Islander

The Tongue's previous album felt like an anomaly. Released in 2010, Alternative Energy's blend of dextrous wordplay, Neptunes-style production and unabashed commercial polish stood as a marked contrast to Australian hip hop's more traditional palette of soul samples, distorted guitars and 4/4 cadences. With 2013 follow-up Surrender To Victory, the Sydney MC has turned that anomalous approach into a winning formula.

“I'm very happy with it. I think it's my best album. At the very least, it's my most well-rounded,” man-behind-the-moniker, Xannon Shirley smiles. “I'm all over the shop, really. I'm not one of those rappers like 50 Cent where you know what the music is going to sound like before the record comes out. I'm all over the shop. I want to do a song about homelessness, I want to do songs about parties. I need a really broad sound.”

Inarguably his best effort, Surrender To Victory finds Shirley consolidating his various talents within one sprawling long-player. There are political cuts like Australian Dreaming, ballads like So Profound and outright bangers like Just You Wait. Producer Cam Bluff, meanwhile, sews together Tongue's varying approaches in a world-class tapestry equally indebted to American (Champion Sound), UK (Drums) and Australian (Understand) styles.

“All my other albums had multiple producers. This record was the first time I've worked with one producer from start to finish,” Shirley explains. “The album wouldn't have happened if I hadn't met him. His skill and enthusiasm made the whole thing possible. My main skill is lyricism. I can't create a song without a producer and I'm picky about beats. I don't rap to any old instrumental… I think he's going to be a force in Australian music for years to come. Just his variety of sounds and the polish he brings to his work. And making music is easy for him,” the MC laughs. “A lot of rappers have notepads full of raps where they write raps in the spare time. I don't have vaults of unreleased material. I literally can't start an album without a producer. So, I was really lucky that Cam was up for it, really.”

Shirley's work seems to stand outside that of his hip hop community. In some instances, he'll deliver politics and in others simply party music. He hasn't got a live band. Just a DJ. In spite of signing to one of Australian hip hop's most successful outlets in Elefant Traks, he doesn't chase radio any more or less than he spurns it.

“The last thing I'd want to do is put out a hip hop album that sounds like something that's already been done. If you're not being original with music, what's the point?” Shirley says. “I think that's what's good about the Australian hip hop scene at the moment. Sounds are becoming very defined. You know a Drapht track when you hear it. You know a Bliss N Eso track. You know Horrorshow…

“I've always had that pressure to make the best album that I can but I've never had a record label looking over my shoulder saying, 'Your last album sold X amount of records, equal that or you're dropped'. Elefant Traks basically trust that the artist knows what they're doing and just gives them a budget. Which is a very lucky situation to be in, really.”