"Alcohol" isn't the first track Chicago rapper Serengeti has released in collaboration with singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens and electronic producer Son Lux, but it feels like the start of something big. The trio's 2012 EP Beak & Claw, released under the name s/s/s was overly indulgent at times for the sake of experimentation, but its high points (particularly the amazing "Beyond Any Doubt") made their willingness to trust their creative instincts worth it. Any rough edges that might have existed on Beak & Claw have been sharpened into fine points that penetrate your consciousness from all angles throughout "Alcohol", the second single from their upcoming self titled LP Sisyphus set to drop on March 18 via Asthmatic Kitty and Joyful Noise.
Serengeti's rapid fire, stream of consciousness verses are sandwiched between him repeating the phrases "I am my mother's son" and "I am my father's son" and getting existential about his genetic makeup. Almost halfway through, the song shifts into a dynamic instrumental that is a fantastic display of Son Lux's unique sonic composition skills before Sufjan closes the song with refrain of "I am not my father" that seems to be seeping into the song from another dimension to offer an counterpoint to Geti's musings. All of this is intensified even further by a jaw dropping beat-synced slide show of pictures that puts the modern human condition on full display. This multitude of factors make watching the video for "Alcohol" a near spiritual experience, one that's hard to get out of your head and even harder not to revisit immediately.
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