Blockhead 'Downtown Science' album

Tony Simon aka Blockhead debuted on Ninja Tune in 2004 with the critically-acclaimed "Music By Cavelight". It was described as "one of the most fantastically good albums you're going to hear this year" (Sunday Telegraph) and "a beautiful record" (Metro), with Blockhead himself tipped as "definitely one to watch" (Touch).

Now he returns with another set of deep, emotional instrumental hip hop, this time dedicated to the downtown area of Manhattan where he grew up and has lived his entire life, encompassing all the attitude, anger and edginess of the neighbourhood. Plus some melancholy reflections upon failed relationships and the promise of future loves. As Blockhead himself says, “Downtown Manhattan is the influence because that’s my environment, its romantic at times and violent at other times.”

"Expiration Date" presents Shadowesque rolling breaks over the kind of elegaic music that makes it a fitting memorial to 9/11. "Serenade" twists its comic opening into an electric piano-linked essay in unrequited love. "Quiet Storm" gives NYC the orchestral treatment, while "The First Snowfall" has the odd perspectives of a blizzard swirling through it.

But it's not all atmospherics. On "The Art of Walking," Blockhead shows he can come up with the kind of slack disco cheekiness that you'd more readily expect from Mr Scruff, while "Stop Motion Traffic" is pure cop movie machismo and the epic "Cherry Picker" (which moves through moods like a car whizzing past the blocks of the city) shows just how far Simon has developed his skills. Blockhead notes that, “by the time Music By Cavelight dropped I was already somewhere else musically, the overall progression is a more complete sound.”

An idea of the esteem Blockhead is held in Stateside can be gleaned from the fact that he has recently contributed three tracks (including the first single) for Cage's new album on Def Jux. The other producers on the project are DJ Shadow, El-P and RJD2. "Downtown Science" is a heavyweight album from a heavyweight artist.

Is that enough? Not quite. The cd release of "Downtown Science" also includes a bonus DVD which includes the winners of the film-making competition that Ninja ran for "Music By Cavelight". Running from traditional pop promos, to short films using the music more like a soundtrack, the whole of Blockhead's amazing first album is presented here in several visual forms.

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Tracklisting

Blockhead - Downtown Science