 |
|
Daedalus, "Exquisite Corpse"
Exquisite Corpse (a sequential collaborative process in whicheach successive contributor is only allowed to see the very end of theprevious addition before adding his or her own) is Santa Monicaaritifcer of sound Daedalus's most collaborative effort to date, withthe likes of MF Doom and Mike Ladd on board.Mush
Completing the doubleentendre, the album uses a motif or montage of death and relatedimagery as its unifying principle. In doing so, Daedalus informs theworld that hip hop—the category in which Daedalus's uniquely arranged,densely-packed beat-driven sound best fits—can offer elegies far moreinvolved that merely pouring some out for one's homies. Adhering tohabit, Daedalus uses primarily analog samples of 1950s cocktail-loungesingers, ancient-sounding 1920s and 30s piano and organ notes andcheesily ambiguous post-war string arrangements as source material. Putin front of a simple snare-and-cymbal beat or a bossa-nova percussionsample, the sound of Exquisite Corpse is more akin to classicalelegy rather than a Gothic dirge: a welcome surprise as nothing isworse than a melodramatic hip hop record. And the material is no Antigone,either. After a few minutes of instrumentals to set the mood, MF Doom'srapid fire and witty opener "Impending DOOM" mates a frantic, freneticbackbeat to his signature flow, with a string sample to keep the moodslightly mellow. Two versions of "Welcome Home" hint at some sort of anauthentic cadavre exquis; a glitch-heavy beatdown that is unmistakablyPrefuse 73, and a typically thoughtful and esoteric Mike Ladd poem,read over the original Daedalus beat: "Waiting on Pompeii/ my brain's awar machine/ waiting on the next/ another shoe is another day/ long asit doesn't fall I'm ok/ welcome home." "I Sent Off" is the closest Exquisite Corpsecomes to more "typical" electronic music, the strings-and-singeropening duet fading into a dance-club worthy crescendo of gyratingbeats. Among the more notable guest appearances is the pleasing sleeper"Drops," featuring obscure MC Cyne, laying a heartfelt rap over arelaxing jazz-inspired loop. The album's zenith is "Crippled Hand," asix-minute tour de force that showcases Daedalus's ability to dowhatever he wants with any conceivable sound, from Andean pan flutes toclipper-ship era pennywhistles. In Greek mythology, Daedalus's skill asan inventer was legendary, able to manipulate anything with dexterityand aplomb. It's hard to think of a more appropriate moniker for thehip-hop Daedalus.
Completing the doubleentendre, the album uses a motif or montage of death and relatedimagery as its unifying principle. In doing so, Daedalus informs theworld that hip hop—the category in which Daedalus's uniquely arranged,densely-packed beat-driven sound best fits—can offer elegies far moreinvolved that merely pouring some out for one's homies. Adhering tohabit, Daedalus uses primarily analog samples of 1950s cocktail-loungesingers, ancient-sounding 1920s and 30s piano and organ notes andcheesily ambiguous post-war string arrangements as source material. Putin front of a simple snare-and-cymbal beat or a bossa-nova percussionsample, the sound of Exquisite Corpse is more akin to classicalelegy rather than a Gothic dirge: a welcome surprise as nothing isworse than a melodramatic hip hop record. And the material is no Antigone,either. After a few minutes of instrumentals to set the mood, MF Doom'srapid fire and witty opener "Impending DOOM" mates a frantic, freneticbackbeat to his signature flow, with a string sample to keep the moodslightly mellow. Two versions of "Welcome Home" hint at some sort of anauthentic cadavre exquis; a glitch-heavy beatdown that is unmistakablyPrefuse 73, and a typically thoughtful and esoteric Mike Ladd poem,read over the original Daedalus beat: "Waiting on Pompeii/ my brain's awar machine/ waiting on the next/ another shoe is another day/ long asit doesn't fall I'm ok/ welcome home." "I Sent Off" is the closest Exquisite Corpsecomes to more "typical" electronic music, the strings-and-singeropening duet fading into a dance-club worthy crescendo of gyratingbeats. Among the more notable guest appearances is the pleasing sleeper"Drops," featuring obscure MC Cyne, laying a heartfelt rap over arelaxing jazz-inspired loop. The album's zenith is "Crippled Hand," asix-minute tour de force that showcases Daedalus's ability to dowhatever he wants with any conceivable sound, from Andean pan flutes toclipper-ship era pennywhistles. In Greek mythology, Daedalus's skill asan inventer was legendary, able to manipulate anything with dexterityand aplomb. It's hard to think of a more appropriate moniker for thehip-hop Daedalus.samples:
