A robust rap attack, and a sonic smorgasbord make LOGGERHEAD worth a real listen. The new album from London artist Wu-Lu, the Warp Records release, out today, effectively blends a handful of genres, while retaining the spark of a musician intent on shattering barriers between them.
"Scrambled Tricks", comes hard, like a beef-ready Smoke DZA, while "Take Stage" seems inspired by the trips taken by MF DOOM. Elsewhere, the bottom-heavy "Ten" and "Broken Homes" use elements of both funk and rap to create a paranoid, heavy vibe, and draw a listener in. Miles Romans-Hopcraft sounds nothing like his brother Ben Romans-Hopcraft, singer of site favorites Childhood, but it's obvious talent runs deep in the family. Wu-Lu stakes a claim to a unique space here, where the rhymes are as important as the rhythmic hooks, samples, and bass-runs.
LOGGERHEAD is out today via Warp Records.
[Photo: Machine Operated]