Album: Bleed
Artist: Smoke of Oldominion
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Year: 2006
Label: Superhappywax
The Pacific Northwest is home to a vast and diverse Hip-Hop community. This is no longer news to me. One of the most interesting aspects of this community is the Oldominion collective. Comprised of over twenty odd members, Oldominion is a force to by reckoned with and features the talents of such Hip-Hop luminaries as Onry Ozzborn, JFK, Sleep, Syndel, Candidt and Smoke to name just a few. While Ozzborn and JFK have found some more recognition as the Grayskul duo, many of the other artists seem to go with little or no public acknowledgement of their work. Oldominion isn’t The Wu-Tang after all, and a lot of their music goes unheard by most people. This is truly a shame as the work I’ve heard thus far has all been pretty dope. The Gigantics debut album, Die Already, was my first exposure to the world of Oldominion. Though not an Oldominion album, it featured the talents of many members of the collective and was put together by Onry Ozzborn, easily my favorite rapper in the whole group… until now. Now, the line has been blurred by Smoke, whose debut solo album, Bleed, is giving Osborn and Grayskul a strong run for their money.
Smoke is a producer and emcee that, I think, may have crafted one of the finest Hip-Hop albums I’ve heard in months. Most of the production on this album is provided by Smoke himself, with just a few tracks being built by other Oldominion members. The sound of Oldominion, especially Smoke’s, production is becoming very familiar to me. It’s distinct, often dark and usually minimalistic in comparison to other Hip-Hop acts, with bare bone sound providing excellent backing for Smoke’s surrealistic ramblings. As an emcee he’s somewhere between the weirdness of Aesop Rock and the darkness of JFK, finding the place where they meet, and using the best elements of both worlds to his advantage. He’s also much speedier in his delivery than either of the aforementioned, words flying out of his motor powered mouth faster than a Circle Jerks song. His subject matter ranges from religion to relationships, darkness to drugs and each one is tackled with a kind of deadpan enthusiasm that reveals the powerful mind behind the wordy rhymes. This album is riddled with strong tracks like a gangster’s corpse is riddled with bullet holes. The combination of Smoke’s production and rhymes are an intoxicating concoction, which is a heady, but rewarding, brew to drink.
Easily the best track on the album is the addiction dirge of “Lullaby” with its midnight tolling clock chimes and doom saying guitar riffs. The track details Smoke’s descent into drug hell as he does everything in his power to maintain his high, disregarding everything else around him in favor of drugs. Sleepless, cold and aching he finds himself powerless, as does a girl of his acquaintance who also finds her life falling apart under the weight of her addiction. This track is chilling and quite worrisome in many ways. You hope that this tale is that of a character and not Smoke’s personal experience, because, quite frankly, it sounds like death in a bottle. But it’s also the best track on the album, combining Smoke’s mastery of production and lyrics as well as showcasing the gorgeous vocals of Yadria Brown, whose chorus adds to the hopeless atmosphere of the track.
There are other great songs on the album, like the flamenco guitars and self-deprecating lyrics of “Mudd” as well as the down tempo bass lines of the title track “Bleed” but no other track has quite the deathly cold atmosphere of “Lullaby”. For some people that’s probably a good thing, but, in my opinion, I could have stood to see more tracks in its (cold) vein. Though, again, the album is incredibly strong and “Lullaby” just happens to be its strongest moment.
This album is an excellent introduction to the Oldominion collective and a compelling document in and of its self. Smoke can hold his own and will hold your attention all the way through to the end.
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