rukrym, Jan 30, 2005
With its twisted chemistry and schizoid lyrics, cLOUDDEAD's TEN is remarkably set apart from any other hip-hop or 'underground hip-hop' music record. Calling this album a hip-hop album would be too simplifying anyway; TEN is beyond genres. It combines the past and the future of abstract hip-hop. Hip-hop interbreeds with electronic music in TEN. Whereas the debut album from 2001 lacked some consistency, the second album is continuous, uniform and homogeneous. The lyrical lunacy compensates for the musical uniformity. The first track 'Pop Song' is maybe the most obvious example for this. It strikes with bubblegum beats and hard-to-decipher lyrics. Lyrically, TEN is reminscent of William S. Burroughs ('The Velvet Ant') or J.G. Ballard ('Dead Dogs Two') or some other unnerving writers. TEN is as readable as listenable. It is poetry and neologism at the same time. Whatever it is, it is probably the best record of 2004, and the last of cLOUDDEAD, as it says on the album sleeves.
4.7/5 (