Lushlife | Photo by Megan Matuzak for WXPN
An Experimental Musical Dreamscape: Listen to Lushlife’s “The League of Frightened Men”
Late last week, Philadelphia rapper Lushlife released the intro track to his forthcoming EP No Dead Languages, which will be made available on October 7 via Bandcamp. The song, “The League of Frightened Men,” spans an impressive and immersive eight minutes. The length sounds intimidating, but Lushlife takes listeners on an ambient journey that doesn’t appear to include any of his own vocals.
The song begins with the introduction of archival audio of a man speaking about the anti-anxiety properties of certain drugs that are never explicitly named. The track is carried by speedy percussion played on loop that gives the track a nineties kickback feel, an energy that isn’t an unusual find in Haldar’s music.
Lo-fi vocals appear periodically, adding to the experimental musical dreamscape. The end of the track features additional audio commenting on the uses of psycho therapeutic drugs accompanied by Haldar’s scratching in the background – another nod to the rapper’s penchant for musical styles of the nineties.
Give the track a listen below. Lushlife is on tour with Blackalicious for the next month; check out the dates below.
Tour Dates w/ Blackalicious
Sep 27 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
Sep 28 – Gabe’s Oasis – Iowa City, IA
Sep 30 – The Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS
Oct 02 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Oct 04 – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI
Oct 06 – The Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI
Oct 08 – Skully’s Music Diner – Columbus, OH
Oct 09 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH
Oct 11 – Iron Works – Buffalo, NY
Oct 12 – Rum Runners – London, ON
Oct 13 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON