It’s the second day of our cultural advent calendar, as we count down our highlights of 2022 day by day until Christmas and beyond. The first seven days are our musical favorites of the year. We had Beyoncé — today: Danger Mouse and Black Thought.
No album this year is nearly in constant rotation for me like “Cheat Codes” by Danger Mouse and Black Thought.
Since its release in August, this new collaboration album from pioneering producer Danger Mouse (DANGERDOOMS “The Mouse and the Mask,” Gorillaz “Demon Days”) and Tariq Trotter aka: Black Thought of The Roots has been my favorite listener of the year.
Her album has been in the pipeline since 2006 and has been hyped ever since. Especially since several artists have repeatedly added themselves to the project, such as Run The Jewels, Raekwon and Michael Kiwanuka.
As a result, there was every reason to fear that “cheat codes,” as good as they might be, might wear off even under the weight of expectations.
Luckily, the album, led by two permanent artists, turned into 38 masterful minutes, combining raw urgency with melancholy and old-school hip hop. Soul, funk and clean samples, lavishly layered on groovy beats, blend seamlessly together and wonderfully complement the haunting lyrical skill of Black Thoughts.
It sounds like a blast from the past and at the same time as if nothing is being done right now. And that could be the definition of a timeless album.
Yes, some might argue that the lush nostalgic sounds mean that both Danger Mouse and Black Thought stay in their comfort zone and never push the boat out to completely surprise the listener. Admittedly, but when the standards are so high and you can hear how both artists are getting the best out of themselves, this modern vintage hybrid is simply one of the best albums of 2022.
There are so many highlights that it’s hard to choose a favorite track. There is absolutely no filler.
There’s the boom-bap swagger from “No Gold Teeth,” the percussion-intensive “Strangers” with A$AP Rocky and Run The Jewels, the wistful “Aquamarine” with the always welcome Michael Kiwanuka and his soulful vocals…
One highlight is undoubtedly “Belize” with sad horns and the deceased (and very missed) MF DOOM and his incomparable play on words.
But when push comes to shove, the highest watermark must be “The Darkest Part,” with Raekwon and Kid Sister.
Der eingängige Refrain von „_Shine the light into the darkest part of me/ All around you, find the one thing they can’t see/Thought they say/The’ll take your pain/Don’t give it away“ ist ein Rückfall in die 80er-Soulwelt mit schwachen Anklängen an George Bensons „Give Me The Night“.
The beat is one of the strongest on the album, and when Black Thought raps “I’m more skeptical about following the metronome,” you believe him.
These two are on another level. Feel free to step up and meet them at their level.
It’s the second day of our cultural advent calendar, as we count down our highlights of 2022 day by day until Christmas and beyond. The first seven days are our musical favorites of the year. We had Beyoncé — today: Danger Mouse and Black Thought.
No album this year is nearly in constant rotation for me like “Cheat Codes” by Danger Mouse and Black Thought.
Since its release in August, this new collaboration album from pioneering producer Danger Mouse (DANGERDOOMS “The Mouse and the Mask,” Gorillaz “Demon Days”) and Tariq Trotter aka: Black Thought of The Roots has been my favorite listener of the year.
Her album has been in the pipeline since 2006 and has been hyped ever since. Especially since several artists have repeatedly added themselves to the project, such as Run The Jewels, Raekwon and Michael Kiwanuka.
As a result, there was every reason to fear that “cheat codes,” as good as they might be, might wear off even under the weight of expectations.
Luckily, the album, led by two permanent artists, turned into 38 masterful minutes, combining raw urgency with melancholy and old-school hip hop. Soul, funk and clean samples, lavishly layered on groovy beats, blend seamlessly together and wonderfully complement the haunting lyrical skill of Black Thoughts.
It sounds like a blast from the past and at the same time as if nothing is being done right now. And that could be the definition of a timeless album.
Yes, some might argue that the lush nostalgic sounds mean that both Danger Mouse and Black Thought stay in their comfort zone and never push the boat out to completely surprise the listener. Admittedly, but when the standards are so high and you can hear how both artists are getting the best out of themselves, this modern vintage hybrid is simply one of the best albums of 2022.
There are so many highlights that it’s hard to choose a favorite track. There is absolutely no filler.
There’s the boom-bap swagger from “No Gold Teeth,” the percussion-intensive “Strangers” with A$AP Rocky and Run The Jewels, the wistful “Aquamarine” with the always welcome Michael Kiwanuka and his soulful vocals…
One highlight is undoubtedly “Belize” with sad horns and the deceased (and very missed) MF DOOM and his incomparable play on words.
But when push comes to shove, the highest watermark must be “The Darkest Part,” with Raekwon and Kid Sister.
Der eingängige Refrain von „_Shine the light into the darkest part of me/ All around you, find the one thing they can’t see/Thought they say/The’ll take your pain/Don’t give it away“ ist ein Rückfall in die 80er-Soulwelt mit schwachen Anklängen an George Bensons „Give Me The Night“.
The beat is one of the strongest on the album, and when Black Thought raps “I’m more skeptical about following the metronome,” you believe him.
These two are on another level. Feel free to step up and meet them at their level.