Tobacco - Maniac Meat (CD, Double vinyl LP)

Good to see Anticon back with a high profile release. Hopefully it will be a success if only in order to loosen up some funds for new Thee More Shallows and Bracken record......or maybe the type of really top quality avant hop which has been missing in action for some time. That said i'm on the fence about the merits of this record. Its the main guy out of Black Moth Super Rainbow with contributions from a little feller known as Beck. Its like a less palatable Beck at his most out there. The first two tracks pass buy in an overly compressed squelshy sludge. Slicin' keyboard washes with stuttery hip-hopped drum machine. There are vocals but they don't really provide too much until Master Beck comes along with his distinctive croon. At times it recalls 80's hip hop gone mental, its full on and in your face at all times but a little wearing. I preferred Josiah Wolf's dainty album of folk songs, I'm ageing fast though  - its probably time to put the backpack into retirement.