Cold Vein

Cannibal Ox | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 15, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Definitive Jux
• ASIN: B00005BIVW
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,466 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Iron Galaxy

2. Ox Out the Cage

3. Atom (with Alaska & Cryptic Of Atoms)

4. A B-Boys Alpha

5. Raspberry Fields

6. Straight Off The D.I.C.

7. Vein

8. The F-Word

9. Stress Rap

10. Battle For Asgard (with L.I.F.E. Long & C-Rayz Walz Of Stronghold)

11. Real Earth

12. Ridiculoid (with el-P)

13. Painkillers

14. Pigeon

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cannibal Ox is the latest brainchild of Company Flow's El-P, whose lumbering, aggro-electro production on this album is as unique as a signature. Down-tempo and discordant, the beats sound like trip-hop gone to heaven and hell--some songs, like "A B-Boy's Alpha," have an almost angelic feel to them even as El-P soils his tracks with grit and grime. Others, like "Raspberry Fields," are chaos forced into unstable order--snaking synthesizer whines struggle to break free, rhythm sections run amok. This is a taste of the apocalypse turned aural. The music of The Cold Vein is so distinctive that, for a moment, you might forget that Vast and Vordul are actually rhyming on it, which is paying El-P a compliment rather than dismissing the two MCs. Vast's commanding baritone stands out in sharp distinction to his partner's, as his deliberate flow punctuates every line. It's hard to categorize what they speak on, as their songs mix the surreal and abstract with street-level commentary. But they're definitely taking reality rap on one helluva acid trip. --Oliver Wang

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars CUZ THEY WOULDNT LET ME GIVE IT A '108' July 18, 2001

By John Shea

Format:Audio CD

Let me just start by saying that i am not a herb backpacker who jocks everything el-p puts his name on. With that said,let me continue by proclaiming that with his production on 'The Cold Vein' he has no doubt changed the entire face of the underground genre of hiphop music. These soundscapes provided for Vast Aire and Vordul are far superior to anything i have heard in the last 5 years.Don't get me wrong,both of these mc's come more than correct,but the beats are what seperates this album from the rest of the pack.For once,an album has lived up to the buzz surrounding it. Believe the hype...Cann Ox has dropped what will probably be regarded as one of the finest underground hiphop albums ever recorded

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing June 14, 2002

By "punkrawker1738"

Format:Audio CD

I first heard of Cannibal Ox on a sampler for All Tomorrow's Parties, a festival of mainly abstract rock bands. I'll admit it, I'm not too big on hip hop. I'm a white boy that's into rock music. I own a few hip hop records like "Quality Control" by J5 and "Things Fall Apart" by the Roots, and that's about it. I put off buying anything by Cannibal Ox, that is, until I went to Santa Barbara when I bought the F-Word single. Every song on it was amazing, so I recently bought "The Cold Vein."

Cannibal Ox are like the Radiohead of hip hop, with beautiful soundscapes and little bits and pieces of abstract sounds here and there. The beats, are amazing. The lyrics are great, sometimes dark. The production is top notch. Some of my favorite tracks are "Iron Galaxy," "A B-Boys Alpha", and "The F-Word." However, I would suggest listening to the album as a whole.

With "The Cold Vein," Cannibal Ox have created a cd that everyone can get into, whether you're an art student, hip hop fan, etc.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I hated it at first too. September 12, 2004

By somedude

Format:Audio CD

I've been into hip-hop for about 15 years and picked up "The Cold Vein" after having it recommended by a friend whose judgment could usually be trusted (on hip-hop matters that is). Upon the initial listening, his credibility went down the toilet like so many flushed turds. Production-wise I thought it ranked amongst the worst albums I had ever heard--aural tripe. Each track sounded not unlike the destruction of a space-station (albeit with rhythm). As far as the MC's were concerned, Vast Aire was clever enough, but his flow wasn't super impressive and his rhyme-structuring definitely left something to be desired. Vordul, although possessing an exquisite flow, was not nearly as clever or poetic as Vast Aire. However, for some reason, after a couple of days, I came back to it and started to warm up to the Cold Vein. Eventually, after a few more subsequent listens, the CD began to grow on me until it eventually garnered the coveted "Slot 1" in my CD changer, becoming the envy of disks 2-6. "The Cold Vein" quickly became my favorite album of 2001 and currently ranks somewhere in my top 10 of all time.

I, to this day, can't really put my finger on precisely what it is that makes this album so fantastic. Both MC's are dope; but neither of them unbelievable. Each track is lyrically strong, but I'm not sure I would describe any particular verse as groundbreaking. And El-P's beats have a sound to them that ranges somewhere between malfunctioning machinery and robots in agonizing pain. But for some reason it works.... It works exponentially, so that the sum is clearly greater than the individual parts--and it seems that the removal of any particular part would result in the in the destruction of this complex hip-hop mechanism that exists in a state of brilliance only by maintaining the most delicate of balances. I remember having read a review somewhere which described the album as having an "intangible dopeness". This is precisely right. I'm not completely sure what it is about this album that makes it so great; and that's precisely what makes it so great. As soon as the greatness of something becomes tangible, understandable, it seems to vanish into thin air. It's like discovering how a magic trick works. As soon as the secret is revealed, the mystery and sense of awe, instantly disappear. Thankfully, the greatness of the album is definitely there, but wrapped in a thick layer of secrecy which has thus far, for me, been impenetrable.

My advice to anyone who's heard the snippets and feels it's not for them is to come back a couple of days later and try again. And then, after another day or so, come back yet another time. Continue to do so several times; each time trying to approach the music with a more open mind than before, dissolving any prejudices that may have arisen during previous listens. If, after a few times, you still don't like it, I guess it's not for you. But, if it steadily becomes more and more appealing, realize that you are well on your way to falling in love with one of the greatest and most unique hip-hop albums of all time. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hands-down classic hip-hop album August 23, 2005

By Patrick G. Varine

Format:Audio CD

From the first few bars, this album grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.

It's a little abstract, and might take a few listens to grow on you, but it's the perfect meld of classic hip-hop beats and robot-march production. After this album, El-P's tracks got a little distracting, to me at least, but "The Cold Vein" blends seamlessly.

The lyrical tag-team work of Vast Aire and Vordul is also something to marvel at. Dense, dense poetics, with metaphors and symbolism crammed into every verse; they often sound like they're cursing, even though they're not.

In the first cut, "Iron Galaxy," Vast paints a bleak picture of New York that sets the gritty tone for the rest of the album: "Let's talk in laymen's terms/rotten apples and big worms/early birds and poachers/New York is evil at its core/So those who have more than them/Prepare to be victims/Ate up by vultures/Politicians in a dog-eat-dog culture/That'll sic 'em."

Throughout the album, a dark, violent undercurrent runs through each song, from the syncopated "Vein" to the angelic stomp "A B-Boy's Alpha" to the brilliant closer, "Pigeon."

Of course, it's not for everybody. There is not one club-ready beat on the whole LP, and those who are going from the window to the wall will probably miss a lot of the clever one-liners and metaphors, but real heads recognize, and "The Cold Vein" is something a lot of MC's could learn from.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars finally!!!! May 23, 2001

By "indiehiphop"

Format:Audio CD

finally a hip hop album to get exited about. Hip hop is been so bad lately i've lost faith in it, such classic albums as enter the wu, low end theory, the infamous, only built for cuban linkz, etc, in the early 90's showed the incredible promise of the genre, however the late 90's and early 2000's with neptunes, mannie fresh, swizz beats, influenced music and lyrics about diamonds, money cars and hoes, has been awful for hip-hop. the execption is the Cannibal Ox album along with some other albums MF Doom, atmosphere, etc. The mic presence and delivery of Vast Aire and Vordul is incredible and El-P's production is dead on, he creates a pretty amazing soundscape that perfectly complements the two m.c.'s this album is a must have.