Cavemen Speak - Shadowanimalsolos
(Shadow Archives)
Alright, my first "underground hip-hop" CD has arrived in the mail from fakejazz.com. Where to start? Multiple MCs, chemical rhymes, lack of chorus: check. As a matter of fact, Shadowanimalsolos demonstrates some of the best sides of 'undie hip-hop' combined with a tendency towards experimentation. Having performed with some guiding lights, such as Themselves, El-P and Buck 65, this collective began as a Belgian based group but has expanded to include MCs from the United States, Canada, Sweden, Ireland and Finland. Each character brings a trademark style from their respective scenes to cultivate a record that grows with each listen.
Shadowanimalsolos is a record bound together by a concept and the shared vision of its MCs. Unfolding like a screenplay to a street theatre production, the liner notes describe the story's action as well as lyrics. As the album progresses, new characters appear, disappear and even take off shirts before launching into mad rhymes. The narrative is broken down into songs, with titles such as "Some Gravell" and "More Gravell." There are multiple layers of both meaning and sound waiting to be discovered.
In keeping with the album's tremendous breadth, the songs tend to be long. They also tend to be short on record scratches and snippets and long on soundscapes and atmosphere, particularly towards the beginning of the record. In this, Cavemen Speak show the influence of similar minded acts such as cLOUDDEAD. Shadowanimalsolos begins to unravel as The Homesick Nomad takes over towards the end, and becomes most un-hip-hop like, actually reminding me of the early work of fellow Belgians dEUS. Having each member arrange and, in a sense, curate a section was also a good idea.
Cavemen Speak's sound begins to fall short when some of the less able MCs step up to the mic, but this is in keeping with their vision, and the variety of talent generally keeps the music fresh and alive. In the end, Shadowanimalsolos always sounds vital.
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