- The pounding drums of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood's crunching analogue rhythms or Carl Craig's string symphonies: These are classic Detroit sounds that won't be heard on the Detroit Grand Pubahs' fourth album. It's not that there isn't something wholly Motor City about the latest outing from these curiosities. Yet, as with their debut LP, Funk All Y'All, they refuse to adhere to the stereotypes of their hometown's most prominent sounds, save for the experimentalism that first put the city on the electronic map.
There's always been something of a darker, heavier side to Paris The Black Fu and Mr. O's oeuvre, with techno regularly at the fore. Here it's clear this hasn't waned so much as mutated. Not that there isn't plenty of creep-inside-your-head, four-to-the-floor action, complete with synth organs, acidic hooks and bouncing basslines. But the tunes and skits here offer more scope than your average outing from a camp with a largely 4/4 history.
There's, of course, the innuendo, as the likes of "White Pigeon" and "No Hoes in My Studio" hilariously prove. At the same time, there's a successful nod toward dubstep. And rock is fused with drum & bass, though this is less accomplished. Elsewhere, few can deny the hip-rock of "Maybe I Do" is a little difficult to stomach. But the beautiful piano in "Jealous of a Dead Man" is as emotive as any powerful film score, while "Mashed Potatoes"—with its guitar licked, saxophone and sample-topped lounge groove—is unquestionably pleasing.
Like comparable acts such as Greenskeepers, Detroit Grand Pubahs' music is fun, and the people responsible are serious about making it that way. So whether you're listening to the hilarious soul sleaze of "Breakfast in Bed," or the deep broken beat triumph "Mysterious Sights," each track sounds fully-formed, making it impossible to imagine much being added to—or removed. Madd Circus isn't perfect by any means, but you can't plant this many seeds and expect them all to flourish. What's impressive here is that, whatever your taste, you'd be hard-pressed to find another outfit capable not just of creating such variety in one fell swoop, but of achieving predominantly solid results in the process.
Tracklist 01. Clown Mobile Logged In
02. Autotragik
03. I Didn't Want to Party
04. White Pigeon
05. No Hoes in My Studio
06. Zombies Playing Dead
07. Much Better
08. Mysterious Sights
09. Numb Dead & Dumb
10. Jealous of a Dead Man
11. Breakfast in Bed
12. Mashed Potato
13. I Don't Mind
14. Maybe I Do
15. Madd Circus
16. Clone Mobile (1 Gets In 9 Come Out)
17. White Pigeon (Acapella)
18. Numb, Deaf & Dumb (Acapella)