Review: Dälek's Gutter Tactics

Ipecac (2009)

By MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY | January 27, 2009

3.0 Stars

Gutter Tactics is a pointed reminder that the negative energy of the last eight, 50, or 233 years cannot be erased in one day. The chilly mood Dälek create may not be one that people wish to embrace as they embark upon this optimistic new year.

Producer Oktopus coats his thick beats in dark, layered grinds of noise, like a Bomb Squad raised on industrial music instead of soul or funk. It's a squealing, malevolent sound, one that gives the album a constant sense of unease and dread. MC Dälek's voice sits low in the mix, emerging from the swirling din with eerie, guttural force.

The opening track, which samples the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's infamous post-9/11 sermon, will get a lot of attention, but not because it's a gimmick — it's powerful and provocative, and it strips away the hysteria that ignored the truth in his lines. "Who Medgar Evers Was . . . " is like a splash of cold water to the face; "Armed with Krylon" finds Dälek and Oktopus perfectly aligned, the vocals and music forming an overwhelming crush.

The only stutter: "Los Macheteros," a time line of the Puerto Rican independence/terrorist movement, comes off as forced and didactic. Still, Gutter Tactics recalls the anger of the recent past and memories we'd like to leave behind — perfect timing.

Topics: CD Reviews , Jeremiah Wright, Medgar Evers, Dalek, More

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ARTICLES BY MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY

THE FALL | YOUR FUTURE OUR CLUTTER | April 27, 2010
If you didn’t know any better, you might think that Your Future Our Clutter is a recording of a raving old lunatic heckling a very solid instrumental band.

SAM AMIDON | I SEE THE SIGN | April 15, 2010
Sam Amidon is fascinated with the songbook of old Americana, and his radical yet tasteful reimaginings of traditional folk ballads and hymns breathe new life into a form often seen as quaint and old-fashioned.

RED SPAROWES | THE FEAR IS EXCRUCIATING, BUT THEREIN LIES THE ANSWER | March 30, 2010
Post-rock bands are like silent-film actors — bereft of words, they tend to use broad gestures to ensure that you get the point.

THESE NEW PURITANS | HIDDEN | March 09, 2010
Hidden is a real UK horror show, mixing grim, industrial beats with mannered, regal horns and a persistent aura of foggy uneasiness. These New Puritans reveal a penchant for æsthetic violence and revolutionary action that, though rarely convincing, matches the uncompromising intensity and martial tenor of the music.