The Music Scene by Blockhead
LABEL: Ninja Tune

"This sounds like New York," I hear myself utter over the low grooves, rough samples and vinyl crackle of Tony Simon's (aka Blockhead's) 2009 instrumental album, The Music Scene. Sometimes the environment of the artist shapes the color of any creation much more than the artist himself, and it was no surprise to me when I later found that Simon lived in the international hub of NYC. The Music Scene paints the picture of an urban prisoner, with all the subtle beauty and isolation that entails.

The Music Scene is an aural collage of different found beats, melodies, grooves and even an argument between two drug addicts (Re: "The Daily Routine"). Though similar in aesthetic to artists such as Roberto Carlos Lange, Simon reins in the more experimental side of avant-garde hip hop and steers towards creating cohesive 'songs' as opposed to happenings and audioscapes such as Lange and another NYC urban-soundtrack master, DJ Spooky. The sound on the record is organic, raw, full and never skimping on the low end. The production is very near faultless for this style.

“Simon keeps the arrangements focused while expanding the palette into unfamiliar territory, offering a solid creation that is addictive and difficult to separate yourself from.”

The album isn't a far cry from some silent film soundtrack. Each piece is concentrated and concerned with telling little forgotten stories, swallowed by the city, and there's a good narrative flow for each song, though the narrative flow through the whole album is lacking. Many records can be optimally digested like a novel, but The Music Scene is more like a selection of vaguely related short stories. This doesn't seem to pull the experience back much, however, since each song has such a good variation and dynamic that they are all wonderfully self contained.

As immersive and layered as the album gets, it remains a pretty easy listen to, fall into, and swim around through. It serves as suitable background mood and a rewarding selection for careful listeners to pick apart. Simon keeps the arrangements focused while expanding the palette into unfamiliar territory, offering a solid creation that is addictive and difficult to separate yourself from. But that's okay. Every urban environment needs its junkie crowd, right?


REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
STANDOUT TRACKS: "It's Raining Clouds" • "Which One of You Jerks Drank My Arnold Palmer?" • "Tricky Turtle"


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