Plastique

VINYL FORMAT. Sole, one of the founding members of the Anticon collective and key figure in the experimental hip-hop movement, returns with his Skyrider band on the album Plastique. This is Sole's most cohesive, dynamic, and interesting record to date. In contrast to the apocalyptic imagery of the first record, this album adopts the Jean Beaudrillard idea that "when the spectacle took over, man ceased to be man." What's more, Skyrider's music finds itself more sparse and deliberate on this record, showcasing the talents of all three musicians.

Plastique is an album full of reflections on the postmodern mess that is the "me" generation. Sole bounces from the ironic to the iconoclastic, from the worldly to the deeply personal. Unlike many of his previous recordings, Sole's rapping is at the forefront and his sharp lyrics are clearer than ever. This is partly thanks to more immaculately composed music, and partly to Son Lux collaborator Doc Harril on the mixing boards. It is a musically mature prog-hop album with a nearly punk-bitter attitude built around the ferocity and intelligence that listeners have grown to expect from Sole.