DJ Shadow has been a force in music since the release of his seminal album Endtroducing in 1996. The producer’s latest double-sided LP, Our Pathetic Age, adds to his impressive catalog. The first side of Our Pathetic Age is completely instrumental production while Shadow collaborates on the second with artists that include Run the Jewels, Nas, Pharoahe Monch Pusha T, De La Soul and more.
DJ Shadow explained in a statement the reasoning behind naming his new LP Our Pathetic Age:
“More than anything, I try to get a sense of the mood of society as a whole. The subtle signals that humans send each other, the way people behave, their frustrations and ebbs and flows. In my part of the world, people are scared. There’s rampant homelessness, and a real fear of falling into generational poverty. People are addicted to, and addled by distraction; they’re angry and confused, and disaffected by their own governmental institutions. There’s songs that are inspired by this energy and seek to harness it, to make sense of it. In some cases, there’s attempts to salve the wound; in others, the songs merely observe but don’t offer solutions. Despite the title, it’s a hopeful, vibrant album…there is always light in darkness. I want it to reflect the times we live in, a signpost in the ground to mark the era…Our Pathetic Age.”
Source: Dancing Astronaut
