The Infesticons - Bedford Park [Album]

Big Dada

The Infesticons are ostensibly the brainchild of Mike Ladd, a producer and performer hailing from New York who has set about constructing a trilogy of Infesticons albums with "Bedford Park" being the final instalment. Featuring a series of guests, including Saul Williams, Creature, Juice Aleem and Seraphim of No Surrender, "Bedford Park" takes in all of Ladd’s enthusiasms, from hip-hop to punk to funk and indie. The erudite Ladd is a man of letters too, having received an MA in Poetry from Boston University, but ultimately there is a big sense of fun and irreverence pervading this release.

Every track on the album is considered an anthem and 'Blocking Door Anthem' begins proceedings with a frenetic dose of hip-hop and roll. Apart from the programmed beats, it sounds more like a band than a man and his machines, augmented by a passionate vocal delivery and grungy guitar sounds. We then move to 'Gonna Anthem' featuring a sample from the legendary 13th Floor Elevators track 'You’re Gonna Miss Me'. It’s more like a slow burn groove, the guitars still out front giving the rapping space to breathe.

The vocal for 'Plane Anthem' is delivered at breakneck speed, while horns herald the unhealthy instruction (unless you have a parachute) to “jump out the plane”. 'Forever Anthem' has a mellower vibe, with a female vocalist intertwining with a male voice to sing over delicate beats with simple keyboard melodies and bass. It builds in the latter stages only to drop back down and finish as furtively as it began. Currently available as a free download, 'Kick Anthem' gives a good indication of where Ladd’s head is at, his overt fondness for mixing punk and hip hop to the fore.

'Hang It Up Anthem' takes it down a notch, just fit for low riding and it’s a little more sublime than the out and out rockers, balancing proceedings out nicely. 'Word Sin Anthem' takes it down further, with some scratchy rhythm sounds and incidental bass providing backing for another mellow vocal. 'Give ‘Em Anthem' is not a million miles away from classic funk, sharp and punchy over a steady groove while 'Get Along Anthem' continues the rock blueprint, guitars up front and dirty with the MC detailing a tale of love gone wrong. 'Sky’s Anthem' concludes the album, taking a looped acoustic guitar and marrying it with a softly delivered vocal, it’s the most timid and sensitive track on the album, which all tolled is simply the sound of a sonic auteur following his muse, a promising attempt at taking hip-hop places where it is rarely seen.