DJ Shadow
The Less You Know, The Better
Rating: Meh
When you leap out of the gate with an album that is as seminal as Entroducing..., it is going to be almost impossible to ever follow it up with something better or even as good. Expectations are going to be too high, and you are almost destined to fail. DJ Shadow almost came close with the follow up, The Private Press, which retained the feel of the debut without sounding like a facsimile. His third release, the polarising The Outsider, was just a throw everything to the wall and see what sticks mess, that despite such inconsistency, actually had some of Shadow's best work. It just took a lot of time and effort to filter it out. Five years have now passed, and we haven't heard much from Shadow other than a consistent touring presence. I was fortunate enough to catch his set on the Identity Festival, and it proved he still has the DJ chops and can marry it well with some stunning visuals. But it was telling that the material that got the best response from the crowd was the older stuff. It's very hard to classify DJ Shadow's latest album, The Less You Know, The Better, other than it plays like an overview of Shadow's entire career. As such, it has several very high points and then varying degrees of success for the rest. The ramshackle flow of the record is initially charming, like a set of DJ Shadow songs set on shuffle, but then gets wearying over multiple listens, as there is no thematic touchstone to get your bearings.
Ultimately, this record becomes an interesting curiosity in DJ Shadow's discography, as it is the first one that treads water more than setting out in new directions, and also, it doesn't really point a clear direction as to what he will do in the future. With that said, there are quite a few really great tracks on the album. I loved the addition of Tom Vek on the driving rock track "Warning Call," though sadly it is more because of Vek's delivery and not necessarily Shadow's production.
Even better is the delightful soul/pop song with Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon (seriously does she even have a band anymore), "Scale It Back," which could easily be heard on Top 40 radio if it were marketed correctly.
The murky, drum heavy "Come On Riding (Through The Cosmos)" appears to sample Laurie Anderson and adds a very alt-rock vocal to the track which builds into a gorgeous bed of strings.
And first single, the stuttering 80s metal cutup "I Gotta Rokk," is mesmerizing in its aggro silliness.
Strangely, I found myself drawn more to his pop experiments on the album, and can only hope he might put out a pure pop record at some point. The gorgeous "Redeemed" is a particular highlight, featuring a breathy soul vocal over delicate guitars and sampled drums.
And there are, of course, several impeccably produced sample-based instrumentals that recall his work on Entroducing..., for example, the chilly, aquatic "Tedium," lonely, skeletal "Enemy Lines," and the pair "Back to Front (Circular Logic)" and "Circular Logic (Front to Back)."
But too often, the tracks sounds like sketches or rehashes of tracks from other albums. The same 1940's vocal sample is used in two tracks, "Sad and Lonely" and "(Not So) Sad and Lonely," but neither of the tracks really make much of a statement, other than recalling the much better "Six Days."
The chicken -scratch guitar funk of "Run For Your Life" and metal excursion "Border Crossing" also feel slightly dated, but nothing comes close to matching the full stop horror of "Give Me Back The Nights," with the world's most annoying beat-poetry screaming. It is truly the most wtf? moment in Shadow's career.
The Less You Know, The Better, is ultimately frustrating because it has no forward momentum and doesn't push any envelopes whatsoever. I kept waiting for an "A-ha!" moment that sadly never came. As he moves into this stage of his career, it appears DJ Shadow is struggling to figure out his next steps. The album is impeccably produced, as always, and there are some really killer tracks, but a merely good record from Shadow is always a bit of a disappointment.
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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.
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.
