Telicatessen - review

Who's Rob Sonic? You're about to get to know him well with one of Def Jux's most interesting releases to date- Telicatessen. Don't assume that you know him well though, not even with this album, for even as this release provides an excellent primer for those wanting to get to know this leftfield Bronx MC, those that have been following his music for the last 4/5 years will no-doubt let you know that his sound used to be very different. I'm going to explain it how I see it. 2000's classic 'The Sanity Annex' LP was the first major showcase for this dudes skills, and the more organic production (with an abundance of samples and live guitars/basslines) seemed to lend itself perfectly to his conscious, introspective lines/metaphors/abstract confessions. 'Rob Smith, of Sonic Sum' back then, seemed to me to be the next logical step (even if he was totally fresh at the time) in the line of interesting, different emcees with that slightly gritty urban sound, the emcee who was gradually replacing tired street bragadoccio with moments of vulnerability and tidbits (yes tidbits!) of intellectualism.

"exchange my botanics for bionics..."

Fast forward to 2004. You don't have to fast-forward actually, but what's changed? Why did I write that first paragraph? Well in a way, nothing has changed. His rhymes on Telicatessen prove just as interesting, just as thought-provoking, always abstract, and always direct. Direct is the keyword though. This album is more of a case of the contents remaining the same, with the outer-packaging changing entirely; his flow is almost unrecognizable from the 'Annex days', both direct, confident, very regulated, and similarly his energy and attitude is borderline abusive at times (where it was more hesitant and withdrawn on the Annex LP). The music is a perfect reflection of that harsher lyrical style; the drum machines sound tighter, the snares bang harder, everything is cleaner, (whilst still remaining rugged...you figure it out) more digital, the whole sound is more obvious and arrogant, there are practically no samples, direct and clear-sounding synths dominate the whole affair, and even though there are some slower tracks, you get the distinct feeling that the whole album is all up-tempo. It's a bionic album! If Telicatessen was the only thing you heard after the down-tempo and organic 'Sanity Annex', you'd be forgiven for asking "What the hell happened?" but the great thing is, I wouldn't know which style you loved and which polar opposite you didn't understand. I for one, can now appreciate both, (this album took a couple of listens to get used to) but having previously said that his abstract and open style on the Annex LP was better suited to the more down-tempo and organic beats, I now appreciate even more those same poetic lines being matched up and contrasted with a far more unlikely sound (for me at least) in the more regimented electro-hip-hop approach that Mr. Sonic adopts on these tracks. So yes, it is fresh.

What about those tracks? Let me stop my theorizing and get down like this: I'm going to simplify things tremendously by splitting them up into two sections, the absolute bangers that work on every level, and the other ones. 'Strange Hammer' gets things off to a great start and kind of illustrates best the ridiculous categorisation I just made; the beat works, the vicious synth-line slapping itself down over the hard snare drum just seems to bring the best out of Monsieur Sonic, the enthusiasm is there in the spontanaiety of the lyrics and the whole vibe is live. The very next track rocks in a very different way, with Rob Sonic spitting high-speed, overlapping flames all over the simple but effective 'call and response' synth-lines of 'Death Vendor'. Again, the sense of fun and spontanaiety balances out the track and keeps the brilliant abstraction from ever getting too caught up in itself. The amount of hip-hop quotables displayed on these and the other hot hot tracks on this album are almost too many to count.

On the flip side, those 'other tracks' I mentioned are more or less the same recipe, simple synth lines, sometimes two or three, interacting with each other over a fairly simple mid-tempo drumbeat. The lyrics are still good, but they just don't have that same infectious quality about them. Suprisingly for me, the title track Telicatessen is one of the 'best' examples of this malady that diminishes my enjoyment for about two or three tracks on this otherwise exciting LP. Same recipe, but just not quite as fun or engaging as a 'Dyslexia' 'Shoplift' or 'Former Future'. Having said that, I could think of much worse criticisms if the only problem with the LP is that it's all a bit samey in terms of flow and beats. Quite simply, the standard of lyrics is high, and as a result, if it ever does get a little repetitive, you've still got more than enough substance to keep your mind engaged and alert.

Listening to the latest from Rob Smith is interesting. The final instrumental track brings a level of balance back to things and lets you know that this whole sound is subject to even more future change. It's an interesting musical evolution from 2000's Sonic Sum to 2004's Rob Sonic, and it's honestly not as black and white as I've made it out to be here. It's a musical evolution that might well be perfectly bridged if you were lucky enough to get your hands on Sonic Sums latest LP- Films (currently only available in Japan). This second and apparently final Sonic Sum album showcases a much darker side to the band, and most of all to Rob Sonic. Once you have experienced that LP; its anger, pessimism and deepening electronic-leanings, then Telicatessen might not come as such a shock to you. Either way, it's a fun piece of hip-hop that provokes thought and does something different, by that alone it should be worth checking. I'll leave you with some of the many quotables, and know this: I could have put a lot more!

"On point like a Vulcans ear" ... "Make you see what I'm saying like a foreign film" ... "I got 5 on the future" ... "Sex backwards...!?!??" ... "You're not a human, you're a sardine that knows too much" ... "Cushions that I can float on, people that I can eat" ... "They [new yorkers?] only recognize if your mind works, 80-hour weeks and you speak like a stone." .......

Y.Misdaq aka Yoshi, 08 Sep 2004