Mansbestfriend

Poly.sci.187 CD ABR73

cover:ABR73
  1. Dedemma Speaks
  2. The Teachings Of Leviticus
  3. Wilting Onward
  4. High Noon And Sobered
  5. Allieverwanted
  6. Stuck In My Head Since I Was 12
  7. Giant Man Eating Bird
  8. Bosnian Jazz
  9. Spin The Humans
  10. 50 At 30
  11. Firefish
  12. Father Vs. Courage
  13. Party Till We Drop
  14. Missile Defense
  15. How Big Is Space
  16. 6million Wayz 2live

While past Mansbestfriend projects dwell in a glorious sort of doom, 'Poly.sci.187' plays ethereal and heavy like a series of ghost dreams drifting through thick Arizona air. The title reads as the foregone conclusion of Sole’s notable ventures (both philosophical and literal) into a world of human strife and dirty politics: 'Political Science: This Shit’ll Kill You'.

Without true lyrical content, the instrumental 'Poly.sci.187' occupies a space more reflective than edifying, its songs positing suggestion and sentiment in the mind of the listener about our most current troubled times. “Spin The Humans” begins with a heartfelt YouTube appeal for peace in Lebanon by a young boy whose family escaped the recent conflict, before closing with a vintage recording of 'Wheel Of Fortune' broadcasting live in blazing American irony from the New Orleans Superdome. It’s political done subtle, and all the songs of Mansbestfriend adopt a similar bent, often ending on question marks or drifting out of frame.

True, hip-hop’s collagist tendencies are present here, but the songs are freeform—ambient, heavily textured soundscapes that ride a beat out just as easily as they derail it in favour of new ground. “Wilting Onward” is a heady mélange of jungle drums, surging guitars, sampled voice and crystalline static that plays with layers of competing rhythm before mindfully devolving into a three-room houseparty. Conversely, “Allieverwanted” kicks in with the head-nodding fury of a rap banger (think Wu-tang Clan's “East Meets Wild West”) all big synth styles, pulsing beats and crunchy organ tones with a Sole sample rattling around the song’s tall halls and Ryan Fritch (from Sole’s recently adopted Skyrider band) playing searing E-bow. “High Noon And Sobered” is an icy overture for white noise and violin (also Ryan), and “How Big Is Space” bleeds eerie weirdness over booty beats gone sci-fi.

From start to finish, 'Poly.sci.187' is filled with such sonic explorations. The album is an accomplished work that testifies not only to the fine art of experimentation, but to the aural abilities of Tim Holland, instrumentalist.

anticon.