The mysterious Burial had the jump on everyone in dubstep this year, delivering the burgeoning underground scene's most anticipated artist album months in advance of anyone else. However, based on the virulent virility of Skream's unpretentious, nearly eponymous debut, I suspect I, and many others, will be more inclined to listen to this album far more regularly.
A dancefloor prodigy, Skream doesn't do the former's recurrent darkness and menacing esoterica. Instead, as famously illustrated in the DJ mixes of his that I have either downloaded or experienced firsthand, Ollie Jones brandishes melody and bass as if they were the deadliest of weapons, though more like a principled honor-bound samurai than a brutal for-hire sadist, and over these fourteen absolute bangers he leaves no doubt of his abilities. The young man painstakingly manipulates woofer-rattling low-end yet also crafts infectious hooks that furiously burrow into the ear and straight into the brain, assuring instantaneous recognition on the mandatory rewind. His breakout single, "Midnight Request Line," did just that, and its inclusion alone makes Skream! a vital purchase.
There are many staples here that, stylistically, define a good swath of the thriving genre, from the gorgeous stepper "Dutch Flowerz" to the warbly "Stagger." Beyond these imitable templates lie several delightful permutations and creative "Rutten" updates "Rottan" from Skreamizm Volume 1 with re-recorded flute melody and an extended sample of the infamous Spliff Politics speech from the film Human Traffic. Proper two-step, a style I first embraced at the height of its popularity in 2000, makes an appearance on "Summer Dreams," a jazzy slice of deep summery hedonism able to combat these dropping autumnal temperatures. If that weren't enough, "Check It," a dubwise collaboration with the almighty Warrior Queen, takes things to a ridiculously high level. Borrowing elements from Mary Wells' classic "My Guy," the dancehall diva sings of a good man over a sizzling reggae-esque beat that simply wont quit.
A lone misstep, albeit a slight one, "Tapped" assuredly would have been better off free of input from Roll Deep affiliate JME both lyrically and vocally, though this raucous tune itself can hardly be held back by some pesky grime MC. Beyond this, Skream's bright, dub-inflected and garage-informed tunes have massive potential appeal and this approachable dubstep album, if distributed and promoted suitably, should make converts quicker than a Billy Graham revival. And if you didn't catch that last reference, it's really for the best.
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