It's apt that this EP (the second in an ongoing series of four inspired by Glasgow's coat of arms) is also released as a short film that acknowledges the visual element within this hip hop team.
Pearl Kinnear's graffiti art, sometimes completed during the running time of their live set, is but one example of how Hector Bizerk have broadened their cultural impact in 2014. Another is the growth of drummer Audrey Tait's skills as a producer. Here, in contrast to the funky grooves of its predecessor (The Fish That Never Swam EP), the mood is cold and alienating, the soundscapes stark and unsettling. Against these pared-down backdrops, rapper Louie's lyrics become incisive urban performance poetry in which he more than holds his own alongside guest vocalist Liz Lochhead. The Makar's distinctive voice walks among the apocalyptic beats of Trouble Is Not A Place, linking hands across not only generations but also artistic niches in modern-day Scotland that clearly have more in common with each other than they might believe.
Alan Morrison
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