RANDOM ERA - The Searching Years - 2007 - Album review

RANDOM ERA – The Searching Years – 2007 – Album review
HIGHLIGHTS: Another Late Night - Yes Kidda – Pot Head Check – Pull Yer Pants Up - RandomEra
SOUNDBITE: “No garage, no grime, no crunk, no pop, Philly stop the beat. This is proper hip-hop.”
RATING: 5/5
The Searching Years sees Liverpool’s finest provide one timely lesson on how to deliver a full-length album using good old-fashioned beats and cuts without sounding old-fashioned and a second timely lesson on how to be funny without imploding in self-parody. This is an LP packed full of gag-rich party tunes, skits and interludes that fully makes good on the potential of the EP of the same name released earlier in the year. MCs Philly Whizz and Ash The Gent (with the help of DJs Rasp, Nimble and LSG) plough a not dissimilar furrow to erstwhile West Country clowns Aspects or crazy Welshman Ralph Rip Shit though there’s no mistaking the city that has spawned Random Era. On the entire LP the only off-note is the fact that the woozy reflection of Feel Time sounds more like an album closer than an opener - a situation that second track Another Late Night amply rectifies as Josh from Systems D is roped in (over a mellow horn loop) to aid both MCs in a gentle but merciless piss-taking of the consequences of having ‘another Stella fella’ when you’ve already had 3 too many. Yes Kidda is underpinned by a chopped up Sly Stone-ish funk bounce and follows an amusing tale of what sounds like regular open mic night abuse by both rappers – students of linguistics may also be interested to note how only a Liverpudlian could make the word ‘seen’ into 2 syllables. Further party rocking phatness can be found in Pull Yer Pants Up’s rant at Westwood style wannabes and RandomEra’s organ groove but if you really must have some more serious social commentary it can be found in Place That’s Yours’s examination of most people’s chances of getting on the property ladder these days. Of course, if you’re a piss-taker, it would be ungentlemanly not to take the piss out of yourself and Ash and Phil do the decent thing in spades on Pot Head Check which will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever had a smoke round a mate's and been overwhelmed, upon leaving, by apparently simple tasks like taking everything you came with. If the preceding comments haven’t tempted you to give this a burn then reflect on the following - Fact 1: I own more than a few UK hip-hop 12”s but hardly any LPs. Hip-hop acts in this country just don’t seem to do it for me on album length efforts - at least, that was true until this year which I find myself having book-ended with reviews of my two favourite UK hip-hop LPs ever – Rup’s Rup On Zebra back in January and now this. Fact 2: me and grime don’t really click and I might have to scream like a girl if I have to listen to any more retro hip-hop this year – luckily – I heard this. Fact 3: there’s always way too much wack posturing around from fools with lame flows and no sense of humour – this album is not hampered by any of these.
Out now – On GoWise Recordings
RELATED LINKS
Listen to Random Era - The Searching Years
Random Era - Myspace
Go Wise Recordings
Random Era interview
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