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Thursday, December 13, 2007

The Brag Reviews Vol I : Hermitude - Rare Sightings


This is one of the many reviews I have completed 'The Brag', a weekly Sydney street press.

Hermitude are amazing. There I said it. I don't mean to sound gushing but they have never disappointed. Not only have they generated two flawless instrumental LP's (Alleys to Valleys & Tales from the Drift) they also put on an amazing live show and have contributed numerous standout tracks to various Elefant Traks stable mates releases such as this years 'The Signal' by Urthboy. It was with great expectation that I cracked the plastic on this new EP, which was recorded on the road around the world in places such as San Francisco, Paris and Norway. In no way did they disappoint, combining a range of styles with ease and class.

Opener 'Sunsetter' combines a reggae strut with soul samples and a smooth horn line. 'Nightshade' lays a Shirley Bassey style vocal over a smokey sax and piano combination. From there 'Swamp Sauce' takes a jazz turn while 'Deadline' is all acoustic guitar picks and lilting vocal samples. Final track 'Alter Ego' ends the album loud and strong with a squelching b-line and strong kick. All through this EP scratches from Elgusto add extra spice and humour to the mix.

While the instrumental field is cluttered with great names from the jazzy sounds of Fat Jon, to the trip hop of DJ Krush or even the garage minimalism of Burial; Hermitude standout with their ability to combine all these styles into one seamless mixture. I urge you to not only pick this EP up but also their two past LPs. My only regret is that this disc wasn't longer.

Another classic release from the boys from the Blue Mountains.

4 Stars

2 comments:

Chimneyz said...

That's a great review. The new album is coming out Sept 27 and it's called Threads. We'll have to send you a copy.

Nat said...

Thanks heaps mate

That review also appeared in 'The Brag' in Sydney, so plenty of people know how dope you are.