On the verge of big things, D-Sisive suddenly disappeared from the scene. New single “Brian Wilson” is a heavy, rockin’ jam that details just what happened, from his big ego to laziness to the death of his father. It bumps hard but it’s no less touching for it. Only slightly more mellow is “Kneecaps,” which goes back a little further into D-Sisive’s birth as an MC, the death of his mother (which inspired his first release, J.A.C.) and the subsequent impact on both himself and his father. An organ-heavy dirge, “Laundry Room” highlights the hermit-like existence of our boy in a room, while short outro “Lights Out” examines the thoughts that run through his head while hiding there. He also disparages the life of an artist on “Intro [The Story of an Artist]” over a self-produced (as Orville Knoblich) “beat” composed of just piano, static and a bit of singing, and takes a humorous look back on his youth on the only comedic song on the album, the fun and funky “ThisIsWhatItSoundsLikeWhenWhiteboysListenToHipHop.” The other two songs, another organ-heavy dirge (“Up”) and a sanctioned hijacking of Tom Waits’s “Underground” (“Ambulance”), shy away from the personal but maintain the downer mood of the rest of the album. Those longing for dark, depressing hip-hop of a very personal nature need look no further than D-Sisive’s The Book (an acronym for “The Ballad of Orville Knoblich”).
What have you been up to since your attempt to get a major label deal fell apart?
Hiding. Afraid of the world. I got called to tour in the UK with Abdominal and DJ Format for a year. Came back ready to take over the world — again! Then my father got sick. Goodbye outside.
Do you feel like you’re starting all over again?
I’m definitely starting over again. Over the past six years I’ve started over again a few times, but I’d give up. It was difficult maintaining the energy to want it. I was consumed with so much personal bullshit that writing songs kept dropping on my priority list. And when I’d get some sort of spark, it would take a few minutes to think of something that would fuck up the whole process.
As an artist known for being both humorous and personal, why is The Book so dark?
I wasn’t in the mood to be funny. I was tired of being the court jester full time. I was going through some dark shit. Weird thoughts. Being funny was the last thing on my mind. Though the humour does poke its head out a little in my songs, I wasn’t feeling that angle for this project.
(Urbnet)
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