While drawing comparisons to Beck (which is just an easy label to slap on; not warranted) and Tom Waits (gravelly voice, adoption of his song's character's personas) have been occurring for far too long, Nova Scotia's (Canada) Buck 65 has been producing great releases for the past fifteen years, yet true success has avoided him (unfortunately). His latest effort has him abandoning his hip-hop based beats (in which, at the outset of his career he was turntablist, producer and lyricist for his releases) for a more "European" flavor. That is electronica. And in order to do so, Buck enlisted the help of Belgian producer Greetings From Tuskan to form Bike For Three! And although the soundscape may have changed, Buck's honest and personal lyrics are still there; it's just that instead of sampled drum loops and an obvious ode to the hip-hop Buck was raised on, we have electronic drums, blips, and synths. Just looking at the album's cover and the tracklist ("Always I Will Miss You. Always You." "One More Time Forever") it is easy to get an idea of the theme that the album is trying to convey: relationships (trials and tribulations of) and heartbreak. But of course Buck has more "65-like" moments with the possible killer song "Nightdriving" and the braggadocious rapper from another planet on "MC Space." But the main idea is constant and the production is well-crafted so that no track feels out of place within the album's running time. The best example of the two coming together is exemplified on "There Is Only One of Us" as Buck and Greetings From Tuskan (aka Joelle Phuong Minh Le) both display their skills; the beat is ever-changing and emotional as are Buck's lyrics and flow. Pretty impressive for a duo who has never actually formally met. The two even have a duet (of sorts) on the album's final cut "More Heart Than Brains" as Le sing-songs here way thru a Cure-esuqe backdrop while Buck's lyrics from the album's run are sampled and spliced together; all done with a positive result. Although the success that has eluded Buck 65 for his career will not be fulfilled with this album (even though he has returned to the Anitcon label which has become a kind of Mecca for underground rappers and electronic artists over the last decade), it is, nevertheless, an excellent album that showcases the talent of two artists who stay within their comfort zones while still crafting something special that should be checked out by those who appreciate a true expression of artistic talent.
4.0/5.0
This I like.
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