Rob’s Album of The Week: Big Special’s Postindustrial Hometown Blues
When it comes to the music of the working class, hip hop and punk rock both have had an equal presence over the past few decades. Both art forms have lyrics that evoke what’s happening in the streets while examining social & political issues and what people are dealing with in their everyday lives. These two styles have been merged in this context numerous times, but how they’ve been combined by a few acts in the United Kingdom is very unique. An example of this is Big Special from the West Midlands town of Walsall and their debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues that came out on May 10 via SO Recordings. The duo of vocalist Joe Hicklin and drummer Callum Maloney supply a substantial edge while blending in various samples and sonic elements.
There’s a certain rawness within the full-length that makes Big Special stand out from their contemporaries. There isn’t much polish to it with a minimalist aesthetic having a major presence. Hicklin’s lyrical delivery shifts from being angsty spoken word to being soulful & eloquent and vice versa. The structure and arrangements are hard-hitting with Maloney’s rhythms and fills exhibiting an excellent quality. If you feel that the world is lacking in ways to get by while the gap between the rich and poor is widening by the hour and your life is becoming more beyond your own control, then Post-Industrial Hometown Blues is a must-listen.
Going back to what I talked about in the introduction, what makes this type of hip hop/punk rock fusion so great is that it doesn’t seem artificial. It’s not like the rap rock nu metal bullshit of the late ’90s, there’s a lot more honesty with this version while conveying real narratives. It’s refreshing, especially since how a lot of music these days either completely ignores or doesn’t properly reflect how society is feeling. This is exactly what I enjoy about this release from Big Special. I also enjoy writing my top tracks off of the Album of The Week, so here they are:
“Desperate Breakfast” is a stellar example of how Hicklin approaches his vocals. The beats from Maloney are absolutely seismic as well while supplying a pulsating amount of power. There’s a similar vibe being conveyed in “This Here Ain’t Water” with the chorus having the operatics while the rest of the lyrics are brought forth in poetic fashion. I love the slam poetry that exhibited within “Mongrel”. It goes along with that minimalist aesthetic I previously and it’s a wonderful segue into “Butcher’s Bin”.
Big Special have a ton of shows happening around Europe this year with their next gig being a sold out banger at the Jazz Café in London on May 16. Other notable dates include the Workman’s Cellar in Dublin on May 21, the Paradiso Upstairs in Amsterdam on May 27, the Block Party Festival in Paris on May 30 and the legendary Glastonbury Festival in their home country on June 28. They also have a few dates in August where they’re going to be opening for the Pixies, but I hope they come to this side of the Atlantic sometime in the near future. Until that happens, grab a copy of Postindustrial Hometown Blues. If you like hip hop and punk in their unbridled form, then you should give this album some heavy consideration.
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