The Cold Vein [Vinyl]

Cannibal Ox | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (May 15, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Definitive Jux
• ASIN: B00005BIVX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,178 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 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 (detroit, mi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Vein (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

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, June 14, 2002

By 

"punkrawker1738" (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Vein (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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

somedude (Rancho Cucamonga, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Vein (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.