Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great But Difficult Album, March 21, 2007
I keep reading that El-P has eased up on the carpet bombing production techniques and started using melody. That he has slowed down his flow and let his tracks breathe a little more on his new album. Now that I finally got my grubby little hands on El's new album I'll Sleep When Your Dead, I've found that there is more melody, he has slowed down his flow, and his tracks do breathe a little more (I stress a little more).
So all these things should make for a more accessible listening experience right? Well it's not. ISWYD is arguably less accessible than his 2002 debut Fantastic Damage. When you listen to Fantastic Damage for the first time, it's possible to be completely overwhelmed by the virtuoso complexity of the whole thing. The beats are abrasive and noisy, and the lyrics are almost indecipherable without a written copy in front of you. But on Fantastic Damage, the beats, though abrasive and noisy, are very immediate. You can nod your head along with most of the songs. On ISWYD, the beats are generally more noisy and chaotic. It's hard to really pick something out that's at all catchy, at least on the first listen.
This is one of those albums that you have to let marinate. After a few listens you start to hear the hook on Run the Numbers, and you start to realize that the drum line on EMG is pretty great. On first listen, the opener Tasmanian Pain Coaster is a frustrating experience. There is really nothing approaching conventional hip hop on the close to 7 minute track. But then you bust out the lyric sheet and read along with the song. You realize what the songs about, and then you begin to hear all the layers of production. ISWYD is one of those onion albums, the more you listen to it the more layers you peel off.
Production wise, El-P continues to evolve. Though he has a recognizable style, he changes his approach slightly for the performer he is working with. He uses heavy, slow urban beats for Cannibal Ox, or fuzzy and hard beats for Mr. Lif. On this album, his production suits the dark tone of the album. The songs are mainly about social commentary and are a critique of the government and society, so the beats are heavy, sludgy and noisy, fitting the tone of the lyrics.
As an MC, El-P has always been technically great, but a little obtuse. On this album his delivery is a bit more measured, actually rapping with the beat instead of overpowering the beat. He has also improved as a storyteller. Just listen to him describe meeting a friend who he hasn't seen in a while on the opening track and noticing that he has blood on his laces.
So nothing has really changed for El-P. The sound is slightly different, but he's still concerned with paranoia and social critiques. His work is still complex and difficult, but with repeated listening it can be very rewarding. This is easily the best rap album of the year so far, and it's really not even close.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Album is Revolutionary, March 17, 2007
El-P has done it again. He has invented a world of sound that transports you to a place in his mind; a vision of the decaying city. The cacophonous sound, mechanical samples, and grimy beats combine to create a dark symphony. His signature layered production, including building harmonic background chords, head-nodding break beats, and phaser beam samples will leave you twitching.
If you love radio rap, you may not dig this album. But if you know and love El-P, are interested in raw, independent, ground-breaking hip-hop, than this album will grow on you with each listen.
The opening track is priceless. It builds to several levels, delivering more musical loveliness in seven minutes than most artists deliver in their entire careers. The first section sets the tone for the rest of the album; the second section gets you to sing along the chanted chorus, "This is the sound of what you don't know killing you." The final section softens somewhat and resolves with a hot little guitar hook with matching hi-pitch vocals.
Check out track 5 (Drive). Its got a sickeningly catchy hook that reminds me of the Cannibal Ox song "Painkillers."
Flyentology is hot too. The sound paints a scene out of a futuristic assembly line in some crazy mind factory. Trent Reznor is featured doing background vocals. Also featured on the album are Aesop Rock and Cage.
If you like Def Jux, Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein, El-P's Fantastic Damage, or Aesop Rock's Bazooka Tooth, than this album will blow you away. If you don't know those albums, buy them up, they're hot!!!
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19 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
El-P does the equivalent of inventing the wheel, again., March 22, 2007
Fantastic Damage is a timeless album. Whether you bought it when it first came out, picked it up a week ago, or intend on buying it in 5 years, it will ALWAYS be ahead of its time. So how does El-Producto do it? By "it" I mean composing challenging yet enjoyable music, maintaining his essence, and staying connected to the hip-hop community at large... I don't know, but this guy has done the hip-hop equivalent of inventing the wheel - twice.
Yeah it took some time, but "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" is another timeless album, and I dare say my favorite thing to come out of the Def. Jux camp (Yes, including Labor Days). What's unbelievable is how different this album is from Fantastic Damage - and yet, it still has El-P's signature sound all over it. This album is the quintessential example of how an artist can go in a different direction, but still create amazing and memorable music.
I dislike 95% of commercial rap and I'm extremely thankful for El-P, Mr. Lif, Aesop, Can. Ox, Rob Sonic, etc. keeping hip-hop cerebral and real. El-P set the bar with "Fantastic Damage", and now he has raised it with "I'll Sleep When You're Dead."
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