Weekly Release Spotlight: Doomtree
Posted on 7/28/2008
Doomtree
Doomtree
[Doomtree]
"It's been a long time coming," the local hip hop crew erupts in unison on "Let Me Tell You, Baby" and you can already hear a sold out First Avenue crowd screaming in agreement. Because really, most of us have waited at least since P.O.S.'s debut solo disc Ipecac Neat in 2004 for this moment, many hardcore followers of the Twin Cities' hottest rhymes-and-beats experts since Slug & Ant even longer. Albums from Doomtree emcees Cecil Otter, Mictlan, Sims, and Dessa also came into our hands and headphones over the years, many of them emblazoned with the trademark False Hopes title, which practically mocked us with the potential false hope that we'd ever get a proper album from the entire group. In retrospect, now that we finally have it, the agonizing anticipation was half the fun.
With all the aforementioned lyrical maestros plus their equally talented DJs/producers (Paper Tiger, Lazerbeak, MK Larada, and Turbo Nemesis) on board for their proper self-titled debut, even the fiercest devotee to the storied collective could be weary of a cluttered uneven sound as everyone vies for a piece of the spotlight. But those same fans and anyone who has seen any combination of Doomtree members perform live would immediately withdraw said concern upon an initial listen through the record, because just as each intrepid Doomtree soul gives it their all when the have the mic or turntable, they also adroitly and passionately share the stage and studio to the utmost degree. Together, as one artist - one tree with various twisting and unpredictable branches, Doomtree kill it quicker and with a heavier fist than any one of them on their own. This is the reason we've waited so patiently.
Even more impressive is Doomtree's refusal to give over any one track to a specific emcee. The Spanish horn and guitar riffs that MK Larada lays down on the Dessa and P.O.S.-led "Dots & Dashes" and the verse-chorus sharing between Sims and Mictlan on the pensive yet unrelenting "Twentyfourseven" are just a couple instances of Doomtree feeling more like a singular voice than a group of individuals that have finally composed and recorded together. "I'm too real / I can say what I feel," Sims rumbles out on "The Wren," and it really is frightening just how fearless these men and woman sound when they're one force throwing down through the speakers. Just as everyone had their favorite Ninja Turtle but you can't go wrong when they're all smacking down ninjas, some might have their favorite Doomtree rhyme spitter or beatmaker, but everyone wins when they're all smacking down on your home stereo.
Stream: Doomtree - Drumsticks
Doomtree will be playing the First Avenue Mainroom on Friday, August 1 with Kill The Vultures and I Self Devine.
Written by Chris Polley, Radio K volunteer and host of Now Like Photographs.