The Electric Disco.
'Half Man Half Coyote' album review
Acoustic guitars, 303’s, west coast rap... This is Balearic, but also much more!
Words by Mark Limb • August 15, 2013
It’s been almost 2 years since Coyote released ‘Harlyn Bay’, so when Timm asked us if we’d like to review their new album ‘Half Man Half Coyote’ we jumped at the chance.
Timm and Ampo never veer too far from the chilled out, downtempo sound that sits so comfortably with their output and this new LP is no exception.
The opening track, ‘Keep Breathing’ sets the tone nicely for the rest of the album, and you immediately feel like you’re in familiar and safe hands as the combination of acoustic guitars and softly spoken vocal loops conjure up memories of hazy Ibizan sunsets from years gone by.
The second track, ‘San Carlos’, continues with this theme, capturing the early 90’s Balearic sound so well that if you didn’t know differently, you could be fooled into thinking that you were listening to an undiscovered Jose’ classic from 20 plus years ago.
The second track, ‘San Carlos’, continues with this theme, capturing the early 90’s Balearic sound so well that if you didn’t know differently, you could be fooled into thinking that you were listening to an undiscovered Jose’ classic from 20 plus years ago.
The ‘Half Man Half Coyote’ LP encompasses everything that the Coyote guys do so well and brings together all the elements and a lot of the contributors that have helped to shape Is it Balearic? into one of the most consistently quality labels out there at the moment.
The acoustic guitars are aplenty, as are the dubbed out beats, dreamy synths and spoken vocals. Timm and Ampo briefly show hints of their acid house roots as they let the 303’s loose on ‘Work of Art’, but the for the most part the vibe remains chilled.
‘Tranquil Horizon’ is the one moment on the album where the tempo steps up a notch. It’s only very slightly, but the guitar hook is infectious, immediately getting under your skin and I think this will definitely be seeing a bit of action at some of the more discerning discothèques and festivals this summer.
The stand out track for us however is ‘Safari Man’ , featuring the vocal talents of Californian rapper Penuckle. It’s a slight departure in style from the rest of the album and has the feel of early Massive Attack track - circa Blue Lines, but with an updated and definitively Coyote stamp on it. It’s dub, west coast rap, balearic, acid... it’s got it all and it rocks.
When ‘Harlyn Bay’ was released it was cited as being a future classic album that would rank alongside the likes of Nightmares on Wax ‘Smokers Delight’, and I think with ‘Half Man Half Coyote’ they’ve hit the jackpot again.
This is a limited edition vinyl only release and will be available later this June on Coyote’s own Is It Balearic? label from all the usual outlets, so keep an eye out for the actual release date and don’t miss out on what looks likely to be the must have balearic album of the summer.
Half Man Half Coyote is available now on Bandcamp
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