Reverb and the Verse

Reverb and the Verse isn’t the first act to bring together hip-hop with experimental electronic music. The lyrics that flow across this release aren’t just rapped, though; they’re delivered like a soul song. “Split” sounds like what might have happened if Trent Reznor had tried his hand at hip-hop a song or two beyond “Down in It.” But it’s this band’s willingness to move in and out of a mood and style from song to song that keeps D.E.P.T.H. C.H.A.R.G.E.S from wearing thin inside its sprawling eighteen tracks. “Even Deeper,” especially with Tisha Luna’s vocals, would be a modern example of trip-hop; so would a number of other tracks on this album, for that matter. But mostly, what we have here is a straightahead hip-hop album made by people aware of the mainstream’s shortcomings.