Review Summary: Absolutely Fucking Nothing But Doomtree
There must be something about the cold, snowy winters of Minnesota that seems to have an inspiring, creative effect on its residents. This is because Minnesota is proving to be a breeding ground for promising upcoming, underground hip-hop talent. After his fantastic third album earlier this year, P.O.S. is definitely the most notable export; and some old school friends are coming along for the ride as well, in the form of the Doomtree collective, a group of emcees, DJs and beat makers.
The collective’s second collaborative release
Doomtree consists of single and group performances by emcess P.O.S., Sims, Cecil Otter, Mike Mictlan and Dessa with the beats and scratches provided by Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger and Turbo Nemesis and MK Larada. The number of different members and their own unique styles and influences create a melting pot of variety as contrasting as the summer and winter Minnesota weather, producing an album that has something for fans of all types of hip-hop. There are the bangers (“Game Over”, “Kid Gloves”), the slower, more down beat (“The Wren”, “Sadie Hawkins”) and the more mainstream (“Drumsticks”).
The album's variety comes from both the emcees lyrics and delivery and the variety of beats provided by the four producers. Lazerbeak and MK Larada provide the more percussive and subdued beats for the album while Paper Tiger and Turbo Nemesis provide the big beats and samples and occasional scratching (leaving Dessa to handle the big breasts). As well as being accomplished at providing varied beats the four producers also succeed in mixing them well with the vocals, producing a balanced listening experience with an added bass end.
Whilst having a differing delivery style, the emcees all share a similar viewpoint lyrically. Themes run from love to lost friends, politics, personal issues and general restlessness with modern society and beliefs all the while shying away from the more gung ho west and east coast themes such as money, bling, women and guns. This lyrical may stem from the fact that a number of the collective were initially hesitant to pursue hip hop, having originally been in punk and rock bands before and tired of hearing the aforementioned east/west coast themes.
Those familiar with P.O.S.’ work will know what to expect from the other emcees but will, however, find something more to enjoy in the added variation of Mike Mictlan’s faster, upbeat delivery (most notable in “Game Over”), Cecil Otter’s weary observations or Dessa’s self deprecating, philosophical and often metaphorical content as well as the added bonus of her singing ability which brings an extra element to a number of the tracks. In fact, Dessa features on the highlight track of the album, “The Wren”. The subdued percussive and horns lead track, featuring performances from Dessa and Sims, centres on love and belief themes, is brought extra impact by the contrast between male and female rapping, both of which range from medium pace to double paced multi syllabic rhymes, as well as Dessa’s cryptic, sung chorus/vocal hook:
Quote:
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“I found your pale faced, blue lipped god beneath the kitchen table. Starving and eating paper. Showed me what you wrote and what you’d asked. Love, nothing can live on prayers like that. Love.”
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Those looking for a more mainstream track as an introduction to the group should investigate the lead single “Drumsticks”. The track features a strong beat and verses from P.O.S. (including a Simpsons reference) and displays another side to the collective and also works well as a transition for those who are used to hearing P.O.S.’ solo work .
The only possible downside to
Doomtree for some would be its length. With twenty-one tracks the album does tend to lose its steam (and quite possibly the listener’s attention) during the second half. There are still some strong tracks to be found in “Kid Gloves” and “Pop Gun War”. On the other hand, the upside of the amount of tracks is that it provides listeners with a good introduction to the different styles of all the members of Doomtree and may lead them on to discover the individual works of the collective even if they don’t come back to the group album.
Ultimately,
Doomtree works well as introduction the various members of Doomtree (all of whom belong to the Rhymesayers label) as well as providing similar music for fans of P.O.S. The album will also appeal to both fans of a slightly more cerebral hip-hop experience and those who just want music to party to. However, the album as a whole may be too long for some to sit through in one go and will work better as a dip in album or for shuffling at parties with something to please everyone, including the casual listener.
Recommended Tracks
Drumsticks
The Wren
Dots & Dashes
Sadie Hawkins
Game Over
