James Pants - Welcome
[Stones Throw]

The Stones Throw roster has been a goldmine of top-drawer hip hop in recent years, with the likes of MF Doom, Madlib and J Dilla all having had material put out on the Californian label to great acclaim. Whatever your views on the “ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it” maxim, Stones Throw’s latest signing definitely underlines something of a departure for the label, with a certain James Pants arriving on the scene ready to rock out with a cool-ass truckful of electro-tinged tunes.

While the Washington-State artist’s surname will undoubtedly provoke a fair few sniggers on this side of the Atlantic, ‘Welcome’ is a multi-faceted debut record, never content with staying in one precise musical ball park for very long, consistently drawing as it does upon a wide range of influences past and present. For what is essentially a one-man project, it’s an admirably varied effort overall, with plenty of interesting nuggets to pick out along the way.

‘Crystal Lite’ is a laid-back combination of deep synths and Deon Davis’ R&B-friendly vocals, while recent single release ‘We’re Through’ sounds like a lost eighties underground classic thanks to its wondrous meandering bassline, jangly percussion and B-Boy undertones. The minimal beats and vocoder-laced refrains of ‘My Tree’ also stick out as an example of James Pants getting it very right, even when he keeps it relatively simple in comparison to other tracks such as the sample-filled funk jam provided by ‘Good Things’.

What is obvious about ‘Welcome’ is that it is a record of contrasts. Although James Pants’ overtly treasured synthesiser is the overriding force, it acts as a backbone for 42 minutes of experimentation and genre-surfing. As a result the album may not be suited to everyone’s individual palate, but given sufficient time and investigation it is inevitable that most listeners will unearth something to their liking, even if it comes in the form of one of the shorter, instrumental offerings.

As stated previously, it’s an undeniably diverse record, which demonstrates Pants’ commendable grasp of being able to create a broad musical spectrum without coming across as over-contrived. The presentation of such a mix does leave you wondering though, as to how a James Pants record might sound if it were contained within narrower margins, with more focus being placed on a particular style. Maybe a more concentrated approach lies in wait; for the time being the guy’s sheer range somehow appears to be part of his charm, and if the title of the LP is anything to go by, this is just the opening chapter, with plenty more to come.

‘Welcome’ Tracklisting:

1. Theme From Paris
2. Dragonslayer
3. Crystal Lite
4. Cosmic Rapp (Watch the video)
5. We’re Through (Free MP3)
6. My Tree
7. My Girl
8. Prayers Of The People
9. Good Things
10. I Choose You
11. Green Rivers
12. Finger On The Knife
13. Voodoo Caves
14. Ka$h (Free MP3)
15. You’re The One
16. Shower Party