Reviewed by Steve Hayes

The Custodians, from Birmingham's Zang Productions, drop a thoroughly underground, lyrically inventive and highly original piece of work. We are offered a project filled with some crunching breaks, clever samples and eccentric, innovative mixes ("Just Right Of The First Pin" being a good example). Thoughtful and deep wordplay flows flawlessly, like a parable (eg "Zombie Folk" with Joel playing with a number of concepts). We experience the Custodians' unique angle on a plethora of topics, with "Failure" the deadliest creature but finding "sanity in poems and painted my own canopy." Tracks like "Ex-Golf Pro" brings some humour, "Disheveler" is another track displaying lyrical wit, while the scratching and general underground production on "Pigeon-Holle XXL" makes for a fascinating listen. "Friday Night" brings another flavour into the already creative mix with acoustic guitar and great vocals moving into an ethereal worshipful moment. This one is definitely for the underground heads and takes some exploring. If you loved Michaelis Constant, you'll love this.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.