In the old days, I'd always make the point that the music of NWA, while full of incendiary lyrics, wasn't as powerful as that of Public Enemy because NWA lacked the same production. With Hank Shocklee and The Bomb Squad producing things, you could almost get the message via the overall impact of the material without listening to a word that Chuck D was rapping. The new album from Algiers has a similar effect, with the sound of Shook being so overwhelming, that it almost doesn't matter what Franklin James Fisher is singing about. But, of course it matters.
This new Matador Records release sounds like a dozen different records at once. In that sense, it's a leap forward for this band, and one where the plethora of guests only adds to the full force of the presentation. "Irreversible Damage", with Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, bursts out like something from black midi, while the pointed "73%" succeeds on the strength of Franklin James Fisher's delivery. The keyboards and instruments from Ryan Mahan and other members of the band back up the attack. Elsewhere, "Out of Style Tragedy" rolls out a litany of racial injustices, with sax from Mark Cisneros (Des Demonas, Hammered Hulls, Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds) wailing in the background. That one is a real highlight here, as is "I Can't Stand It!", an electro-funk missive with Samuel T. Herring (Future Islands) and Jae Matthews (Boy Harsher) adding vocal fire.
Shook feels fairly cohesive, even with a large cast of supporting players buttressing the Algiers sound. At its best, like on the affecting "Green Iris", the band seems to be updating the vibe of There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) for a new era. Some of the same issues are besetting us that were concerns in Sly's day, and there's a lot more awareness now of just how awful things are, and how desperate people are for a change, and for righteousness all around. Algiers never sound anything less than urgent here, and Shook retains the incendiary power of the best Public Enemy records, mixed with the heart of Sly & The Family Stone ones. It's a deep, dense record, and one which will, I'm sure, yield more meanings and shades of feeling as I play it over and over.
Shook by Algiers is out now via Matador Records.
[Photo: Ebru Yildiz]