Minus the capacity for communication that an MC brings – both in terms of literal meaning and subtler non-verbal cues – hiphop instrumentals tend to sound hollow and unfinished. Though there are notable exceptions, many hiphop producers simply lay down a loop and rely on the MC to provide colour and tension, thus reducing the instrumentals (in particular those that accompany vocal cuts on 12”s) to mere blank canvasses. Obversely, producers such as DJ Shadow fill the sonic spectrum to the point that only the bravest of MCs attempt to navigate their terrain. Despite his hurly burly name, Rob the Viking dextrously treads a middle path between two poles and in doing so provides a set of tense, melodically rich and rhythmically diverse instrumentals that serve equally well as listening material as well as points of departure for those that are lyrically inclined. As part of the Battle Axe stable and a part time member of Swollen Members, Rob the Viking is no stranger to dark and foreboding beats, and though tracks like ‘She’s Always Right’ with its Janis Joplin like vocal refrain and haunting piano arpeggio are wrapped in a blanket of melancholy, they retain an air of prettiness that is easy to underestimate. Sensitive piano motifs appear on nearly every track, and many of the beats, including the album closer ‘Move it Up’ have a quaintness and deftness of touch that is compellung. It really begs the question where the title came from, as these beats are less pillage and conquer than caress and fondle.
DH |
