Spooky
5
By slr3m
DJ Spooky’s newest album is an interesting thought experiment as to the nature of hip hop, and indeed music in general, in the context of the changing modern world. The album begins with a pronouncement of the new era of ideas we live in, and acknowledges the inherent conflict of ideas brought about by the information age. From this point on, DJ Spooky seems to attempt to find the place music plays in the changing world, and brings together music from across the globe. The album contains a wide array of ideas and styles of music, ranging from compelling thought experiments to mundane dance beats.
The overwhelming focus of the album seems to be the current economic recession and although the overall effect is rather compelling, I found several of the tracks to be too obtuse or juvenile to take seriously. 5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO came across as more of profane rant about corruption than anything constructive. Although good for a laugh, its dehumanization of the corrupt executives is matched by the childish violence of the lyrics, and results in a feeling of mutual disgust with both the CEOs and the rappers. The title track, The Secret Song, although conceptually very compelling, requires a bit of research to gain any insight. Unless the listener is fluent in Mandarin, it is essentially three minutes of confusion with a soft rhythm in the background. To those who don’t know, the excerpt being read is from Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. Therefore the Chinese economist reading it gives a strong mental image of the conflict of US and Chinese economic ideals. But even so, the tracks obscurity serves to alienate much of its listening body.
The album fits quite well in to the trend of innovation that has characterized electronic music for the past century. DJ Spooky attempts to find innovation primarily through collaboration with musicians from around the world, to great effect. The mixing of standard hip hop with Farsi and Mandarin lyrics, as well as the implementation of musical themes from India, Iran, etc, provides a strong feeling of globalization of sound and thought.
All of these elements are blended with an array of jazz melodies, hip hop beats, and electronic synthesizers to create a truly unique and stimulating sound. Each track feels like its own unique genre of music being realized, and the wide array of collaborative artists keeps the sound fresh and interesting. All of this fuses seamlessly with DJ Spooky’s personal eccentricities for an enjoyable listening experience.
The track that stood out to me during my initial listening was Measure by Measure. The beginning introduced a complex jazz melody which I found very enjoyable. But what really came across well was the mixture of a speech by George W. Bush on the US economy, coupled with intermittent studio audience laughter. The pairing directly highlighted the albums critical nature of the current economic crisis, and served as an effective precursor to the title track, which required a bit of introduction to begin to grasp exactly what its purpose was.
Although not a perfect album, this definitely was an enjoyable listen, and serves as a great example of modern reexamination of hip hop, music, and the roles they play in our changing world.
-slr3m
