Eight years after his debut, one of this label's first releases, this producer returns with a sophomore set of moderately appetizing tunes that thankfully haven't been left out to spoil in the summer sun.
Despite being my first encounter with the bizarrely named DJ Mayonnaise, one-third of the So Called Artists, I engaged Still Alive with somewhat elevated expectations after a busy afternoon sampling other experimental instrumental hip-hop albums. Shifting gears away from tasty snippets by J Dilla and Dr. Who Dat?, I settled into Chris Greer's latest eagerly anticipating ideal weekend music for my lazy day indoors with the curtains drawn. In retrospect, I probably should have avoided such a presupposition.
Opener "Post Reformat," replete with perfunctory scratches, only casually drew me in, though "Easily Distracted" quickly changed that with its cut up loops and strident tones. Greer tinkers with his sounds just enough to stave off the looming threat of monotony. While "Munjoy Moments" cauterizes AFX-esque melody and dissonance to his fastidiously organic rhythm, jazzy horns produce an artificially calm atmosphere against the distant trashcan clang of "Dawson's Anthem 2005." "Quiet On The Set" emulates a beleaguered session drummer immersed in a narcotic haze, like chopped and screwed hip-hop for the two-drink-minimum lounge set. Similarly, a somber church organ is prudently appropriated for "The End Is The Beginning," a far-too-brief slice of squirmy deconstructed gospel.
Still Alive is consistently satisfying but yet never goes above and beyond, much to my dismay. "Strateegery," the sole deviation from the plotted path, features Mush recording artist K-The-I???, spouting the typical ostentatious free verse we have all pretty much come to expect from indie label emcees. Although the politically charged content makes it worth repeat listens to absorb all the references, it is not enough to save this plebian album from the category of musical boilerplate. Sure, Still Alive gets the job done, but after so many beatmakers have trod this already well-blazed trail, and with so many others breaking new ground, it is hard to get too excited over yet another garden-variety downtempo traveler.
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