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Last Updated:
Nov 4th, 2008 - 09:28:23 |
Evaluation: Evolution
Black Milk
Tronic
Fat Beats Records
Evolution is not debatable. It’s not some lofty-ass, crackpot theory dreamt up in an Absinthe-induced rant by some proto-hippie psycho with a microscope and too much time on his hands. Evolution is sovereign, not up for debate, not for one second. The most recent piece of evidence: Tronic — the latest release from Detroit’s most prolific beat machine, Black Milk.
Before you hear note one, the evolutionary process at hand is stark. While the cover of 2007’s Popular Demand featured a somewhat cocky Milk standing (with MPC in hand) in front of the State Theatre (now the Fillmore) with his tour bus behind him, Tronic’s shiny, almost hologram-like package shows Milk strolling past an array of synths out on display, he looks serious and down to business. “Oh, so he’s giving us a synth record?” you ask. Turn up the speakers and press play.
“Long Story Short” is an incredible choice for an opening track. Breaking out with a future-synth space whim, the song turns to a melancholy piano solo, which flourishes into a soaring synth riff and, after 40 seconds, we get our first drum hit and everything falls perfectly into place.
As heard throughout Tronic, and especially on the ridiculously funky cut “Give The Drummer Sum,” there’s no need to worry, Black Milk is as innovative as ever and still crafts some of the sickest drums ever to be laid down on record. But even a quick listen to tracks like “Bounce,” “Hold It Down” and “Hell Yeah (f/ Fat Ray)” will tell you that Tronic is beautifully progressive, hypnotically clever and carries some so-cool-it’s-ice-cold keys work.
Along with “Long Story Short,” track ten is also somewhat of an opulent opus, though of a completely different variety. Titled “The Matrix,” the track is a mesmerizing mid-tempo head banger and features Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price (Ruck from Heltah Skeltah) and DJ Premier. The synth is a bit on the haunting side of things while the repetitive rhythmic groove allows deeper concentration on everything that's going on lyrically.
Gone (certainly not for good) are the slices of soul sampled instrumentals we saw with Popular Demand, but in are cuts like “Hold It Down,” chances for Black Milk to showcase his keen sense of rap-ability. When on the mic, Milk shines the brightest, leaving the few guests (with the exception of Royce Da 5’9”) who do appear on Tronic seeming a bit tired ... or something. A little more mature now, Milk’s lyrics are smarter and his cadence is all over the place, making each song fresh. And though he’s a year older and a year wiser, it also seems Milk is willing, now more than ever, to take some risks and play outside of his comfort zone. In doing so, Tronic achieves greatness.
If, for whatever reason, you’re one of those people who don’t deal with change that well, check out “Try” for some classic Black Milk work, but enjoy it while you can because from the way things sound to me, there’s no telling what’s to come next in the evolutionary process for Mr. Curtis Cross. — Travis R. Wright
When I Say Dance
Quintron
Too Thirsty 4 Love
Goner Records
Quintron has achieved greatness in the past, with his nine note-worthy solo albums, but Too Thirsty 4 Love takes the New Orleans madman to new heights. On the record, Quintron uses the old garage formula and combines it with a Justice/Daft Punk dance edge that's provided by his pulsating custom drum machine. It sounds like he took Del Shannon and Hank Ballard’s dead corpses, jacked them full of robot parts and had them front the Electric Mayhem Band from The Muppet Show. It’s that ridiculous.
Get past the slightly slow title cut up front and it only gets awesome from there on out; check out track two, “Waterfall.” Quintron’s constant mate, Miss Pussycat, provides maraca shakes and background vocals on this revved-up track about the fountain at the mall. “Dirt Bag Fever” is like Sun Ra joining Kraftwerk, while “The Boss Wants To Party With You” is heavy on the 2 Live Crew-esque bass and sounds a bit like something from Billy Joel. If you can’t dance to mega jams like “Model Ex Citizen,” then I feel it's fair game to cut off your legs so you can lie in your bed for the rest of your life. This is one of my favorite records of the year. — ERIC ALLEN
Duende
On The Steps
Loco Gnosis
Partly B-sides, partly retrospective, Steps is also a “stacked” re-release of local literate-goth-rock, Duende’s '07 debut, complete with new material. It's a percolation of Bo Diddley’s rhythm, Chuck Berry’s swagger, Hendrix’s astronomic devastations and the grit of the Stones, all refracted through beat trips through the desert’s grainy romance and back through to Detroit’s grimy melancholic inspiration. Think White Light/White Heat recorded in the '50s at Sun Studios with plenty of bud, Zen and R.L. Burnside hovering near the boards. — JEFF MILO
The Knux
Remind Me in 3 Days…
Interscope Records
Preconceived notions of the cover for The Knux's debut album will have you analyzing a supposed crossbreeding between Outkast and The Ramones. But The Knux go about their business and separate themselves from the hipster pack. On tracks like “Playboys,” “Bang! Bang!” and “Roxanne,” the duo pull off a rap/rock mix without coming off cheesy as they sample sound-a-like riffs from The Strokes, Jack White and Alice Cooper. MCs Krispy Kream and Rah Al Millio are almost De La Soul-ish. — ERIC ALLEN
in my ear
The Duke Spirit
The Duke Spirit have been hitting the Motor City hard this year, with several appearances in town. On November 11, they open for Eagles of Death Metal at Small's and will be back to headline at the Magic Stick in December. Check out what the UK dirty rock foursome have been listening to on their most recent tour:
Bongwater
The Power of Pussy
AC/DC
Black Ice
Yo! Majesty
Futuristically Speaking ...
Grinderman
Grinderman
Aretha Franklin
Amazing Grace
Brian Wilson
Pet Projects
Last Shadow Puppets
Age of The Understatement
Neil Young
After the Gold Rush
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Real Emotional Trash
Brian Eno
Another Green World
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