_____________________________________________________________________________ ::k4: a r t i s t :: Shabazz Palaces t i t l e :: Lese Majesty d a t e :: 2014-00-00 l a b e l :: Sub Pop g e n r e :: Hip-Hop s o u r c e :: CD b i t r a t e :: 236 kbps avg e n c o d e r :: LAME 3.98.4 -V 0 t r a c k s :: 18 p l a y t i m e :: 44:53 s i z e :: 76.99MB tracklist 1 Dawn In Luxor 3:56 2 Forerunner Foray 3:48 3 They Come In Gold 3:22 4 Solemn Swears 1:32 5 Harem Aria 1:58 6 Noetic Noiromantics 1:35 7 The Ballad Of Lt. Maj. Winnings 1:42 8 Soundview 0:40 9 Ishmael 4:35 10 ...Down 155th In The MCM Snorkel 2:12 11 Divine Of Form 0:39 12 #Cake 4:02 13 Colluding Oligarchs 2:09 14 Suspicion Of A Shape 1:41 15 Mindglitch Keytar TM Theme 1:22 16 Motion Sickness 3:49 17 New Black Wave 3:43 18 Sonic Mythmap For The Trip Back 2:08 releasenotes Shabazz Palacesĺ Sub Pop debut Black Up breathed indelible soul into the Seattle duoĺs formidable style, an assemblage of chaotic grooves that spun out, pivoted on a crafty turn, and hightailed it home along the back roads. The 2011 album cut former Digable Planets member Ishmael Butlerĺs opaque mysticism loose on a palette of intricate, dreamy soundscapes provided by resident producer Tendai Maraire, sacrificing traditional songwriting conventions like verses and choruses to sojourn to rapĺs frayed edges. Ishĺs musings on love resonated in their leveraging of heady imagery with wizened world-weariness; his songs triumphed in their arrangement of familiar ideas into peculiar shapes. Rather than mining Black Upĺs fertile retrofuturist boom-bap further, the group have since decamped to parts unknown. The duoĺs latest album Lese Majesty boasts 18 songs grouped into seven suites, with a subtle science fiction theme. If that sounds a bit Close to the Edge, get used to it. Lese Majesty aims to free the groupĺs songwriting apparatus from its trademark purposefulness, to chart a course that zags where earlier work zoomed. While the opening suite ôThe Phasing Shiftö leads with three straight cuts in the spirit and form of Black Up, the record doesn't stay in one place for long. From the moment ôThey Come in Goldö fades into the undulating drone of ôSolemn Swearsö, it's clear that, for the duo, space is the place. The ôTouch & Agreeö suite is a good primer for what to expect from Lese Majesty. ôSolemn Swearsö builds on a bed of synth pulses and a playful riff from Ish before collapsing into ôHarem Ariaö, a disorienting romp whose upbeat never hits where itĺs supposed to. ôHaremö becomes ôNoetic Noiromanticsö, which peels a few layers back to tease a hook out of the maelstrom only to dissipate as quickly as it congealed. Leseĺs individual tracks arenĺt so much songs as ramshackle ideas subject to crumble or explode into something unfamiliar at a momentĺs notice. The passage through these movements feels like an itinerant drift, a conscious rejection of the methodical drive of its predecessor. Leseĺs moves arenĺt always subtle, though; the album gets shiftier as it progresses, dispensing with the comfort of thematic unity. The run from ô#CAKEö to ôMind Glitch Keytar Themeö flies through tribal drum vamps, Miami bass, horror soundtrack synths, and a frayed 190 BPM house workout in just a few minutes, ramping up the intensity before easing off it with the album closing chillout suite ôMurkings on the Oxblood Starwayö. This is a producerĺs album, constructed to showcase a versatile sound architecture the same way Black Up highlighted Ishĺs way with words. Sometimes that means Ish's vocals are a tool in the production arsenal, distorted and distended rhythmic elements instead of guiding points. In Leseĺs more erratic passages, Ish is content to toy around with an intriguing turn of phrase instead of unfurling the impressionistic poetry that electrified Black Up, but that doesnĺt mean this is just an assortment of chants and sketches; Ishmaelĺs showcases are a grounding force for a body of songs fixated on the cosmos. ôLŔse-majestÚö is a capital crime in stricter monarchic societies that loosely translates to "the offending of royalty." It's an appropriate title for the network of verses Ishmael presents here, which glibly taunt the kings of the modern rap mainstream for slacking on the job. Questioned about Shabazz Palaces' overarching purpose in a recent NPR interview, Ish retorted, "Make no mistake, this is an attack," and cuts like "Suspicion of a Shape" ("All you guys are quantized") and ô...down 155th in the MCM Snorkel" (ôThe type of MC youĺd be back then is Ĺsuckaĺö) are rife with bile for feted lesser talents. Similar to recent albums by the Roots and Common, Lese Majesty is an Armageddon-esque suicide mission to crash into rap's consciousness in hopes of tipping it away from a dangerous path. While its peers have set about their objectives this year with a staunch, unblinking seriousness of purpose, Ish is more forgiving. The Rucker reminiscence "...down 155th in the MCM Snorkel" recalls the days of doorknocker earrings, Dapper Dan suits, and fair ones without pining for a time machine or hawking staid old school invective. These arenĺt condescending ôReal Hip-Hopö platitudes: this is a call to arms for hip-hopĺs creative fringe to snatch the reins from a power structure more interested in self-preservation than the advancement of the culture. The soul of Shabazz Palaces is pairing next-gen sounds with classic brass-tacks show-and-prove emceeing, and Lese Majesty tugs those extremes as far as they've ever been pulled; that it never shows signs of wear speaks to the strength of the bond. http://www.shabazzpalaces.com _____________________________________________________________________________ Shabazz_Palaces-Lese_Majesty-CD-2014-k4