In 2011, I fell in love with
Black Up, Shabazz Palaces first album on Sub Pop records. The strange, experimental hip hop sound they produced was unlike anything I had ever heard before. For those with no info on who Shabazz Palaces, the group is comprised of Ishmael Butler, formerly Butterfly of 90's rap group Digable Planets (the group who made the hit "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"), and instrumentalist Tenda 'Baba' Maraire. If you have never listened to Shabazz Palaces before, just be warned, their music takes patient listening skills in order to fully grasp it. It may take a few listens before you can actually "get" this album, which for some might be something to look forward to. Where
Black Up leaned somewhat towards more conventional song structures, the groups brand new album
Lese Majesty brings the group to even more abstract new heights.Instead of this album being just a collection of songs, the individual pieces transition into one another to create seven different suites. The opening suite made of the first three tracks on the album proves to be the best one on here. "Dawn in Luxor" works as a very grand opener, complete with ambient pads, shoegaze-type guitar, and a ton of reverb and echo(maybe a bit too much) on Ishmaels voice. "Dawn" then transitions perfectly into "Forerunner Foray" which shines with beautiful synths and dreamy backing vocals. The third track "They Come in Gold" is probably one of the more accessible tracks on here, within it Ishmael really proves himself as a complex MC, using mysterious lines and an intelligent vocabulary. Hip-hop fans will definitely find this one to be a highlight. The second suite contains four very underdeveloped short songs that kind of pass by as filler material, although "Solemn Swears" has some fun lyrics ("I'm very nice like Jerry Rice") and shimmering synths whichmake it a standout, but it's way too short. The third suite contains "Ishmael" which brings the group to its closest point of using a conventional hip-hop beat with scattering hi-hats, and features a cool outro with some amazing production. "Down in the MCM Snorkel" features Ishmael talking about the past and bringing out his inner ego to shoot down any young MCs who think they can step to him. Track 12 "#CAKE" is one of the more strange songs on here, in it Ishmael emphasizes eating cake...okay? It is one of the more straightforward tracks, but it's still quite strange. "Motion Sickness" is possibly my favorite on here, mostly since I feel it is one of the tracks where the vocals are able to be heard clearly, since the other tracks make it difficult to depict Ishmael due to overpowering sounds and an over-usage of echo and reverb. The album's last two tracks making the final suite are quite enjoyable as well, with "Sonic Mythmap for the Trip Back" being a grand closer, full of sonic sounds and distortion. The production on this album is extremely well done, Shabazz Palaces truly has their own sound which no one else can mimic, but if you want to understand the lyrics, I highly suggest using Rapgenius.com to tag along while most of the lyrics get drowned out in sound.
Lese Majesty isn't quite as amazing of an album as
Black Up, but Shabazz Palaces once again demonstrates that they operate on a path where no one else can tell them what to do. This is not hip-hop nor is it electronic music, it is music which balances nicely in its own little world.
Album Rating: 8.0/10
Stream the Full Album here:
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/20/331345354/first-listen-shabazz-palaces-lese-majesty
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