Dead PLayers - Freshly Skeletal

2015 has been a great year for UKHH. High Focus are mainly responsible for that with this years release line up still chomping out beasty LP's for people like us to sink our teeth into and they are yet to disappoint. This marks the second release from Dead Players, a musical trio comprised of Jam Baxter, Dabbla and producer GhostTown. All three artists are at the very peak of their game on this record, with each track showing a progressive and all-round psychedelic approach to composition and story crafting. Having always been big fans of all three, upon hearing the debut Dead Players LP we didn't think it would be possible to upstage it.  There was just literally nothing to compare it to, it existed as a lonely anomaly, a beacon to other UK artists proving that the boundaries of hip-hop are there to be pushed.

   But oh were we wrong. From the first to last track this album is as demanding mentally as is it physically. We dare you to try not skankin' down the road with this in your headphones.... nah, didn't think so. Like the last Dead Players release, we don't want to give too much away and dampen the experience of your first time hearing it, but we will break it down for you.

After a hauntingly strained vocal sample GhostTown drops the heavy kicks and shuffled snare with Dabbla making the first move on this album with his menacing first verse. Both Dabbla and Jams approach this one with a laid back demeanor but still manage to be lethal with their delivery. Dabblas drawn out flow works perfectly to set the hazy vibe of track. This is possibly one of the best intros to an album that we've heard all year, which is definitely saying something with some the absolute bangers coming out of the hip hop scene in the past few months. The hook… The hook though….  Oh Well is a monster.  This tune is f***ing big.

Billa showcases Ghosttowns ability to make massive soundscapes with minimal application. Sparse bellowous kicks and crunchy claps offer a hazy groove with the war-chant type vocal sample ringing effectively throughout. Huge bass drops are used to great effect which are accompanied by big pads for added ambiance. Both emcees kill this track with Jam engaging first with his vocab heavy execution and Dabbla with his cool but hyped bars, both giving an extended middle finger to the washed-up norm of everyday life. The next tune, Nah, has one of the catchiest riffs that'll be stuck in your head for head for days, in the best of ways. GhostTown kills it yet again on the production (seeing a pattern here) with this eastern European inspired beat. The tiny organ chops are a great addition to the already stella arrangement. Both emcees are literally killing it, we're wondering if anyone's going to make it home alive.

 If you’re reading this review then you’ve probably already heard the absolute banger debut off of the album, Call Us Now. This tune has already become a bit of an anthem, the beat is nuts and the lyricism of both Baxter and Dabbla is a perfect showcase of what to expect for the rest of the album. Ghosttowns selection of Super Mario esque sound effects along with the drip-drop style percussion is enough to get you moving within seconds of this wizardry hitting your ears.  Both Baxter and Dabbla’s flows throughout this tune are so hype that you just know it is going to go off when this drops at their next show.

Baxter is in his element on B.A.W.G, spitting violently and morbidly about so called “civilization” over another sinister sounding beat from GhostTown. The whole vibe of this track is very ominous and looming, which pairs perfectly with Jams admirable ability to metaphorically take you on a journey through his prodigiously dark thoughts. Dabbla, never one to hold back, goes in on the younger generation reminding young hip hop heads/emcees to pace themselves in their rush to seem older and wiser, or how he so delicately puts it, "younger rappers thinking it’s cool if they act older, just another chip off the block of a fat boulder". Know, your, place.

Lee Scott’s vocals was a genius addition to Do It with its old school R&B style vibe, only this isn't an ode to no love interest…well…if getting off your face is a love interest then we guess it kind of is. GhostTowns production on this one is flawlessly progressive from each verse to the hook, which adds a certain dreaminess to the subject matter in the strangest of ways. Ringing is another eerily heavy beat from Ghosttown which is reminiscent of one of those 'dungeony' boss level from a 90's platform game. This is another track on the album where the Dead Players take a more serious tone to their lyrical content with both emcees spitting truth about the constructs of society and how our false sense of freedom is kept secure through many different means. Deep.

High is a massive f**** you to anyone who thinks that it’s OK to tell you how to live your life (and whether or not you should take drugs). The beat starts off like a holiday with some dreamy synth and a steady bongo-style drum loop, but GhostTown likes to keep us guessing with this one as it almost immediately switches up in a way that you do not see coming. Dabbla’s call for GhostTown to “Bus’ a likkle something she can skank to” is definitely well received as the beat progresses into yet another gritty melody accompanied by the same crisp and in your face drum samples that GhostTown has been showcasing within each track so far.

 

Throughout the album GhostTown has made a habit of leading his listeners into a false sense of security with the intros to his beats and Infinite Limousine is certainly no exception. We won’t ruin it for you too much, but, JEEZ. The amount that this beat evolves with each lyricist that has had the honour of spitting over it is madness. With such a variety of artists featured on this track it’s hard not to get lively when listening to it, especially with UKHH’s newcomer Ocean Wisdom gracing us with his undeniable presence amongst the likes of Sox, Illaman and Orifice Vulgatron. Big features for another big tune. 

The last two tracks, in our opinion, is an example of one of the many perfect ways to close an album. They almost work in tandem, both capturing a similar vibe yet contrast seamlessly with the different vocal styles and auditory arrangements. Cooked is hype from the get go with its screechy violins, trappy hats, boomin' kicks and the sharp-as-hell deliverance from both emcees, never relenting for a single second. The war-drum style hooks add an element of primal surrealism whilst Dabs and Jam kill with bar after bar. But it's Drenching that smashes the outro with the most impact. After the gully vibes that were dished out on the previous track, to the slow, laid back sound and vocals in this one, we can see what GhostTown has done here. Equipped with one of the best hooks on the album, the closing track is recollective of first one, almost giving a full circle sense of a journey drawing to a close. Hopefully not for too long though.

Freshly Skeletal is a beast of an album from start to finish. An erratic blend of dysfunction and chaos told by two of the most gifted emcees on the scene with GhostTowns monster beats to provide the sonic canvas. We look forward to hearing some of these finely crafted anthems out on the many tours that these boys find themselves on and we can only assure that it will be massively messy and ridiculously live, just how we like it. We strongly implore that you grab a copy of Freshly Skeletal upon release if you haven't planned to already. Dead Players have well and truly smashed it again. Links to purchase the album will be provided below.

ORDER 'FRESHLY SKELETAL' ON CD: http://bit.ly/1NLOIIW
ORDER 'FRESHLY SKELETAL' ON LIMITED EDITION VINYL: http://bit.ly/1MIwfOC
ORDER 'FRESHLY SKELETAL' DIGITAL: http://bit.ly/1NLPp51

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Reviewed by NDLC and Chantelle O'Keefe