blunted on reality

The New Age – “Novus Ordo Seclorum” Review

Posted on 15. Oct, 2009 by Sam in Albums, Music, Reviews

In addition to accepting new music in my e-mail inbox, I have found that “keeping my ear to the Tweets” is a pretty good way of finding about new artists, mixtapes & albums. Twitter was the way I found out about a new trio from Philadelphia, The New Age & their debut album Novus Ordo Seclorum – The New Age Order. The group consists of lead MC Traverse, DJ C-Sharp, and Grand Master Burner on drums. Blending genres, they describe themselves as “Hiptronic Electrohop”. It’s a mouthful, but the music backs up the complexity of the description… it’s a mixture of hip-hop, electronica, live drums, and even a guest appearance on bass by the legendary Chuck Treece.

The New Age is signed to IXiiV Records (that’s “9 2 5″ for those of you not steeped in your Roman numerals), a label looking to revolutionize music downloads with something they call a “Hoodie”. I received a CD booklet, but in order to obtain the music, I had to log into the label’s website and enter a 10-digit code. Once I downloaded & opened the zip file, I found a lot more than just music waiting for me… the download included the full album, a music video, several image files & even ringtone-ready .mp3 & .m4r files… kind of like getting a “Deluxe Edition” CD from the store. To learn more about Hoodies, check out this YouTube video. Now, on to the album…

Novus Ordo Seclorum – The New Age Order starts off with “Godspeed”, a track that begins with a slow, deliberate drum beat and what sounds to be a slowed-down sample of Zombie Nation’s “Kernkraft 400″ as a backdrop. Traverse’s flow is a little lazy at first, but as the chorus transitions to the second verse, the beat speeds up… similar to going from 33RPM to 45RPM on a record player… and Traverse sounds much more at home flowing over the faster beat. It kicks up in speed yet again (78RPM?) for verse three, and Traverse rides right along, not missing a beat. Definitely a solid way to start the album off.

The album’s title track comes next… “Novus Ordo Seclorum”. A rumbling timpani arrangement backs the primary live drum beat & creates something you might expect to hear during the latest Jason Statham action flick. Again, Traverse lays rapid-fire vocals over the beat. A good track, but not high point of the album… the vocals dominate and the bass is a bit hard to find. This could be the fault of my headphones, but most of the other tracks on the CD had a good balance of highs & lows.

Among other highlights are “Notice”, which does some new things with the oft-used Isley Brothers “Footsteps in the Dark” sample, “Take ‘Em Back”, which features South Jersey’s P-Rawb and perhaps the best production on the album. “Urban Cowboy” reminds me of something I might have heard on Crucial Conflict’s The Final Tic (in a good way), and Traverse’s faux-Western accent is pretty well-done. “Girls On Bikes”, the first single from the CD, is quite catchy, although the live drum track could use a little boost on the levels. “All That and More” is an enjoyable tune that could be more enjoyable with a stronger vocal performance from Miss Tara on the hook. I’ve never heard her sing before, but her vocals here are bit soft for the forceful beat.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The New Age – Notice

On the flip side, there are a few tracks that I consider a swing & a miss. The Southern-tinged “Puma Boys” doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the album with the synthesizer-heavy production. “Camera Phone” is… yep, a song about taking pictures of a woman on a camera phone, regardless of consent. Again, it sounds like this is geared toward fans of Southern rap, with a much slower beat and the screwed chorus. “Prepare For Glory” is probably the best example of the mixture of electronica & hip-hop, but it’s just not my thing.

Overall, this is a pretty solid debut album & I look forward to hearing more from The New Age in the future. If anything, I’d like to hear a little more live instrumentation on future efforts… they have a pretty talented drummer in Grand Master Burner and he could be complimented by other live musicians in addition to C-Sharp on the wheels.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The New Age – Take ‘Em Back (feat. P-Rawb)

For more information on The New Age, including how to purchase Novus Ordo Seclorum – The New Age Order, visit IXiiV Records website.

Tags: dj c-sharp, grand master burner, hiptronic electrohop, hoodies, IXiiV Records, miss tara, novus ordo seclorum, p-rawb, Philadelphia, the new age, the new age order, traverse