Brick Body Kids Still Daydream＜限定盤/Colored Vinyl＞

Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is rapper Open Mike Eagle's ode to the Robert Taylor Homes, the South Side Chicago housing project his aunt lived in, which has since been demolished. While still heavy on Eagle's abstract wordplay, pop culture references, and self-deprecating sense of humor, the album contains the rapper's most personal lyrics, relaying stories of his turbulent childhood as well as his current-day troubles. It's also a highly political album, especially the song "Happy Wasteland Day," which pleads "Can we get one day without violence, can we get one day without fear?" For the most part, the songs have an easy, laid-back flow, with Eagle's voice having a gentle singsong quality, but there are some more aggressive moments, such as the more cathartic "No Selling (Uncle Butch Pretending It Dont Hurt)" and the harrowing "My Auntie's Building," in which Eagle slowly chants "That's the sound of them tearing my body down to the ground" over a wash of noisy industrial guitar. On "TLDR (Smithing)," he unleashes a torrent of breathless raps, including zingers such as "I been woke so long I might need to take a nap," over a loping, MF Doom-esque beat by Illingsworth. On "Hymnal," he's outshone by Sammus, whose sharp verses are a wake-up call after Eagle's sleepy near-whispering. Eagle excels at delivering thoughtful, relevant lyrics in a creative manner, sounding both arty and accessible, and Brick Body Kids Still Daydream contains his most affecting work yet. ~ Paul Simpson