Irony Is

Manchester's Wajid Yaseen, the man behind 2nd Gen, has little respect for traditions of techno, post-rock, hip-hop, and rock. He has tossed them all into a soup, added in a dash of arsenic-induced feedback, and has served it up to the general public with his first album, Irony Is. Fans of digital hardcore will notice Atari Teenage Riot-like break-up patterns and 2nd Gen's punk rocker sensibilities. "And/Or," the first single and 2nd Gen's best-known track, explodes with torrents of raucous white noise and unpredictable percussion. "Black Spring" showcases the diversity of Yaseen's potential, as it growls with blues harp and Thurgood-esque slide guitar — quite a stretch for a "dance album." Ultimately, the noise and musicality never feel quite satisfying, though. The harmonies never reach their potential, and the experimentalism never feels rewarding when fully digested. Nonetheless, the ambitious nature of the endeavor is noteworthy enough to merit a few listens, and Yaseen is definitely an artist to watch out for in the future.