It was my favorite record of 2008, so I suppose I'm inclined to overstate the influence of a stray line from Why?'s Alopecia. Nonetheless, Yoni Wolf endorsed the sprawling catalogue of producer David Madson aka Odd Nosdam on "A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under" by deadpanning, "rain goes perfect with a Nosdam mixtape." Sure as hell got me interested. And then Nosdam's first record since then is... a soundtrack to an Element skateboarding video that I'll probably never see. And all I know about skateboarding is what I unwittingly picked up hanging with the only other kids in high school who listened to Ma$e and Dr. Octagon.
Strange as it sounds, that's actually a decent set of coordinates for T.I.M.E. Soundtrack, which has just enough polish and structure to appeal to those who aren't typically checking for Anticon's version of weirdo hip-hop, but enough of a crate-diggers vibe to please those who are. It's less a mixtape than an appropriately compartmentalized series of segments, each long enough to establish mood but never outstaying its welcome. Though Nosdam always takes the opportunity to introduce new and often sensuous textures and elements in each track, he never strays far from a grainy boom-bap that provides enough muscle to justify Element's decision to keep Pennywise out of this one. The synth sound that links "T.I.M.E. In" and "T.I.M.E. Out" splits the difference between Swizz Beatz and Heatmakerz, but in the latter portion, it's cooled down by ribbitting tremolo guitar. Meanwhile, the happy-go-lucky bass lick on "Fly Mode" is the sort of thing that could sell a Volkswagen, and the rollicking guitars on "We Bad Apples" functions as a tip that Nosdam might have as much of a stake in making pop music than something to spit 16 over.
And yet, for all of the urgency it's supposed to give way to, T.I.M.E. still can sound less like something being played by an audio device as something revived from your memory-- the two biggest influences here are dust and shadow, not just the physical properties, but the capital letter versions with the addendums "-Brothers" and "DJ-." Amidst so many tasty morsels, "Top Rank" can feel like a clearinghouse at first, a five-minute exploration jammed right into the middle of T.I.M.E. In a good way, it reminds me of how "Kingdom Come" bisected the Mae Shi's HLLLYH-- essentially, it's an exploratory roll call of all the good ideas interspersed throughout-- dubby bass, the sort of snowdriven guitars heard on The Campfire Headphase, hooky vibraphone. If you're looking to find a mood that T.I.M.E. could be classified under, look no further than the title of the self-explanatory "Ethereal Slap".
I guess it's indicative of my own ignorance on the topic, but the line that always keeps popping into my head is Steve Malkmus' tossed-off yet evocative "Out on my skateboard/ The night is just humming." In a way, it works-- T.I.M.E. is as visceral or cerebral as you'd like. While it's easy to imagine people pulling killer kick flips or whatever in your mind's eye while the album is playing, the music itself has enough forthrightness and inventiveness to be one of the year's most enjoyable, if low-key, surprises.
