PORTLAND HIP-HOP TWITTER (yes, itâs a thing) was ablaze last week as the online community rejoiced over the release of local rapper the Last Artful, Dodgr and producer Neill Von Tallyâs highly anticipated new album, Bone Music.
Bone Music quickly caught the attention of Pitchfork contributor Mehan Jayasuriya, who did a lovely and thorough dissection of the album, giving it a pretty favorable 7.2 out of 10 review. âBone Music takes its name, at least in part, from the Soviet-era practice of bootlegging banned records using X-ray film,â Jayasuriya writes. âItâs a timely reference to censorship, not to mention a fitting title for an album whose focus on the alienation of labor is near-Marxist.â
The recordâs 11 melody-driven creations predominantly center on the perspective of the working class, and more specifically, the coal mining industry. Standout track âLLCâ is an acronym for âlifelong condition,â and casts Dodgr as a veteran worker, with fellow Portland rapper Myke Bogan playing the boss of the operation. He definitely sounds like one: âWho da fuck is up to nothing/No good rambling, interruptinâ, pissinâ, panninâ, pushinâ buttons.â
While Iâve always been a big fan of Dodgrâs live performances, the majority of her lyrics are lost on me. That said, the title continues the skeletal theme of her last EP, Fractures. Though itâs clearly experimental, nothing is accidentalâDodgrâs music stays fiercely loyal to thematic consistency.
Bone Music kicks off with her soulful singing on âCaverns,â which then morphs into a conversational rap verse: âEvery line that Iâm writingâs already set in stone/Coal to diamond ainât mining them old debts.â Singles like âOofdaâ and âJazz Crimes,â which many local hip-hop fans have already seen Dodgr perform live, act as teasers for the albumâs dystopian, post-industrial narrative.
Many of the songs feature looming intros and unorthodox structures, expanding into each other and clouding the distinctions between tracks. I like the way Dodgr contrasts the upsetting parts of labor (like potentially dying young, menial pay, and harsh work environments) with relief she finds in sex and alcohol afterward. And I really dig the two-part track âGood/Gravyâ (especially the Gravy), which sounds joyful and romantic with lyrics like âBaby I been thinkinâ boutcha, thinkinâ boutcha all day/Culminatedâwork is over, ready for play/Got me anxious, got me racing to the doorway.â
While Iâm no coal miner, Dodgr and Tallyâs latest reminds me of all those years I used to work too hard for low pay at a job I didnât like. Moody tracks like âForeclosedâ (which features vocals from Portland electro-soul singer/producer Natasha Kmeto) and âBleu Replicaâ seal the deal. Give Bone Music a few good listens, and go see Dodgr play Holocene on Valentineâs Day.