Abandoned Language

[4/5] It would have been tough for Dälek to out-skronk 2004’s Absence, a collection of sonic terrorism that hopped up its hip-hop with enough feedback to satisfy Lou Reed, Glenn Branca and My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields all at once. So yes, the New Jersey duo’s fourth album is a strategic retreat from that overdriven peak. But Abandoned Language is no admission of defeat; rather, MC dälek and co-producer Oktopus (with significant help from X-ecutioners DJ Rob Swift) have harnessed their noise fetish into a sound that’s more sedate, but just as unnerving. Essentially a set of variations on a single, deliberate beat, the disc unfolds as the aural equivalent of a slow ride through an even bleaker, alternate-reality Newark. The queasy hooks come via crumbling-brick rhythms and dissonant horn blasts, while dälek’s sociopolitical musings maintain an uncomfortable intensity. Meanwhile, the instrumental “Lynch,” with its soundtrack strings gone berserk, would make an ideal backdrop for a twisted, urban Twin Peaks someday in the future. Even when they abandon language completely, Dälek can still deliver the art-damaged goods. (IPECAC) Dan LeRoy

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