The Four Owls - Natural Order Album Review

  This is the one we have all been waiting for. Ever since "Natures Greatest Mystery" The Owls have had massive success both as a unit and as solo artists. Over the past three years that followed the last album the group have been dropping solo projects and touring the world helping to raise the profile of the ever evolving High Focus record label and the whole UK Hip Hop movement. During the many live shows they have been doing over the last few years we have been teased with new music and the promise of a new album, the wait is now over and The Four Owls have gone all out on this one. "Natural Order" is set to make another massive impact for The Owls and with the quality of the the content through out, rightly so.

 After an impressive debuet album the pressure is on to back it up with something special and they mange to do that in style. Not only is this easily their best work to date but they managed to secure America's king of hip hop production Dj Premier to produce "Think Twice",  the second single to be released ahead of the album. This is special with in its own right for so many reason and shows us how far they have come and elevated their game. UK Hip Hop has had a big resurgence over the past 3 Years and it is no coincidence that "Natures Greatest Mystery" dropped around the same time so we are excited to see what happens now. They have helped create the buzz around UKHH and now it seems to be the perfect time to drop some thing new and blow all of our minds again. A task they seem to execute to perfection not only with the lyrical content but with the beats too.  Here are our first impressions.

  The album opens up with Rice Torture and after a brief guitar and organ riff we are reintroduced to the kind of presence only The Owls can bring. Leaf Dog brings the bars first, followed quickly by BVA. The beat is centred around organ and brass samples with that phat production sound that has made Leaf Dogs style so distinctive and loved all around the world. Fliptrix takes the next bars leaving Verb T to play us out. If this track is anything to judge the rest of the album by, the next fifteen tracks will be a breeze to review.

Silent Flight EP - iTunes Download

 We don't need to say much about this tune, as we're sure you've already got a copy of it. If not, we've provided the official video to 'Silent Flight' above and a link to the iTunes download of the EP that includes 'Old Earth' and instrumentals for both. The trippy visuals feature the the Owls in their true form as animator EZPZ manages to capture the personas of each emcee. Next it's 'Feels Great' and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Uplifting and full of that summer time vibe that everyone craves. This tune heavily promotes positivity and good living through the simple things in life and highlights how grateful the Owls are for all their fans support.

                                  Think Twice ( featuring DJ Premier) - Bandcamp Download

                                          Think Twice 12" Pre Order - High Focus Records

  The second single to be released from this LP is 'Think Twice' featuring the legendary producer from the US, DJ Premier. We have already put up a post about this release but feel we need to reiterate how insanely huge this colab is. DJ Premier is known worldwide as one of the best beat makers associated with hip hop having worked with an impressive array of artists over the years but is most renowned for his work with Guru under the name Gangstar. The Owls have presented us with one of the best UK/US crossovers we have have ever heard and this is sure to bring them even more worldwide recognition. You can pre order a limited edition 12" of the single including a remix from Leaf Dog, another track from the album, instrumentals for all three tracks and an acapella of 'Think Twice'. This, of course comes highly recommended. As expected the Owls fully hang with Premier on this one and it is easily a stand out track on the album.

  Not to be outdone by the gravitas of the previous banger, Leaf Dog follows it up perfectly with 'Pay The Price', a beat so nod worthy it is sure to send a few brares to hospital with whiplash. You can literally feel every pluck of the jazzy bass line and Leaf demonstrates excellent sample work with cleverly placed piano and vocal chants.

"If your getting to big for your boots, then you pay the price.

 Never man up and wanna tell the truth, then you pay the price.

 Always coming up with an excuse, then you pay the price.

 You pay the price. Then you pay the price."

  Everything so far has banged and this next one doesn't let up. Smooth bass and trumpets are swallowed up by the Owls on 'Defiant'. In the hook the owls go into detail about being resilient in the face of adversity and how they are constantly evolving as artists. The verses back this up and give us an insight into the owls growing up and the roads they took that helped lead them to where they are now. Next we have "Control" and the beat has a mellow vibe giving the album more depth when it comes to the moods of the tracks and this is awesome. Leaf Dog reminds us why it's important not to become complacent in your style, to continue to give the fans more variety resulting in a more dynamic arrangement of beats. The Owls take a slightly more relaxed approach to their delivery on this one matching the beat perfectly and this is finished off with a sick hook. Another banger in the bag.  The Four Elements snaps us out of the mellow mood provided from the last song with a stomper that bursts straight into life accompanied by Leaf Dog on the first verse. Using story telling as their weapon of choice each Owls take on the form of one of the four elements. 

'Dawn Of A New Day' is the first song on the release to feature a guest MC. Smellington Piff (The Vulture) joins the gang on this one showing us why he is signed to RLD Records and the respect that he and the Owls have for each other. Verb T opens up the track with his signature laid back style alluding to his personal opinion on what it is to sell out, followed by Fliptrix who immediately demands your attention with the words, "Many man are up in the manor, Chatting bollocks, acting like they cop the product, but they never open their wallet." Leaf Dog is up next utilizing clever wordplay from the get go; "We're here to help the movement like muscle therapy, with more stoneheads than an old cemetery". BVA comes in next with a sharp, veracious deliverance explaining why the Owls are at the top of their game and how he believes they cannot be touched on the scene right now (which we totally agree with). This is all wrapped up nicely with tight bars dropped by the guest emcee Smellington Piff who closes the track with a perfect quote "...When they're dead and gone ain't nobody gonna remember them. When we're dead and buried the music will resurrect us.... The early bird will get the worm, Fours Owls and the vulture watch the tables turn." A great track to showcase the first guest feature emcee.

  When you read the words "Featuring Dirty Dike", you know there is a good chance that the track will be A - a banger and B- probably going to be a lot harder than the tracks that proceeded it. All boxes are ticked in "Assassination". The beat matches the aggy vibe of the track and all five emcees fully smash it. Instead of going into to much detail and spoil it for you, we thought we would give you each emcees opening bar to wet your appetite, and no more. Just trust us, this track is fully sick!

" Step inside the building and I'm walking like a killer,

Looking for the others thinking that no one is iller ,

Wrapping up the bodies then I lock them in the chiller,

 Falling like Frazier when he lost it in manila."

Verb T

  "So sharp I cut silk in the river leave your head gone before you see a shadowy figure."

Leaf Dog

"Slay with tongue, not the type to wave a gun, hit your pressure points walk away calm don't run."

BVA

"I'm killing slappers kids animals and rappers, 

Casual as a bag of balls slapping off your sagpus."

Dirty Dike

"I assassinate lacerate and decapitate, hack you up with raggo rage wrap you up in some gaffa tape"

Fliptix.

 Assassinate really does step it up and everyone performs to the highest level. This is seriously good. We also wanted to say that Fliprix displays so much skill in his delivery throughout this one and switching the pace at the end, making it sound easy. As the track finishes we jump into the organ intro for "Ain't like that" which switches the beat up instantly giving a more funky and feel good effect to the song. In this one we take a trip down memory lane with the owls as we hear how things used to be. Loving the beat and feel on this one, a great example of the sound we have come accustomed to and love, when the Owls make music together.

   After an ambient intro the beat drops straight in with 'The Drama', a jazz infused guitar/keys riff and swung out drums with a hook that perfectly sums up the theme of this track. Drama is going to happen no matter what, how we chose to deal with it is ultimately what shapes us. Each Owl gives us an example of how they chose to handle situations that they have faced, and may have deterred them from moving onwards if handled differently. 'Open Book' is the third and final track to feature a guest emcee and who else to help wrap up the second half of an already banging album than Jam Baxter. After the release of his last album "... So We Ate Them Whole", its a welcoming surprise to hear more of him and the synergy created between both the Owls and Baxter. 'Open Book' has a lovely twangy guitar sample completed with ethereal vocal harmonies that give the track a great soulful vibe and give us yet another example of how much variety the Owls have to offer.The intensity is ramped up with the next track 'Judgement', it opens with a thick violin section bringing in a heavy melody guaranteed to get you up and skankin' across your kitchen (or where ever it is you hear this.) With lyrics describing their views on the divides within societies and the cause and effect of being judged on the things you wear, music you listen to etc, the Owls bring us a vivid portrait of something we have either witnessed first hand ourselves, or at the very least can relate to.

 Old Earth was featured as a B-side of the first single to be release and if you've already purchased this, then you'll know that it features the instrumental for both tracks. We have provided a link with 'Silent Flight' towards the beginning of this album review for the iTunes download of the EP and you can check the video above. The Owls manage to close this epic release with a track so very different from everything we've heard up to this point. The versatility hasn't let up for a single moment and this last track 'Motivation' poses to ask you a question; what motivates us? Whether we do it for the right or wrong reasons, they praise those dedicated to their craft. A nice chilled one to end on a release that raises the bar exponentially.

  It really is an exciting time to be a fan of UKHH and these guys have been at the forefront of the movement for the last few years. The year has barely started and already we are presented with something that is sure to top all of the "best of 2015" lists for UKHH. This album fully backs up all the hype and will not disappoint if like us you have been eagerly awaiting this one. Everyone has stepped it up on the album, every thing is perfectly balanced when it comes to the tracks and we are expecting this to be a big hit. You can catch the second leg of the Natural Order album tour as soon as they announce more dates and we highly recommend seeing them live. The shows are always highly energetic and the group are just as good on stage as they are in the studio. We don't need to tell you how much you need this in your collection, the last two singles speak volumes and should be enough to tempt you into a pre order. If not, there is something very, very wrong with you.

Pre-Order Natural Order-limited edition vinyl
Bandcamp Natural Order DL pre-order 

Reviewed by Double S and NDLC.