There isn't a more acquired taste in the hip-hop game than Oakland-based urban psyche pioneers Anticon. Depending on who you are as a person, their music can elevate you to a level of psychedelic transcendence like a b-boy Gong or make you want to jump off a bridge.
The producers and musicians in the house, Dosh, Jel, Telephonejimjesus and Boom Bip, accentuate Anticon's strengths as a quixotic and adventurous wellspring of otherworldly instrumental day trips. But as rappers, outside of siring the mighty Sage Francis, the group's microphone technique has left much to be desired, especially when considering their allegedly most gifted MC is best known for leaving a pandering voicemail on El-P's answering machine.
But the full-length debut from Anticon co-founder Pedestrian breaks that stigma with a fine display of skills steeped in the finer aspects of 3rd Bass, the Goats and "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em"-era Eric B. & Rakim. He might have an old school flow, but don't think for a second Pedestrian is some kind of revivalist. Especially when you hear a track like "Arrest The President," perhaps the only known song in hip-hop that segues samples of the Beach Boys' "Heroes and Villains" and Black Panther Bobby Seale.
A part-time secular preacher, Pedestrian's lyrics blur the line between Freestyle Fellowship and Harry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk Music" on cuts like "Lifelong Liquidation Sale (1850-1950)" and "The History Channel."
Pedestrian's presence alone seems to give his partners in crime a reason to step up their game, as contributions from such fellow Anticons as Why?, Sole and Doseone enliven "unIndian Songs" more than they do on their own endeavors. "Volume One" is a fine step in the right direction for these guys, and a fine starting point for those looking to explore this most unique collective.
[Ron Hart]