Search - Lapsed / Nonno :: The Death Of Convenience

Stop and think while you listen

David M. Madden | salt lake, utah United States | 11/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For his third full length album, Lapsed (Salt Lake City's Jason Stevens) pairs up with his long time live-collaborator and producer/turntablist-extraordinaire nonnon (Dave Madden) and enough MC to rap till the end of days, and shows that it is perfectly OK to keep the tempo down and rap about barbecues.



Only three years have passed since Lapsed's début ("Twilight", Ad Noiseam adn34) but the steps taken could hardly be bigger. But with its thicker beats, warmer moods and a lot more vocals, "The Death Of Convenience" is still a logical follow-up to both the sharp click-hop of "Twilight" and the syncopated, head-nodding electronica of Lapsed's 2005's untitled second album. With their ears always open to new sounds and experimentation, armed with failing computers and self-imposed recording limitations, and enriched from their frequent, if not harsh, touring experience, Lapsed and nonnon have come up here with their most hip-hop-oriented album to date, in which Lapsed' electronic glitch and nonnon's turntablism and sampling pair up with the raps of the many MCs they have shared the stage with. And even there, we're speaking of a commending line-up: not only do we get two exciting newcomers (Buck Dexter and Nonsense), but also an all-stars collaboration between Shadowhuntaz's Non Genetic, Subtitle (now Giovanni Marks) and the free styling wonder Bluebird. It wasn't quite enough yet, though, and label mates Ra and Mothboy also got behind their deck to deliver a remix each.



"The Death Of Convenience" is a lot more than yet another electronic hip hop album. Appriopriately titled, it is a CD in which nothing is convenient. Genre-less, it rewards those who are willing to abandon instant gratification for substance. Shooting left, right and centre of the glitch, this album takes its listener for a varied high-ride that feels more like a breath-taking, attention-catching movie than a regular album. "The Death Of Convenience" is tale of good-humoured frustration, human machinery and cosmopolitan scratches. To paraphrase its opening track: "stop and think, while you listen".



"