Revelling in the past is all very well and good but the best music, or at least the most original, seems to be made as people move things forward. It’s evolution, it’s forward-thinking, it is the way the world turns. Young Orpheus is the sound of the world turning and music moving into pastures new. Yes, you can break the song apart and find very recognisable musical building blocks being used, but it is what they are used to build which is the real charm.
If hip-hop grew out of vibrant street raps and punchy edges, Young Orpheus takes that vibe and pushes it into a more ambient, sultry place one built on darker deliveries and slower grooves but somehow offering even more menace and world weariness than anything that has come before. The lyrics are filled with street philosophy and social commentary and land perfectly on the listener with style and confidence and the whole affair is spacious, allowing every word and every beat room to breathe and so work more effectively. A game raising musical slice if ever there was one.
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