Gas canisters burst in the distance. You stand shoulder to shoulder within a crowd of people possessing the same progressive mentality as yourself. Your leader, a beacon of hope and light, stands before the mass. His voice booms through the streets, carrying the mantras you committed to memory long ago. It’s a time for change. Change can be frightening, but it’s what keeps us alive as a species. His ends his speech, and music mixes with the cheers . . .

Sounding good is unquestionably the most crucial element for a record to possess, but this one has importance, as well. White Men Are Black Men Too is the newest full-length from the universally-minded Young Fathers, a trio of artists from Edinburgh, Scotland. This album is a smorgasbord of contrasting genres, but it’s the wide-ranging and all-embracing mentalities that make these songs distinct, fresh, and significant.

Throughout these twelve diverse tracks, these eclectics dabble in raucous hi-hop, jangly rock, sultry r&b, and more than a dash of catchy pop melodics. Some of it is reminiscent of Animal Collective’s primal minimalism; some of it rides the improvisational krautrock train of artists like TV On The Radio; some of it even tinkers with experimental production nuances in a similar vein as The Avalanches. It’s all over the damn place.

The lyrics are where that ‘importance’ element really kicks in. The album’s title is a controversial one, but these visionaries address the questions raised by it, and pose many inquiries of their own in the process. It displays frustration and triumph in potent ways, and invokes a fire of communality that’s vital to our existence. If you’re seeking controversial, forward-thinking, eclectically-produced music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)