A New Left - Midnight Maneuvers (Feat. Ten Fold)

Hear The Track Here

I first came across New Jersey based Hip Hop producer A New Left when I reviewed Copasetic (May 2008) which also featured Tenfold . Can't say I was that excited about what I heard on Copasetic, it was all a bit too derivative for my tastes. Despite all appearances to the contrary, I do in fact like hip hop a lot, but I suppose I am a bit hard when I think that the track either isn't any good or even - as in that case - a bit lack-luster. Making hip hop (especially when good equipment isn't available) can often be a noisy, disjointed affair but hey if the track is there even someone as dumb as me can see its worth trying because of that.

For my money, a lot of the drag I felt on this track initially, made me compare it to Copasetic but a couple of plays soon dispelled that impression. Sure it has some of the pitfalls but - on the whole - this is a much more adventurous prospect. Not sure how this musical track came about and there is no information whatsoever on the song but it's a slick peice of kinda/sorta jazzy licks set you a fairly pedestrian beat. The suspect, I feel, for the initial impression of the track dragging the first time or two I heard it.

Rap, in my experience, is a personal preference and again one I have liked for many years so I'm probably super critical about what I like and don't like. A New Left hasn't done that to me yet, but the way things are going it may become a problem. As interesting and varied as the musical backing is, the rap doesn't really push the same buttons. Quite why that is, I'm not sure, but I did think a lot of the flow wasn't really quite on the money. There again, this is an overtly commercial kind of rap delivery, and I'm definitely not much of a fan of that. Ultimately it's that mismatch between music and rap that did the track in for me though.

There again, what do I know?