Though
Chopped & Screwed is
Micachu & the Shapes' second album, it’s hard to call it a true follow-up to Jewellery's brilliant avant pop. This collaboration with
the London Sinfonietta brings the group’s experimental undercurrent -- as well as other aspects of
Mica Levi's musical background -- to the fore, taking these compositions in very different directions than their debut.
Levi studied violin and viola and wrote an orchestral piece for
the London Philharmonic Orchestra, but also has a keen interest in grime and hip-hop, and all of these elements are on display in
Chopped & Screwed. Even the album’s title reflects
Levi's roots in these styles; while these pieces aren’t chopped and screwed in the typical sense of the term, they are much slower and trippier than
the Shapes' previous work. “Everything”’s strong melodic and rhythmic thrust makes it a kissing cousin to Jewellery, but for every moment like that on
Chopped & Screwed, there are two more like “Fall,” a woozy, theatrical piece built on sawing strings. The album is also remarkably dark, even on the relatively catchy “Low Dogg,” which pairs a lunging string arrangement with lyrics like “twist my neck ‘til I snap.” Throughout,
Chopped & Screwed makes the most of
the Sinfonietta's involvement, whether it's the frenetic pizzicato on “State of New York,” the hushed woodwinds on “Medicine Drank,” or the way the strings mesh with the percussive elements of
the Shapes’ handmade instruments on “Freaks.” While it’s a far cry from Micachu's other work, her adventurous fans -- and fans of adventurous music in general -- will find
Chopped & Screwed intriguing at the very least. ~ Heather Phares