<\/a>
\nApollo Brown\u2019s “Thirty Eight” is a contemporary throwback, inhabiting the realm of reverent reinvention and innovation. It deftly bridges the gap between \u201870s Blaxploitation soundtracks (e.g. Curtis Mayfield\u2019s Superfly or Marvin Gaye\u2019s Trouble Man) and the hip-hop records that sampled from them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tracks on “Thirty Eight” are presented in gritty, heavily saturated Technicolor, the scratches and cigarette burns as purposeful as they are happily accidental. These are suites sounding from long barrels held by lone men lurking in grimy project hallways. Tinged with revenge and regret, shrouded in thick tendrils of hollow-point smoke, the songs have all the makings of an epic gangster tragedy. They\u2019re also great when paired with anything Raymond Chandler.<\/p>\n

Crackle and sample hiss run like electric current throughout, charging the record with a retro feel and resonant warmth. Yet these qualities are only secondary to Brown\u2019s impeccable ear for instrumentation. “Thirty Eight” is full of funk, soul, jazz, blues, hip-hop, and everything in between. The bluesy guitar twang of slow-burner \u201cBlack Suits\u201d and the lush, orchestral strings of \u201cThe Warning\u201d are just two examples of the depth and diversity Brown brings to the table.<\/p>\n

All singing on the album comes in the form of brief samples, some high-pitched and sped up, others left untouched. Taken together, they amount to glimpses of an emotionally affecting narrative, enabling the listener to fill in the plot and words between the booms and baps.<\/p>\n

Brown enlists New York mercenary Roc Marciano for the soundtrack\u2019s two features. With the sharpest of eyes and the frostbitten wit of a Polo clad hustler slanging in the dead of winter, Marciano delivers his best verses in recent memory, his vivid narratives perfectly suited for Brown\u2019s soulful production.<\/p>\n

TOUR DATES<\/strong>
\nFriday May 16th – The Espy, Melbourne
\nSaturday May 17th – Rocket Bar, Adelaide
\nThursday May 22nd – Transit Bar, Canberra
\nFriday May 23rd – The Manor, Perth
\nSaturday May 24th – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
\nSunday May 25th – Ponsonby Social Club, Auckland <\/p>\n