Dälek
Brilliance Of A Falling Moon
Ipecac Records
Dälek are the only hip-hop act on Ipecac Records, which, in itself, is a unique prospect. This is, after all, a label known primarily for the legends of noise rock. However, exactly one minute into Better Than it becomes clear that Dälek are no strangers to either noise or rocking. MC Dälek furiously flows over fuzzed out guitars, and Wu Tang strings as he exclaims, “Why the fuck would I bow when I’m better than?” Why the fuck indeed. Dälek brings golden-era hip-hop rhymes over Mike Manteca AKA Mike Mare’s heavy, relentless beats, all infused with artful, dense experimentalism.
Knowledge_Understanding_Wisdom summons the next gut punch, and as they say themselves, they’re clearly “taking no steps back.” Short, sharp and pulling zero punches, this is a fierce, quick-fire collection in comparison to previous outings. Normalized Tragedy keeps the pace, driving forward with plenty of Ire for the state of play in the world today. It’s only on the laconic beats of Expressions Of Love that the intensity of this album eases slightly, but make no mistake, this is not a love song, far from it, it’s a fully extended middle finger to the current US administration. The claustrophobic Substance is the kind of track you don’t want to be listening to alone, walking down a dark alley, as MC Dälek takes aim at lesser rappers, which frankly is most of them. You can rank this man alongside Ghostface Killah and Nas in the high-ranking lyricism stakes.
Last year, I said in these pages that Backxwash had delivered the heaviest album of the year in any genre. Unless there’s serious opposition, I may be bestowing that title on another hip-hop record this year. Even when the tempo eases, the intensity here stays on top of you. Even on the dream-like drones that accompany For The People, there’s a sense of foreboding, and a bass line ominously pushing at you. By The Time We Arrive In El Salvador signs off this explosive opus in fine style, once again with Commander in thief and his goons squarely in their sights.
The world needs to listen to Dälek’s latest masterpiece repeatedly; America should every day. This is the soundtrack for right here and right now.
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Review By George Miller