Armand Hammer -
Paraffin
With
Race Music and
Furtive Movements, Billy Woods and Elucid were exploring some interesting ideas and had good chemistry, but they hadn't quite found their voice as
Armand Hammer yet. They just sounded like Billy Woods and Elucid. Then they dropped
Rome and carved their spot out as uncompromising lyricists with dark production. Where
Rome was an apocalyptic snapshot of the world aflame,
Paraffin shows a post-apocalyptic world where those flames still simmer. Even on
Rome, it always felt like Elucid was being upstaged by Woods but he absolutely slays on this album. The production is more experimental and loose than their previous work and I'm excited to spend some more time with it. Favourite tracks atm: Rehearse With Ornette, Alternate Side Parking, and Bob Barker. Link in photo.