Published on May 1, 2003
When you’re sick to death of So & So running their mouths
about how “it’s just gonna be all right,” or eventually tire of
hearing punk as decoded by rednecks/jocks, open up and say
aaah to NYC’s Cannibal Ox. You’ll gain some real
otherworldly perspective in the process. But first pull your pants
up to your neck, because this river runs deep. There’s just no way
in hell you’ll feel like getting jiggy or shaking your money maker
after even three songs off of
The Cold Vein.
I listened to this album about five times in a row the other
night, and have a major chest cold now to match the sub-zero
atmosphere of songs like “Pigeon”:
“Birds of the same feather flock together congested on a
majestic street corner / That’s a short-time goal for most of ’em,
‘cuz most of them would rather expand their wings and hover over
greater things / That’s what we call inspired flight by the pigeons
that gotta eat pizza crust every night / And let there be light was
understood when a mic stand descended from up above and to the hood
/ But I’ve graduated, got my wings, and you’ve gotta let go of my
constructed Lego Eggo waffle halo.”
Those lines came courtesy of emcee Vast Aire, so-named because
he’s one of the few rappers sizeable enough to play professional
basketball (that’s not including several among the nine-member
Wu-Tang Clan). These aren’t bogus tales of big pimpin’, money
countin’, or bootie-slappin’. Cannibal Ox are onto some grimy
Cyborg thuds that resonate with realism, and are unfit for people
who customarily listen to hip-hop to be a vicarious sociopath or a
porno star. The thuds arrive via El-P (aka Jamie Meline, formerly
of Company Flow), with a personal production style similar to Ennio
Morriconne mixed with Masami Akita (Merzbow). Timbaland he’s
not.
The Cold Vein has been re-issued in an instrumental format,
so you can hear the same songs sans vocals, and mixed slightly
differently. I don’t have it yet, but if the final Company Flow
album
Little Johnny From The Hospitul, which was devoid of
rapping, is any indication, it should be fantastic.
Fresh from Def Jux, which is the new label Meline put together
in response to the nightmare that was Rawkus Recordings,
Cold Vein is (sort of) the precursor to
Fantastic Damage, El-P’s exquisitely long-awaited solo
album. Def Jux has bragging rights to new material by Aesop Rock,
RJD2, Camu Tao, Atoms Family, Masai Bey, Y@k Ballz, and several
others you’ve unfortunately probably never heard of. You can start
with
Cold Vein,
Enters The Colossus by Mr. Lif, and then I’d recommend
Fantastic Damage. The Cannibal Ox track “Ridiculoid” was
originally meant for that particular album.
Rappers Vast and Vordul Megilah spin misshapen allegories on
Cold Vein, and use imagery more punk than punk has ever been
capable of (especially now). Don’t believe me? Go on the web and
download an MP3 of “A B-Boys Alpha.” You’ll laugh quietly for a
split second, and then be thankful that nobody heard you. The only
time I can think of a drums/guitar/bass/vocal combo getting
anywhere near the disturbing vibe of that track was in 1978 when
the Misfits released a single called “Bullet.”