2 HEADS The LP
– Director’s Cut
By
Nay 'n' Pand
The last time I featured these two together was on 2022’s The
Long Year EP, Which was produced by Panda and saw The Local Healers (Nay Loco
and Ty Healy) alongside Louis Cypher, and even back then they were working an
album together. That album would eventually come to fruition as this album
right here, 2 Heads The LP – Director’s Cut.
Now the reason this has taken a while to reach your ears is
that Panda and Nay wanted to bring you a true audible experience. But, please
let me allow Panda to explain, “the LP has been constructed in a way that
mirrors a feature film. There are twist’s and turn’s, hidden ‘easter eggs’ /
film references, and it is all essentially split into 3 act’s with Opening /
End credit theme’s and interval’s in an effort to keep you gripped from the
moment you press play on the first track right through to the end”.
So, with all that said, the anticipation levels are high and
I’m not gonna keep you hanging around but, just dive head long into the album,
so let’s go…
As you take your seat, the lights dim, and the room darkens. The curtains of your mind slowly open and music begins with the 2 Heads Prologue (Opening Credit’s Theme). This short intro has a nice head nod vibe that gets you into the groove of things as the piano serves to bring this light-hearted edge that gets you in a feel good mood. Feeling good, but maybe with a slight air of anticipation about what is to come, Yung, Handsome & Black kicks in with a beat that keeps the head in motion while the mix of horns, sees Panda get that pulse rate elevated just enough to get you focused on the vocals. Nay takes on the role of our protagonist, giving us an introduction to just who he is, while spinning things just enough that you wonder is he portraying an anti-hero or something more? While you are pondering that for just a moment, Veronica Caine joins proceedings for her first appearance on Cartoon’s. Panda brings us this very easy going vibe that perfectly emulates the sound that puts you in mind of watching cartoons on Saturday morning, back in the day. Nay and Veronica take us on a smile inducing trip through memories of an animated world where some of the craziest things happened, things that got you laughing. As you listen to the lyric’s, they get you thinking once more, is life really more of a cartoon than a movie? Consider it for a second but, but not too long because 32 Raws sees the horns and a more chilled beat, bringing a jazzy edge to the sound. Floating away to these easy sounds, you realise that this one is all about taking more than a few moments away from reality by taking a hit, or two, or more on one thing that can give you some respite from the daily grind. It might still be illegal right now but, perhaps times are changing? In fact, change, of a different kind, is something the end of the previous track alludes to, in which many couples are choosing to live together for longer, rather than get married quickly, and this brings us directly into the next track, Ain’t Married Yet. This features Veronica Caine on her second appearance alongside Nay. Here, the beat keeps that chilled edge but, with piano vibes accompanying a more head nod sound. This one looks at how love and family life can grow deeper and take its time to bloom. Not everyone decides to jump straight into marriage and that is something that is down to the individuals, and for some taking that time can forge a strong relationship that stands the test of time.
Ya Don’t Stop (Act 1 into Act 2) is our first
instrumental interlude from Panda. A heavy but laid-back sound that gives you a
minute to nod your head to and consider where this one might be headed. Act 1
has given us an introduction to things, an overview, if you will, of our
protagonist. What comes next is bound to open things up a little and we wait
with bated breath. Act 2 begins with Saint or Sinner as Panda brings us
a laid-back sound of bass and piano elements with this drum beat that brings a
deeper edge to things giving this one a reflective vibe. Here Nay seems to be
reflecting over his past, which has him caught up in a sense of purgatory,
wrestling with just who he really is? The message here is that your life is
what you make it and you need to choose the right path, one that is an
expression of your true self; allowing you know that you have lived life to the
fullest. Lost Folks changes the mood slightly, there is still a
reflective edge here but, Panda uses the beat and piano vibes to bring a more
personal edge to things. Nay grips that personal sound and takes us on a deep
journey through life, thinking of all those he has lost along the way,
reflecting on the good times and the bad. But the message here is that losing
those close to us can be a hard thing to deal with and leaves us with a sense
of emptiness, but it is important to remember them and to use those memories to
fill our hearts with love and to never loose sight of who we are, walking
forward with their essence still beside us, every day. That reflective edge
continues with Somehow, the mood here is lifted slightly with Panda
almost softening the beat into the background. The bass and guitars take the
forefront here, and this creates a sound that lifts the mood. Nay reflects that
lifting of the mood by speaking to his younger self about how all those
struggles and hard times being worth it. You just have to bide your time and
one day, in some way, and somehow, you will get that break and understand just
what all those moments meant to you and how they prepared you for the place you
are in now. Act 2 draws to a close with Kick A Rhyme 2. The first Kick A
Rhyme appeared on 2023’s Bamboozled EP by Pandamonium and Ty Healy, Nay’s
partner in The Local Healers. Panda brings a funky vibe that mixes bass and
other guitars with a solid beat and more that provides an injection of
adrenaline to the proceedings. This gives Nay the perfect platform to drop bars
and open up his lyrics, kicking it on whatever he wants to, while bigging up
Panda on the mix.
That sets it up perfectly for Me & My DJ (Act 2 into
Act 3) as Panda rounds off Act 2, giving us a moment to reflect. Piano,
heavy guitar riffs and banging drums bring a head nod sound that injects more
adrenaline and gives you the energy to muse on Act 2. Act 2 seemed to show our
protagonist reflecting over the past, wondering who he was as a person and
understanding how his past experiences have brought him to this point and made
him who he is, from a young man who may have been to be headed for self-destruction.
It was the music that gave him the chance to be here now and teaming up with
the right DJ has elevated things. With that thought in mind for Act 3, we find
Nay looking to the future with Where Do We Go from Here. Panda comes
with the Jazz fuelled sound that sees piano takes the forefront, giving us a
chilled sound to kick back to. Just like Dizzy Dustin on his album with Panda,
Nay finds himself stood at a crossroads in life. All the pain and suffering we
see around us, and even that we have lived through gives us food for thought as
the road in front of us finally clears, we wonder how we walk forward carrying
that heaviness. The answer is just to take some time to remember who we are and
find the strength to take that next step forward. As we consider that next
step, Panda ups the pace a little with How We Roll, bringing a more
pulse pounding sound that gives just the right energy for Nay to take that next
step. Nay takes the beat between his teeth here and brings more grit to his
delivery, giving us a look at someone taking his seat at the top of his game.
Channelling all that past energy into a future that he has fought hard to bring
to fruition, carefully honing his craft and polishing every aspect of his game
and taking his rightful place at the top. I Saw Ya, brings a real
laid-back vibe that changes the direction you thought the album might be
taking. Panda switches things perfectly here by creating a platform for Nay to
drop a track that speaks on the love he has for the love of his life. This is
another deeply personal dive into Nay’s life, something that shows how love can
help you change the direction of your life. That notion of change is explored
now with Change, where Panda brings in an upbeat Jazz vibe that has in
infectious sound that you can’t help but, move to. Nay looks at life and how
some can change for the better while others change for the worse, that is just
how life works as it evolves from the choices we make along the way. Some
changes are things that we intend, while sometimes things just change in an
instant but, one thing is for certain, change is always on the cards, it’s just
how we react to that change that sets up where we go from there. Finally, we
find ourselves at the end of the album, closing out with Until Next Time
(End Credit Theme). Here Panda brings the final interlude and signing off of
the album. As the curtains in our mind draw once more and we listen to this
funky little ditty, it sets us up with pondering over the entirety of the
album. Long after Nay & Panda are 5000 G, you are left thinking. We began
with Act 1 giving us snapshots of what was and had been happening, while Act 2
drew us in deeper, reflecting on life before finally coming to a crossroads and
looking to the future…
This album has been some ride, and I have to say that Nay
and Panda did a pretty damn good job in how they created and presented this
album. It takes you deep on many levels and while giving you a deep look at
Nay’s Protagonist, it also gives you enough room to come away thinking about
your own life. While keeping the enjoyment levels high and injecting just
enough to break things up along the way.
Nay shows a wide range of flows, wordplay and that ability
to bring deeply authentic, personal lived experience to the table, something
that allows you to really associate, on a personal level with the themes and focus
of each track. This gives Nay’s delivery a depth that makes you want to listen
intently to his lyrical content and to not want to miss a word of it.
Pandamonium just seems to evolve and mature with every
release he is involved with, be it solo or alongside another artist and here he
once again shows how that evolution as a DJ/Producer allows him to perfectly
emulate the sound that Nay is looking for to take the lyrics to a place where
the musical mood is balanced with that of the lyrics. He also, does all the
cuts, mixing, mastering etc, and that’s something.
It would be amiss of me if I did not give a mention to
Veronica Caine who appears in Act 1. She brings a nice balance to those tracks
with her delivery and wordplay. Something that not only brings that balance
but, also adds a little extra depth, giving you a different angle on things.
Together these guys have taken their time to craft a release
that is exactly what they were trying to deliver. 2 Heads is an album that is
crafted in such a way that I don’t think I have heard it like before. It
balances entertainment value with deep emotive content in a way that, you have
to listen to it in one go, just like if you were watching a movie, and if you
have to stop for snacks or to use the loo, you have those little interludes in
which to do so, once you pause it of course.
I really understand how It took nearly three years to get
this right, you can’t rush something like this, especially if you want to
deliver the depth of meaning that the album brings, and credit where credit is
due, the guys have done a masterful job here.
I don’t think there is much more for me to say except that 2
Heads The LP – Directors Cut, is a pleasure to listen to; and it was also a
pleasure to write to, as it was one of those listens that allows the words to
flow, and I love that. It is also released through Pandamonium's own imprint Label, BAMBOOM Records.
If you have not heard this one yet, then I advise you to
have a listen now. Plus, there are strictly limited cassette tapes available,
and I think there might be more physical versions coming soon too, so watch for
that.
My humble thanks to Pandamonium for letting me bring this
one to you, albeit a little late.
Enjoy, and I’ll see you next time.
Steve.
LINKS
One Link to grab the Album and more:
Nay Loco Socials:
https://www.facebook.com/ElNegroLocoNay
https://www.instagram.com/nayloconotts/
Pandamonium Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/pandamoniumuk/
https://www.facebook.com/djpandamoniumuk
https://www.youtube.com/@PandamoniumBeatsUK
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