XeroCalibur Reviews: Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip: "Angles"

xerocalibur · September 30, 2009

If you haven't yet heard Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip, consider this your primer. The group from the UK consists of Dan Le Sac on beats and mixing, and Scroobius Pip on vocals. Simple enough, yeah? They came together when Dan Le Sac suggested Pip come by his studio and try putting some of his slam poetry to a beat. The rest is musical magic.

The album begins with Pip telling a crowd at a show the following diatribe:

I ain't gonna take it no more.

I ain't gonna take it no more.

I ain't gonna stand idly by while the bridal reply of a marriage of styles is "Yeah, but what's their demographic?"

I ain't gonna take it no more.

I ain't gonna take it no more.

I ain't gonna stand idly by with a tut and a sigh while inside we all cry *out* for something new.

I ain't gonna take it no more.

I ain't gonna take it no more.

Soulless music, artless lyrics.

Goalless movements, heartless gimmicks.

Controlled and clueless, careers lasting a minute.

If this is the big life, well I ain't lookin' to live it.

We ain't pushing the boundaries, we're blowing them up.

We ain't trying to expand the scene, we want the scene to erupt.

So make some room on the floor and somebody bolt the doors cos tonight.. we ain't seeking applause.

Tonight.. Well, gee… we're just looking to have some good new-fashioned fun, y'all.

This gives you a good indication that what they hope to achieve with this album is something entirely new, fresh, and unique. They certainly do indeed live up to that.

TRACK 1) Beat that my Heart Skipped (5m14s)

One thing you tend to notice with DLC VS SP, is that a majority of their songs deal with relationships -- not just being in one, but the everyday interactions between genders. This song deals entirely with the initial attraction between a man and a woman, and the man's desperation to convince a woman that a relationship could be so much better than just a one-night fling. You really get a feel for those butterflies we all get when we see someone across a room that we dig. The end of the song becomes somewhat brutal as the man becomes so desperate to get his point across. Very emotional.

TRACK 2) Development (3m57s)

The song starts out with a chopped up clip of an acoustic guitar, before mixing in more common hip hop elements. This is a much calmer start than "Beat that my Heart Skipped" had... The middle of the song cuts in with someone interrupting Scroobius Pip, saying his last verse was "straight garbage". Then Pip goes off, rapping about the Periodic Table of Elements. This song is admittedly not one of my favorites, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have good production -- the beat's there, it's constructed well enough, I just can't dig it, personally.

TRACK 3) Thou Shalt Always Kill (5m19s)

This is the single from their album which blew up big due to a fresh video being produced for it and thrown onto Youtube. The beat comes in fast and hard from the start, and Pip begins voicing instructions to the listener. A lot of people seem to think this is him being authoritative, but then again, those people don't seem to get the point of the song. The point comes near the end with a rather poignant lyric. Another misconception is the title -- "Thou Shalt Always Kill" does not refer to one murdering someone else. It refers to giving your all, doing your best... "Man, you really killed it out there tonight!". I love this song dearly, as it was what got me into DLS VS SP, not to mention it rocks my socks off every time. One thing to note is that the album version differs from the version in the video -- they made it using a demo.

TRACK 4) Back From Hell (3m14s)

This is a very fun song to listen to; the beat is catchy from the start, the chorus is just as catchy, and the rapping is very tight. Just overall a very bouncy song -- could be moshed to, infact! Makes you want to become more kinetic than you are at the moment.

TRACK 5) Look For The Woman (4m4s)

Here's the second song on the album which deals with relationships -- but now, it is discussing what happens when you're in a relationship with someone, and you love them... but there are things you most certainly do not like about them. Should you break up with them, or should you stay with them? Can aspects of the relationship be salvaged and repaired, or is it simply too late? These are questions they pose to the listener, and you really get a feeling of the guilt and turmoil one goes through when faced with this situation in their personal lives. The beat is mellow and less "in your face" than other songs -- notable, "Back From Hell" just previously -- but still very catchy and very well-suited to the mood they're trying to create.

TRACK 6) Fixed (3m28s)

The song opens with Pip discussing UK hip hop... with himself. The song is a critique of not only hip hop in general, but of pop hits. The song is more or less an exercise in taking a pop hit song (by Dizzee Rascal?), and reworking it into a chopped up hip-hop song that's actually worth your time. Not much else to say about this, other than it's fun and Pip makes a lot of good points about how a lot of music these days is made simply in the name of profit and the ancillary (ringtones and such) divisions.

TRACK 7) Rappers Battle (3m37)

This is the second song on the album which I admit to not listening to that much -- the first being "Development". The beat comes in and utiilizes some keyboard, which makes it have a bit of an 8-bit feel to it. Giving it a listen now, I don't know why I don't listen to it -- it doesn't annoy me like "Development" does. The lyrics are actually pretty fresh, and the beat is enjoyable. However, the last minute and ten seconds is just Dan Le Sac screwing around with a sample. So that's kinda... stupid, but whatever. The lyrics deal a bit with self-reflection, and I do dig that.

TRACK 8) Letter From God To Man (3m57s)

This song features a beat which was constructed by chopping up Radiohead's "Planet Telex". It's VERY groovy. The lyrics are written from the perspective of God, addressing mankind -- obvious from the title of the song. It gives you a lot of things to think about in regards to life and what we humans have done on and to this Earth. I really dig this song, and the video for it is pretty genius too.

TRACK 9) First Time We Met Musik (4m12s)

Another song where the beat and flow is somewhat mellow -- acoustic guitar fills this track underneath an electronic groove. Pip discusses a dream he had where he met the embodiment of music, and how that had inspired him in life and in his musical stylings. Pretty much just another awesome song on this record.

TRACK 10) Tommy C (4m26s)

The song begins with soft piano and Pip talking about the word "Beautiful", and what it truly means to him. The song then goes on to talk about a performer named Tommy C, and what he did in his life -- even up until his death. He also comments on what he feels is his idea of beauty in the chorus, but still notes that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

TRACK 11) Angles (3m57s)

A song which is heavy in it's subject matter, but still proves a point. The song is all about how in life, there is always more than just one angle on any situation -- you may see something one way, but be careful because there may be more to it than you're seeing. I don't want to really discuss the content of the song, not because it's not good or because it's disturbing, but because it's really something you need to hear. The chorus actually layers itself as the song progresses, to remind you that there are more than one angle.

TRACK 12) Magician's Assistant (4m39s)

A second heavy song in a row, and one that deals with a relationship as well, in a way. The song deals with suicide. It's a very sad affair, but it is enjoyable as a song -- it's just not one you're going to smile during. The beat is simplistic, but does get modified as the song progresses, getting more and more deconstructed. It fits the song VERY well.

TRACK 13) Waiting For The Beat To Kick In (6m51s)

Saving the longest track for last -- the second longest is "Thou Shalt Always Kill" at 5m19s -- they do a great service to the listener, giving them a great taste to go out on. The song starts out with Pip doing a bit of rapping, and then talking about how a lot of his poems deal with him dreaming or being in a dream-like state -- the conclusion he comes to is rather humorous and puts a smile on the listener's face. The song continues then, and details a dream Pip had where he was being given advice from several individuals while walking down "unfamiliar streets". In the end of it all, you can take away the lessons he learned as they most often will also apply to your own life. The beat is electronic groove, slams and a bit of piano; mixed very well with one another.

All in all, this is an excellent first album from Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip. The two are (I believe) currently touring, and working in the studio in their free time. Their next studio album is due to be released in 2010 -- a specific date has not been nailed down yet.

In the meantime, enjoy some videos from these two British artists:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lesacvspip

Beat That My Heart Skipped Official Video: