I’m calling it. Hiatus Kaiyote are the best band to come out of Melbourne. Ever. For proof, look no further than their sophomore album, Choose Your Weapon. The past few years have seen the group ascend to dizzying heights, garnering international acclaim and a Grammy nomination for their self described ‘multi-dimensional, polyrhythmic gangster shit’. Clocking in at over an hour, Choose Your Weapon captures the tight-as-clockwork live feel the band is known for, as well as incorporating immersive soundscapes and exciting detours.
Opening with a bubbling collection of field recordings, video game voiceovers and Perrin Moss’ signature wonk beat, you’re immediately enveloped in the musical world of Hiatus Kaiyote. This is a world of their own creation, where the rules of rhythm, genre and melody are constantly in flux. Shaolin Monk Motherfunk shifts fluidly between ambience, swing, Afrobeat and the dirtiest hip hop beat you’ll hear all year. Amazingly, the music never sounds disjointed. Each change in groove manages to appear like a natural progression from the last, while remaining consistently unexpected.
Album highlight Borderline With My Atoms is a master class in neo-soul, replete with perfectly timed hits and subtleties of texture. The band’s four players have reached a level of rhythmic and dynamic connection that makes every arrangement feel virtuosically cohesive. Arguably, the glue that holds it all together is Nai Palm’s fantastic vocal performances, which showcase her airy tone and inclination for rhythmic phrasing.Elsewhere, slow-jam Fingerprints sounds like one of the best songs Erykah Badu or D’Angelo never wrote, and Swamp Thing – featuring blistering piano work from Simon Mavin – effectively drags jazz music kicking and screaming into the 21st century, Hiatus Kaiyote have created a modern classic that sounds timeless and cutting edge at the same time. The band have not only forged a completely unique sound, but they’ve mastered it. Serially inventive, authentic and ultimately brimming with feeling, Melbourne should be proud to call this band one of our own.
BY JAMES DI FABRIZIO
