Bass.Hed is, according to the liner notes, dedicated to anyone with an F-clef on their chest. So it comes as no surprise that the focus of Mad EP’s fourth album is bass – from the title through to the heavy undertones, Iowa-based Matthew Peters delivers an accomplished and highly articulate release. Following The Madlands Trilogy, consisting of three mini-albums in the one package, Bass.Hed is more overtly hip hop, more dedicated to the lower frequencies. Staccato breaks, instrumental interludes and rhymes feature as the songs unfold.
Opener ‘Madvision’ recalls the darker moments of Prefuse 73 and the harsh breaks of ‘Bass.Hed Revenge’ almost sound comparable to Richard D. James out takes. However, superficial comparisons aside, there is a lot here that indicates the four-year gestation period for Bass.Hed has paid off. Peters is well-versed in acoustic instrumentation as well as being grounded in electronics; the cover being the first indicator. Cello is interspersed throughout, hitting its peak on the luscious ’51 Areas’ as glittery clicks and the gritty bass line mesh into one.
Guest vocalists and MC’s add another layer of complexity to the album. The Gutterbyrds provide vocals on ‘Down In The Gutter’, and this is where Mad EP begins to stride, rather than step, forward. ‘Throw Your Towels’ and ‘Lightsaber’ are other such cases, coupling deceptively simple melodies with incisive rhymes. ‘Sugarlips’ lays the bass on heavy, layer upon layer of it, building up to a tremendous climax featuring snippets of voices reversed and played atop the vibrations. Fortunately, Peters’ cello work is never absent for long, emerging once again at the end of the disc amidst cut up vocals and the sound of a train accelerating away from a station platform.
There is nothing ostentatious about Peters’ skill, as a composer or as a performer, simply a clever and very creative collection of songs that showcase the dedication and effort that has gone into this release.
Alexandra Savvides
