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'Hope & Sorrow' focuses more on guest vocalist and rappers and most of the tracks fail to impress. Listen to sound samples before buying. This seems to be an attempt at more of a commercial 'dance' release than the well crafted Turntablism record that I was expecting. Compared to 'Tales of the Forgotten Melodies' this CD was a big let down. Gone are the collages of movie audio samples placed over dark soundscapes (although a few short 'filler' tracks reflect this style). I 'hoped' this disc would be an excellent follow up to 'Tales of the Forgotten Melodies' but all I felt was 'sorrow' upon my first listen. A disappointment.
Call it downtempo, trip hop or IDM, I don't care, this and Wax Tailor's other album, Tales of the Forgotten Melodies both truly show how electronic music can have soul and at the same time push the boundaries of music.It's smart music that stands up to many, many repeated listenings but at the same time catchy and accessible. If you enjoy this album (or TotFM) I highly recommend trying out Radio Citizen's Berlin Serengeti.
Hope and Sorrow is the newest album from the French artist Wax Tailor. Hope & Sorrow has more dark songs on it and in parts tries to be political.It has a few really good songs on it but it doesn't seem to flow quite as well from song to song. It's similar to his previous CD "Tales of the Forgotten Melodies". The sample splicing in this CD loses it's shock it had in the first album. So if you like Wax Tailor and have the first album pick this one up as well. It'll grow on you.
I recently purchased this album not exactly knowing what to expect. The guy at the music store recommended this to me. It is now my favorite album.
And after only a couple listens, you'll find some of these songs still looping through your head well after you've put the headphones down. I hardly ever review albums but saw this one didn't have one yet, and it definitely deserves one. It quickly became one of my favorite instrumental hip hop albums, right up there with my Rjd2 collection. Think Alias's partner in crime, Tarsier. And the samples on this album are also stellar, just like they were in Forgotten Melodies.If you're a fan of instrumental hip hop in the vein of Rjd2, DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, etc., this is a must have. But his new effort, Hope & Sorrow, definitely one-ups it.
I've spun it several times in the week or so I've had it and still haven't gotten tired of a single track. About six months ago or so I picked up Tailor's debut, Tales of the Forgotten Melodies. The whole album has that secret ingredient that makes it grow on you more and more with every listen. There's no weaknesses here at all, each track has its own vibe, and all the guest vocals are strong. In fact that's one thing that sets this apart from Tailor's debut; his choice of vocals, with more than a few tracks featuring female singers, perfectly compliment the music. The whole album also still has what seems to be Tailor's signature elements of plenty of strings and horns, but it has a great balance, and he really knows how to weave them into a great composition.
But Wax Tailor has a sound all his own that you can only get a feel for by listening, not comparing, so check it for yourself.
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