"I'll Sleep When You're Dead" Album Discussion

Engine · 01-08-2012, 09:29 PM

I think he's pretty much just saying 'None Shall Pass' by Aesop Rock which is a good album but not shit compared to 'I'll Sleep When You're Dead'

Sparky · 01-08-2012, 10:15 PM

*****DISCLAMER****
I'm a huge El-P fan and will not hide the fact that i am totally biased and that I would blindly follow the man into a volcano with ****ing lava everywhere
***********

Quote:

Originally Posted by mankycaaant

I can't help but compare this guy to Aesop Rock, but not quite getting to his level in terms of flow, lyrical content or style.

The production at times is just annoying and creeps over El-P's voice with dramatic effects being all of the rage, I'd have much rather preferred a solid, stable beat, so we can focus more on what he's saying, because some of what I caught was clever, witty lyrics.

It's an aquired taste trust me, this album gave me a headache the first time i listened to it, but there is a lot of reward if you keep listening.

You get rid of the random chaos and overproduction and you lose El-P's identity. It doesn't impact the lyrics negatively, it just makes it harder to
decipher.

You know those crappy drug montages hollywood movies always have? Guy does 1 hit of drug X and all of a sudden the world turns into a crazy hysteria driven distopia with prodigy music playing? El-P is this scene done right in music form for me, it sounds really dumb but i don't know how else to articulate it.

Quote:

That being said, there is nothing necessarily wrong with the album, but it just doesn't do much to differentiate itself from similar products.

Your main complaint was that it needed to be more simplified and formulaic, but you want it to be more original too. That's by no means a unfair opinion, but it kinda seems like your trying to find reasons to dislike it at this point.

Plz just listen to it moar >.<

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engine

I think he's pretty much just saying 'None Shall Pass' by Aesop Rock which is a good album but not shit compared to 'I'll Sleep When You're Dead'

It's good no doubt, but it lacks the emotional resonance and punch of El-P. He's a great lyricist, but El-P doesn't hide behind vague imagery and stream of consciousnesses the way aesop does, el-p actually says some ****!

**Janszoon** · 01-08-2012, 10:42 PM

I've been meaning to get this album since it came out and this thread finally inspired me to check it out (though I ended up with some damn watermarked version so if anyone has a lead on a legit one please let me know). Not only is this my introduction to this album but it's the first El-P album I've ever checked out, though I've been a fan of his production work on other people's albums for quite a while.

Anyway, after one listen my reaction is this: I like it. A lot. The production, as expected, is phenomenal, and the music is incredible. My initial thought while listening to the album was how dream-like it is. Not "dream-like" in the way that people usually mean when they talk about music—all trippy and sugary sweet and ethereal—but really like a dream—odd pieces fitting together in ways that are simultaneously utterly non-obvious and completely intuitive. It's not just any dreams, I guess. It's the kind of dreams you have when you're sick, forehead hot to the touch, eyes dry and smoldering, your subconscious matte-black with barely glowing embers at the very bottom of this pit. That is what this album sounds like to me. I can't wait to delve deeper into it.

Sparky · 01-08-2012, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Not "dream-like" in the way that people usually mean when they talk about music—all trippy and sugary sweet and ethereal—but really like a dream—odd pieces fitting together in ways that are simultaneously utterly non-obvious and completely intuitive. It's not just any dreams, I guess. It's the kind of dreams you have when you're sick, forehead hot to the touch, eyes dry and smoldering, your subconscious matte-black with barely glowing embers at the very bottom of this pit. That is what this album sounds like to me. I can't wait to delve deeper into it.

This is what i was trying to explain with my ****ty movie analogy. yet once again my brain lets me down...

nice job!

14232949 · 01-09-2012, 01:31 PM

I don't know if I was being overly harsh in my estimation of the album, and I've been caught out by thinking about what I said, and not being able to name many similar albums.
As somebody else said None Shall Pass, but even at that, they're not really that similar in the production aspect.

I just guess on the first listen this album did nothing for me, but I will revisit it soon, and perhaps will come back with a different perspective.

Mrd00d · 01-09-2012, 05:28 PM

The features are interesting too. We get The Mars Volta, Aesop Rock, Cage, and Trent Reznor (and Cat Power, apparently, whoever that is). It took me a while to warm up to Tasmanian Pain Coaster with The Mars Volta but it really really grew on me. Besides that, El-P and Aesop Rock together is always an awesome combination. And then having Trent Reznor to the hook on Flyentology is a nice touch. What do you all think of the features?

What do you all think of the dark themes here? Thematically, it does make a good sequel to Fantastic Damage does it not?

Sparky · 01-09-2012, 06:30 PM

Do you really not know who cat power is? I haven't listened to her since I was a wee lad, but Moon Pix is worth checking out for some soft indie ish. Where was she on the album?

The guest spots do nothing for me, I would have preferred trent reznor not be on the album of anything. It sounds gimmicky and he's only there for 20 seconds.

A lot of El-Ps subject matter involves his struggles to fit into routine life, but tracks like Drive and League of Extraordinary Nobodies does a good job of delivering that with a deep sense of paranoia and frustration. It's more self-reflective, I don't know if it's neccessarilly darker though. I think a lot of it is tongue in cheek, the way the crew laughs at the end of habeas corpus

"she was dead, just how i wanted her" or something, and then they burst out into laughter. I think it's genuine, but may be slightly pandering to an emotionally vulnerable adolescent fanbase.

Mrd00d · 01-09-2012, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky

Do you really not know who cat power is? I haven't listened to her since I was a wee lad, but Moon Pix is worth checking out for some soft indie ish. Where was she on the album?

The guest spots do nothing for me, I would have preferred trent reznor not be on the album of anything. It sounds gimmicky and he's only there for 20 seconds.

A lot of El-Ps subject matter involves his struggles to fit into routine life, but tracks like Drive and League of Extraordinary Nobodies does a good job of delivering that with a deep sense of paranoia and frustration. It's more self-reflective, I don't know if it's neccessarilly darker though. I think a lot of it is tongue in cheek, the way the crew laughs at the end of habeas corpus

"she was dead, just how i wanted her" or something, and then they burst out into laughter. I think it's genuine, but may be slightly pandering to an emotionally vulnerable adolescent fanbase.

On a related note, I noticed Cat Power will be at Coachella 2012. Funny how the world works.

Habeas Corpses is dark. The laughter at the end is maniacal. Habeas Corpses is a story of Cage and El-P being corrupt guards on a prison ship and talking about raping one of the cute prisoners, and Cage shoot prisoners for fun, and El-P's questioning his job and how he's living his life

Quote:

"I found love on a prison ship..." {X8}

[El-P]
Does this job ever bother you, darkly creep up in your conscious too?

[Cage]
Nope, in fact I'm so enamored with the standard
of being handed a command to (pow), it's almost romantic
The lead giveth, I take it, if I didn't understand it

[El-P]
I'm saying during the tenure of your gig, have you ever herded a pris
Who despite the traitorous label, makes you nervous as a kid?
Maybe beyond a date with the lead, there's something else meant for
A prisoner with the beauty of 247290-Z

[Cage]
Oh God, you gotta be joking, I get it she's smoking
Go get a taste, I'll hold you down for thirty, she must be purty, you're open
Your secret's safe with me, go on a raping spree
I gotta couple numbers of my own, just return the courtesy

[El-P]
No, nah man, that's actually not on my mind
Somehow its different this time. I mean
Should a creature so sublime and young really be in line for the gun
And am I the one to dispense it? She seems almost defenseless
And her eyes have the surprising effect of rendering me restless

"You know, you look really pretty without handcuffs on
Without the dirt on your face..."

Like the piss and stench of the huddled traitors evaporates from the room
And in that moment I can see her truly, and she can see me too
Beneath the body armor and weaponry, my heart quietly thumps and whispers
"Drop the guns and grab her, now's the time to make your run"

and daydreams of running away with a prisoner girl and living a happy life forever with her,

Quote:

Sitting in my transport as we slip through traffic veins
She doesn't ask me where we're going, only holds my hand and gaze
She's my only reason now, and my only hope to live
We pull up to the cabin way above this damn metropolis

Me and prisoner 247290-Z
Somewhere that is Soilent Green, we're living life instead
No more war on traitorism, only me and her
She can clean my gun and I could help her clean the floor

Back to something natural, we'll live off of the land
When Radon levels drop we walk the trails and talk and laugh
I tell her she's innocent, and she'll show me she's not
I kiss the number on her arm and lay her on the cot

I'm the first to touch her without gloves on
She's the first to kiss me without crying
Life before this was just dying
Me and prisoner 247290-Z
Away from all this violence, live inside each other's heads... (repeating X4)

but he snaps back to reality and he's ordered to shoot her, and he does without hesitation.

Quote:

"Number 247290-Zed, step to the line"
"Yes sir"
{*gunshot*}

"I found love on a prison ship..." {X7}

[Soldiers]
"She's dead Lindt, just how we wanted it. Great."
"Just how we wanted it (laughing)"
"You shot the **** out of her Lindt. I'm proud of you. Go home"

Not very tongue in cheek in my opinion, that's one ****ed up and intricately painted story.

Sparky · 01-09-2012, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrd00d

On a related note, I noticed Cat Power will be at Coachella 2012. Funny how the world works.

Habeas Corpses is dark. The laughter at the end is maniacal. Habeas Corpses is a story of Cage and El-P being corrupt guards on a prison ship and talking about raping one of the cute prisoners, and Cage shoot prisoners for fun, and El-P's questioning his job and how he's living his life

and daydreams of running away with a prisoner girl and living a happy life forever with her,

but he snaps back to reality and he's ordered to shoot her, and he does without hesitation.

Not very tongue in cheek in my opinion, that's one ****ed up and intricately painted story.

Yeah your probably right. But it sounds kinda like they're clowning around at the end to me, but maybe i like interpreting it that way more.

Mrd00d · 01-09-2012, 11:58 PM

I mean, you can if you want I guess. /shrug

It is called Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love) after all.

'Habeas Corpus' - Latin 'you have the body' - Prisoners often seek release by filing a petition for a writ of habeas corpus

Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offences had heavy punishments

^This is just for my reference, and anyone interested, but the title says it itself if you think about it.

Rapes and Executions.

01-08-2012, 09:29 PM	#11 (permalink)
Engine air quote Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pollen & mold Posts: 3,108	I think he's pretty much just saying 'None Shall Pass' by Aesop Rock which is a good album but not shit compared to 'I'll Sleep When You're Dead' __________________ Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

01-08-2012, 10:42 PM	#13 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	I've been meaning to get this album since it came out and this thread finally inspired me to check it out (though I ended up with some damn watermarked version so if anyone has a lead on a legit one please let me know). Not only is this my introduction to this album but it's the first El-P album I've ever checked out, though I've been a fan of his production work on other people's albums for quite a while. Anyway, after one listen my reaction is this: I like it. A lot. The production, as expected, is phenomenal, and the music is incredible. My initial thought while listening to the album was how dream-like it is. Not "dream-like" in the way that people usually mean when they talk about music—all trippy and sugary sweet and ethereal—but really like a dream—odd pieces fitting together in ways that are simultaneously utterly non-obvious and completely intuitive. It's not just any dreams, I guess. It's the kind of dreams you have when you're sick, forehead hot to the touch, eyes dry and smoldering, your subconscious matte-black with barely glowing embers at the very bottom of this pit. That is what this album sounds like to me. I can't wait to delve deeper into it. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

01-09-2012, 05:28 PM	#16 (permalink)
Mrd00d Stoned and Jammin' Out Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern California; Eugene, OR; mobile Posts: 1,602	The features are interesting too. We get The Mars Volta, Aesop Rock, Cage, and Trent Reznor (and Cat Power, apparently, whoever that is). It took me a while to warm up to Tasmanian Pain Coaster with The Mars Volta but it really really grew on me. Besides that, El-P and Aesop Rock together is always an awesome combination. And then having Trent Reznor to the hook on Flyentology is a nice touch. What do you all think of the features? What do you all think of the dark themes here? Thematically, it does make a good sequel to Fantastic Damage does it not? __________________ Mrd00d's Last.fm

01-09-2012, 11:58 PM	#20 (permalink)
Mrd00d Stoned and Jammin' Out Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern California; Eugene, OR; mobile Posts: 1,602	I mean, you can if you want I guess. /shrug It is called Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love) after all. 'Habeas Corpus' - Latin 'you have the body' - Prisoners often seek release by filing a petition for a writ of habeas corpus Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offences had heavy punishments ^This is just for my reference, and anyone interested, but the title says it itself if you think about it. Rapes and Executions. __________________ Mrd00d's Last.fm

01-09-2012, 01:31 PM	#15 (permalink)
14232949 The Big Dog Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,989	I don't know if I was being overly harsh in my estimation of the album, and I've been caught out by thinking about what I said, and not being able to name many similar albums. As somebody else said None Shall Pass, but even at that, they're not really that similar in the production aspect. I just guess on the first listen this album did nothing for me, but I will revisit it soon, and perhaps will come back with a different perspective.

01-09-2012, 06:30 PM	#17 (permalink)
Sparky not really Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 5,223	Do you really not know who cat power is? I haven't listened to her since I was a wee lad, but Moon Pix is worth checking out for some soft indie ish. Where was she on the album? The guest spots do nothing for me, I would have preferred trent reznor not be on the album of anything. It sounds gimmicky and he's only there for 20 seconds. A lot of El-Ps subject matter involves his struggles to fit into routine life, but tracks like Drive and League of Extraordinary Nobodies does a good job of delivering that with a deep sense of paranoia and frustration. It's more self-reflective, I don't know if it's neccessarilly darker though. I think a lot of it is tongue in cheek, the way the crew laughs at the end of habeas corpus "she was dead, just how i wanted her" or something, and then they burst out into laughter. I think it's genuine, but may be slightly pandering to an emotionally vulnerable adolescent fanbase.