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10.0
67868
10.0 |
The Observer
Hip-hop is constantly being tweaked and nudged in new directions, but rarely is it reconfigured as radically, and thrillingly, as on this second album from Shabazz Palaces
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9.1
67892
9.1 |
Pretty Much Amazing
The absurdity of the whole thing is a big part of the album’s appeal; its balls are as big as its brain. Shabazz Palaces are often as mystifying as they are mind-bending, but they’re in a class all their own
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9.1
67940
9.1 |
A.V. Club
Lese Majesty is Butler’s most extreme refusal of the hip-hop status quo, boasting erratic instrumentals and subtle shit-talk toward haters subverting the canon
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9.0
67992
9.0 |
Spin
Lese Majesty is more sonically relaxed and triumphant. The lyrics are either metaphysical mandates for a creative life, or they double up as keen, slightly cynical social commentary
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9.0
68332
9.0 |
musicOMH
An album that is a facetious laugh at, an immersive soundscape of, and a beatific spit-in-the-face toward, traditions
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9.0
67893
9.0 |
Loud And Quiet
It stretches the format of a modern hip hop record to its limits, creating a weaving, intricate journey of narrative and texture packed with a perfect balance of quirk and substance
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9.0
67882
9.0 |
Slant Magazine
They work fully as standalone tracks, but feel even more substantial when taken within the overall structure of this beguiling, addictive album, which finally turns this strange duo's intellectual eccentricity into their greatest asset
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9.0
67834
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
A lot of the tracks on this record seem to expand into one another, which is ordinarily a criticism; but then, this isn’t an ordinary record
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8.3
67945
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
Whether or not you’re willing to put in the time, Lese Majesty holds attention as soon as opener “Dawn in Luxor” kicks in. That’s plenty to like
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8.2
67876
8.2 |
Pitchfork
The soul of Shabazz Palaces is pairing next-gen sounds with classic brass-tacks show-and-prove emceeing, and Lese Majesty tugs those extremes as far as they've ever been pulled
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8.0
67883
8.0 |
NME
‘Lese Majesty’ is not a difficult record. It’s just one with the confidence to reject tired old models and build its own future logic, and the result is mysterious, spiritual, and funky as shit
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8.0
67897
8.0 |
The Music
A woozy, disorienting, slightly sinister sonic adventure
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8.0
67899
8.0 |
Exclaim
Shabazz Palaces offer an ethereal conglomerate with a prophetic voice, a gutsy move that's more than paid off here
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8.0
67841
8.0 |
The Guardian
Not every experiment on Lese Majesty works, but when they do, the results are spectacular. And even when they don't, the lovely sense that you're listening to an album genuinely unlike any other is pretty overwhelming
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8.0
67845
8.0 |
The Irish Times
A brave, trancey, psych flow of sounds that never tires or runs awry. Strap yourself in for one hell of a ride
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8.0
67872
8.0 |
The FT
Structured as seven suites, the music is entrancing: a mix of abstract beats and quaking bass
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8.0
67828
8.0 |
Clash
For anyone looking for a mind-expanding trip to the outer edges of the solar system, these rap futurists are your guides
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8.0
67831
8.0 |
The 405
Fasten your seatbelt and float into space with your two super-wise, all-seeing co-pilots
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8.0
67832
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
It's refreshing to see a group embrace the long player format in such a unique way, especially in the age we live in. An age where hits are made from clicks and albums are for show, rather than play
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8.0
67946
8.0 |
All Music
It's a shame that such a vanguard effort is weakened by a few clever and jokey interludes that don't warrant a return, but that just leaves Shabazz Palaces room for a proper masterpiece as the brilliant Lese Majesty is so very close
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8.0
68791
8.0 |
Fact
If Black Up established their status as hip-hop outliers, then Lese Majesty solidifies their place in the pantheon of rap’s oddball geniuses. Long may they reign
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8.0
68241
8.0 |
The Quietus
A leaner closing act may have made for something approaching a milestone in the year's haul of albums
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7.5
68233
7.5 |
Crack
The beats are complex, eccentric and intelligently constructed. The narrative – while not always entirely easy to discern – is intricate and unusual
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7.0
69390
7.0 |
FasterLouder
Shabazz Palaces are certainly strange, and their willingness to strike out for new territory – even when it means abandoning things that worked for them in the past – is admirably ambitious
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7.0
67941
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
His dazzling feel for 21st-century psychedelia pushes this well past nostalgia tripping – and while the verbal abstraction gets thick, there's serious pleasure in plumbing it
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7.0
67937
7.0 |
PopMatters
The seven suites are not only easy on the ears, but they also offer depth for those listeners wishing to dig deeper than the smooth sounds
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6.0
67913
6.0 |
Q
A trip to be sure, but the destination remains unclear. Print edition only
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6.0
67829
6.0 |
DIY
It’s almost a punk record, in some senses. Choruses don’t exist, songs rarely spanning further than the two-minute mark. Snapshot ideas are given a stage
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6.0
67830
6.0 |
The Skinny
Superior psychedelic hip-hop from a band yet to reach their peak, and sure to dominate when they do
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5.4
67947
5.4 |
Earbuddy
This is far from the worst album of the year, but it is easily one of the most disappointing
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