As a member of The Herd, MC Tim Urthboy Levinson was amongst some of the first Australian artists who gained recognition for making music that was recognised as being good hip hop, not just good Australian hip hop. His debut solo album Distant Sense of Random Menace was a very introspective release, with the strong political message that has become the hallmark of Elefant Traks’ releases. With the contribution of TZU’s Count Bounce and Hermitude’s El Gusto on most tracks, and guest spots from MCs like Koolism’s Hau, Muph, The Tongue and the ubiquitous Ozi Batla, this is a much more upbeat album with a strong organic feel.

The album’s title track The Signal, opens the album is certain to get plenty of Triple J airplay with its simple, warm beats and bassline. Nuthin That I’d Rather Do features verses from Hau and Muph – three very accomplished and skilled rappers rhyming about how much they enjoy doing what they do. I’ve never really been a huge Hau fan, but his verse is excellent and Muph is impeccable as always.

We Get Around is another made-for-radio track that features some quality live instrumentation from Count Bounce and some equally quality scratching from El Gusto, while The Wrong One sees Urthboy joined by The Tongue and Ozi Batla. Not all the tracks are upbeat though, with The Clocks (featuring Mark Pearl ) lamenting the inexorable march of time and Black Dogs dealing with depression. It’s the tracks that fall somewhere in between that work best though. Mia Dyson guests on the bittersweet Over Before it Began, a track about meeting a girl with whom you stand no chance. Dyson’s vocals and Count Bounce’s multi-instrumental skills make this a standout track on the album. Modern Day Folk has a very TZU sound to it, mainly from the prominent electric guitar, and I’m guessing this will probably be a single.

On this album Urthboy has found a balance between the more upbeat, overtly political style of The Herd and the introspective style of his previous album. It’s probably too early to start making a ‘best of’ albums list for 2007, but in about 5 months I wouldn’t be surprised if this album was in the reckoning.