Benin City – Fires in the Park

Label/Cat#: Audio Doughnuts – 5055300359254
Year: 2013-07-01
Source: WEB
Format: MP3
Quality: 320 kbps
Size: 99 mb
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hip-Hop, Trip-Hop, Electronic

Tracklist:
1. People Will Say (03:25)
2. Faithless (03:54)
3. Wha Gwan (03:36)
4. Pencils (03:08)
5. Winning Streak (02:12)
6. So You Say Reprise (00:39)
7. Baby (06:32)
8. This Is London Pt. 2 (04:48)
9. My Love (03:16)
10. D.A.M (04:33)
11. Only the Beginning (02:51)
12. Winning Streak Reprise (01:28)
13. So You Say (03:01)

Named after a Nigerian capital, Benin City is a fused genre band fronted by Joshua Idehen (vocals), who has collaborated with Pále as well as LV (Hyperdub), Theo Buckingham (drums) and Tom Leaper (tenor saxophone/synths/samples). Their debut album Fires in the Park is an immersive journey through synth addled electro brass, leftfield UK hip hop, bass and Alternative influences. Produced by pop experimentalist Marc Pell (Micachu and the Shapes), Fires in the Park is a testament to the band s maverick nature, refusing to comply with any set of rules or genre whilst remaining consistent to itself in sound and character. From the moody, introspective bass-ness of D.A.M to the kwaito-baiting Faithless to the funkpop album finisher So You Say , Benin City is a rainbow of multiple tempo changes and mood flips, idiosyncratic yet familiar in all its guises, fresh sounding yet original. Joshua Idehen cut his teeth in the London spoken word scene, and his narrative/lyrical chops are evident. Royal Academy of Music alumni Tom Leaper’s faceted horn/synth arrangement is catchy and multi-faceted, revealing new aspects with repeated listens. Theo Buckingham, drummer and co composer, brings his drum n bass/dubstep producer experience to play, giving the album it s vibrant, often marching and sometimes dark persona. The synths interact with the horns to create a sound that is hard and bright; the traditional instrument being made to sound more metallic, more befitting of the urban sprawl Benin City s tales are set. People Will Say is the dark, introspective opener. Moody bass and harsh drums drive the frustrations on the daily struggle and the desire for success. Faithless , with its kwaito-esque drum patterns and catchy synth is a counterpoint to macabre tale of an unnamed protagonist’s decent into madness. Wha Gwan reveals Benin City’s more playful, pop arrangements and memorable horn riffs, on a tale of regret at broken friendships. Pencils is a laid back number, with lazy brass and breezy bass garnished with minimal synth, mirrors verses on sloth at the aftermath of a house party. Winning Streak wears its hip hop influences on its sleeve, despite its unusual time signature; staccato/repetitive horn patterns ride rough with the synth and bass, while providing a unique spin on the braggadocio verse format. Baby , Benin City’s first single with Audio Doughnuts, is their most current: telling of a relationship gone sour. This is London (part 2) features their most harmonic horn arrangements and features a verse from up and coming spoken word artist Deanna Rodger, simultaneously lamenting and declaring their love for London. My Love , the second spoken word track on the album is more a truthful manifesto on love than ode. D.A.M and Just the Beginning feature the band at their darkest, most introspective: the former a narrative on impotent rage and pretence, the latter a ballad on striving against the odds.