Hudson Mohawke - Lantern
Let's talk Mohawke. Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke is known for his colourful
flavours of hip-hop and, more notably, trap music. Signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D
label, and having produced some of Yeezy’s songs ('Blood on The Leaves' anyone?)
Hud Mo has fashioned himself a distinctive style for blaring electronic music.
While this is fundamentally what makes Hud Mo, Lantern works as an effort
to flex his skills – showing he is more than bass.
While some tracks do resemble his previous works, with 'System' providing his staple of confused electronic whirls alongside thundering bass drums, many tracks on the record are surprising.
Perhaps the most notably unique track is 'Kettles', a trill orchestral piece with a cinematic charm. 'Kettles' sounds like its been ripped straight from a fantasy soundtrack, it delivers an expansive grandeur - the kind that upcoming film Pan might offer. 'Kettles' is great, it breaks up the endless drums and offers a little down time, easing the unrelenting bass thumps.
I was surprised to find out 'Forever 1' didn't make the album - his first single this year, 'Forver 1' was released as part of Hud Mo's annual Valentines' Slow Jam mix. It shows how chill the Mohawke can get, and that he can create high-quality productions at any pace. On an album that seems to be an exploration of his own sound it seems amiss to not have included it. It doesn't detract from the album, just feels odd.
Aside from 'Ryderz', which uses vocals in a chorus, Lantern has only 4 vocal tracks. While the albums production is solid and the instrumental pieces rock it, these 4 do stand out as being more iconic, more memorable. For an artist that is trying to show himself as a singular force, the reliance on vocalists may appear adverse to his intentions. Yet it doesn't, the vocals simply illuminate the masterful builds, bridges and breakdowns - his tracks aren't made by the voices on them, they have their own voice which are complemented by vocals.
I was surprised to find out 'Forever 1' didn't make the album - his first single this year, 'Forver 1' was released as part of Hud Mo's annual Valentines' Slow Jam mix. It shows how chill the Mohawke can get, and that he can create high-quality productions at any pace. On an album that seems to be an exploration of his own sound it seems amiss to not have included it. It doesn't detract from the album, just feels odd.
Aside from 'Ryderz', which uses vocals in a chorus, Lantern has only 4 vocal tracks. While the albums production is solid and the instrumental pieces rock it, these 4 do stand out as being more iconic, more memorable. For an artist that is trying to show himself as a singular force, the reliance on vocalists may appear adverse to his intentions. Yet it doesn't, the vocals simply illuminate the masterful builds, bridges and breakdowns - his tracks aren't made by the voices on them, they have their own voice which are complemented by vocals.
On one of my personal favorites 'Deepspace', Miguel’s voice lends itself to work in tandem with spacey synths to create an unwinding power
ballad. In what seems worlds away from the Hud Mo we know and love, tracks like 'Deepspac'e show us just how incredible the king is – not limiting
himself to his previous style he has painted a spectrum of sound. This is definitely one of the tracks that gives the album momentum, and is one of the more enjoyable tunes - giving off M83 meets Machinedrum sounds.
'Very First Breath' – one of the earlier singles, fits well within the album: despite the variety of tracks there is a persistent sound seemingly present in every song which ties them all together – recognizable in the almost mechanical yet ethereal background synths, and the staggered drum beats.
'Warriors' has a great spiralling build into its choruses, which are uplifting without bordering on pretentiousness – perhaps a reliance on simplistic lyrics here detracts from the insane level of production. Nonetheless 'Warriors' is a massive tune, one of the catchier ones on the album, surpassing 'Ryderz' in terms of party playlist worthiness.
'Very First Breath' – one of the earlier singles, fits well within the album: despite the variety of tracks there is a persistent sound seemingly present in every song which ties them all together – recognizable in the almost mechanical yet ethereal background synths, and the staggered drum beats.
'Warriors' has a great spiralling build into its choruses, which are uplifting without bordering on pretentiousness – perhaps a reliance on simplistic lyrics here detracts from the insane level of production. Nonetheless 'Warriors' is a massive tune, one of the catchier ones on the album, surpassing 'Ryderz' in terms of party playlist worthiness.
'Scud Books' carries some traditional sounds forward, but gives them more of an identity than previous ones such as 'King Kong Beaver' – the same drum driven manner has been adopted but 'KKB' struggles to stand out from the masses akin to it, Scud Books shines. Its deep, looming, horns work well to add texture to the track, which has a colourful sound overall - and is possibly the best among previously released singles.
Winner of best track goes to 'Indian Steps', featuring Anthony, first thoughts of this one are that the prominent Woodkid feels that it radiates. And while it sounds like it may belong to another artist, I feel that it indefinitely demonstrates Hudson Mohawke's breadth of talent - it stands out as a laid-back track which when considering 'Blood on the Leaves' you wouldn't believe it to be the same artist. Its Hud Mo's ability to effortlessly create any style of music he pleases that sets him up to go places - could this be the next Beck in terms of diversity? Perhaps not, but Hudson Mohawke's sound is a diverse one, with its own identity, and his exploration of that in Lantern only teases us with what future records may hold.
Laters x
No comments :
Post a Comment