The poppy first single from this album "Know My Name" (reviewed in Brain Volume 5, Issue 29) served as fair warning to Nightmares On Wax fans about the direction that George Evelyn was taking his long-running project. Although 'Mind Elevation' serves up a good deal of dubby smoker's delights, it appears N.O.W. has moved into the arena currently occupied by Moby and his big fat vegan ego. Fortunately, this soulful album is far stronger than Baldy's multi-platinum samplefest. While some extreme N.O.W. purists might cringe over their glass-blown pipes at some of the more vocal radio-ready cuts, most of their old fans and music lovers everywhere can appreciate this more accessible sound mixed in with the instrumental groove-ology. Motorola, Volkswagen and other "hip, young-minded" companies are probably eager (checkbooks firmly in hand) to license such tracks as the lush, summery "Date With Destiny" and the aforementioned "Know My Name". True to form, "Environment" wastes little time praising the ganja with blunt (no pun intended) lyrics like "I don't know if I can carry on / Without my roots and bong," so even those bitching about all those damned divas can have a good chortle while skinning up over the latest issue of High Times. N.O.W. have always been one of Warp's finest gems, as well as one of their most reliable staples, and 'Mind Elevation' may very well be the best album released on the label so far this year (Yes, I have heard 'Geogaddi' and no, I did not find it "hauntingly evocative" so shut your trap). Trip hop may be long dead, and "chillout" compilations may fill the Virgin MegaSuperChain cutout bins and Wal-Mart Superstores, but Nightmares On Wax has successfully managed to dodge these tricky genre bullets.
samples:
Read More
