Feet of Clay (5th Anniversary Edition)

オルタナティヴ・ヒップホップ・クルー、ODD FUTUREの一員であり、"ジェネレーションをレペゼンする才能“として注目を集めるロサンゼルス出身のラッパー、アール・スウェットシャツ。
彼が2019年11月に発表したEP『FEET OF CLAY』が、発売5周年を記念してボーナス・トラック2曲を追加したデラックス・エディションのアナログLPで復刻。

The bleary production of Earl Sweatshirts sadly dreamy 2018 album Some Rap Songs was unexpected to the point of feeling revelatory. Ever creatively restless and enigmatic, the once edgy and detached Odd Future graduate all but abandoned his previous styles for a new world of washed-out soul samples, fragmented bars, and songs that were gone as soon as they arrived. The album centered around themes of social reclusiveness, complex family dynamics, and a generally bleak observational vantage point, all delivered in wide, abstract brushstrokes. It was one of the years most exciting releases and less than 12 months later, the similarly brief Feet of Clay adds a post-script to the statements made by Some Rap Songs. Clocking in at just 15 minutes, the projects seven tracks mostly remain in the jagged delivery style established on Some Rap Songs. Unlike the bright, bittersweet tones of that album, Feet of Clay is dark and uneasy. The set begins with the foreboding 74, where Sweatshirt builds an intricate flow over the blunt instrumental. His grief over his fathers death is reflected in the looming sonic presence of Feet of Clay as much as it becomes a lyrical focal point. The drony OD has abstract mentions of family anguish and vague memories, Sweatshirt pondering how he made it to the age of 25 over a chopped and mostly drum-free beat. Mavi shows up as a guest with a scattershot verse on El Toro Combo Meal, a song that leans into the doo wop-sampling of Some Rap Songs. The project is more varied and psychedelic in different ways than the more fully realized album that preceded it, but takes new risks over the course of its brief running time. Closing track 4N almost reaches the five-minute mark and has a discernible chorus aided by guest emcee Mach-Hommy, making it sound more complete than the rest of the songs. All the same, the backing track is entirely backwards and Sweatshirts verse is lo-fi and fuzzy, interrupted occasionally by noisy samples. The seven tracks represent different, curious branches extending out from the seeds planted by Some Rap Songs, each reaching for new ideas and switching gears when another thought arrives. It continues Sweatshirts streak as an innovator and as one of the more compelling artists of his time. ~ Fred Thomas

コロムビア離脱後に発表していたEPがボーナス曲を加えたデラックス・エディションでフィジカル化。父の死やGFとの離別、自身の患った病、アルコール依存……などなど近年の身の回りに起こった出来事をベースに淡々と綴られており、それゆえか全体的なトーンも前作同様にダーク。逆回転再生のサンプルで独特なグルーヴを醸し出すマック・ホーミーとの共作"4N"などエクスペリメンタルな面も強く感じさせる。
bounce (C)Masso187um