13 & God – Self/Titled / 2005 Anticon / 10 Tracks / http://www.anticon.com/a-13god.htm / http://www.anticon.com / Reviewed 22 April 2005
13 & God is a diverse act, and considering that they are coming from two distinct acts (The Notwist and Themselves), this is really no surprise. The disc itself is a mixture of electronic, organic, rap and alternative, a smorgasbord of differing styles and sounds. “Low Heaven” and “men of Station”:, the two first tracks on this self-titled disc are as far apart as two tracks could be. Where “Low Heaven” uses a rap delivery veiled behind a scratchy, vinyl-sounding production, the cold, artificial atmosphere of “Men of Station” is a dance track for the antiseptic future. The rap influences come back into the picture during “Ghostwork”, a track that looks back to “ATLiens”-era Outkast for its prime influence. Both Cee-lo and Kraftwerk make their ghastly entrances onto “Ghostwork”, a track that flitters with an energy that really doesn’t seem like it could come from the drug-addled vocals on the track. What is as constant during this entire disc is the presence of some of the most memorable backing beats to be put to disc – the dynamic fuzz of a track like “Perfect Speed” is a direct opposite to the dreamy vocals to be found, and yet there is no tension between the two.
The Kid Koala-esque vocal scratching found behind the Neil Tennant/Chris Lowe-style of vocals on “Afterclap” makes for a bizarre type of shuffling dance track. The industrial noise on the peripheries of “Afterclap” gradually consumes more of the track’s headroom before ultimately sputtering out and allowing the smooth female vocals to take over. Taking different directions with each of the discs ten cuts, the only thing that could be described as a failure by 13 & God is their inability to really insert an urgency into their music. Everything stands, but has a very anemic, lackadaisical view on whether people should listen to the tracks.
The lack of urgency on this disc does not stop immediate hits like “Tin Strong” to win over any listener; the rich instrumentation, kicking bass line and distinctive vocals make for a track that is hard to surpass. Fifty minutes go by quickly; this album is testament to the fact that the singles-oriented pop culture is not the only route in current music. 13 & God, coming from two different paths, are able to do music equally well from all genres, and put into a context that makes two very different cuts a cohesive and coherent album.
Top Tracks: Afterclap, Ghostwork
Rating: 6.5/10