Shame is Abdul-Hakim Bilal, and I’ve had my eye on their band
and their work
before. (In fact, Samuel Goff, Bilal’s Among the Rocks and Roots cohort, is putting
this out on CD [of all formats!] on his Cacophonous
Recordings label.) White Man is
an uncomfortable release, especially for someone like me who represents the
titular demographic. Bilal is black, and “the struggle black people face daily
is present in this harrowing and experimental album.” Bilal utilizes vocals to
great effect to supplement the noise churning like a distant storm or like the
crackle of enflamed dry wood. Anger and fear permeate the release with a
harrowing intensity. I succumb to the tape’s intent of discomfort. It makes me
squirm, and it makes me hurt. I can only let it crush me with its weight. Who gets
to impose their will on others; who is worthy of that? Nobody. White Man is a seething answer.
https://orbtapes.bandcamp.com/
--Ryan
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