I really do love it when artists hit you from way out in leftfield. The enigmatic Mynameisleonidas most certainly does that. The industrial sound in the instrumentation here rather delightfully calls to mind Tom Waits circa Rain Dogs, yet the record sounds not one jot like him.
Opening track ‘Elevate In The Village‘ has, bizarrely, more in common with Powfu‘s ‘Death Bed (Coffee For Your Head)‘ given the female vocal here is reminiscent of Filipino singer beabadoobie, but then subsequently we have our brains well and truly messed with as other cuts on the record recognise a diverse array of references from far and wide.
‘Poseidon‘ for example is as though someone gave Stormzy an ever so slightly faulty microphone and then got Nightmares On Wax in to play the soundtrack to the scenario.
All this is very much to Mynameisleonidas’s credit because it really keeps you on your toes and you really don’t have a clue what to expect next. ‘For The Rest Of My Life‘ is dark yet hauntingly beautiful with an ominous sense of foreboding. It’s very much an album that evokes “What the fuck?” reactions on several occasions, and in my book, that’s only ever a good thing.
Sometimes there’s almost a hint of Spanish guitar twang hiding beneath the surface, and occasionally the harsh brutalism of its persona can be aligned with the brilliant Violent Silences album by the sadly recently departed Scottish rocker Rico.
What I haven’t yet mentioned is that, although not a single one of the artists I’ve mentioned is considered ‘hip-hop’, that is, ostensibly, the category that Mynameisleonidas would fit into. Perhaps more ‘trip-hop’ is more accurate, which would be in line with the Nightmares On Wax comparison, but, you know what, this record is just so damn odd that I’m loathe to bracket it unceremoniously under any banner.
This is certainly one of the most interesting releases I’ve heard in 2022, though I must confess, I feel like I’ve taken a load of mind expanding drugs after listening. I need a lie down now!
