(Obese)

Bliss n Eso are two of Australia’s most talented MC’s, and I like many have been awaiting this release since their debut EP four years ago. Finally it has arrived and the Oz hip hop landscape may never quite be the same again.

When you take one MC of US decent, add a DJ from Morocco and finally a MC straight out of Sydney town, you are bound to get some varied results. Add to this mix far too much Disney Channel and a splash of Tolkien, and I would suggest a fare amount of weed smoke, and you have the brilliant work that is Flowers in the Pavement. Before you even get to the music the title is brilliantly apt as this crew are bringing something new to an Oz hip hop scene that is in a boom period, riding the wave created late last year by the Hoods. What they bring is a little out of the ordinary, perhaps a little challenging for some, but undoubtedly one of the year’s strongest releases.

Beat duties here are handled mainly by Bliss in combination with BNA productions, and when they are this tight why look elsewhere. Relying at times heavily on Middle Eastern sounds, most notable on the lead single Rubbed The Lamp the Wrong Way, the bass lines are tweaked with keys and bleeps that will have you recalling a sideshow alley or circus, all without once coming off cheesy. Tracks such as the creatively named Vagina Ice & Pigs In The Porn Trough are perfectly structured for the lyrical vibe and Bliss also proves his versatility creating a more mellow vibe for the storytelling of This Is For You.

When an outside producer is brought in the results are no less outstanding, be it Weapon X and his heavily layered sounds on Greenhouse Heard (from last year’s Straight From The Art compilation) or the always on point Suffa who uses a haunting sample for Hip Hop Blues that combines with a deep bassline – making for me the pick of the beats here (that could however be my distinct hometown bias). Although, that’s not meant to takes anything away from Bliss as each beat is a banger, none sounding out of place or not suited to the lyrical style of the track. There are also plenty of cuts and scratches to be had throughout as the third member of the team, DJ Izm, stamps his mark over a number of tracks, most notably the intro, managing to enhance each track he appears on.

The lyrics aren’t your traditional Oz hip hop fare, check Eso on the opener Creepy, “You see Lucifer couldn’t catch me, his plan’s soft/I Play cards with Merlin, I blow smoke with Gandolf” or Bliss on Pigs In the Porn Trough, “I just think damn could she be that hobblin gypsy/that told me to be a recluse, a hermit with god/and make pornos with Miss Piggy and Kermit the frog”. You get the picture these aren’t your typical rhymers, but they don’t pretend to be.

The topics are layered with abstract references, witty punch lines and on point delivery, whether they are regailing with twisted tales on Creepy, Greenhouse or Twisted Road, which all sit comfortably alongside the storytelling of This is For You and Hip Hop Blues, whilst Pigs in The Porn Trough is chock full of one liners and stories of sexual adventure. In the vein of say Kool Keith the lyrics may go over the head of some and I certainly wouldn’t expect any track to receive mainstream airplay, yet true fans of hip hop will find much here to like and no doubt are already working it through their stereos on high rotation.

It is so exciting to see where Australian hip hop is currently going, the quality of releases is phenomenal and Flowers In The Pavement is no exception, for me it is one of the albums of the year and has raised the bar to a whole new level. The exciting thing now is watching the benchmark be moved forward by players like Bliss n Eso and the whole scene in general. If you are a fan of hip hop you probably already own this, if not go out and buy it now you will not be disappointed.