Among the great records released by Peanuts & Corn between Mcenroe's Ethics EP and his definitive Disenfranchised, the first album from Gruf deserves some special attention. In 2001, after he collaborated with Twisted Spirits, its successor Frek Sho, and Fermented Reptile, the bald rapper delivers one of P&C's most solid and consistent albums. Though Druidry is not overly original, it is deeply personal. And it produced by Mcenroe again, here at his very best.
This is the basis of hip-hop, its recipe for success: a perfect understanding between a rapper and his beatmaker. And though the P&C artists often master every side of their art, it rarely worked as well as with Druidry. There, Mcenroe displays some of his quietest and subtlest beats: deep basses, smart drums, sharp strings, an ethereal saxophone, impressionist piano sounds, and some jazz delicacies. And all of these fit perfectly well the serene flow of Gruf the Druid.
Yes, this is some conscious rap, with the downsides of the style. Sometimes, Gruf is into pontificating and sermonizing. He is a young guy who sees himself, much too early, as a wise man. And he likes to explore hazardous and shaky theories, like when he compares human to animal rights, or when he challenges the theory of evolution ("Age Of Ice").
Gruf, though, doesn't go too far. He raps in an interrogative mode, more than an assertive one. He is not dogmatic, he just thinks out loud, about unusual topics. A modern druid, or a hip-hop ecologist, he reminds humanity about its debt to the vegetals ("The Plants"), talks like a shaman about transmutations ("Awakeninghe"), questions the existence of UFOs ("Trust Your Senses") and tackles death penalty from the view of someone sentenced to it ("Payday").
Druidry doesn't have any outstanding track - with the possible exception of the atmospheric "Tooth And Nail", "Payday" and the sumptuous mandolin of "Awakening". But each rap is dense and pristine, and the source of a suave and durable pleasure. They make this record one of the best ever released by P&C; and, as a result, an indie rap must-have.