The Herbaliser
Something Wicked This Way Comes

"But they don't act on impulse, they first gather their thoughts"

If you're a regular listener of Radio Popolare Milano, this phrase will sound very familiar to you, as it opens every episode of a show called MenteLocale. In the background of the aforementioned phrase, there's always a song, "Battle of Bongo Hill" composed by a London group called The Herbaliser. And who are they? Behind this name are two artists named Jake Wherry and Olly Teeba, accompanied each time by a series of more or less famous musicians and artists from the Hip-Hop scene.

After two necessary biographical notes, let's return to "Battle of Bongo Hill" and, consequently, to the album where this song can be found: "Something Wicked This Way Comes", released in 2002. After the good results of their first albums, The Herbaliser ensemble aims for a substantial leap in quality and fully succeeds with this work, decidedly tasteful and rich with inspiration. The musical elements and points of interest you'll find are remarkable: vigorous and extremely dynamic beats for a non-trivial hip-hop (the references can be directed towards certain works by the Chemical Brothers), here and there fascinating splashes of Dub and Trip-Hop, references to Black Music, and especially very sophisticated Jazz soundscapes. All this results in a mixture that is effective and easily enjoyable.

Quality, substance, and assimilability: all characteristics that are not at all easy to find in an album, let alone in a group that manages to make all this a true hallmark. I bring to the reader's attention three tracks for everyone: "Unsungsong", "Time 2 Build", and "Good Girl Gone Bad". The Herbaliser, remember this name when you go to your trusted music retailer. You could start with this album or, if you prefer more recent material, the next two since they go from strength to strength.

P.S. The mentioned radio program begins at 5 PM and lasts an hour. If you have the time and opportunity to listen to a pleasant program, why miss this chance? Don't worry, for those who don't live on Lombard soil, there's streaming available.