I sometimes look at Grails as my long lost musical soul-mates that I’ll most likely never get to play with. This may seem like a strange sentiment, but with each release by the Portland-ians I find myself nodding with approval thinking, “Yep, I think that may be my ideal band scenario”. Considering that Zak Riles mentioned Pink Floyd, Jaga Jazzist, and Steve Reich (I’ve seriously never met another person who would think to give accolades to all three of those artists) in his year-end list this past year and that the other projects that each member tends to be involved with are pretty on-point and you can began to see where I would fancy that thought. Lilacs and Champagne are another project containing members of Grails that heads down a musical path that my brain has flirted with in the “wouldn’t it be nice” section of bands I’ll never start. In this case it’s an audio/visual experience combining instrumental hip-hop with B-movies and psychedelic goodness. They’ve just released their second album Midnight Features Vol. 2: Made Flesh and I can’t stop bumping it.
Much like Grails, L&C don’t stick to an easily identifiable sound as much as they do a feel, one that lets the album describe itself thematically from track to track. Like the title implies, one could get the feeling that they are watching a set of short films that belong on the same collection. “Made Flesh” may bring to mind a crime lord staking out a Buena Vista resort while the very next track “Longjohn’s Lust” sounds like Meddle era Pink Floyd making sweet love, complete with Gilmourish phased-out guitar. “All the Room” may feature some bright keys and sampling, but it’s still a good example of how L&C can combine the more analogue/organic persuasions of instrumental hip-hop with it’s digital brethren. You’ll hear live drums and bass, and overall the album tends to give off a “made by actual humans” vibe even amidst the manipulation, as it should. There are also some more classic-leaning 808 style beats on certain tracks.
“Playin’ With Paul” is delightfully Dilla and Madlib-esque but “Midnight Creeper 2” harshes the buzz a little bit. Each one of these tracks is solid enough but they do run on the short side, enough so that only one of the thirteen songs crosses the three minute line. Even though I’d like to argue this record as being something more than the dreaded “background party music” label that so many hasten to slap on this style of music, the blissful “Euro Blow” makes it hard to defy the album’s chill, good-time vibes. I’ve also got to say that while I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve spent listening to Midnight Features 2, that given the nature of what it is it’s a bit harder to sell it as much of a fulfilling listen as an actual Grails LP. I realize that that’s not the point, but what I mean to say is that I think all styles of instrumental music can be engaging enough when done right to transcend the background music label, as does this record…but if you’re not the type of person to put down cash on a J Dilla release you may find this album leaving something to be desired. I think it delivers where it should though and I sincerely hope that more people continue to check this group out.
8/10
You can buy Midnight Features Vol. 2: Made Flesh here:
The (slightly) Discerning Bassist 