“I am not indie rock I was indeed hip-hop.”
k-os makes his allegiances clear on “Zambony,” the opening track of the wildly entertaining Yes!. Perhaps he feels the need to self-define who he is because of his atypical an MC offerings. A product of Toronto, Ontario, Canada (where he’s had great success), k-os is the type of eccentric that doesn’t fit into hip-hop’s archetypal molds. He’s more Andre 3000 than Big Boi, more Stephen Malkmus than T-Pain, more indie rocker than fortune-obsessed, gansta, or auto-tuned rapper. That’s not to say he’s not 100% devoted to his hip-hop core – he bleeds it – it’s just the method he goes about it is not the norm. It’s a fresh almost stylized take on the genre that should not be missed.
What makes k-os’s tunes stick out is the way he builds layer upon layer of sound that all come together in brilliant harmony. There is always some little audio detail working it’s way in and out of the music. It’s akin to a perfect, flowing 3-man weave in basketball – all the parts are crissing and crossing but instead of things colliding together and making a mess, it’s a smooth and fluid work of control and beauty.
Songs like “4321″ jam packed with different sounds that it’s hard to even keep track of everything. The aforementioned “Zambony” starts with a simple beat and choir, then adds claps and sparse guitar trills, then throws in some orchestral strings and electronic flairs, and just keeps going along with more, more, more.
k-os does not shy away from unusual samples, like when he lifts “Love Buzz” (the original version by Shocking Blue, not the more well-known Nirvana cover) for the track “Uptown Girl.” When all these musical factors are combined with the scattered-references that pop up in the lyrics (there aren’t many MCs that namecheck Ellen Page or Tegan and Sara, as k-os does on “Astronaut”), it might seem like it would be something of a mess, but everything fits together tightly. k-os quite literally makes chaos sound wonderful. Yes! a musical party and any sound is invited.
The highlight of the whole album is the exuberant “I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman.” Built the hook from Phantom Planet’s “California” (better known as The O.C. theme song), its key quality is life-affirming hope of love. Though chorus repeats, “I can’t really make you love me,” there’s a sense that, with a positive outlook and plenty of effort, things will work out. With this optimism in his back pocket, k-os throws out everything anyone could ask for from a pop-oriented hip-hop tune: and a huge sing-along chorus. It’s hard to imagine that anyone who likes catchy music could hate this song, it appeals to everyone from Top 40 pop fans to hipster indie kids to disciples of hip-hop.
The biggest qualm with Yes! is the inconsistency of the vocals. At times the delivery almost seem sleepy, with words coming off oddly dwaled out, almost like how someone would enunciate the words after coming back from the dentist with a numbed jaw. Additionally, the accent k-os uses can vary from track to track. While this issues aren’t derailing, they take away from the collective flow from track to track.
Yes! raps up with “The Avenue,” his personified romantic ode to hip-hop. It is the most straightforward of any of the track, centered around reggae/rock-inspired live instrumentals, but it works because of how heartfelt the lyrics are. It’s a love letter to a genre, by an MC who has the skills to make you fall in love with hip-hop all over again.
Review Score: 8.0
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