Fantano Project №2 — Run the Jewels 2 & Remember Us to Life
If you’re in the market for aggressive, rebellious, dissident rap music, you can’t do much better than Run the Jewels. The duo, consisting of underground rappers and producers Killer Mike and El-P, burst out onto the scene in 2013 with their first self-titled LP, launching the two MC’s from obscurity to critical and popular acclaim. A year later, they released Run the Jewels 2, which saw El-P’s production take things even darker, accompanied by the raw, vicious lyricism that had characterized their first release.
The opening of the record tells you everything you need to know (as if the album cover and title weren’t indicative enough) of what is coming your way. Killer Mike’s voice yells out a few expletive-filled lines, telling El-P to get the record going, followed by menacing synths and Killer Mike’s deliberate, intense flow. This opening builds seamlessly into the full lurching power of “Jeopardy.” Killer Mike and El-P are taking things slowly, as if we aren’t ready for the full throttle just yet. It’s a brilliant way to start such an explosive project; RTJ understands the importance of changing things up to prevent their aggressive sound from becoming one-note. “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” takes things up a notch, with more dark electronic sounds layering into the complex beat, from glitchy vocals to thick 808’s, that still leaves us feeling like the pedal is yet to the metal. It’s surprisingly patient artistry, as El-P allows the beat to get more and more distorted over just more than three minutes, before another smooth transition into the next track, “Blockbuster Night Pt. 1.” These first three songs flow together so well, they truly feel like one, cohesive, ambitious progressive track. All this is to say that while Run the Jewels is obviously abrasive, they’re also not disinterested in their craft as artists. It’s a project that is both raw and crafted; it’s controlled chaos.
The track following “Blockbuster Night Pt. 1” is the highlight of the album for me. “Close Your Eyes (And Count To F***)” finally sees Run the Jewels hitting full speed, not only in tempo, but in energy. There’s nothing restrained or held back, as Zack De La Rocha (of Rage Against the Machine) has his voice layered into the beat itself, in addition to the featured verse that closes out the song. While I enjoy the lower tempo restraint of the first few songs, there’s no denying that RTJ is at their best when they’re firing on all cylinders. The verses from all three MC’s are slashing their way through with vigor, taking no prisoners and giving no F’s. The pace and energy of the song is that driving, booming feeling that you would want when running the final mile of a 5K.
It’s hard for me as a listener, however, to feel excited about listening to the album all the way through when it feels like you’ve hit the peak after 4 (of 12) tracks. Perhaps it’s just because it’s next to the album’s best cut, but the following song “All My Life” feels like one of the weaker cuts on the project, which otherwise feels very tight. Fantano named “All My Life” as his least favorite on the record, which I definitely understand, though I don’t quite agree. It’s just a little bit of a comedown, one that feels neither as high energy as the previous tracks, nor interesting enough to merit the drop in tempo and pace. Luckily, the next three tracks pick back up, with “Lie, Cheat, Steal,” “Early,” and “All Due Respect” all bringing the heat with more hard hitting drums and hardcore electronic sounds.
The last three tracks (excluding the bonus track) felt slightly weaker than the first half of the project, as it features my least favorite, “Crown,” and the album’s longest track, “Angel Duster,” so that when the album closes, I still feel like it peaked before the halfway mark. That being said, I don’t think there’s a bad song on the project, just some that aren’t as strong as others. I think the energy and vibe that RTJ bring is just hard to sustain over the entirety of a full album, but they certainly do a great job of it. Even if I get tired of Run the Jewels after a half hour, their songs never feel tired. It’s probably just my own taste and stamina as a listener that I could see being very different for hardcore fans.
Overall, it’s a great album, one that has clear and tasty artistic vision on every level. It’s not a sound for every day or everyone, but the disdainful unrest of Run the Jewels has its place, especially in a political world that has felt more and more apocalyptic as of late. Run the Jewels, as much as some might not want to admit it, are a timely and emblematic duo that make music to incite, disturb, hype, invigorate, and kindle the radical spirit.
8/10
Favorite Track: Close Your Eyes
Least Favorite Track: Crown
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While I wouldn’t say that Regina Spektor and Run the Jewels have nothing in common (their politics are pretty front and center in their music), it would be hard to find a more contrasting sound to Run the Jewels than Remember Us to Life. Regina Spektor comes out of her seventh studio album with sweeping orchestral arrangements, folksy storytelling, and warm, sweet vocal performances. I’ve never really given Spektor a fair shake, but I’ve been aware of her niche, quirky spot in the music scene for a long time. Her strengths lie in the unorthodox, literary songwriting, creating fairy tales out of thin air. The album begins with “Bleeding Heart,” which features more modern, poppy synth sounds, creating a more commercial sound. It’s a strange way to start the album and a rather unconvincing way to explore new sounds or cross over into the mainstream, but the rest of the album is consistent in delivering her signature style. I appreciate Spektor’s songwriting and sound, which is reminiscent of a bygone era, wherein the Bob Dylans and Joni Mitchells of the world were free to mix poetry, politics, and music, delivered with their unique vocals.
The album is pretty unified, pretty smooth in its flow from track to track, and while the sounds don’t really venture very far from Spektor’s wheelhouse, every song is rewarding to the listener who pays attention to the stories Spektor crafts among the dense tapestry of strings, bass, and piano. The album runs at a tight 45 minutes and nothing about it seems superfluous. You’re getting very streamlined, thoughtful musical offerings from Regina, but you also have to be in the mood to sit down and listen to what’s being said. This isn’t music to just put on in the background or to sing along to in the car on your morning commute. It’s like reading a book and requires that kind of mental attention. While I enjoyed pretty much every song on the record, I also don’t see myself coming back to it any time soon. It’s definitely a well-crafted experience, one that is both poignantly political and poetic, but I do wish that it was more adventurous, more expansive in its musical style and scope. It would be insultingly reductive to call Regina Spektor a one trick pony (and the opening track obviously sees her working with a bit of a different palette) but if an artist is going to stay within a relatively small range of offerings, it had better be definitive.
Highlights of the album include the second track, “Older and Taller,” which sounds strangely like a Vampire Weekend tune (in a good way), “Grand Hotel,” which tells the most original and fascinating story on the album, and “The Light,” which is the best ballad on the record, with beautiful piano accompaniment and gorgeous lyrics. There’s an overall warmth that feels so comfortable throughout the album that is reassuring while also remaining interesting. In a world where female singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen, Spektor distinguishes herself from the crowd with her charm, her wit, and her unique voice, as both a writer and a singer.
7/10
Favorite Track: “Older and Taller”
Least Favorite Track: “Obsolete”
I apologize for the long wait on this entry. Next time I’ll be covering FKA Twigs’s LP 1 and Years Past Matter by Krallice. I have absolutely no idea what that second one is, but I guess I’ll just have to find out.
