Once in a while it’s great to hear that the old ways are being honored, cherished and kept alive. On RESET, ALDUS enlists the aid of a turntablist and delves into trip-hop timbres, referencing the musical heritage of Sheffield. The album is filled with snippets, samples and occasional songs, fleshing out the narrative. An instrumental version comes with the download, an approach we greatly appreciate, but as it turns out, most tracks are best in their original versions. The listener has the option to create unique playlists or mix tapes, choosing between the versions offered.
“The Hear and the Why” eases the listener into the album with gentle guitar, soft piano and cascades of keys. The beats are held back, although one knows they are coming; they arrive 90 seconds in. A string-filled breakdown ensues, offering laughter and a vocal loop: “Why is he singing? What the hell is going on?” This combination produces a pleasant disorientation that continues throughout the record. “Losing My Mind” introduces Eva and MC E-LL, used sparingly. DJ Steal cuts the chorus and old school rap into tiny pieces until they become notes rather than words.
“Silverfish Sunday” is a jazzy interlude, a genuine, organic alternative the bland lo-fi ambient hip-hop that has infiltrated Spotify playlists in recent years. As it segues into “First Sun,” one is already grateful. The combination of trip-hop beats and lovely, clear-cut vocals is reminiscent of the early productions of Aim with Kate Rogers. When poet Faith boldly proclaims, “it’s a resurrection,” the statement is true in multiple ways at once. And oh, the Moog!
As Halloween approaches, “Dark Dark in the Night Monsters” is a candidate for a haunted house playlist. The playful opening sample, spoken by a child, makes the track benign. Repetitions of the word “dark” make it funny, while the brass samples make it cinematic; Fingathing would be proud. In “Escape,” heavy metal timbres descend and just as swiftly disappear. And in the gorgeous “Stay Young, Go Dancing,” string loops surround an uplifting vocal, the antithesis to the dour narration of “Escape.” The drums reemerge at the very end like a rescue mission. This is the end of the LP proper, but downloaders will discover a brief denouement in the breezy “……a pause.”
In the breakdown of “Shadow of my Heart,” an anonymous narrator admits, “I can’t believe that there’s still something like this; just being here is a humbling experience.” We feel the same way. The past is still alive; timbres once thought lost have been resurrected; the sonic world has been RESET. (Richard Allen)
