It’s The Lab Partners POSTED:: December 17, 2009
FILED UNDER::
General
FILED UNDER:: General
words by Dwellephant
I really want to swear, but I can’t (rules being rules and all). I want to swear in that way where you mean nothing but the best. The way you swear when you see something amazing– like a 96-yard punt return with six seconds left on the clock in the final moments of a Super Bowl where you’re down by five and you need this touchdown to win (or, you know…Bigfoot). The way you swear when you see something amazing, and have no other words to describe the moment. The sheer baffling, the unexpected, the realization that you just witnessed something so incredible, you’ll talk about it years from now.
I want to swear the way I swore the first time I heard …Endtroducing thirteen years ago, or even that last Gorillaz album (albeit a month or two later…the genius of it took a while to sink in). Because, just like those albums, this Lab Partners album (Uni-Fi records) deserves an equally resounding (and joyous) “Holy *&#@!” Just like those albums, this album is that rarest of musical rarities: an album that sounds different and is free.
By now you’ve read this article. And this one. (By the way, how great is it to see our major media outlets talking about this?) So you know a few things: it’s the product of countless live jam sessions between Rusty Ps wordsmith Phantom Channel, and producer supreme, LMNTlyst– two dudes with a heavy amount of hip hop on their resumes; all the music is live instrumentation– no samples– and is slap-chopped in post-production where needed; and despite the hip hop credentials of its collaborators, this ain’t no hip hop record.
Or maybe it is. Maybe it’s the future of hip hop. I don’t know. I prefer to think of it as music. Just plain music. ‘Cause frankly, in the span of any three minutes on this album, you’ll hear more than one genre, and teases of a few others. Heck, the opening song alone is a pretty good indicator of what you’re in for. In the span of barely two minutes, the tempo and style seems to change three times without sounding awkward for even a minute. And from there, the album only seems to stretch its boundaries further.
LMNTlyst brings his usual sonic trademarks to the record (dense grooves you hope never end, moody guitar work, the ever-present melodica), but without repeating what he did on his The Birth of Jerry Gruvis album (one of my all-time favorites). And Phantom Channel? Sure. He raps. Almost with a “less is more” philosophy at times. But he also sings (no joke). And pretty well. Possibly through the bottom of a snare drum on “It’s Evil.” And in a way that’d make Kanye jealous on “Tell Yo Momma” (one of my favorites on the record).
And did I mention he played drums and percussion throughout the disc? Yup.
Don’t feel bad doing a double-take on any of that. Especially if you’ve been a fan of either of these dudes for any portion of their careers. Because I think that’s the whole point. This is two artists just plain letting go. Doing whatever feels right. Having fun. Only their “fun” winds up being one of the best records to come out this year.
The Lab Partners will be putting on one heck of a live show this Saturday at Mad Planet. The show starts at 9 p.m., costs $10 (free CD with paid admission), and will also feature The Rusty P’s, Pezzettino, Chalice In The Palace, DJ Mad Hatter, and live art from Field Lehmann.