Exile (6) – Radio

Exile's RADIO wears its hip-hop influences on its sleeve, serving up a nice chunk of slice-and-dice samples over thick beats. The Nutcracker Suite, for instance, gets fully cracked on "Population Control," while the vocal bits of 'Watch Out! False Prophet" add a lightness to the grave political mission it delivers later. But the slick "The Sound Is God" slides down as easy as a gin and tonic and the smoothness continues into the wobbly "Your Summer Song." The Avalanches might be a good comparison, even if Exile's compositions don't have the sonic density or complexity as the Australian collective. (Exile has also put out more work, so there's that, too.) But there's the 80s nostalgia of "Mega Mix" with its altered Wham! sample, and how could you not love the NPR theme on "Stay Tuned (Here)." A fun album altogether.