Hermitude - Tales Of TheDrift

Thu 25th Aug, 2005 in Music Reviews

Time for me to ‘fess up. Despite having hip hop and dance titles in my collection, I have diddly squat as to how to describe them. Even after having read numerous issues of Source and Vibe, it is all a bit foreign. And having read the press and promotional blurb for Hermitude’s second album, I have to say likewise about those involved. Not a lot of time has been spent trying to describe this magnificent disc for you.

One thing for sure, though, the packaging by Kaho Cheung (Unkle Ho) makes it far more sellable than debut Alleys To Valleys. There seems to be an increasing confidence and sophistication in Skip Hop these days (see also Herd, Urthboy, Lyrical Commission, Kid Confucious, Hilltop Hoods). It seems to have transcended the mix tape origins and is now aiming at making world wide art. Which is exactly what Luke Dubs and Elgusto have alchemised on their new album; a classy mash of local beats, jazzy rhythms which have the smell of Cuban, Arabic and Asian cooking.

Can’t Stop is one of the highlights of a set that flows effortlessly through similar terrain but never seems to repeat itself. A foggy morning lanscape unrolling in the mountains, lest I get far too lyrical on your arse. There is a shifting, undulating aspect that assures you will never quite get on top of the music. It is true that when Blu MC pops out of your speakers (Music From The Mind) it jars, almost as if she dares intrude like a spent Maccas wrapper in bush setting. But I like that juxtaposition. I am not ashamed of our accent like those who deride the genre and then wave their hands in the air at the latest Snoop hit. The jarring effect has more to do with the duo’s layering of sounds, letting the mood progress which each soundscape (for, really, song is too simplistic a term for what Hermitude are trying to get at here).

Likewise, as Urthboy and Ozi Batla stamp their feet on Fallen Giants – as they did on the debut album – it is not so much the strine and whine that sticks, it is the appearance of a traditional verse/chorus template which seems at odds with the intention of Tales Of The Drift. It is noticeable that this time round the shoe-string tale of hopping a train up to the mountains to hang out with the Hermitude duo. All round, Tales From The Drift seems more considered, more aware of itself. That does mean less of the rough edges of the debut, not that they have jumped in a Toorak Tractor and moved up the north shore. Whether art or artifice, you’ll all have to judge yourselves.

Skip Hop has certainly come along way since stopping all those years ago for scallops with the lot. I can’t imagine this album dropping from the radar for a long time. Give ‘em a listen; they’ll be on a festival line up near you sometime soon.