Resin Dogs : 'More'
Released: Out Now!!!
Label: Hydrofunk Records
If you could be confident in saying that Resin Dogs were the first to implement the band with a rapper frontman look, and thrive off this originality, then this album would be a complete success. However there are good songs on this album held back by an unshakeable feeling of obviousness. This might seem harsh since Resin Dogs vary their delivery on each track, for example, the first seven tracks are noteworthy for the use of many different frontmen. Furthermore for a band that hails from Brisbane, the number of accents heard in these songs is sizeable; American, English, Caribbean being some of the more dominant. Bizarrely, the only accent little represented is Australian.
The air of tiredness comes from the band’s relentless desire to incorporate as many genres in their tracks as the human ear can deal with. Progressive Hip-Hop meets dub-step, dance hall, breakbeat and a heavy dose of funk. This medley of sound often grates. There are too many nods towards bands like Jurassic 5, Roots Manuva and A Tribe Called Quest to be called respectful. What is more, the prevalent brass hooks in amongst drum beats and funky bass should have been put out of reach for anyone else but Jay-Z. ‘Coming With Sound’, ‘End Game’ and ‘A Destructive Circle’ sound as though they might be album tracks from the Jurassic 5 LP, in lyrical themes and tune, whereas ‘A Fine Mess’ might have jumped from Rodney Smith’s songbook. The veer into Reggae on ‘Peace And Love’ is a mistake, because it does not break up the feeling of monotony, simply regurgitating familiar topics of peace and love and mild social criticism. The only real triumph in the first half of the album is ‘Fat Cap’ which blends tribal drums, punchy and cocksure lyrics, with a synthesised dance backing track.
Perhaps the Dogs were aware of the need to change the record (no pun intended), because ‘2 Sides’ is a fresher track, with a jump into garage, dub-step and breakbeat with nods to The Streets, and Audio Bullys. The phantom tune is powerful and melds well with the combination of rapid MCing and Mike Skinner style speak-singing. ‘Nasty’ is another strong track, with a heavier backing bass and true-to-the-genre if misogynistic lyrics.
Whilst the conscious effort to bring creation into their music is at the forefront of Resin Dogs manifesto, there is little more evidence to show that they haul themselves out of the doldrums of banality. If the second half is memorable for anything, it is the puzzling decision for lengthy songs with constant beats, 90s Hip-Hop vocals, an array of instrumental accompaniments and a numbing and aching, ten minute, instrumental outro which tries to be sensual funk and comes across more as pornographic film jingles. With the list of collaborators including Abstract Rude, Myka 9, Aceyalone Demolition Man and Mystro, there is a question mark over how such a crafted album offers so little.
2/5
Words: John Elmes
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