Gutter Tactics

[4/5]

A decade into their existence, New Jersey hip-hop duo Dälek continue to spin subtle variations on their unique approach. Because it’s such a powerful, effective M.O., there’s really no good reason to tinker with it. Gutter Tactics repeatedly drops verbal and sonic bombs, much like previous Dälek discs Abandoned Language, Absence, From Filthy Tongue Of Gods And Griots, and Negro Necro Nekros. The approach? MC Dälek rhymes trenchantly in an accusatory sneer about myriad injustices and extols true-school hip-hop values; producer okt0pus trowels on swarming, caustic noise with backdrops that fall somewhere between My Bloody Valentine’s beguiling, enveloping guitar waves and Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music. The beats are steadfastly funky, if not innovative, and the atmospheres are chilling and claustrophobic. As with all Dälek releases, Gutter Tactics is another collection on which fans of rap radicals Public Enemy and drone-metal heavies the Melvins can find common ground. (IPECAC; ipecac.com) Dave Segal



ROCKS LIKE:

Techno Animal’s Brotherhood Of The Bomb

Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein

New Kingdom’s Heavy Load