Blockhead - "Uncle Tony's Coloring Book"

Blockhead - Put Down Your Dream Journal and Dance (Ninja Tune 2007)

Blockhead - Uncle Tony's Coloring Book / Ninja Tune

Another hit from the Ninja Tune camp this late summer, Blockhead is not one of the independent hip-hop scene's brightest stars. What that means is, while he's worked with a host of notable MCs from Aesop Rock to Murs and El-P to DJ Signify, his name is not one to be bantered about often. That's a shame too, because it's not just his production work with these guys (Aesop Rock's Float and Labor Days in particular) that should've garnered him more attention than he's gotten. The New York beatsmith has also released a few of his own albums: 2004's Music By Cavelight was a finely honed album of instrumentals that Mush are probably still kicking themselves for letting go. 2005's Downtown Science was pretty good too, though not as many heads were turned.

But Blockhead is sure to turn heads with this album. He's pushing all kinds of stylistic boundaries, so that by the end of its 13 tracks, you're not sure whether this is trip-hop or jazz-hop or merely instrumental hip-hop. That sounds like such a pedestrian tag, but it's about as close as you're gonna get to describing how much is going on. And it's not even entirely accurate: "Put Down Your Dream Journal and Dance" features vocals and there are plenty of other voices as either samples or harmonies on here (See also: "Do the Tron" or "Cheer Up You're Not Dead Yet"). Rather than a mere record of beats, this is a very human-sounding album. It's approachable, it's diverse, it's vibrant. It is colorful.

No doubt about it, the Ninja Tune description "An upbeat collection of fun instrumentals" holds sway here. The jazzy horn of "Squirmy Worm" is one of the best bits, wildly flailing about as a lock-solid groove undulates beside. There's a lot of jazz and funk sounds going on here, the first official leak on his MySpace "Not So OK Corral" being a good example with its ascending-and-descending guitars and synths giving off a funk vibe initially before mutating into an almost Eastern sound.

Part of the magic of this album is the guitar, interestingly. The guitar flourishes are a welcome addition to an album that often feels like there's live instrumentation happening. One of the best examples of this comes early with the Japacid solo on "Dukes of Hazzard" that would make Uganda or Les Rallizes Denudes proud. That very sharp guitar sound doesn't dominate by any means, but it adds a live vibe that would otherwise be lacking. Scratching is another thing that is thankfully lacking: Though "Coloring Book" opens up with a scratch and they dot the landscape elsewhere on the album, it never feels like Blockhead is trying to show off how he can work a turntable. Instead, he lets the perfectly competent music do that for him. His disparate influences work wonders and that tinge of turntablism is just one more ingredient to throw in the pot.

"Squirmy Worm" was already mentioned, but jazz is another genre that keeps cropping up. It's never quite as overt anywhere else. "Cheer Up You're Not Dead Yet" is a spacey noodler but its laid-back vibe is almost reminiscent of somebody like Medeski, Martin & Wood. And the keys that accentuate all the other instruments on this album can sound anywhere from straight out of the early 60s to somewhere in the mid 80s: "Grape Nuts and Chalk Sauce" sounds like either a lost spaghetti western score or the soundtrack to an old NES game with flourish, maybe "Sky Shark."

Originally this album was slated for the spring, but its delayed release date shouldn't matter to fans of instrumental hip-hop or beats in general. Tough beats and catchy grooves this time around? I'll back that up with saying that Uncle Tony's Coloring Book is one of the best instrumental hip-hop records of the year. It's also one of the best trip-hop records of the year. It's also one of the finer electronica releases this year. You get the drift: Blockhead isn't lying down now, and nor should you if you're into the beats. A thrilling release with a variety of different styles covered, Blockhead is merely doing what he does best. The good news: This might be the best of his best yet.