FOLKDEVILS: Trenches EP (2006)
Rating: 4/5
Tracks: Trenches / Death of a Burglar / Like Father
Soundbite: / Hands! (Hands!) Clenched! (Clenched!)/ Sound! (Sound!) Stench! (Stench!)/ (Indeed. Just listen - you'll see what I mean.)
The title track here has the kind of lairyness that I associate with blind, aggressive scrumpy drinkers in the final stages of their vice who bat at the air and shout incoherently at pretty much anyone. It may be cliched to mention cider in a Bristol hip-hop context but if it were present at the recording session it might explain not only the general atmosphere of this dancefloor-filler but also Ian 'Dirty' Merchant's increasingly growly vocal. I bought the EP specifically for this track as I'm a sucker for loud guitars in hip-hop and was hooked when I first heard it. The guitar cut is reminiscent of a less fuzzy 'Purple Haze' riff and if it all sounds a bit like Aspects it'll be because Folkdevils was founded by two members of Aspects - which can't be a bad thing. The Dirt Merchant (a.k.a. El Eye) is joined on this track by two other Folkdevils rappers Marshy and Dizrali who add unmistakable West Country flavour and a shouty call and response chorus that even sober listeners will find themselves bellowing with 'closing time' abandon. Marshy takes control for the musically far mellower Death of a Burglar and offers many reasons why aspiring house-breakers may wish to give his gaff a miss, leaving the Dirt Merchant on point with Like Father's surprisingly emotive exploration of father-son relationships complete with an 'oo-eee-oooohh' seventies backing vocal loop. All of which bodes well for the upcoming LP...
Listen to Folkdevils The Trenches EP
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