A heavy-hearted opus of sample-and-synth driven electronica, full of pathos befitting its theme. Purely useful as chin-scratchery armchair descontruction, this lacks the propulsive fuck-yes of Daedelus's best stuff, but it's inventive, daring experimental stuff.
Did I mention the theme? Look, I resist most of my Pitchfork-shaming impulses, but shame on you Larry Fitzmaurice for failing to do the most basic research for your review and completely missing the album's unifying tone of loss, not to mention its really, really obvious conceptual tie to the Boxer Rebellion. The name, the album art, the song titles, the fact that the lyrics specifically mention the Boxer Rebellion, not to mention the closing track's title, Fin De Si'Cle, punny French for "End of the Century", which whisps a bittersweet dovetail into the Boxers' Millenarianistic worldview. Maybe Larry is Pitchfork's electonica guy, because he apparently wouldn't know a concept album if it punched him in the face.
Which is all to say: exploring a deeply felt, deeply mournful (and very obvious) enactment of history via instrumental hip hop is the reason to listen. Its a bold experiment that executes its mission exceptionally well, even if (I'll agree with Larry here) it doesn't quite pop musically 3/5
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