- Regan Farquhar has spent the last twenty years as underground hip-hop’s resident eccentric. His uniquely absurd delivery coupled with an eclectic mix of jazzy instrumentals and conscious subject matter helped lead the way for a new generation of rappers, further exploring the territory he uncovered.
In case you’re unfamiliar, Busdriver sits somewhere between a jazz singer and a slam poet. His intonation is pointed and deliberate, dynamically darting up and down the melodic register to deliver abstract sing-song verses, intricately moulded around each beat.
It can be off-putting at first, but decades of honing his craft mean that Regan’s performances are full of lyrical and rhythmic depth. Even straightforward rhyme patterns are peppered with brief passages of triplet flows or wild arrhythmia, making each verse a consistently captivating affair.
Driver has always drawn upon jazz for inspiration, but electricity is on our side takes it a step further, seeing him collaborate with fusion band The Underground Railroad. Lead single Right before the Miracle shows this best, as Driver mirrors the lead saxophone melody before going on to trade bars with each soloist, improvising freestyle verses which contort and stretch his vocals to their limit.
Hearing Regan’s unique style in this context is a revelation. Rather than simply rapping atop the band, his spontaneity melds into their improvisational framework and creates fluid interplay unlike much else I’ve ever heard. It feels like a natural bridge between vocalised jazz poetry and underground hip-hop, making the live instrumentation on To Pimp A Butterfly sound like A Tribe Called Quest.
Despite an emphasis on real instruments, the production on electricity is remarkably diverse. Each beat is meticulously crafted, undergoing complex transitions reminiscent of a jazzy sound collage. Tracks will often begin with a live backing track before looping a small section so Driver can showcase his inimitable lyricism and flow.
Track for track Regan delivers engaging storytelling and cryptic commentary in a way that’s utterly fascinating. His style is impossible to predict, always relentlessly offbeat but executed with such creative mastery I can’t help but be charmed over and over again. Each verse leaves me feeling equal parts impressed and confused, it’s a joy to listen to.
Even the record’s numerous features fail to take the spotlight off Driver himself, though they do help keep things interesting. Only in the last few tracks do things start to drag, which is quite the achievement considering electricity’s eighty minute run-time. Both exploding slowly and pull the sky closer feature grating auto-tuned vocals and overly dramatic hooks which close things out on an underwhelming note.
However, that doesn’t stop electricity is on our side from being an admirable display of Busdriver’s holistic progression as an artist. His bars are as entertainingly dense as ever, delivered with expert precision over a diverse assortment of sonic backdrops. The inclusion of live jazz instrumentation feels like a logical extension to his ever-evolving style, and I can’t think of how it could have been executed better. Driver has put out some excellent albums in this late stage of his career, but none as cohesive, ambitious, or fully realised as this one. And that makes me so happy.
- Boddhi Farmer.