Rating:
Genre:
Rap
Release Date: 10/13/2009
While many will subject
Parallel Uni-Verses to the usual in-depth scrutiny of
Del the Funky Homosapien, it's not a fair way to approach this loose, casual album. For one, that would ignore
Artifacts member
Tame One's equal contribution to this evenly split effort, but first and foremost,
Uni-Verses isn't designed to be a game changer. Instead, it's an attractively familiar and nostalgic album, one that brings reminders of the informal collaborations found on early
Lyricist Lounge or
Def Jux compilations. Instead of sick rhymes, clever punch lines are the thing, with "Selling more units than
Moon Zappa" (
Tame One on
"Before This") and "You simians just simulate" (
Del on
"Special") being representative of the overall flavor. What makes it all worthwhile is how complementary the aggressive
Tame and the laid-back
Del are, how fun their strutting and swaggering is, and how funky the tracks feel with
Drum and
Knowledge from the
Parallel Thought crew providing a wide variety of throwback vibes. Punchy bass, jittery scratching, and looped xylophone samples make
"Flashback" more than your average homage to hip-hop's golden age, although it's not just the
Thought crew who are responsible as these veteran lyricists can go way back and "get nastier than
Blowfly." The eerie beats make
"The Franchise" a highlight, sounding like they might have melted off the B-side of some old
Mo Wax 12", but it's the druggy closer,
"Gaining Ground," that really stuns, slinking across the speakers like
Pink Floyd and
Massive Attack passing spliffs for six minutes. Songs are allowed as much time as they need, but the album as a whole is economical and right-sized at 11 tracks. This is highly enjoyable weekend music from the underground, nothing more, nothing less.
~David Jeffries, All Music Guide
;)
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