CANON
AlbumCannibal Ox, 2001
The Cold Vein
ABOUT THE WORK
The Cold Vein.
“Birds of the same feather flock together on congested, majestic street corners.”
Vast Aire and Vordul Mega describe a city that feels ancient in its customs and pain and futuristic in its ability to cope. Apartment buildings, train platforms, hunger, ambition, friendship and violence illuminated by the strange industrial skylight of El-P’s production. It is the imagined kitchen table conversations. It’s city streets. Sneakers tied and tossed.
The beats are enormous without being luxurious. They clang, hover and deteriorate. They’re my favorite El-P era. The city they create is livable, but strange, nocturnal and subterranean.
The Cold Vein is an album about maintaining an interior life while observing the exterior world as it attempts to reduce you.
Vast Aire can move from jokes to philosophy to threat in a handful of bars. Absolute poetry. Vordul is quieter, sometimes nearly submerged in the environment around him. Together they give the record a humanity that keeps its dystopian imagery from becoming costume.
This was the first full-length album issued by Definitive Jux. What a masterpiece. And what an incredible flag to plant for the future of Def Jux.
“Birds of the same feather flock together on congested, majestic street corners.”
Vast Aire and Vordul Mega describe a city that feels ancient in its customs and pain and futuristic in its ability to cope. Apartment buildings, train platforms, hunger, ambition, friendship and violence illuminated by the strange industrial skylight of El-P’s production. It is the imagined kitchen table conversations. It’s city streets. Sneakers tied and tossed.
The beats are enormous without being luxurious. They clang, hover and deteriorate. They’re my favorite El-P era. The city they create is livable, but strange, nocturnal and subterranean.
The Cold Vein is an album about maintaining an interior life while observing the exterior world as it attempts to reduce you.
Vast Aire can move from jokes to philosophy to threat in a handful of bars. Absolute poetry. Vordul is quieter, sometimes nearly submerged in the environment around him. Together they give the record a humanity that keeps its dystopian imagery from becoming costume.
This was the first full-length album issued by Definitive Jux. What a masterpiece. And what an incredible flag to plant for the future of Def Jux.