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Buck 65Secret House Against The World WEA A Buck 65 release is a marker along a journey. It's not entirely clear where the Canadian hip-hop rambler is taking us, but he's so relentlessly compelling you're happy to take the bad with the good. He's retained elements of the country feel of 'Talkin' Honky Blues' but this time there's so, so much more to that ol' 65 palette. Devil's Eyes is the most insistent song so far this year. It's an astonishing achievement: a tight 4/4 beat propels the track, offset by immensely lush, swirling strings that initially seem out of place. Buck's ability to twist words comes to the fore. "There's a sound/ That we make when we sleep/ Around" he sings, his processed voice full of spooky authority. Le 65isme is indicative of the French language influence found throughout the record. Its skittish beats are the perfect bed for rapid-fire grabs like "I'll teach these fuckers how to dance modern" and "You look good baby/ Maybe even too good" as the song returns time and again to its refrain: "Sex. Cinema. Politique." The country flavours are more focused. The Suffering Machine is a modern-day lament, a lone banjo shapes the sparse Blood Of A Young Wolf and A Surrender To Strangeness once again employs an (almost heart-breaking) string section. Single Kennedy Killed The Hat stays for barely two minutes but makes a big impression, all fuzzed-out bass and increasingly urgent vocals. Its twin features later in the form of Blanc-Bec, an almost punk blast that is the perfect musical embodiment of its chorus: "Skeleton on fire! Ridin' a motorcycle!" As a marker along a journey, 'Secret House Against The World' is a welcome sight. Buck 65 remains a workmanlike rapper but, in the broader scope of sounds featured on the record, gets away with it. Indulgent in places, it's nonetheless a wonderful, soulful collage of sounds. It also suggests this journey may not actually have a destination. The best ones never do.  |
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