| El-P’s name is prolific in the indie rap scene and has been for nearly ten years. From his start as emcee and producer in the widely-acclaimed group Company Flow in the mid-nineties, El-P has been consistently putting out groundbreaking music year after year. In 2001 he produced two exceptional albums, Mr. Lif’s I Phantom and Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein – the latter being arguably the best hip-hop album of the decade thus far. 2002 saw his solo debut Fantastic Damage, a nearly flawless record showcasing El-P’s trademark dense production and confrontational lyrics. In the past few years El-P has continued producing for various artists on the Definitive Jux label, including Cage and the lackluster Mr Lif follow-up Mo’ Mega.
Naturally, when I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead was announced, hip-hop heads around the globe had high expectations. Even those who didn’t appreciate the harsh, computerized production on “Damage” were curious to see what direction El-P would take his next record. For a man that has been innovating hip-hop music since Funcrusher Plus in 1998, following up with an album that managed to appease both his fan base and casual listeners would not be easy.
Frankly, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead does not match the quality of its predecessors. The record is not as groundbreaking as Funcrusher Plus, and not as immersive as Fantastic Damage. That said, ISWYD is still a fairly solid record and a highlight of hip-hop in 2007. Still, coming from the man responsible for the above-mentioned records, ISWYD is a bit of a disappointment.
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is notably littered with collaborations from indie-rock heavyweights. Omar Rodriguez, Tunde Adebimpe, Cat Power, and Trent Reznor are all present on this release. This begs the question, why? Reznor adds little to “Flyentology” where he lazily sings over an El-P beat. Numerous other guests, including Rodriguez and emcees Slug and MURS are essentially unnoticeable under record’s dense and occasionally haphazard production.
It is unlikely that El-P chose to feature this artists to appeal to a cross-over audience, but the music certainly gives this impression when it’s difficult to see what these guests (save Rodriguez and maybe Cat Power) add to the record, where on the previous Fantastic Damage guests like Cage and Camu Tao added verses that were stylistically connected to El-P’s own and created a generally more coherent sound.
Standout tracks on this record include the bouncy (but still dark) “Drive,” the image-heavy “League of Extraordinary Nobodies,” and “Run the Numbers,” one of the best head-nodders El-P has ever written. Alongside these high notes are relatively more average tracks, such as the needlessly-dramatic “Tasmanian Pain Coaster” and the fairly incomprehensible “Habeas Corpus (Draconian Love).” Additionally, this album also features “EMG” which is easily one of the worst songs El-P has ever written, both lyrically and musically, and “Smithereens (Stop Cryin’)” which is also unremarkable. Both of these tracks were released as singles, strangely, when much better songs like “No Kings” would be more appropriate.
Casual listeners and indie rock fans would probably appreciate I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. El-P’s lyrics and delivery would probably appeal to the average Mars Volta fan, who is used to incomprehensible nonsense and unnecessary dramatics. El-P fans looking for raw, unfiltered hip-hop would be better off re-purchasing Fantastic Damage and pretending the year is 2002 again. Reviewed
by: vadger1
Comments? Discuss this review in the forum |
