Shigeto - The New Monday

Shigeto
The New Monday
2017
Spotify

I actually like Shigeto so I'm not quite sure why I put off reviewing this record for so long. The Detroit native moved to Brooklyn four years ago, but went back to Motor City rediscover some of his musical roots. The album is a throwback with the opening track "Detroit Part II" with tons of jazz hooks and the slow roll. It sets the stage for something more comfortable and easy to listen to that what we are typically used to coming from Shigeto. It's a bit of a misnomer though, because that is where the comfort stops. Much of the album is this great ride, but more often than not Shigeto turns the thing into a ditch at the last second. So many times after the first track we get these wild swings that sometimes land, but often really don't. The vibe of Detroit might be the major thrust of the album, but because it is coming at it from so many angles you never really can lock in to one thing or another. The wormy hip hop of the album's second track is different in both ZelooperZ's delivery and Shigeto's production. Acid House makes an appearance on "Ice Breaker" as the track wiggles and squirms until an 808 drum beat comes banging in. You keep coming back to this idea of driving through the city when you listen to this record, it truly is perfect car music, but just when you start to settle in He does something to throw you out of the vibe, or hangs on to one movement of music for far too long.

The hip hop of this album including the drippy "A2D" is wild and free but doesn't particularly work all that well. So much of the album is spent being trippy and malleable that the beats never feel like they truly bang. Like you would expect with a lot of electronic music, especially techno, the songs tend to be long, but they don't do enough to stay fresh and exciting. You get bored so quickly after about the first three minutes of a track and are desperate for a change. "Wit Da Cup" is the one time the tempo is turned up and you can actually start to put your feet on the floor in a real way. It is almost like this record never clicks into that next gear, and in going back becomes stagnant. Shigeto does a great deal to make this production sound really nice in your ears but not quite as much to make you want to keep coming back to this record again and again. It becomes this enjoyable experience that exists but one that is fleeting. Not a bad record in any sense of the word, but it is missing key pieces that could really set it ablaze.

7.0 out of 10