June 4, 2021

from Jazz Is Dead

1xLP

Much of Adrian Younge's catalogue is indebted to the satirical aesthetic of American blaxploitation films, from the often campy covers to the analogue production and dusty production that's become his calling card (see: Black Dynamite, Twelve Reasons to Die). And so the deadly serious cover art of The American Negro should serve as a warning — there is no pretense of humour or levity here. Released in conjunction with a short film and podcast series, Younge uses a mix of orchestral arrangements, beats and spoken-word interludes to tackle the history of American racism with stoicism and a steely glare for the most ambitious project of his already decorated career. It's an album filled with ghosts and demons and centuries of fury and sadness. It demands your attention as much as it refuses to be met on any terms but its own.