Trip-hop and plunderphonics are two music genres that spawn some of the most creative and novel concepts in the music world. Artists like Pogo, Chinese Man and Bonobo all use the same emotional, sample-based sound of the genres. But each one of them has also managed to create their own worlds through each of their unique quirks and themes. This idea of developing a unique personality through music is exemplified by trip-hop veteran Wax Tailor.
Tailor has released five records since his emergence in 2004 and one of his biggest appeals as an artist is the theming he takes on for each album. For example, his debut album, “Tales of the Forgotten Melodies,” uses almost exclusively classic noir movie and radio samples while “Dusty Rainbow from the Dark” tells the story of a young boy discovering the power of music. His newest record, “By Any Beats Necessary,” released Oct. 14, introduces another theme in the form of a road trip through the southwestern United States. Although this record does not surpass the quality of his previous projects, it still provides some interesting samples and exciting compositions.
Keeping with the theme, the record does not shy away from traditional western instruments. Whistles, harmonicas and banjos are staples on the record alongside the ever-present radio samples.
The intro track “Hit The Road” emulates the sounds one might hear flipping through the radio on a dusty road in Arizona. This leads seamlessly into “I Had a Woman,” immediately recognizable as a tribute to classic blues ballads. Deep, grumbling horns are accompanied by a wailing harmonica and short but sweet piano progressions. All of this is layered under Tailor’s signature vocal and beat cutting.
“Diggin Saloon” hearkens back to some of Tailor’s earlier releases, retaining dark undertones while still keeping with the theme of the album. The track masterfully blends typical saloon-style piano pieces with western guitar solos, the click-clacking of horses’ hoofs and high-noon whistling.
My favorite track on the record, “Back On Wax,” features two very exciting and fun features from A-F-R-O and R.A. the Rugged Man, as well as one very annoying one from Token. Token’s weaker verse aside, the other two rappers bring their own signature personalities to their lyrics. As for the instrumental, the track is well-produced with each rapper getting an individual variation on the base guitar progression for their verse. A-F-R-O takes a darker spin on his section with deep, foreboding horns mirroring the playful, brighter horns featured under Token. R.A. the Rugged Man gets the traditional hip-hop treatment with scratches and sample splicing.
While none of the cuts on the record are terrible or completely unlistenable, there are a few that just seem out of place. The only thing tying “Bleed Away” to the rest of the tracks is maybe the hollow clacking in the background, but everything else sounds more like something you would expect to hear around Halloween. Wailing choirs and strangely-placed synths make the whole track seem ethereal and surreal. It’s almost as if Tailor took inspiration from a group like Crystal Castles when producing this track. The other track that just feels weird, not in name but in sound, is “The Phonograph.” It suffers from a lot of the things that make “Bleed Away” an anomaly. It sounds too strangely electronic and processed to be a good fit for the theming. Gone are the harmonicas, pianos and plucky guitar chords. They have been replaced by drum machines, synths and statics. It could be fitting considering it is the closing track, but it doesn’t make sense that Tailor decided to shift his focus so severely for this purpose.
The shortcomings of the record do not overpower its strengths, and even if it isn’t as exciting or interesting to delve into as his prior projects, it’s still a solid album. The theming is not something that everyone will enjoy, but Tailor used it to good effect. Most of the cuts sound exactly as you would expect them to, and Tailor’s collection of samples adds a nice layer of depth to each cut.
