Satellite City

Something is seriously bugging Noiseshaper. In 2009 it's not hard to find possible sources of angst, what with the deepening quagmire in the Middle East, a global financial crisis, and any number of other, more local worries, but Satellite City isn't obviously topical in its concerns. Instead, it's just plain generally dark and at times almost oppressive. That's not to say that the music isn't great, only that it's now great in a more depressing way. Notice, for example, the bluesy "Got It Bad," which explicitly recalls the dour funk-dub-blues of On-U Sound stalwart Little Axe, or the pessimistic tone of "Ghetto" — not to mention the slightly inarticulate despair of the dubwise hip-hop number after which the album is named; featuring British rapper Sherrez, it features a slightly awkward flow and rhymes that sometimes sound like they were written by someone to whom English is a second language ("What's going on in the urban city?"). When the DJs come in, the results are more compelling — "We Rock It" features MC Sammy Dread riding a wicked house-dancehall rhythm, and "Universal" is similarly invigorating. There are other moments, such as the ho-hum MOR reggae track that ends the program, where you get the sense that a certain kind of emotional enervation is setting in, though; let's hope it subsides and that Noiseshaper cheer up a bit before their next release.