REVIEW: The Four Owls – ‘Natural Order’

I think you’d better think twice about this one. So DJ Premier advises before setting his fingers to vinyl for his contribution to The Four Owls’ second album: Natural Order. When we spoke to Verb T last week about the cut, he said that it had been a longer, harder and altogether bigger undertaking than their first album. He wasn’t wrong. Even the front cover, a lovingly simple four-way split between the matching masks of the group feels more delicate, better-thought out.

That’s not to discredit their breakout first album, Nature’s Greatest Mystery, it’s a damn fine LP, but that was a starter Pokemon and this is some Charizard shit. Prem’s opening statement could mean a number of things, it could mean that you shouldn’t assume that, simply by the token of being a UK hip-hop release, this album perches on some lower branch, or he could be advising that you simply relinquish all expectations. I’d say that the latter is better applicable. The Four Owls aren’t only a distinct, unique UK offering, they are like no other group in the history of hip-hop.

Nature’s Greatest Mystery was a spontaneous thing, a rough, raw outpouring of the talent High Focus has to offer. The four of them (Verb T, Leaf Dog, Fliptrix and BVA) have had time now to really grow into themselves both together and apart, they’ve collaborated with other artists, released solo material and toured across the world. Ever nanosecond of that transitional period is evident on this cut. They’ve really grown into their collective persona and rather than wasting time with bombastic declarations of being ‘back for round two’ or whatever, they get dive straight into the depths of sagacious, self-aware spittle.

“In my habitat on the tracks, it’s astounding. Feathers on my back that match the surroundings. Fans rush to the tours, get crushed in my claws, spit remains in the dust on the floor.” Verb T relays on ‘Silent Flight’, a track woven with natural imagery that cements an ever-present assertion that the Owl in the name is much more than a gimmick. The wisdom, the sharpness, the speed and the ferocity, it’s all there, clear as day. All four rappers feel distinct and the way they cycle and weave their rhymes feels as much like stage improv as music, it’s dramatic, unpredictable and it never stops changing shape. Verb T plays on grand, fascinating ideas with poise whilst BVA blasts you with a full-frontal assault and Leaf Dog rattles through his tight verses breathlessly. Since the last album, Fliptrix has cemented his ‘jeheeze’ catch-phrase and made it his signature. It reminds me of the pitched, excited barks of ‘CHECK’ that warn of an incoming Danny Brown verse.

Nature’s Greatest Mystery had a distinct air of celebration, this though, this feels more like consideration. It’s endlessly existential and it doesn’t shy away from really bringing the inner demons of the artists to bear. It usually takes hip-hop artists a lot more than 2 albums to reach the kind of self-questioning bravery that the Owls demonstrate here. On ‘Control’, the four of them all tangle with the pitfalls of addiction and the musician’s lifestyle whilst ‘Ain’t Like It’ provides a counterpoint to ‘Not Like Before’ from the first album. The earlier track focused on how much things had changed since the Owls were at school, recording bars in their bedrooms and dreaming of bigger things, whilst the new one reflects on how the times have moved on in a much broader context, and not necessarily for the better. The Owls are more secure in their position now than they were then, but they’re more weary, too.

That’s not to say that it’s all doom and gloom, there’s room for some joy in amongst the shadows. ‘Feels Great’ is a warm, welcome reminder of how thankful the group are to their fans and friends that doesn’t feel even remotely forced. Elsewhere on ‘The Four Elements’ the group rebrand themselves as fire (Leaf Dog), air (BVA), water (Fliptrix) and earth (Verb T), allowing them to delve into some phenomenally inventive wordplay (“the molten in the lava, my slang is yang energy, never let me near the breeze or you’ll see ten of me”) which ripples over a gorgeous, humming sample tone, occasionally punctuated with a murmur of New Orleans brass. The production is almost uniformly excellent, exploring a whole range of jazzy, soulful and spooky avenues. DJ Premier’s contribution remains the highlight though, as he manages to morph a two second excerpt from the score for the little known 1974 Michael Schultz film Honeybaby, Honeybaby by disco mainstays The Friends of the Distinction into something ominously reminiscent of some Lalo Schifrin or Bernard Herrmann thriller, with a potent beat thrown in for good measure.

Other guests on the album play their roles strongly too. Jam Baxter is riding on a similar wave to the Owls at the moment and his warm, measured style fits in well with theirs. Smellington Piff provides a blindingly good end verse for ‘Dawn of a New Day’, laced with political commentary and Dirty Dike turns up for ‘Assassination’ every bit as raw and outrageous as ever (there’s a line involving a reference to Boybands which I won’t spoil here, but it was responsible for a mouthful of tea erupting out of my nostrils). The Owls remains the stars of their own show, though, expertly exploring multiple layers of lyricism and never leaning back against more obvious topics (weed, summer, being unstoppable, weed, partying, the past, weed, festivals, influential emcees, weed). They are also admirably unafraid to demonstrate that sentimentality and heart have their place in hip-hop, particularly on ‘Old Earth’, when the four of them wistfully reflect on the difficulty of moving on and coping with loss. BVA shines on it, bravely recounting his fight to cope with the passing of his grandfather (“then the pen to the page, no need for the names, I’m sure they all watched me struggle writing this today.”). This is a remarkably mature album for a second outing, if the Owls can maintain this momentum from here on out, they will fast become one of the most important, essential hip-hop groups out there. Oceans be damned.

Natural Order will be released on the 12th of February, you can pre-order it here.