Review: El-P –
Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3
El-P - Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 (2010) [Def Jux] // Grade: A
El-P’s production work always reminds me of this one scene in Clockwork Orange. The scene is right after the milk bar scene – it last maybe 30 seconds or so – it’s a simple tracking shot of Alex walking home at dusk, in a deteriorating, garbage infested housing estate. In the background you can see the estate has some great architecture, futuristic construction, but it has fallen into total disrepair. When you look at that scene you can’t help but be reminded of a modern day housing projects and as an aside to the movie I wonder what kind of rap music comes out of the projects of the future? El-P’s production on his Fantastic Damage and Cannibal Ox’s Cold Vein was pretty much the answer to that question no one asked. His work is filled with over distorted synths, weird little robot noises, laser sounds and depressing drones layered over old school boom bap drums. It’s noisy, nasty head nodding music – the type of music that’s perfect for spitting equal parts intelligent and aggressive rhymes. You want to finally write that diss song to that kid who keeps talking shit about you utilizing an extended metaphor about robotsex? El-P’s got you straight.
This new mix Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 continues in the tradition of Fantastic Damage and The Cold Vein (and thankfully doesn’t sound like the stillborn I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead) and hits with big beats and a dense collage of distorted melodies and bits of noise. After a brief opening the tape starts out with “Whores: The Movie”, a skittish and uneasy beat that would be perfect for breakdancing to if you had a wild case of epilepsy. If this song is the soundtrack to some kind of documentary about whores, I can tell you that these are going to be some really paranoid and twitchy whores. The type that’ll ask you if you’re a cop every five minutes, which you’re not, but ultimately takes you totally out of the school girl fantasy you paid for. Good song, bad scenario. “Meanstreak” follows up and it’s an epic track in three parts that sounds like it should be the backing for a Wu Tang style posse cut made by The Decepticons (90′s NY gang or cartoon robots, take your pick).
The thing that seems to have changed in El-P’s production since his output of 2002 is a streamlining of his sound collages and more of a focus on having big beats. His earlier stuff was notorious for having 80 million things happening at once – and compared to most productions he’s still got a lot happening but now it all seems to be absolutely necessary to get the feeling he wants out of the beat. Don’t sleep and think because this is an instrumental album that these are just beats that are waiting for someone to rhyme over them – yeah you could easily put bars over these beats, but even without any vocal accompaniment these songs are fully emotive and go on a discernible journey all their own. If this is the kind of stuff the broke down, brutalist projects of the future is going to be cranking out then maybe losing the second robot war won’t be the worst thing to happen to the human race.
July 26th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Sorry, this review is terrible.
How is ISWYD a “stillborn”?
Is this a review of the two songs that have leaked or the actual album?
Have you heard Megamixxxes 1 and 2? Any comparisons? How does it compare to El’s only other instrumental album (Little Johnny w/ Mr. Len)?
July 26th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
It’s clearly of the entire album dude.
July 26th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
I didn’t think it was clear at all…
July 26th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
So the name of the album and it’s cover, weren’t clear enough clues? Go figure!
Would you perhaps like a pop-up that read “Hey this album review is in fact an album review”?
July 26th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
It wasn’t a serious question. I’m not an idiot.
It was a criticism in the form of a question, I was saying that this review only mentions two songs, it gives no sense of what the album actually sounds like. We already know what El-P’s production and previous albums sound like, but that’s what this reviewer is mostly talking about.
I usually like the reviews on the bloglin, that’s why I actually read this piece of shit. It’s a really bad review, so bad that it could in fact be just based on the 2 previously leaked songs (and a vague familiarity with El-P’s body of work.)
July 26th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Having never heard this album/mix I got a pretty clear sense of what to expect from it. “El-P instrumental veering a bit back to his work earlier this decade, where he also streamlines his ear for the abstract with some more straight forward boom bap.”
We don’t do dissertations here for albums. Most reviews on here only ever isolate 2-3 songs if any at all. I’m sorry in this case those songs happen to be of two songs YOU (keyword) are already familiar with from an artist YOU (keyword) are also pretty familiar with. We’ll be sure to start pre-screening this stuff by you so it doesn’t happen again. God forbid someone who’s never heard of El-P or forgotten why they should give about him get a quick reason why they should check this album out! What were we thinking?
Another solution would be to stop reading this “piece of shit”. Problem solved.
July 26th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Fair enough.
In my defense, they’re the only 2 songs that have been officially leaked from an album I’ve been anticipating, I’m not sure if this was a solicited review or not, it’s the first review I’ve seen for the Megamixxx, so my questions about it were sincere… Besides I think if something is clearly the 3rd in a series it’s fair to expect some comparison.
As for your patronizing shit, Crook, there’s no need to be a dick, I JUST said I usually like the record reviews on this blog.
July 26th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I’m sorry you weren’t being a dick? Reread some of your statements. Then at least we can both agree we were being dicks.
July 26th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Yeah, I was definitely being a dick.
How often do anonymous internet arguments get wrapped up so nicely?
July 26th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Hounds yer a fucking DILDO!!!
July 26th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Slow day at the office Mikhail?
July 26th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
there’s really not enough room to go into a track by track blow – plus not many people are into those types of reviews anyway. Sorry you didn’t care for it but I try to shoot for the person who has never heard anything by dude and someone who is more familiar with the artist. compared to his other work it sounds like cold vein and fan dam, but streamlined and heavier on the drums – like i said. the two songs i mentioned are kind of the best representation of the entire album, which i imagine is why they were picked to represent the whole work.
hopefully ya dig the next review more
July 27th, 2010 at 1:17 am
Ray, thanks for the response. I’m a jackass with cabin-fever. Sorry for the attack.
July 27th, 2010 at 11:29 am
ISWYD is not a stillborn album IMO. I think the beats and the raps are great. The only song I skip is No Kings because I can’t stand Tame One.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I know there’s a bunch of people who dig ISWYD, I do not. I’m not calling it shit by anymeans, it just feels ineffective to me. There is too much plodding and mid level beats. I like El-P when he’s either full on showing teeth rapping aggressively like his life depended on it “Dead Disnee”,”Weight” or when he’s doing super personal shit “Last Good Sleep”, “T.O.J”. Most of ISWYD sits weirdly in the middle for me. Its not bad. He didnt fall off. Just meh for his catalog, in my opinion
August 4th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
This album is fucking rad! First Blockhead, the Mux Mool, now this, what a great year for beats! I am so glad I take a few minutes out of every day to check the Bloglin and find helpful information on music I may be missing.
Thank you.