Why review this album?
I think this is the closest I have come to reviewing an album as soon as it has come out. ‘Sound Ancestors’ dropped on Jan 29 and it has been torture to wait to listen to this as I am a huge fan of Madlib, a huge fan of Madvillainy (the collab between Madlib and MF DOOM [RIP]), and in general, I just love listening to hip hop beats (Lofi Study Beats gang, where you at?) So as one of my most anticipated albums of the year, this one has a lot to live up to…
There Is No Time – Prelude
Fade in to a lush soundscape with Eastern strings, rain drop emulating synths, and warbles and swells galore. A short one but I like the tone this sets.
8 out of 10
The Call
Wow, Madlib hits us with an instant classic; ‘The Call’ is Madlib at his finest. You get a looped distorted bass line, guitar stings, and some classic rock-esque vocals about ‘rising to the call.’ What I’ve always loved about Madlib is how many sonic layers he uses: ‘The Call is no exception’
8 out of 10
Theme De Crabtree
The one is far funkier, almost a J Dilla/Nujabes type beat with heavy bass drum and a bell keeping the beat. Ad-libbed vocals and ‘squawks’ (there really is no more suitable term for the sounds the dude is making) kind of take away from the song but the beat slaps.
8 out of 10
Road Of The Lonely Ones
‘Road Of The Lonely Ones’ is a sweet yet melancholy track featuring a military snare, crooning, lilting vocals, and an acoustic guitar delivering the melody. This is a phenomenal beat and I look forward to listening to this song during chilly days/nights with a mug of tea in hand.
9 out of 10
Loose Goose
Delay, delay delay—’Loose Goose’ is saturated in it. The layering here is impressive considering this song is really only a delayed sax lick, drums, and vocal samples (including one from Snoop) but I don’t find this one very enjoyable to listen to. Maybe during future listenings.
7 out of 10
Dirtknock
This beat is grimy, no other word for it. ‘Dirtknock’ would not have been out of place on ‘Madvillainy’. However, I do not think the vocals fit well here. They honestly are a bit muddy and hard to discern over the distorted bass, electric guitar muted strums, and other sounds. Weakest track so far.
5 out of 10
Hopprock
Is this ASMR or a Madlib album? This track is just atmospheric sounds, orchestral strings, and answering machine sounds.
Wait, there’s the beat. Damn, it’s a good one. Urgent minor guitar strumming, full drum kit, and vocal samples galore. Honestly, this excuses the strange intro.
8 out of 10
Riddim Chant
Okay look, this is another Madlib beat. If you heard the others on the album, this one will sound similar. If you liked the previous ones, you’ll like this one. If you didn’t, may God have mercy on your soul.
8 out of 10
Sound Ancestors
High energy! I do not know the name of the instrument but ‘Sound Ancestors’ kicks off with high tempo melodic drumming. It’s cool how you can hear the attack of each note with the follow-up resonance but the melody just keeps going. Then we get a cacophony of jazz flute, drums, and upright bass. It works but is on the edge of not working.
7 out of 10
One for Quartabê / Right Now
This track starts out with a lot of dissonance but calms down pretty quickly to a discordant yet engaging melody. I really wish I knew where the vocal samples came from—I know what I am looking up as soon as this album is done. The clarinet in this is cray.
Wait, the second half is amazing. I absolutely love the bass lick and there is a staccato and fast guitar lick as well. Can we delete the first half and just extend the second half?
8 out of 10 (7 out of 10 for first half; 9 out of 10 for second half)
Hang Out (Phone Off)
A little more of the same, perhaps a touch more minimalistic compared to some of the previous songs?
7 out of 10
Two for 2 – For Dilla
I think I built up the most anticipation for this song because of the title: this track is not-very-subtly an homage to J Dilla, considered one of the best producers of all time. I think the intent is very clear in the song itself: a jazzy beat forms the foundation for the track with roughly chopped and spliced vocal samples providing tension and points of interest.
The latter half is a super jazzy sampled beat as well. This track reminds me of why I love Madlib and why I love J Dilla
9 out of 10
Latino Negro
Wow, I love this track too! The Spanish flamenco guitar and jazz drum kit make you feel as if you are in the basement of a bar listening to a live concert of a jazz/world music fusion band. The guitar is deliberately mixed down, eliciting you to crave it more. But I think that would take away from the magic of this tune.
9 out of 10
The New Normal
Synth and boom-bap orchestrated to perfection. Though, perhaps the synth tone is not for everyone; it is a bit buzzy and rough but I like the texture it adds. I think ‘The New Normal’ is the biggest deviation from a typical Madlib track, especially on this album but nonetheless, it could very easily be rapped on.
7 out of 10
Chino
The first 20 seconds or so are just a quieter, further away version of the rest of this beat. Wish it was louder because Madlib delivers yet another amazing jazzy beat that I know I will be listening to again. Perhaps my favorite track on the album?!
9 out of 10
Duumbiyay
What a great way to end the album. The melodic content of this song builds from the beginning up to the climax in such an amazing way. Ostensibly, Madlib used only one vocal sample of a young boy/boys singing a tune and fleshes out the rest of the soundstage around this repeated sample. This could easily be confused for a jazz track and I am okay with it.
9 out of 10
Summary
If you like instrumental hip-hop beats and/or jazz, you will like, perhaps love this album. If you don’t, you will not. It’s as simple as that. ‘Sound Ancestors’ is by far, more than the sum of its parts. Hence the rating that exceeds the mere average of the scores of each song. Look, I’d love to write more but I think I’d rather go listen to this album again.