Tropidelic – Heavy is the Head
Tropidelic is a six piece funk/reggae/rock/hip hop band out of Cleveland, Ohio. If you listened to their music prior to hearing their backstory, you would never guess they hail from Ohio. Tropidelic has the hippie/island vibe similar to bands such as Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and Dirty Heads. Being a band that has the ability to create music that gives off varying vibes, it is no surprise that each member is influenced by a different type of music. Some members are hip hop heads, some into metal, some into funk; but one thing is clear, they all have a strong passion for making music.
In November of 2017, Tropidelic released their newest album, Heavy is the Head. When asked about the album, band member Roads stated “our socio-political views vary as much as our musical tastes and always seep into the music. There’s certainly a lot that needs said, but on this record we tried to be well-rounded and touch on a broad scope of emotions.” The album starts off with Leviathan, a slow paced song that begins with the simple chanting of “ohhhhhhh”. The vocals calmly begin right over the chanting; “Where did you go, down to Virginia cross the bridge it looked a lot like Leviathan, travel the coast but I was tied to the whipping post, so I’m getting high again.” With the ending of that line, additional vocal instrumentals are introduced into the song. It is so cool that the entire first minute of the song’s instrumentals are all through vocals. It isn’t easy to capture the attention of someone through vocal instrumentals alone which is probably why it is so rarely attempted. Lucky for us, Tropidelic had no problem doing so!
Leviathan is followed by Hey Now, a song that heavily represents the band’s influence by Pepper. I love the mix of drums, bass, guitar and horns on this song. It gives off the funk/rock vibe with hip hop style vocals that Tropidelic fans fell in love with when they first came on the scene years ago. Highs and Lows (my favorite song on the album) is the third track on Heavy is the Head. I absolutely love this song because it oozes positive vibes from start to finish. The song begins by describing the emotional rollercoaster one goes through when life has you down. Will things ever get better? Could things possibly get any worse than they are now? Highs and Lows is included on this album to remind us that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. “Shake, shake off the cold. Shake off the dust. Break with the old. Make no mistake, these two shall pass. All of your woes will turn into laughs. Just keep the faith, stay on the path.”
Heavy is the Head has a track list of songs that radiate good vibes and warm welcomes. This cross-genre filled album has a little something special for every fan. Songs like Offer it Up and Festival Girl have that acoustic island vibe that can be heard on any beach during the summer or at any backyard bbq. One of the most creative and original songs on the album, The Recipe is unlike any other song you’ll hear nowadays. The song begins with the strum of a bass and the repetitive snapping of fingers. When I hear this song I picture being in the basement of a speakeasy, listening to jazz and drinking whiskey. With the jazz vibes of the snapping fingers, bass strum, saxophone background and hip hop type vocals, The Recipe is a song that will definitely (if not already) be a fan favorite. Tropidelic ends the album by going back to their reggae hip hop roots with the album titled song, Heavy is the Head. This song is a great ending, as it shows that the band did not forget where they came from. The song reminds me so much of one that can be found on one of Dirty Head’s earlier albums.
Tropidelic is a band that will soon be a household name. Band member Rodes said that “we pride ourselves in being original in our musicality and personality as a band but also in not taking ourselves so seriously that it ruins the fun.” From the varying styles presented on each album that Tropidelic has released since they came on the scene, it is obvious that they are still having fun with their original musical personality! Make sure to grab yourself a copy of Heavy is the Head today!