slum’s rappers took a De La Snore trajectory, popping off almosts and half-assery while Jay grinded his way to becoming a turrible force in the production game, later becoming one of the big dudes at the mighty mighty Stones Throw Records. As for his collabos, it’d be easier to list people he hasn’t worked with. So when Dilla died late last year, artists and producers were falling over themselves praising his work and their professional connection to him. Spinna spent a good minute speaking about their relationship. not too long ago. Even Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams calls Jay his favorite producer. His passing makes Ruff Draft that much more precious on top of being an extra-phenomenal release. First unleashed in ‘03, the remastered ‘07 version comes with bonus instrumental plate. The tracks go from referencing old-school uprockin’ (”The $”) to some trippy hovercraft roadtrip shit (”Nothing Like This”). If there’s a thread of a theme in this jewel, it’s the techy, 80’s influence of Jay Dilla’s hometown Detroit. In every sense it’s a rough draft of the unbelievable sweetness hip hop heads would’ve been digging on deep into their Alzheimer’s. TURN IT UP!

Burial: Untrue
Hyperdub
2007

There are many strong conceptual similarities between this album and Underworld’s “Second Toughest In The Infants” — another of my top 5 favorites. Both are sophomore releases that blow their predecessors into deep space. And in both cases, their producers dip into simpler, dubbier maybe a little more soulful territory. Both albums are also lyrically non-linear — fuck it — straight meaningless. But where the vocals in Second Toughest drone, those in “Untrue” were recorded, spliced, detuned and pasted so that all emotion and soul stays put while any concrete messaging is filtered out. So if “Archangel” is about lost or unrequited love, the listener comes closer to feeling a love song than going verse for verse through yet another narrative permutation of “he/she left me” or “I miss her/him so”. Everyone I’ve talked to or whose review I’ve read comes away with two things: a sense of atmosphere and intensely firm interpretations of what this music describes. In England, “Untrue” is seen as an anthem for public housing dwellers. The tracks (seem to) cover despair (”Archangel”), yearning (”Untrue”), some wistful shit (”In McDonalds” - about as linear as Burial gets), and hopefulness (”Shell Of Light”). There are moments where I’m reminded a little of HR singing the vocals to “Sacred Love” over the phone from jail. At times, it’s like hearing someone’s singing echo from a few cell blocks down, way past “lights-out”. The Omega Man needs this jonk on his iPod. I can obviously go on for weeks about Untrue. There are probably thousands of dark, doomy or defiant, sliver-lined narratives that you could soundtrack with this album. Which is why I play Untrue over and over like a psycho (like … right now). It’s brilliantly simple and open-ended.

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