DJ Shadow - The Mountain Will Fall

DJ Shadow
The Mountain Will Fall
2016
Spotify

The Mountain Will Fall is the fifth studio album and his first since 2011's The Less You Know, The Better. DJ Shadow is no stranger to the electronic world even if the past few years have been rather quiet from him, but The Mountain Will Fall is a return to greatness, even if it is punctuated with a change in form. The opening track titled for the record is an introduction into a new path but is punctuated with the sound of a cassette being flipped to remind you just where Shadow has come from. The collaboration with Run the Jewels "Nobody Speak", is the firs real hip hop track we get on this record. Clearly these two can bring heat to almost any song they are featured on, but both Shadow and the Jewels seem to be sleeping through this one. The more laid back groove doesn't really fit with Run the Jewels' aggressive style and the track falls a bit flat, not because it isn't that good, but you would just expect a lot more. "Three Ralphs" is the most vintage Shadow track. It samples and twitches it's way through a reminder of those early experiments in just what electronic could be. While the rest of the record is firmly placed in the present this track in particular holds on to what used to be. It's a quick glance at the past rather than a complete album long re-hash.

"Berschrund" is where Shadow really let's everything loose and really explores electronic music. In this collaboration with Nils Frahm the track wirls and warbles in some middle ground between electronica and EDM. But the real standout on the album is "The Slideshow" featuring Ernie Fresh. It is totally old school hip hop, but still manages to keep this air of freshness about it that will endear it to young ears as well. "Depth Charge" is another track where Shadow tries to branch out in a more experimental realm, but this time it falls flat, really flat. The sense or urgency is there, however that is about it, you never find any footing with the track and eventually it just sort of ends. It's kind of drum and bass, kind of dubstep and kind of EDM but it never picks a path and thus just kind of floats along in obscurity. "Ashes to Ashes" the longest track on the record also feels like the most pointless. It is mildly beautiful in it's attempt to create a soundscape near some kind of water, but it doesn't fit this record what so ever. For so much time to be given to it is really perplexing. DJ Shadow however proves once again that though He has been in this game for well over 20 years He still can bring it. There are a few misses, but for the most part DJ Shadow has created a record that will have mass appeal and a wide impact.

7.1 out of 10