Lazerbeak
Legend Recognize Legend (Doomtree)
By Crystal Erickson
Published: October 4th, 2010 | 1:00pm
Lazerbeak is best known for producing beats in Doomtree, the nine-member Minneapolis hip-hop collective that sound like no one else around. Doomtree meshes hip-hop, spoken word, and punk reminiscent of fellow local hometown rap heroes Atmosphere, with songs for the hip working class, a group that’s intelligent and beat yet hopeful. The only aspect of Legend Recognize Legend similar to a rap album, however, is its braggadocio title. But the music lives up to it and has the greatest crossover potential of any solo project of a Doomtree member to date, including P.O.S. and Dessa, who have already earned national acclaim.
The record sounds more like the Plastic Constellations, Lazerbeak’s indie rock band that reunited in the beginning of the year after a brief hiatus. Members of Doomtree and the Plastic Constellations make guest appearances, but the record remains the work of a crafted producer, more organic and universal than either group effort. Legend Recognize Legend is a journey away from the city, an exception being “Land’s End,” which captures the doom and gloom of urban life (“In the city where the crawl space lives / In the tunnels where the walls cave in / Let the walls cave in.”), while “Wild Life” sounds like a cross between Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” and migration scenes from the The Lion King.
This album is larger than life, filled with evocative, cathartic melodies and uplifting lyrics. Lazerbeak’s raspy, indistinct vocals make the musician a modern day everyman who sounds like someone we all know and can relate to.
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Lazerbeak MySpace page
Doomtree Records
Issue #36
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