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Speech Defect
2008-05-08 Sala Apolo The words Swedish and hip hop don't exactly jump off the screen at you right? In the annuls of all that is cool I'm guessing no one ever collocated such words. For example how often have you heard American gangster rappers sending a shout out to Stockholm, Goteberg or Jonkoping? The truth is however that in recent years Scandinavia has been doing imitation much better than we have been creating, what with the awesome indie that is coming out of Norway and Sweden through bands like Kings of Convenience, Shout out Louds and The Concretes. As such I was more than happy to believe that any hip hop output would be equally as good. Taking up the well worn Beastie Boys' formation of three mcs and one DJ and also a heavy dose of the Manhattanite's sound they take stage claiming "I Wanna Do My Thing" before proceding to do just that. However, Speech Defect ultimately opt for more straightforward paths than Ad-Rock and company, mixing in a little soulful sampling and breezy low-impact beats on songs like "No Peace" before upping the tempo. Yet despite the serious title, their lyrics and style are refreshingly light hearted. Whether they be singing of former celebrities or new shoes, their lyrical observations hit the mark - check out "Toolrap" for their assumation of exactly where they fit in the hip hop spectrum. Live they are every bit the old school mc lineup doing what such bands do best. Think the Furious Five minus two and then imagine a trio of happy, natty Swedes who such a monicker could barely fit less for and you'd be somewhere in the right (neighbour)hood. Bouncing up and down on the stage in unison and egging the crowd on to do the same, it's not hard to feel encouraged. Much like a team of streetwise Butlin's redcoats, crowd participation is a major weapon in their arsenal as they work through such classic routines as "I can't hear you, you'll have to holla louda!" and the like. So it's also very easy to be cynical about such an act but at the end of the day (a very long day, as they don't even make it on to the Apolo's stage until gone three, after the thrill of watching the crowd's B-boy skills has become somewhat limited) Speech Defect are a very good band. Rounding off a very entertaining and competent hip hop set with their standout track from last album "Come for the Funeral, stay for the food," LA's Ugly Duckling backed "Superfuture" is a joy to hear. A new, fun, imitative yet original makeup from a band who sound the way you wish other far more successful bands still did. They've got me wondering what Sweden will come up with next - hmmm, how would Swedish reggae sound? We can only wait to find out.