Digging on Dessa: A Badly Broken Code

There is never enough time in the day to give the Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene the credit it deserves. As much as the Twin Cities may seem to be a little Midwestern-bubble, we export talent like cheese and wine from the south of France. So, it should be no surprise that once again, one of our own has outdone not only the local music scene, but in my humble opinion, pretty much everyone else too. Dessa, the first and  only female MC in the Doomtree collective (POS et al), released her debut full-length album, A Badly Broken Code, last month and let me tell you, after just one listen, it was worth the wait.

First off, Dessa is one smart cookie. While her spoken word background could lend her to being the female, Midwestern, wonder-bread version of Saul Williams, she stands alone. Her poetry, unlike his, is less likely to deliver a forceful blow with one line and more likely to make a lasting impression by the sheer weight of lyrical intrigue, woven throughout each and every line, all fitting together to make a warm bowl of literary oatmeal that sticks with you long after the actual meal is done. There are, of course, some serious stand-out tracks, such as the autobiographical opener: "Children's Work," "Dutch," a crafty piece that solidly shows her Minneapolis hip-hop roots, and the chilling song "Matches to Paper Dolls," which not only showcases her lyrical aptitude, but her amazing voice as well.

What really stands out in Dessa's favor is the thought that has clearly been put into what exactly she says. It may seem strange, but in the world of hip-hop, what is said too often becomes less important than how it comes out. For Dessa, there are no throw-away lyrics; everything has a point and purpose, and the metaphors, literary allusions, and profoundly complex yet incredibly familiar stories she tells are in a league of their own. Who else could write a heart-wrenching song about playing second-fiddle in a relationship to, well, an actual fiddle ("The Chaccone")?

I've included links to some YouTube versions of a few tracks below, but if you enjoy A Badly Broken Code's intelligent ear-candy, I encourage you to go grab the album and help support one of the Shiver Cities' best.

-K