Madlib - Sound Ancestors (Album review)
Sound Ancestors is packed to the brim with great songs, The
Call is a funky track with a choppy beat and an alluring vocal line. It’s hypnotic,
repetitive and you feel like you can get lost in the rhythm completely. The
next track Theme De Crabtree is another trance like banger; the beat sounds
really crisp and manages to showcase a perfect juxtaposition between energetic
and moody.
Road of the Lonely Ones is one of my favourite tracks, it’s
got a kind of trip hop influence on it, with some gorgeous dreamy vocals laying
on top of this super mellow beat. Just like most of the tracks on Sound
Ancestors it’s really well assembled and mixed perfectly, it just makes you
feel completely hooked and synced in with the music.
The next track Loose Goose is a more manic sounding song, it’s
got a breathy beat and various sounds that really complement each other. There
are times in this song where it feels like it could have come straight from a
video game soundtrack, like the perfect sound to compliment an intense chase
sequence.
The album’s title track, Sound Ancestors is a frantic and at
times challenging song. I could see this as being a pretty divisive one due to
its out there sound, but it’s great to see Madlib and Four Tet really pushing boundaries
here, which is definitely within both their natures as artists. I love how the
song starts off with this huge chaotic energy but then effectively collapses
into itself and forms this sort of spacey atmospheric jazz section.
Latino Negro is maybe my least favourite song on the album;
it’s got some hectic drums with a Spanish guitar over the top of it. It’s again
not a bad track and has a decent vibe but it’s a bit too long and doesn’t
really explore more ideas like most of the other songs here.
The final song Duumbiyay ends things on a high and
interesting note. The song has agitated jazz like energy with some innocent
childlike vocals which come together to make this sort of menacing feel. It’s
quite a bold ending to the album and I have to say its impressive how as the
song progresses and new instrumentation is added it goes from feeling menacing
to kind of endearing. I also enjoy how this song veers slightly into lofi territory.
I think there’s always a danger when you bring together to
really creative legends to work on an album, there is always the worry that
they will get too lost in their own big ideas and their styles wont complement
each other very well, but as Madlib has somehow managed to prove repeatedly on
his collaborative albums, he seems to work perfectly with everyone. Sound
Ancestors is a hugely compelling and innovative album, Four Tet places Madlib’s
craft widely on display in a style that allows him to show off what he has to
offer. There are some really fascinating
moods, atmospheres and feelings dotted across this thing. It’s got brilliant
writing and production across the board and generally I’m very impressed by
what Sound Ancestors has to offer, all I’m left thinking is that I hope these
two artists work together again in the future.
77/100
Best tracks – Road of the Lonely Ones, Hopprock, Sound
Ancestors, Chino, Duumbiyay
Worst tracks – Latino Negro, There is No Time
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