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Bliss N Eso: Flying colours

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Release date: 26 April 2008 (Liberation)
It's Bliss n Eso's third time up to bat and while they haven't quite hit it out of the park, the bases are loaded and the opposition are starting to get nervous. Not sure why I've gone with baseball metaphors on this one, it just feels appropriate. Maybe it's a subliminal manifestation of Bliss's US heritage? Whatever the case, there's no denying the trio's talent. In fact, this third album makes most local hip hop releases look hopelessly amateurish in comparison.

Bullet and a Target, the first single, has already received heavy radio airplay and is an obvious album highlight - getting socially conscious without sending listeners to sleep is no mean feat. Getting that track onto Nova is unheard of. Proving their versatility, the group are just as comfortable talking about the simple pleasures of wearing a hoody, or getting arty and introspective on Destiny Lane.

Throughout all the abstract wordplay and commercial hooks the production never falters. Eschewing both the smoked out basement beats and the generic funk samples that most Australian hip hop tends to fall into, the production on Flying Colours snaps, crackles and pops in all the right places. Bottom line - this is one of the best hip hop albums to come out of Australia and one that can hold its own on an international stage.

Tracks:
1. The Beginning
2. Woodstock 2008
3. Eye of the Storm
4. Bullet and a Target
5. Happy In My Hoody
6. Destiny Lane
7. Zion Bash
8. The Sea Is Rising
9. Gorilla Militia
10. How Do I Listen Part 1
11. Climb These Cliffs
12. At Midnight
13. Royal Flush
14. $5 Steak
15. The Truth (feat. Illmaculate & Sapient)
16. Never Give Up (feat. Changes)
17. Field Of Dreams (feat. Paris Wells)

Mikolai, June 2008