Resistance Is Futile
label: new dawn

producers: kruze
year of release: 2002

contact: belles.demon.co.uk
 
D'you remember them Hijack days. Them old Gunshot days? Those were the days, huh? While Belles In Monica records tracks that are slower, definitely less violent, some of the pure and good and old Brit Core style can still be heard in many cuts on this album. What automatically gives you a rough idea of what to expect from this album: dark beats, apocalyptic rhymes that are dripping from the evils that urban do, along with a real rap aesthetic of moving forward and trying something new, while actually finding inspiration and the style of old.
And that's the agenda of the three people of Belles In Monica. Kruze, emcee and producer, Red, guitarist and master of effects, as well as DJ Dema doing the cuts, create a landscape, that's a concrete scape, with their music not being too sophisticated for a humble metropolis like Glasgow, what is where they are from. And while they are drawing a lot of influence from artists that came before them, the gap of a couple of years since their music and this music, makes them more original than a copy could be.

tracklisting
1. Skitzophonetic
2. Y'all Under Surveillance
3. It's Like That
4. Meltdown
5. Process: Make Money
6. Chanteuse Extrodinarie
7. What D'ya Need
8. Serial
9. Do Nothin' Good
10. Irrational Behaviour
11. Hit 'Em Back
12. Take Control
13. Hip Hop
14. Resistance Is Futile
While the paranoia is self centered on "Skitzophonetic", the angst riddled "Y'all Under Surveillance" is only confirmed by all the cameras that watch your supposedly oh so interesting life. The obligatory dissing the mainstream gets extra value on "Process: Make Money", as the implication and values that are sold are discussed. We get a strong Public Enemy resemblance on "It's Like That", and "What D'ya Need" is just as political as the SW1 guarded artists, and it draws a connection to the literature setting of a Peter Kalu novel. This cut is a face lurking behind the door and it's speeding up the tongue, getting staccato. What is more than just contrasting the relaxed but determined delivery of "Serial". Or the moment, when the flow is adapting to the music, what gives Kruze a Michael Franti Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy feel on "Chanteuse Extrodinaire", that musically is also leaning to the softer and more musical side (what later on enables an even lounge jazzy moment in "Do Nothin' Good").
Another sign of the Brit Core influence is the patchwork style of production on tracks like "It's Like That", where many and more little voice samples are used, including Mohammed Ali setting you straight. When the pace picks up a little bit, like on "Meltdown", the resemblance gets even stronger. The string instrumentation then only furthers the intensity, that is also reflected in the words, that never seem to find too much happiness in anything. And once "Hit 'Em Back" comes on, there's no doubt that these cats have heard "Patriot Games".
Not saying that everything works on here, because a "Irrational Behavior" is missing freshness, and it's only another version of what worked so well on the other tracks. The speaking flow is lacking style too, just resulting in an overall falling short. And the again returning singing voice by Cherelle, combined with a cali squeegy sound makes "Take Control" sound bad, with the voice again failing to work on "Hiphop". And as all of these tracks appear towards the end of the album, this threatens to leave a bitter taste behind. If it weren't for "Resistance Is Futile" that has the chaos work for itself again. And although the remix was better (reviewed here), the preaching words and the disturbed beat is again hinting at what we gave props to earlier on.
So the album completes a circle in itself, but it also has us return to an area we appreciate and that was gone way too fast. Therefore to us this album makes sense, and the continued angst and anger is necessary. However for the hip hop listeners that are used to have their ears be patted with silk gloves, there's mainly confusion for them on here. However those people need o realize that this is reality. Lil Kim's breasts are not.
review: tadah
note: Well, you probably think this got a buddy bonus. But the music proves you wrong and this rating right.
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