this is so potent! been told the rest of the album is equally as devastating. iāve never had a complete listen through to confirm cause i only handle it up to 4 songs. the album is written in dedication to his late wife who died of cancer shortly after the birth of their daughter and so did my grandma not too long ago. although the love i have for my nan and phil for his wife differ, the grief is the same.
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Itās such an uncompromising song, it tackles grief and the processing of it in a vulnerable but ultimately human way. The production (credit to Benjamin Booker & Kenny Segal) is unsettling but warm, like you know that it can only get better but you have to just sit and deal with the discomfort of your current situation in order to get there.
Thereās a delicate piano melody that fades in and out of the mix alongside the faint hum of a guitar making what is in concept a experimental rap song into something different, the ārappingā is more like spoken word poetry. Benjamin Bookers intro despite being repetitive due to his relaying of āI was only a dove, only in loveā is made so powerful due to how worn out and whispery his voice is, like itās a memory of a loved one haunting you.
Which in turn fades into billy woodsā verse which reads more like poetry than a rap verse. Some of my favourite lines being: āThey called like "Come now, he doesn't have long to live", I dress slowly, Came back that night and took my baby out the crib so I could hold himā or āLocked doors never had a key but you test the handle occasionally, God forbid it swing openā āAttic stairs broken, don't go up there, From the windows i watch the diggers disappear in soft wet earth, Dinner served, i waited for my guests, long table set.ā Itās so bleak but perfectly describes the little moments of discomfort you feel when losing someone and I think it works perfectly combined with how minimalistic the production is.
The closing segment from ELUCID is a lot grander in scale and thematically darker, the production starts to get corrupted with static crackles slowly consuming each layer of the instrumental whilst ELUCID foretells the impending end. Itās a sucker punch that catches you out but it works due to how the song is structured all the emotions caused by loss are only told about up until this point and ELUCIDs part represents the listener tackling them head-on. Itās uncomfortable and youāll probably skip it on relisten (hell I often do) but I think itās purpose is so powerful and as a whole the song is incredibly thought provoking.
6d ago
I think I've bawled my eyes out to every track at this point for different reasons. not even exaggerating. once you think you're done with it you get hit with a brand new emotion and find new symbolism in the lyrics. and another painful feeling to unfurl and free yourself from. if I could get everyone to listen to an album this would be my pick
3d ago
What an amazing song and last album by these legends. Heavy sad vibes with vocoder and unexpected, overblown distortion that sounds like your speakers are completely blown out. The fact that Mimi passed shortly after this record was released makes it more meaningful and heavy, but hard to deny the sorrow, joy and release that this song delivers
Aug 24, 2024
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guaranteed to improve your state of Being
Sep 19, 2024
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crush texted me and i said hell yeah nigga we up really loud and i saw my supervisor look very taken aback but i luckily have my camera off so iām gonna lie and blame my brother
4d ago
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wow everyone is out here appreciating the beauty in everything and it canāt help but calm your nerves. thank u all, keep it up!
Mar 8, 2025