Fatima Al Qadiri - Brute

Fatima Al Qadiri
Brute
2016
Spotify

Brute is in the Dance/Electronic category of music, but that is a very broad way of describing this record. Al Qadiri is exploring the woes of injustice, the oppression of political regimes as well as the ever present corporate overlords who control it all. High minded ideals for a 36 minute record right? While many protest records have a sense of "it will get better" Brute never seems to reach that conclusion. Even the album artwork, the dead eyed storm trooper, is a reminder of the bleak outlook that the future holds. I am not the biggest fan of reading into music like this that deeply, especially in my reviews, but these ideas are right on the surface with Al Qadiri. These thoughts are as inescapable as the dower outlook they are trying to portray. The music itself surrounds you and is at times like on "Curfew" highly oppressive. The occasional siren or police office shouting is peppered in just to build up the tension. At one point an LRAD is even used with a person remaking that it is really hurting their ears. We are most likely getting the LRAD at a fraction of the real sound but the metaphor is well received. While the message of Brute is quite obvious and hard to avoid, the actual execution as an album is at time suspect. 

There are many times on Brute where musical movements just go on and on in a shapeless meandering way. "10-34" has a brooding low end complete with some muddled throat singing but it never gets you anywhere it just sort of is. There are many times like this where you are aware of the message but it never transcends into something beautiful or all together artful. Brute feels like an amalgamation of ideas smashed together without a lot of care about the end product. This should be something you run out and tell your friends about, but unfortunately it just is not. A more focused and cutting record would perhaps convey these things in a more nuanced way. "Aftermath" hints at a more melodic approach, but it quickly fades back into the same style the rest of the album maintains. The one track that you may find yourself actually moving to is "Power". It closes the album in perhaps the way the majority of the record should have been structured. In the end however this is a powerful piece and an interesting look at interpreting the corruption and struggle we see in our day to day world. If you happen to stumble upon this record don't pass it up, it may be one of the better albums you really don't want to hear again.

7.0 out of 10