Anticon
2005
13 & goD
About This Album
Though it looks somewhat better on paper than it sounds as a completed album, 13 & God is a compelling experiment of indie collaboration. Like so many projects of its nature, this self-titled album began with tapes and discs traded in the mail between artists. Eventually the two parties, Germany's glitchy electronic rockers the Notwist and U.S. left-field hip-hoppers Themselves, assembled together in Germany to recorded the finishing touches that would glue the fragments and puzzle pieces together. The finished piece is a decidedly dark and murky musical excursion into a realm of percolating electronics, moody jazz elements, bizarre raps, ethereal acoustic guitars, and sad pianos. As would be expected, some tracks sound untouched by one-half of the collaborators. "Men of Station" comes across like a Neon Golden B-side, and it's difficult to understand what Themselves could have added, because it contains every earmark of the Notwist but nothing more. Likewise, "Ghostwork" feels like a typical offering from Doseone and crew, with perhaps just a scattering of xylophone and a skittering sampler contributed by the Acher brothers. Thus, it's likely that fans of either band might appreciate only half of the album, as the artists' musical oeuvres are so different.
Track List (try tracks 4,6 and 8)

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