Nation II Nation

Hailing from Ottawa, the Canadian trio A Tribe Called Red have returned with a follow-up to their self-titled 2012 debut. In partnership with the Aboriginal co-operative label Tribal Spirit Music, who actively strive to protect the artistic rights of the native communities, Nation II Nation’s synthesis of traditional pow wow and EDM (electronic dance music) is as much a marker of social change as it is an ear-splitting bass-saturated jumble.

There is a distinct lack of track-to-track cohesion, which results in an album that’s rather hard to listen to, despite its relatively succinct running time. Opening track ‘Bread & Cheese, the most traditionally rooted track, tricks the listener into believing this to be the prevailing sound of the album, for it is disappointingly followed by the unrelenting, brash Euro techno of ‘NDN Stakes. Such juxtapositions plague the album; the dancehall beat of ‘Different Heroes’ crashes into the brain-engraving lead synth hook of ‘Sisters’, reminiscent of UK garage. Clearly the trio are adept in their production and knowledge of modern dance genres, but their approach is to throw everything against a wall and see what sticks.

The production is tight and the drops are heavy, but there is just too much going on within such a short space of time to give this album more credit. That said, A Tribe Called Red’s ideas work brilliantly when the pow wow is sparingly used within the more stripped-back tracks, such as ‘PBC’ and ‘The Road’, rather than utilising the samples for the sake of adhering to a niche.