An abrasive and challenging album with a uniquely striking vision...
The cover art becomes increasingly unsettling the longer you let it linger in your mind. To interpret the eerie cover of billy woods’ hauntingly exceptional ‘GOLLIWOG’; the golliwog (an object deeply linked to systemic racism) is depicted in a horror film-like setting, a figure standing ominously in the trees with an unsettling smile. This effectively mirrors the album's tone, which connects the black experience with very real horror narratives.
While he has released lighter, more accessible works such as the impressive ‘Maps’ in 2023, billy woods' discography contains several challenging records. The dark and mesmerizing ‘Aethiopes’ from 2022 is filled with African instrumentation and violent lyrical themes, and his 2020 collaboration with Moor Mother, ‘Brass’, explored the haunted history of the black diaspora. The menacing ‘GOLLIWOG’ is among woods’ most confrontational releases, layered with the nuance of its exceptionally intelligent originator. As the child of a literature professor and a Marxist thinker, the philosophical underpinning of his latest full-length album is afro-pessimism, a theory positing that black identity is inherently and perpetually excluded from Western society.
It is important to recognize that woods’ wordplay is intricate and often obscure. His songs can tackle multiple subjects at once, intertwining (and occasionally diverging) like a jigsaw puzzle with too many parts. Although these 18 new tracks are dense, ‘GOLLIWOG’ showcases some of Woods’ clearest insights. ‘BLK ZMBY’ presents a provocative, post-colonial twist on the zombie narrative, while ‘A Doll Fulla Pins’ evokes images of a precarious life threatened by violence, reminiscent of Ralph Ellison’s influential novel Invisible Man, which casts a long shadow over this album. Two songs focusing on the family unit are particularly harsh; ‘BLK XMAS’ narrates the eviction of a family “a week before Christmas”, while ‘Waterproof Mascara’ contrasts horror tropes with scenes of genuine familial terror.
‘Waterproof Mascara’ includes one of the boldest production techniques you’ll encounter in any rap track this year. A sample of a woman weeping is blended with crackle and a haunting melody that repeats endlessly; it is both incantatory and disquieting, evoking the tragic, malevolent spirits from Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Other notable production moments include ‘Counterclockwise’, where The Alchemist combines moody guitars, sharp cymbals, and a vocal sample from Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis. ‘All These Words Are Yours’ features a dream pairing of avant-jazz artist Shabaka Hutchings and electronic producer DJ Haram creating a surreal yet violent track, merging soulful kick drums with ethereal whistles for a punishing, transcendent experience.
As these descriptions indicate, ‘GOLLIWOG’ is a demanding and abrasive album. woods’ afro-pessimist perspective on a world that is fundamentally antagonistic to every aspect of black life (family, history, spirituality) presents a lot to grapple with. Nevertheless, it is also a beautifully unique vision, delivered with thrilling intelligence and intense, gripping force. By the time you reach the concluding track ‘Dislocated’ (featuring woods’ frequent collaborator ELUCID), the final verse from the creator may bring you to tears. Mirroring Invisible Man once again, woods envisions himself as the album's namesake: “in the forest, face painted, fingertips black with charcoal”. Accompanied only by his partner, he resigns himself to “sleeping in the basement”, where he “can’t be located”. Hold your loved ones close; the unforgiving world of ‘GOLLIWOG’ is populated solely by “shadows” and “mosses”.
9/10
Words: Tom Morgan
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The cover art becomes increasingly disturbing the longer you allow it to penetrate your awareness. To provide one interpretation of the unsettling cover of billy woods’