Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx: We're New Here

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx
We're New Here
Rating: Grrrr

Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 album I'm New Here was his first release in over 16 years. I will admit I have not followed Scott-Heron's career all that closely, so I can't attest to how that album stands up to the rest of the music in his catalog, but I will say it was a striking release. The music was minimal, ghostly, and cavernous, the perfect canvas on which to showcase Scott-Heron's gravelly baritone and seen-it-all survivor lyrics. Richard Russell, XL label founder and the producer of I'm New Here, approached Jamie Smith beat-maker and producer of The xx to re-contextualize the album, bringing it up to date with the latest sounds and trends. In addition to his phenomenal production work and instrumentation for his own band, Smith has recently been the go-to remixer for a wide array of acts, from Adele, Glasser, and Nosaj Thing; so, it made perfect sense to get the old guard and the new guard together. Interestingly enough, Smith only met Scott-Heron a couple of times at some gigs, and only communicated with him via traditional mail. Smith would articulate his approach for each track, and Scott-Heron would either agree or make suggestions. The resulting work, while not a track for track reworking of the album, is a fascinating album in its own right. The raw and gritty feel of I'm New Here, while still a background presence, is instead replaced with a brighter, more urgent pulse.

Smith, although only 22 years old, has a vast knowledge and respect for music of all ages and genres, and what could have come off as a ridiculous attempt to "modernize" Scott-Heron, is more a tribute to him and how he really is ageless and timeless. Smith draws inspiration from many different sources, even sampling Scott-Heron's vocals from older tracks and merging them with the new tracks. One of the standouts is lead track "I'm New Here," almost a spoken word performance featuring Scott-Heron's voice reminiscing about trying to pick up a woman, and counter's it with a pitch-shifted sample from Gloria Gaynor's "Cassanova Brown," which makes it a Rashoman-like recounting of the event.



The centerpiece of the album, "My Cloud," takes vocals for an unreleased track for the I'm New Here sessions and marries it to a lush, Four Tet soundscape, casting Scott-Heron as an R&B lothario:



Smith is careful not to tamper too much with what made the original tracks so special, usually adding minimal touches or surprising counterpoints. In only a couple of instances does he radically change a song. On the original album "NY Is Killing Me," the track was a minimal rush of handclaps and haunting atmospherics. The re-imagined track retains the paranoia and creepiness, but propels it forward with an almost reggaeton beat.



"I'll Take Care of U" is transformed into what could easily be an xx track. Smith uses all the weapons in his arsenal, creating a sweeping canvas of house music piano, haunting guitar work from The xx's Romy Madley Croft, and squiggly electronics.



Although Smith draws from many different genres, there is a nice cohesiveness, and thoughtful juxtaposition of styles within the flow of the record. Moving swiftly from dub:



to dubstep/sub bass explorations:



and even drum and bass:



The only thing that keeps this release from being higher up on my scale is the reliance on too many interludes. Five of the thirteen tracks are interludes, and some are less than twenty seconds long. I am assuming Smith incorporated them as a way to connect the longer tracks together, perhaps thinking the stylistic differences would be too jarring. Unfortunately, I think the opposite occurred, and it takes the listener outside the experience too often. With that said, however, it is a minor quibble and doesn't detract from the overall success of the record.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.