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Review: Jack Foley
WELL now, here's a weird one. King Geedorah, aka MF Doom (the
most legendary figure in underground hip-hop) returns with a completely
off-the-wall 'rap' album, described by the artist himself as 'Geedorah's
alien perspective on humans'.
The album is a collage of B-movie breaks and cut-and-paste beats,
with some of the most tripped out loops you are ever likely to
hear on a hip-hop album.
Remember how The Avalanches brought their off-kilter samples
to the dance scene? Well, say hello to this space monster - for
this is the closest you're going to get for a comparison (even
though the musical styles are different).
At times bordering on genius, at others insanity, Take Me
To Your Leader is a wild ride, from the moment it blasts off
with Fazers, to its denouement, The Fine Print.
Along the way, Doom covers everything from issues of race to
the neglect of children, mixing in a more serious, thoughtful
side to the silliness of its vintage samples.
Highlights include the jazzy Next Levels, featuring
Lil’Sci, ID 4 Winds & Stahhr, which arrives like a cool
breeze on a hot day with its chilled out trumpets and bristling
piano, and Anti-Matter, featuring Mfdoom & MR.Fantastik,
a hopeless retro throwback that wouldn't sound out of place on
a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack, such is the cool vibe of men in
black suits that it provokes.
Anti-Matter, in particular, is the closest Geedorah makes
it to the mainstream, and probably marks the album's finest hour.
But in underground terms, this still has much to offer for those
willing to delve a little deeper.
Title track, Take Me To Your Leader, begins like some
sort of 80s Hall & Oates throwback, before charting more surreal
territory with samples and vocals that sound borrowed from some
sort of ancient Twilight Zone episode.
But just as things threaten to become too weird, they get funky
again, with the likes of Lockjaw and I Wonder, featuring
Hassan Chop, reminding you of why Geedorah is so highly-regarded
in hip-hop circles, forcing listeners to think, once more, about
lyrics concerning the meaning of life.
Upon first listen, you might think, 'what the fuck?'. But give
it time, and I guarantee, Geedorah won't ever be far away from
your stereo - especially if you're a hip-hop fan who likes their
music to be a little more daring.
It's weird alright, but also kind of wonderful.
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Track listing:
1. Fazers
2. Fastlane feat. Biolante
3. Krazy World feat. Gigan
4. The Final Hour feat MFDoom
5. Monster Zero
6. Next Levels feat. Lil’Sci, ID 4 Winds & Stahhr
7. No Snakes Alive feat. Jet-Jaguar & Rodan
8. Anti-Matter feat. Mfdoom & MR.Fantastik
9. Take Me To Your Leader
10. LockJaw feat. Trunks
11. I Wonder feat. Hassan Chop
12. One Smart Nigger
13. The Fine Print
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