The Herd- The Sun Never Sets

This is The Herd's third album, released in 2006 as the follow up to An Elefant Never Forgets.

Unpredictable is to hiphop what Bei Mir Bist Du Schein is to swing! Both are brilliant thanks to the perfect integration of folk influences and the huge bouncing energy as the tempo winds up. It is perfectly described by Pandora: "hednodic beats". The highlight for me is the barely-controlled, anything-goes party madness, similar to Mischief.

Also, a quick rave about the recording quality. I really dig the meatier bottom end to the sound. Compared to An Elefant Never Forgets, it also features more layering and "smoother" basslines in many cases.

The infectious groove of Long Lunch nicely complements its wonderful narrative and message.

We Can't Hear You has fantastic "bounciness". Lyrics such as "His name is Junk John, his alias is a month long" are an amusing yet insightful tale of commercial music fame. And the following phrase about crowd heckling is an all-time favourite lyric of mine:
Don't get me wrong,
I love it when you answer.
But would you say "ho"
If I said Pauline Hanson?

Vastly contrasting this is the ballad Under Pressure. It is beautifully raw, and a particular highlight is the spine-tingling chorus. Similarly, Full Moon is a brilliant depiction of a desolate scene. The beat is quite catchy, yet nicely restrained to match the tale.

The first instrumental, Where is Everyone, is a nice chillout song. Later in the album, No Disclaimer is another nice interlude- this time a bit more bouncy.

Towards the second half of the album, my interest begins to wane. Apolyptica is a good execution of a slow, menacing style, but it isn't really to my taste. Nor are the drum'n'bass influences of Can't Breathe and Starship Troopers.

But then it bounces back in a big way with Mischief- my favourite song on the album. It perfectly captures a wonderful unplanned night of chaos. Also, the chorus is brilliantly infectious.

Another perfect combination of hiphop and folk is the cover I Was Only 19. The brilliantly emotive lyrics of original are nicely complemented with the catchy hiphop beat. However, I do prefer the recording from Triple J's Like a Version, which allows the guitar melody to shine through better.

Favourite songs

Unpredictable, Long Lunch, We Can't Hear You, Where is Everyone, Full Moon, Mischief, No Disclaimer, I Was Only 19

Worthwhile?

Absolutely. The bounciness and folk elements make this a wonderfully fun hiphop album. And the clever lyrics give it great meaning. Top stuff.