Palmistry - Pagan

  • Share
  • Since it was founded in 2009, Dre Skull's Mixpak has been home to an incredibly broad range of bass-heavy sounds. Artists like Jubilee and Douster have tended towards clubbier house and techno influences, and Murlo's been the primary flag-bearer for more grime-style rhythms. But if there's one thing that's tied the Mixpak aesthetic together it's dancehall. Producers like Famous Eno, Poirier and Dubbel Dutch have been mainstays, with a number of EPs that all put their own spin on the genre. Many of dancehall's household names—Spice, Konshens, Vybz Kartel—have also released on the label, often pairing with Dre Skull to create a polished and pop-influenced sound that has become their own. One release in particular really put the label on the map globally: the debut album from veteran MC Popcaan, Where We Come From. The record stood out from most other dancehall as it seemed to abandon much of the scene's perhaps intimidating aspects. It's not sexually aggressive, nor homophobic, with production that was primed for radio play more than rib-shaking soundsystems. Given the success Mixpak enjoyed after Where We Come From, it makes sense that their next album would continue in this vein. And that's what producer and vocalist Benjy Keating, AKA Palmistry, has done on Pagan. Much like the music that so clearly influenced him, Keating's instrumentals are stripped to the bare essentials. Whereas the skeletal shapes remaining in dancehall tend to whip clubs into a frenzy, Pagan leaves you with ethereal trance synths and woozy, trap-like percussion. Coupled with his soft, half-whispered vocals, the sound makes for great summer pop tracks. Opener "Club Aso" is one such number, wonderfully straddling the line between BBQ soundtrack and heartsick anthem. Such combinations are successful on a track-by-track basis, but over the course of the album the idea starts to drag. Three or four songs into Pagan it becomes hard to grasp any distinctive elements. Sure, there are a couple of notable moments, like the detuned melody of "Beamer" and the sparse beat of "Ascent." An airy, thin quality defines Keating's sound, but it leaves you wanting more substance. And that's not to mention how often the vocals slide towards a cringe-inducing pseudo-patois that makes the whole experience feel inauthentic. Keating might not consider himself a dancehall artist, but the genre's influence is too obvious to ignore. Written and produced entirely by the young Londoner, Pagan is a singular vision. There's plenty to enjoy—no individual track is a misstep. But consumed as whole, Pagan goes from sugary pop to sickly sweet, and is ultimately unsatisfying.
  • Tracklist
      01. Club Aso 02. Sino 03. Lifted 04. Reekin 05. L After L 06. Beamer 07. Paigon 08. Comeragh Mountains 09. Sip 10. Ascent 11. Great Shall Be Your Peace 12. Adeus 13. Sweetness
RA