RJD2

The Third Hand

[4.5/5] On his first release after leaving Definitive Jux, the powerhouse hip-hop label that catapulted him to fame, producer-turned-frontman RJD2 comes at us with a mellow, more structured pop opus that’s overflowing with his own vocals on The Third Hand. Everyone’s abuzz about RJ’s musical transformation; sure, it’s definitely different from his past efforts (again, he sings), but what makes his stylistic makeover more genuine is that you recognize who’s singing when you hear it. His voice is a little off-key at times, and the lyrics are a little slurred, but that never stopped Thom Yorke, did it?

Musically, RJ still feeds us with flourishes of hip-hop, but now, in addition to sampler virtuoso, you can add multi-instrumentalist to his résumé: Instead of relying solely on machines, the record is doused with warm synths, acoustic guitars and bits of piano. Hand’s greatest moments arrive on tunes like “Have Mercy,” a trippy rock ditty that’s easily the album’s catchiest track, and “Laws Of The Gods,” a lyrically amusing tale of the modern-day lazy human. The disc still contains a few instrumentals, but it may not be enough to satisfy his diehard fans. However, that’s why artists like RJD2 are important: They’re brave, they’re risk takers, and modern music needs more of them. (XL) Eddie Fleisher

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Jamie Lidell’s Multiply

Beck’s Midnite Vultures

Hot Chip’s Coming On Strong

IN-STORE SESSION with RJD2

Obviously, the new record explores your vocal skills. What made you sing?

It kinda happened out of necessity, actually. When I started to move away from doing instrumental music, I had a hard time finding people, you know? There’re so many instances where if you don’t find a way to do it yourself, in my experience, it doesn’t get done. I don’t turn into a slave driver well. [Laughs.]

Since the record is less sample-based, how do you plan on performing these songs live?
I got a band. I can’t wait, I’m really excited! I’m excited to have a little more face-to-face kind of experience [while] doing a show. With turntables and such, your visuals and energy is focused on the task at hand, so to speak.

You recorded The Third Hand in your basement; do you think the fact that recording has become easier is good or bad for music?

Yeah, I think it’s awesome. There are two outcomes of putting tools that previously were only available to a select few in a lot of people’s hands. The downside obviously is that you get a high output of-I hate to use this term, but-amateurish material. But, the plus side is that it puts tools in the hands of people that would never have that experience. I mean, look at the whole origination of hip-hop. I feel like it’s a microcosm of that. Dudes basically rapping over the instrumental breaks of popular records of the time. I mean, that’s the kind of thing that never would have come about if the only musical culture were people sitting in the studio with drums and basses and pianos.

Now that you sing, how hard is it to reveal personal things on record?

I can’t think about it too much, man. Like, if I start thinking about it a lot, I’ll probably get freaked out and paranoid.

The record may explore a new direction, but it manages to still feel like you.
I feel like, from a harmonic, or nuts and bolts perspective, there are these sorts of things I naturally gravitate to in music, regardless of how I’m doing it. To kinda dumb it down: I feel like if you went from painting in oil to painting in watercolor, if you liked brown before and you still like brown, you’re still painting brown. The medium’s a little different, but fuck, brown’s everywhere! [Laughs.]

Is The Third Hand the album you’ve always wanted to make?

The album I wanted to make is The Third Hand, except I sing like Donny Hathaway. That’s the only difference. I sing like a nerd. -Eddie Fleisher