You didn’t see rap producer Scott Thorough
coming. That is, actually, you didn’t see “Bird” by rap producer Scott Thorough
coming, because how could you? How could you expect this from a man who has
worked with artists such as Serengeti, Samson, Cavalier, and Junk Science? This
is not a beat tape. This is something else.
Scott Thorough is also a film composer, and
that’s … aha, I see your eyes lighting up! You’re getting it. That’s where
“Bird” comes in, an at-times playful, at-times tense, at-times drifting journey
through Scott Thorough’s mind. “Bird” drums up all kinds of visuals as it winds
through its sixteen tracks, each one patiently settling on a scene and letting
it play out. Gentle piano tunes rub up against wind chimes, harmoniums and
distorted rhythms collide, feedback makes its presence felt within an ancient
Caretaker-esque sample, and tranquil drones intermingle with their dissonant
counterparts.
What’s great is that each track is different,
each scene defines itself, but the flow from one to the next is seamless and
natural. “Bird” may not conjure avian flight in your mind, necessarily, but
perhaps the tranquility with which it observes human behavior far below it is
its secret. Everything looks a lot slower and more deliberate from afar, much
more static and permanent. “Bird” ruminates on that, and draws you ever closer
to its heart.
I mean, Scott, you can keep producing rappers,
but be sure to keep this going too.
--Ryan