E

Thank you to @AutExtrovert for the recommendation (3)! If you have any album/song you'd like to recommend, feel free to drop it in my shoutbox.

I'm really happy that I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. There's not really anything in the Drain Gang catalog or the cloud rap scene that I can say I was particularly impressed by, but the eclectic ideas presented on 'E' are pretty strong.

Ecco2k is a producer I've only heard once before on the 2022 collaboration between him and Bladee 'Crest' which I was far from a fan of. The sort of wild nonsensicality with the understated instrumentals of cloud rap were something that wasn't clicking for me at the time, and still might not now.

Unlike 'Crest' though, 'E' is giving me more of an abstract and extraterrestrial feel that I enjoy. The intro track AAA Powerline is the four line repeated for over four minutes, but something about it is oddly mesmerizing for me. My favorite track would have to be the following song Peroxide that is so simple with it's lyrics, but is a super engaging journey.

The lack of back end to all of the cloud rap music is still something to adjust to. Often I feel that this album is lacking some of the excitement that another album may have because of the lack of bass or dynamic change. Regardless though, this is a trippy sound that delivers on what it's trying to do, which is to create a brand of rap that is so ethereal it makes you feel like your brain is floating.