Happily, as far as the beats go, the reach of the album is neither too ambitious nor too underwhelming straddling a happy medium between ‘80’s old school and modern purist rap acts- sufficiently bombastic, but always satisfyingly bass-heavy and innovative. With its plodding, deep bass, rock track percussion and stuttering yet melodic harmonica (a la Gorillaz) Shotty’s vicious initial verses take the offensive, and the relentless pace of his bars bombard the listener, creating a clever but seemingly non-existent harmony between the musical elements.
Xombie Xoo makes little pretence about its intentions- the cover, depicting a skeletal ‘xombie’ version of the rapper in an enclosure (with a cannabis leaf for a heart), perfectly epitomizes the album’s duality of grim but tongue in cheek, and the first track on the album, 'Flesh Eating Dead Walking', serves as a perfectly calculated introduction to the release.
Take a deep breath (preferably of grass smoke), and let Shotty escort you around this hazy carnival wonderland as only he knows how. The release has its darker moments too, and these pepper the tracks with pitch black humour or grim ironies, oftentimes resulting in a tight-lipped smirk and an immediate appreciation for the sheer audacity of the statements, should they take the form of entire tracks or smug little asides peppered throughout. Notably, for a young artist coming from a depressed area of Manchester, the material on these recordings is seldom bitter, preferring to opt for a slightly lighter tone, and thus containing a number of anthemic beats, warped basslines, and disorientating rhyme schemes. Xombie Xoo marks the return of all his characteristic traits, right down to the lad swagger and nasal voice, but also brings along with it a streetwise eloquence, criticizing whilst all the while languishing in the attention. In time, viewers came to relish the rhyme patterns and sensationalist lyrical flourishes as a never unwelcome mainstay, and the warm reaction from hip-hop enthusiasts (still, unfortunately, predominantly in the UK, but gaining popularity rapidly) his ensured a hopefully bright future for the young Mancunian. From his earliest battle, he has managed to maintain an impressive consistency in the quality of his rhymes biting, intelligent, sometimes comical and frequently edgy, but always rooted in substance. Over time he has become slightly more Americanized- an unavoidable side effect of being a hip hop dissonant in a foreign land, it seems- but let it never be said that Shotty lacks any integrity. He has had spots on Fire In The Booth, amassed an impressive amount of attention on YouTube, and recorded and released a number of solid mixtapes, all of which have been underground hits. Aerial Salad have multiple European tours under their belts as well as featuring on Soccer A.M, Radio X, BBC Radio and more, and have built a reputation for unpredictable, high energy performances that have left many a jaw dropped.Review Summary: Less of an exercise in hip-hop dynamics than a blueprint for the future of one of the most promising UK talents working at the moment.įrom his humble beginnings on rap battle leagues such as Don’t Flop and King Of The Dot, Adam Rooney, a.k.a. Salad are a band that have forged their own path in the music landscape and are Shotty's favourite punk band. Aerial Salad are what happens when you cross the attitude of early punk rock with the Madchester movement, sitting somewhere inbetween Idles and The Stone Roses. One of the UK's best underground bands, Aerial Salad may not be a band you've seen before but they are certainly a band that will blow you away. Joined by the Karatesuit and Ben Robbinson (of twisted wheel fame) these one off gigs will be unmissable. The Innabit Tour Part 1 is the start of Shotty's farewell tour as he looks to pursue global domination in the indie wrestling scene. Shotty's full band shows boast an incredible blend of socio-economic/political commentary delivered in a unique mashup of indie rock and rapping. The UKs most infamous battle rapper come fully fledged rockstar Shotty Horroh is a true underground music legend and is gracing us with a final tour and album, the long-awaited follow up to 'Salt Of The Earth'. All Corners Artist Booking and New Cross Live present
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