Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
- Written by Tony Sundman
Here’s the jewel in the Sub Pop crown, it's the mighty Lese Majesty, the new album from Seattle duo Shabazz Palaces. It has been a long wait for new material from Ishmael Butler’s hip-hop collective, whose unique blend of unusual lyrics and strange beats provide a challenging and ultimately rewarding listening experience.
The first song that really grabs the listener’s attention is 'They Come In Gold'. It’s a tasty tidbit whose intro starts with electronic sounds reminiscent of Doctor Who Daleks fighting to the death, before Butler’s smooth flow overrides the strange effects and adds the much needed icing to the cake. On the topic of cake, track 12 '#CAKE’ offers a track to dance to and gets you bouncing along to the simple words "eating cake”.
After four minutes of confectionary you’re thrown into 'Colluding Oligarchs' a haunting '80s synth sounding, space-aged voyage, although a bizarre track it is a treat for the ears. You can’t deny the urge to boogie these guys give you, they demand attention. Lese Majesty is a great followup to it's triumphant predecessor Black Up, even a contender for the better of the two.
One other notable track is ‘Motion Sickness’ , nothing as nauseating as the title may suggest but more of a rolling, laid back Sunday sort of tune, something to listen to in the sunshine with a cool beverage. This album almost transports you to a different realm while the music is somewhat intense, at the same time, it’s superbly chilled.
Like most, this album is best appreciated at a high volume through decent speakers to experience it's full chunkiness. A great second album from the lads. If you liked their first offering, you'll love this.