DJ Shadow
Our Pathetic Age
Mass Appeal
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You can never accuse Josh “DJ Shadow” Davis of playing it safe. With Endtroducing….. (1996), he practically invented the entire genre of long-form instrumental hip-hop, spawning a whole slew of artists and styles. His follow-up album The Private Press (2002) didn’t alter the musical landscape like Endtroducing, but it was still an amazing sophomore effort. Over the next 15 or so years, he continued to release unique material that might not have had the same impact as his breakthrough debut, but none of it was ever dull.
Shadow again swings for the fences with his sixth studio LP Our Pathetic Age, a sprawling double-album that runs over an hour-and-a-half in length (or at least the digital version does). The long player is divided neatly into “Instrumental” and “Vocal” suites, allowing Shadow to demonstrate his ability as a producer/arranger in all fields where he’s excelled throughout his career. The result is extremely solid. Shadow honors his past triumphs without clinging to them and experiments with new musical styles without sounding like Pat Boone’s foray into heavy metal.
Shadow made his name creating instrumental tracks that used a semi-traditional song structure. This often entailed putting together pieces that would last well over six minutes, containing multiple movements and changes in feel. The song lengths of Our Pathetic Age’s instrumental suite generally run shorter, but they don’t lose their musical complexity or grandeur.
“Slingblade” is a continuously shifting landscape, as keyboards, synths, vibes, scratches, and other percussion unfolds across a dynamic drum track. “Juggernaut,” the suite’s functional centerpiece, is aggressively unconventional, as it constantly mutates and regenerates. Its tempo increases and decreases, with its drums heavily distorted past the point of recognition. The vocals and sounds echoing in and out create a disorienting effect.
Other tracks are truly cinematic. On “Firestorm,” Shadow puts together majestic horns, strings, and wood-winds to complement a somber piano. It sounds like it could be part of the score for an Oscar-bait piece of cinema, serving as the backing for the film’s emotional climax. “Intersectionality,” with its warped ’80s sensibilities, sounds like the type of thing Giorgio Moroder would concoct while stoned, and would fit in on an episode of Stranger Things.
Other songs seem smaller in scope. “Beauty, Power, Motion, Life, Work, Chaos, Law” is structured like a traditional two-minute jazz song, and sports some inspired live drumming. “In My Lonely Room” comes closest to recapturing Shadow’s Endtroducing aesthetic, building a dark and moody sound over five-and-a-half minutes.
Our Pathetic Age’s “Vocal Suite” also features plenty of good to great material. It opens with “Drone Warfare,” the pairing of Nas and Pharoahe Monch that I’ve been fiending for for about a quarter century. The collaboration does not disappoint, as the two trade mind-bending verses over a futuristic, aural assault of a track. Nas stands as the wizened street O.G., unimpressed by society’s “progress,” proclaiming that “my soul ain’t for grabs.” Meanwhile, Monch raps from the perspective of an eager participant in urban guerilla warfare against the crooked government system, rapping, “Ballistic expert with blood under my cuticles / You already know the issues / The American atrocities / So while you squeeze gats, I shoot at the drones with shoulder missiles.” The song also features Shadow’s best performance behind the turntables on the album, showcasing his furious scratches throughout the chorus.
It’s a pleasure to hear Shadow work with established hip-hop luminaries; he puts together beats that play to their strengths as emcees and his own as a producer. Wu-Tang members Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon bless “Rain On Snow,” a gritty three-man melee that evokes the crew’s Kung Fu flick-influenced past. “Rocket Fuel,” the album’s infectious lead single, is a rollicking team-up with De La Soul. The song shares the same fun-loving DNA as “Feel Good Inc.,” De La’s mega-successful pairing with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s inventive outfit Gorillaz. Pos and Dave pass the mic back and forth over a freaked vocal sample, giving the track an old school feel, as Shadow adds his precise scratches.
Shadow later takes things back to the days of the Solesides crew, reuniting with old cohorts Gift of Gab (of Blackalicious) and Lateef the Truth Speaker on “C.O.N.F.O.R.M.,” where they describe the omnipresent dangers of the digital age. “Been Used Ta,” a digital bonus track, functions as an alternative version/remix, as North Carolina’s Pusha T basks in his own opulence, comparing himself to Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Kawhi Leonard over the same thunderous drums and intricately patterned keys.
The duo of Run the Jewels reunite with Shadow on “Kings and Queens.” Their previous collaboration “Nobody Speak” was arguably the biggest hit of both Shadow and RTJ’s respective careers, and over the past few years the track has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, and commercials. This time around, both El-P and Killer Mike share poignant slices of life from their family’s history over the gospel-tinged track. El-P’s verse is particularly affecting, as he relates a bit of family lore about his grandmother’s dog’s committing suicide after his human unexpectedly dies.
Shadow’s team-ups with up-and-coming talent similarly exhibit great psychological depth. Ratking’s Wiki grapples with his sanity on “Small Colleges (Stay With Me),” bolstered by a complex drum track and echoing synths. “JoJo’s World” is astoundingly harrowing, as Los Angeles-based emcee STRO gives an unvarnished first person narration of his own suicide attempt. Shadow later provides Mass Appeal label-mate Dave East with the musical backdrop for “Taxin’,” likely the best song of the Harlemite’s career. The pounding drums and understated string sample complement East’s rugged delivery. He details his past life dealing drugs in order to make ends meet, rapping “Fuck it, jump out a bucket, I’m thugging in public / My life in a rush and nobody can touch it.”
Our Pathetic Age captures this era’s soul both in sound and subject matter, while showing how Shadow can be simultaneously of the time and timeless. The album serves as an exclamation point to Shadow’s career up this point, but still leaves me looking forward to what more he has to offer as his music continues to mature.
Notable Tracks: "Drone Warfare" | “Firestorm” | "Kings and Queens" | “Rocket Fuel”
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