El-P – Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3
Gold Dust: 2010
Oil clogs the oceans, reefs whither, forests shrivel, mountains collapse, icecaps melt and the earth speaks in a daily death-rattle. All the while people continue to fight and cower within cobbled together cities and slumping metropolises. Welcome to 2010. It ain’t pretty and El-P has made the soundtrack to it with his latest instrumental Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3.
As a member of influential Company-Flow, founder of Definitive Jux Records, producer for indie heavyweights like Aesop Rock, Canibal Ox, Cage and Mr. Lif, and an accomplished solo rapper, El-P has earned a reputation as master craftsman. The NYC native has developed and refined a sound that combines uncompromisingly heavy drums with a spastic collection of industrial sounds. His newest CD, while not being the vocal-laced product many were waiting for, once again affirms his place as a sonic pioneer.
Megamixxx3 starts out aggressively and doesn’t stop until the disc ends. Drums and Bass that would rumble a car boom underneath a swirl of sirens, horns and echoes. Subtle tinkerings and melodies behind the abrasive beats become more apparent with each listen. Highlights include the menacing “Drunk With a Loaded Pistol”, frantic “Whores (the movie)”, and guitar-zinging “Time Won’t Tell”. Owing both to El-P’s talents and his dedication to a cohesive sound, there isn’t a low point or gaffe anywhere on the album. Claustrophobic and ridiculously heavy, the sounds succeed as music to exit a bombed-out bunker to.
While not the hodgepodge of samples and beats like the previous releases in the series, Megamixxx3 isn’t all new. A few of the tracks (i.e. “How to Serve Man” and “Driving Down the Block Remix”) were previously released with full vocals. In addition to those, many of the album’s other songs seem perfectly suited for rapping. Be it El-P’s own misanthropic musings or rhymes from any of the talented emcees he works with, these beats could inspire many an impressive verse. Listeners who consider an instrumental album a halfway work or incomplete without a full collection of bars will be disappointed. While certainly full enough to engage, there is still room on most of the tracks for a little rap. This tantalizing potential may frustrate some.
El-P’s work has progressed to its current, unmistakable sound. Forever teetering near disarray and always landing in melody, El-P’s dense music is uniquely his. While not featuring the rapping many might want, Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 is an undeniably dope record. Listening may not put your mind at ease, but it certainly will get your head nodding.
4 out of 5
[audio:http://potholesinmyblog.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/El-P-Meanstreak-In-3-Parts-.mp3|titles=El-P – Meanstreak (In 3 Parts)]
Co-sign this WHOLE review. Easily one of my favorites of the year
El-Producto continues to not disappoint, and this is one clear sign of that.