It doesn’t take any prisoners from the off this second album from the undisputed heavy weight of the sampledelic cut and splice Lee Etherton aka “Tibshelf”.
“Old Spice” opens the proceedings for the album “Understander”, like a slow train chugging down the line, platform packed on a cold Winters frosty morning. The train platform announcement in this case sounding like a drug induced Howard Marks doing Leonard Cohen instantly appealing and addictive to me, so as all music buying addicts will sympathise with me I couldn’t resist and restrain myself for more 30 seconds before purchasing the limited edition clear plastic 8 track cassette released on Cruel Nature Record.
Prepare to be embalmed as “The Embalmer” comes next, I unapologetically love a sample and this is one of the most hilarious and obscure, is it even a sample? Could just be Lee saying “Right you fucker I’m going to do the washing up” played out over an aggressively filthy hip hop beat, giving the mundane of rubber gloving household tasks an edgy West Coast drive by Cali Hip Hop vibe, and we are only 9 seconds into track 2.
A hauntingly scrunchy start to track 3 “Deep Joy” soon morphs into Drum and Bass out of nowhere and suddenly I am taken back to seeing Grooverider at Leeds University “Organic” night in ’92 – totally and joyfully unexpected – that drop!
“Bump It” takes you on a Jazzed out, funked up journey of echo looped drum machine and synth tinged 70’s soul vocals. Mental notes being made to go back and try and work out what this vocal sample is, it sounds very familiar like a Grace Jones track, I will be kicking myself know doubt when or if I can work the sample puzzle out.
News Flash!! One text message later to my lovely better half and she confirms its “Grace Jones – Pull Up to the Bumper” puzzle solved.
A break in proceedings for some industrial, brutal, dark electronica, though still melodic in its delivery that’s “Kill Power”.
Track 7 “Journey” transports you from the industrial landscape of what could be any Northern old mill town and drops you on your arse on the dancefloor of a late 80’s Funk, Soul and R n B club, soft subtle lighting, glitter ball spinning in slow motion the last opportunity of the evening to ask the girl you have been admiring all evening for that last dance, late night tales played at 45 rpm.
“Sponge” sends us home with a trippy beat heavy instrumental, with some psyched out knob twisting just as we approach our destination twist the car door handle and exit our late-night taxi ride home.
Michael Conboy
MEANS 