LoathsomePete

It is quite rare to find an album that really seems to speak directly to you in each song. Scottish hip hop duo dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip seamlessly achieved this difficult goal in their 2008 debut album, Angles.

A wide array of subject matter ranging from the trials and tribulations of relationships to a poem told from the point of view of God. The last track on the album, "Waiting for the Beat to Kick In...", is one of those tracks where you need to pay close attention because if you don't then the messages of the song will be completely lost and those messages can be quite helpful if you're an adolescent.

Angles is actually quite full of messages, some more apparent in some songs than others. Tracks like "Angles" and "Magician's Assistant" are easily the most depressing but hold the two most important messages on the album, that being to always look at all sides of a conflict before you make your own opinion and that suicide affects more people than just yourself, respectfully.

Depending on how open minded to British hip-hop will definitely be a factor on whether or not you find the album appealing. Scroobius Pip is Scottish and his accent does hold pretty thick into his rapping. He does also use some terminology that you may not be familiar with, but it's never anything complex or completely important to the song. dan le sac also shows off his impressive beat making skills by utilizing a wide array of styles ranging from noise rock to glitch hop. He also samples some well known tracks in such a way that nearly makes them seem like his own.

Despite all these compliments, the album is not without its faults. It seems to be a little inconsistent at times. The songs that are really good stand out and about four of them seem more like filler than anything else. Scroobius Pip can come off as a little preachy at times, specifically on the first single, "Thou Shalt Always Kill" which I find is pretty detrimental to the album as a whole. No album is perfect, and a debut is rarely without its faults, in fact I'd rather a debut have faults because it gives the band something to work towards on future albums rather than trying to make the life breathing lightning strike again.

Angles seemed to pinch a nerve with some reviewers, particular the ass cunts at Pitchfork Media, but in all honesty complaining about a Pitchfork Media score is kind of like begrudging a dog for licking its balls. They're going to do what they're going to do and unfortunately a legion of kids hang on every word of theirs like it was the word of God. My guess it was a section in "Thou Shalt Always Kill" where Scroobius Pip lists off about 15 bands that are always on top 100 lists as "just a band". Regardless, I wouldn't waste my time guessing why a snake just bit me and I'm not going to waste my time wondering why Pitchfork Media would give an intelligent album such a low score.

If you are after some intelligent hip hop with a legion of good messages and some awesome beats, then I would definitely say give this album a chance.

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