Audiopile Review: F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said: “there are no second acts in American lives.” What’s less well known is that this statement caused a portal to open in the spacetime continuum. An outlandishly robed gentleman stepped out of said vortex and handed Fitzgerald a drink. “Hold my beer”, said the outlandish gent. “Who the devil might you be?” exclaimed a perplexed F. Scott. Quoth the gent: “I’m Ishmael Butler aka Palaceer Lazaro aka Butterfly. I will make some of the most important rap records of the 1990s as a member of Digable Planets. Then, in the 21st century, I’ll come back with the experimental hip-hop project Shabazz Palaces. We’ll release a series of incredible albums on Sub Pop, the best of which will be 2014’s ‘Lese Majesty’. You’ll love it. The first song sounds a bit like ‘Slow’ by My Bloody Valentine. Anyway, it’ll be such a classic that Sub Pop will treat it to a 10th anniversary edition on red and black vinyl. So, y’know… Pretty good second act.” Fitzgerald, who was a little tipsy to be honest, thought about this for a while and said: “I don’t exactly know what any of that means, but it sounds marvelous. Would you like your drink back?” He may have been wrong about the second acts thing, but he was right about ‘Lese Majesty’ sounding marvellous.

2xLP is a 10th anniversary edition LP pressed on red with black vinyl.

Herein bumps and soars Lese Majesty, the new sonic action of Shabazz Palaces. Honed and primal, chromed and primo. A unique and glorified offering into our ever-uniforming musical soundscape. Lese Majesty is a beatific war cry, born of a spell, acknowledging that sophistication and the instinctual are not at odds; Indeed an undoing of the lie of their disparate natures.

Lese Majesty is not a launching pad for the group’s fan base increasing propaganda. It is a series of astral suites, recorded happenings, shared. A dare to dive deep into Shabazz Palaces sounds, vibrations unfettered. A dope-hex thrown from the compartments that have artificially contained us all and hindered our sublime collusion.

These reveries were sent to Palaceer Lazaro and Fly Guy ‘Dai in the year of gun beat battles in excess; In a succession of days, whilst walking in dreams and in varied transcendental states….(every minute of every day is filled with observation and composition. In action). Songs are committed and gathered by robots at Protect and Exalt Labs, a Black Space in Seattle, Washington.

The visual features of Lese Majesty are resultant of the gleanings of fellow Constellationaire, Nep Sidhu.

The Black Constellation squads up, protects and exalts the messages within, and colludes accordingly. We thank you.