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NBHAP Rating: 4,2/5
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[one_half last=”yes”]YOUNG FATHERS
White Men Are Black Men Too
Release-Date: 07.04.2015
Label: Big Dada
Tracklist:
01. Still Running
02. Shame
03. Feasting
04. 27
05. Rain Or Shine
06. Sirens
07. Old Rock n Roll
08. Nest
09. Liberated
10. John Doe
11. Dare Me
12. Get Started
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Top of the game
As a consumer when one tends to like something then it is only natural to seek out or anticipate more of the same – the stimulus and the rush, the song stuck in your head – also the cause of the Hollywood sequel phenomenon, for example – we long for the familiar and the feelings that the familiar brings. With their third proper full-length studio release hot on the tail of DEAD (an oddly life-affirming album in itself) the gentleman of YOUNG FATHERS deliver a sustained, crunchy, kaleidoscopic anthem-ology with White Men Are Black Men Too – a work that at times even seems to trick the listener (or user?) into thinking what they are listening to is perhaps maybe ‘pop’ or ‘hip-hop’, but overall it remains as enigmatic and sage-like as its mild-mannered / wild men creators, a trio who have worked together relentlessly for over 13 years now and who, for lack of a better term, are fully ‘at the top of their game’.
Orchestrated chaos
For those who fell in love with the charged romance and explosivity found all over 2014’s Mercury-Prize winning album DEAD, then you will not necessarily find much of that same sound on their followup – but that matter does nothing to diminish the album’s quality. The boys have moved forward, and getting to know their new work on this album is amazing experience. The record’s two opening tracks – Still Running and Shame – despite their uncanny sounds – work to disarm the listener just in time for the strange YEASAYER-esque crescendo of ‘Feasting’ hit and from then on out the album is brilliant ride of what the band refers to as ‘loose but tight’ orchestrated chaos landmarked by dancier numbers such as Rain or Shine and concluded by the strange, almost-hidden gem towards the end of the album, Dare Me.
This is just the start
With the ongoing race discussion as prominent on the global scene as ever it is also quite a spectacle in itself to witness a group of young musicians at the top of their game chewing up the topic and spitting it back out – woven throughout the lyrics – in such a potent yet abstract way. My guess: by third listen this album will have you thoroughly in its clutches – in a good way – and if you are left wanting more then it is, of course, a perfect time to revisit and rock out to their back catalogue. YOUNG FATHERS have just started and White Men Are Black Men Too is the perfect argument for those who are calling these gentlemen one of the most exciting acts around at the moment. This might be just the start but we’re happy to follow them along whatever comes next.
The Mercury Prize was no coincidence: YOUNG FATHERS break down the boundaries of pop, rap and other genre concepts to deliver ‘White Men Are Black Men Too’ as a statement of strength and creative confidence.
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