Customer Reviews

By The Throat

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

....and no, I am not just saying that because he passed on. The only criticism I could offer is that it is too short, and leaves you wanting more.

I think my favorite is Sky Diver, mostly because I can't see anyone else touch this beat, and even Eyedea struggles to keep up with it at times, but it just works.

I love the chorus on Time Flies When You Have a Gun, and Smile is just pure beauty.

As others have said, you have to hear the whole album all the way through a few times before you can really appreciate it. Such a shame that it ends here for E&A, they came so far, and still had places to go, but what can you do? If you don't cherish this album, I would say you aren't really an Eyedea fan.

Back from a five year hiatus Mike Larsen aka Eyedea, breaks away (just slightly) from familiar territory with darker themes and crunchy production. With plenty of fierce lyrical delivery, covering everything from his current broken heart to the recent loss of loved ones, his singing only makes up maybe 12% of the album. Everyone does this now; Atmosphere, Cage, P.O.S., Yak Ballz, the list goes on! Let an artist be, well just that...'First Born' was over 7 years ago. This album is nothing if not progressive song writing!

Eyedea has already mastered the realm of battle rap, and undeniably became one of RhymeSayers most successful artists. With plenty of that 'E&A' feel from 2004, this music develops more with further listening. Only complaint is the length being just at 30 minutes! But I'd take this over the majority of recent releases anyday.

(Original/revised review, see edits at the end) I'm a huge fan of Eyedea. From discovering a brand new album called First Born from a "new and upcoming rapper", way back in the days of Audiogalaxy and Napster, through his entirely self written, self produced near-masterpiece The Many Faces. On to E&A, a still strong but disappointing return of the acclaimed duo, and then through these last few years of Eyedea's exploration of grunge, alternative, freestyle performance and jazz. Eyedea has, as an artist and as a lyricist, has had nothing but a huge impact on me as a hip hop fan and as a person, and on the underground scene. I have nothing but respect.

But with all that said, this album just leaves me feeling a little let down. It's not that it's a big departure from what I would've expected. Of course many of us were hoping for the return of the pure, all hip hop sound of First Born and E&A. This isn't that, entirely. For those familiar with Eyedea's side project Carbon Carousel (grunge/alternative), the sounds on By The Throat are noticeably influenced by that style. A few of these tracks sound like they should maybe be under the Carbon Carousel name, and not under the guise of E&A. There is some pure hip hop mixed in, however, which results in sort of an overall fusion of that grunge/alternative/live band/hip hop sound, with occasional skills by DJ abilities on the turntables.

Here's my two biggest issues with this release. One, is that it's just clearly not the Eyedea & Abilities everybody's familiar with. You just know half the people that buy this record aren't going to get what they expect. And my other issue is, 29 minutes? Seriously? This is pretty much an EP, not a full length. This isn't the E&A of old.

Overall, This isn't the big reunion and homecoming most of us wanted. This is a brand new Eyedea, with an almost completely new sound (since "E&A"). But if you can listen with an open mind, and can deal with imperfection (and short length), this release isn't bad. If you're a fan of Eyedea as an artist, and not just the old E&A sound, give it a chance. But some may be disappointed here.

Update 7/25/09: After a couple more spins, I will say a few more good things. Eyedea is clearly more honest and introspective (and somber) in this release than previous E&A albums, and a couple of the tracks on this album are great. It also has good replay value, this is the kind of album that grows on you the more you listen to it. But with all that said, it's still 29 minutes and it still lacks some cohesion and refinement.

Update 8/10/09: Have listened to the album a lot more now. Still disappointed in the short length and it still feels a bit unpolished. But I will say that the more I listen to it, the more I think Eyedea's on to something. A few of the tracks on here are strong, and hint at a sound that--if refined and expanded on some more--could blossom into something much bigger.

Updated 2/9/11: I've felt obligated to come back and edit this review one more time, especially since the passing of Micheal Larsen (Eyedea). I've listened to this album thoroughly to date. I also was tremendously lucky to see him perform some of these songs live in late July. Seeing with my own eyes what he'd become as an artist and performer (since the last time I'd seen him was 2007), I'm now convinced that not only is By The Throat more real and raw than I could ever realize just by listening to it on its own, but that Eyedea was on the verge of creating a brilliant new beast--beyond this--that this album was only a preamble to. But that's not to say brilliance isn't found on this release, and it is. It's a release that, in my opinion, defines (defined) his evolution as an artist. It's a tragedy his life, and art, was cut short. Buy this if you're a fan, and if you want a glimpse into something unique, genuine, and at times brilliant and ultimately tragic. Just don't forget, it's still only 29 minutes, which really the only significant drawback to this release. I've deleted some of the negativity of my original review and upped it from 3 to 4 stars.

R.I.P. Mikey.

The only thing I don't like about this album is that it is technically an EP, is very short, yet Amazon fails to mention this fact and still charges 9.99. I don't really mind paying that though because I want to support these guys.

That aside... this album makes me wish there were more artists like Eyedea & Abilities. I had to listen to the album a couple times to fully grasp the level of craft used in most of these songs. I still feel like I'm getting more out of several songs every time I hear them after 5+ plays. I think the album not only represents a much needed level originality in hip-hop, but also a much desired level of collaboration between DJ and MC. There really isn't much else out there like this.

There are some not-so-amazing(and very short) songs, but at the same time, there are songs like Burn Fetish that are worth $10 alone in my mind. I buy full albums because I like experiencing everything the artist wanted me to, but if you are not that type, are a fan of hip-hop at all, and want to hear something truly original, you have to pick up at least Burn Fetish, Smile, and probably Junk too. Time Flies When You Have a Gun is a well crafted track as well, (Abilities really comes through on that one), but I'm just not a fan of the subject matter.

The short previews here on amazon do the songs very little justice as far as getting an idea the real content. Also, if you don't like this album the first time you hear it, just give it one more listen. I almost wrote a pretty bad review for this before I listened again. Now I can't get enough.

I almost feel the need to defend this album, reading through some of these reviews I have to wonder if we had all been listening to the same album or not. I think the problem is that the majority of these people went in to this record with preconceived notions of what they were going to get. The simple fact of the matter though is that Eyedea had long since grown tired of battle rap, he had been doing it since before his official lp debut in 2001, meaning that he'd had 8 years of growth to showcase on this release. Eyedea gained fans with his experimental styles and wildly imaginative lyrics, he was always pushing forward and creating new sounds and styles, why people assumed he would shoehorn himself in to one genre, let alone one as simple and uncreative as "battle rap" is beyond me.

The Eyedea we have on this album is, for all intent and purposes, a fully developed and realized artist. His choruses are amazing (as proven on the ridiculously catchy "Spin Cycle), his concepts are strong (see: Time Flies When You Have a Gun), and his lyrics are nothing short of brilliant (look no further then 'Forgive Me for my Synapses). He had reached a point in his career that most artist can only dream of, he was making music that would appeal to fans of any genre, and he was making it his way or no way at all.

The production is equally as strong, Abilities laces Eyedea with music that straddles genre's as effortlessly as Eyedea himself. Half Hip Hop, Half Punk Rock, 100 percent amazing. The production meshes with Eyedea perfectly and creates a very cohesive and organic sound. Ive also seen many people complain about the running time, honestly I just cant understand where they're coming from. E&A crafted an album with absolutely no filler, meaning it may only be 30 minutes long, but each and every minute is absolutely essential. I'll take a brilliant 2 minute song over a lousy 4 minute one any day. Besides, the album is very obviously heavily inspired by classic Punk albums, anyone who knows their music history can tell you that punk albums very rarely lasted over 25 to 30 minutes. If you want a bloated album that badly then by all means pick out any one of Master P's 'No Limit' releases.

But I digress, lets not lose focus of the most important thing here, that being that the album itself is simply amazing. As it stands its very, very unappreciated, but ive no doubt in my mind that in the coming years, this is going to be looked back at and given the props it deserves. E&A have created an album that exist outside of genre's, and indeed outside of time itself, a fitting end to one of the most underrated groups to ever bless us with music.

RIP Eyedea

Pro's
-Amazing songwriting
-Flawless lyrical performance
-Mind Bending flows
-Great production
-Engaging Concepts

Con's
-The album starts out with the weakest track it has, 'Hay Fever'. It should have been moved deeper in the mix, or replaced altogether.

Transcends genre and avoids the tired cliches of hip hop. The album does have a garage/industrial/rock sort of feel to it. But only those who have small ears will be bothered by that. It's a masterfully crafted record with synthetic scratches and poignant rhymes. Very impressive.

RIP Eyedea as of yesterday :(
Anyway, your opinion on this album will likely be different based on your preference. For those that like the more traditional hip hop vibe of his earlier stuff, you may be dissapointed as this album is a completely new style. To me it is more similar to more experimental hip hop artists like Sole And The Skyrider band. A lot of the beats are really organic sounding, and from a musical standpoint the composition of this album is stellar.
His flows are some of his best yet, in my opinion... really hard hitting and intense. In one of his last albums before his death, I think this album will gain significant popularity this year.
All in all, this is a great album. IT has some songs that aren't up to par with the rest, but as a whole it really moves me.

I have not bought any of the other Eyedea and Abilities CD so I had no previous experiences with there music. I am a fan of groups like Atmosphere, Tribe Called Quest, Brother Ali, People Under the Stairs, Macklemore, Grieves, Grynch, RJ D2, and anything thing else that has been artistically crafted. After listening to this CD I realized it was different from all of the above groups and added a good variety to my music collection. Eyedea lyrics are meaningful and well thought out and Abilities beats are solid and have an interesting texture to them. The CD was a little short about 30 minutes but is worth listening too. Overall I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

i have always liked eyedea's "way out there" way of lyricism and music, and this disc is no different.the beats and music on this one sound more punk/altrock meets hip hop;there are no cookie cutter sounds on this one; this album rocks! it al flows nicely and if you thought eyedea was nuts before this album, after listening to this i guarantee you'll think he has lost his mind. but he has found himself in this uniquely different, dark and distorted thought provoking twisted,and thorned journey through the music, lyrics,and thoughts that is eyedea.from the first track to the last it grabs you by the throat and it wont let go!!

To reiterate what's been said already, this is not the Eyedea and Abilities to check out first. Better off with First Born probably or Oliver Hart. But then, if you're firmiliar with Clouddead and the former members projects thereafter, you may be well suited for this. Anyone with a critical ear is going to notice that Eyedea has no business singing. Let's face it: some emcees can some can't. However, at some points he vaguely resembles Layne Staley. The live band is what draws me to this new sound of theirs more than anything else. The combination of Eyedea's shadowboxing, freestyle-narrator approach to rhyming is perfectly met with either the beats of Ablities or the live drums, interspersed with prog rock synthisizer or dreary, repetitive guitiar chords. Without a doubt, the choice track on this is "Smile." Whether or not, they're intentionally taking from Sigur Ros "Svefn-g-englar," it's a good take.