Ghostpoet, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam (2011)

One of my favourite albums of this year Ghostpoet’s debut longplayer is a mix of dubstep, grime and hip-hop and yet it never feels like an update of Roots Manuva or Gil Scott-Heron; it is its own sound. Where James Blake failed in trying to make a dubstep-as-pop album Ghostpoet succeeds showing that dubstep-as-hip-hop is a natural fit. But Peanut Butter Blues seems to stand outside of hip-hop – so removed from what the genre’s become. In that sense Ghostpoet is actually making folk music; a folk music that’s fused with electronica and rhyme. My two favourite things about this album are its length (40 minutes; perfect album length) and the fact that it has been built as an album. In an age/era where it’s allegedly all about the single, or the single track, about hooking people in with one thing, Ghostpoet has built a record of tunes that makes sense together; an actual set of songs – it’s stronger for the journey to the end – the complete package. One of few albums I’ve reviewed this year and have not got sick of; I’ve carried on listening to it long past the five-star rating. And it really feels like the right kind of album to have on vinyl. I’ve been enjoying spinning it in this forum, on this format. Definitely one of the finds of the year for me.

Sample Track: Finished I Ain’t

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown