Pop and hiphop are formulaic. Artists ascribe to three tenets - listen to what works on the charts, emulate it, and cross your fingers. This leads to a dilemma for music fans. When trends gravitate toward what you like, it’s great because you’ll be getting plenty of it on the radio. But when trends gravitate away from what you like, the music gets tedious for extended periods. Right now, I feel like we are in a musical recession, and even a recovery takes time.
That’s why Til The Casket Drops is a good album. It’s different from what we’ve heard in the last couple years, and it’s a bit of a throwback to the earlier part of the decade. Not overly introspective like Kid Cudi, and not mindless like Soulja Boy. The last time the Clipse really made waves was around 2002 with Lord Willin'
All the tracks are either solid, or at least interesting, but three of them really stand out:
Kinda Like A Big Deal features irresistible hand drums supporting a thick guitar riff that makes you feel like you’re in 1970s Kingston. On the flipside, the futuristic beats in Champion and Counseling are two of the freshest that I’ve heard from the Neptunes in years. Champion is sort of like a slowed down Drop It Like It’s Hot with those stuttered drum breaks, and Counseling is so clean and pristine, it should be on a playlist at a European ice bar.
Overall, I give Til The Casket Drops a 4.25 out of 5. Top notch flow and lyricism over top shelf beats is like syrup over pancakes, and I enjoyed almost every bite.
Listen to samples and download the album:
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment