DJ Shadow – The Less You Know, The Better

If you're new to this album & are not a fan of it but want to be cos you love shadow, then trust me, give it a few proper listens & it will grow on you. This is pure genius, almost more mature than his early work. Really easy to see why he's the best in the world at what he does. This album is sooo shadow! His trademark sounds are all over this one right from the word go. It's also much more of an emotional journey than his early stuff that was great but very much 'Neutral'. There really is something for everyone on here. Scale it back is beautiful & compelling. It's almost like the early 'Bent' work with the violin synths and sweeping melodies. Redeemed is another really melodic track with nice female volcals, signiture trip hop beat going on too. I've been trying, Sad & lonely, Give me back the nights and Enemy lines are slow & deep tracks but they slot into the album perfectly. Warning call, Border crossing & I gotta rok are much heavier and rock like than anything we've heard previously, but still masterful. I gotta rok shows us that there is no end to his talent, how he finds it easy to keep a progressive beat going but then deviate into thrash/metal and then come right back to the original beat, then heavy again then back and so on.... shame about the last 90 seconds or so, think it should have ended before putting that bit in! Keeping the shadow vibe going are further instrumental tracks - Tedium & Run for ur life. Finishing off with a very interesting sampling frenzy in Front to back. If this is the grand finale of Shadows career as a sampler & trip hop DJ then it's a dam fine one and one that should be celebrated. Sounds like he's moving on to different things which I'm sure will also be great but it won't match this & his early music. Long live the sample king!