Jehst - Falling Down

This is a proper quality release on Low Life, I caned it on my 'Tables for a long time; The tunes are deep and perfectly produced with Jehst and co's lyrics always maintaining a strong flow. The album is immediately engaging, The intro track is a head nodding opener immediately making you eager to hear the rest of the LP. Saying that, The album as a whole took a while to sink into my consciousness; To realise just how good it is! For fans of Jehst's earlier stuff, The 'High Plains Drifter' EP for example, 'Falling Down' shows a different side to Jehst's output; The album has some quality upfront tracks, But where this LP excels is in Jehst's handling of the deeper introspective moments; Tracks like 'ESP' (Essentially a love song created expertly by Jehst, The beats and his lyrics holding it together perfectly) 'Monotony' (With ace contributions from Asaviour) and 'Die When U Die' show how thoughtful and clever Jehst and co's lyrics are; He's giving it all with both barrels on all the tracks here, the lo-fi tunes on offer just as good as the more upbeat tracks. Overall this album maintains a sense of positivity, Despite outlining and struggling against the forces Jehst sees around him, And around the world.

The album title tells you Jehst's mindset as he recorded it, The 'Fear Skit' Probably the best insight into his thoughts and what's on his mind as he flings quality bar after bar. The liner notes state 'Jehst makes music like he still believes in hip-hop' A perfect sentence to sum up the LP as a whole; Self-conscious but also aware of the world 'Falling Down' around him, And music as a force to confront or contemplate it. That's not to say there aren't upbeat tracks - 'Manimals', 'Citizen Smif' and 'Brimstone Rock' for example. If you're looking for some quality hip-hop, Proper beats and clever insightful lyrics that'll make you listen to the album over and over again you can't do any better than this LP.