The Thousands

Thirteen years is a long time to go without releasing an album. I mean, thirteen years ago I had just discovered the joy of self-love. I had just stopped being afraid of the dark. I had just learned how to take those massive bong hits like Ghostface Killah. Music was different back then. Flute solos were a serious and beautiful component of the song. But now there isn’t a flute to be heard. It’s all semi ironic ukulele strummers and completely serious, but equally ridiculous, accordion pushers.

Once you realise the gravity of thirteen years, the point here is that Gil Scott-Heron has resurrected himself out of the coke-induced coma he’s been in for that period of time and gotten his ass back into a studio.

This man is a legend. One of the few people credited with helping to create rap. He helped create a whole fucking genre! And it wasn’t some Miles Davis fusion bullshit! This is the guy that wrote ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ twenty years before it was grafitti’d all over the toilettes at Supermild. He is a cultural force, and according to The Guardian, his new album is one of the decade’s best records…already.

While it might be a bit early to be making those claims, I’m New Here is definitely a powerful reminder of the importance and lasting ideas that have come – and continue to come – from this champion of the ‘60s and ‘70s.