Review Summary: The music on Atrocity Exhibition acts a soundtrack to Brown’s paranoia- his high-pitched nasal delivery hammers down an abrasive atmosphere that varies jabbing horns with lurking bass and trash can percussion.
Slinging dope on the east side streets of Detroit at the age of 18 and doing time by 24, an early death was always a possibility for alternative rapper, Danny Brown. But with his increasing level of fame and success, the uncertainty of death has become maddening for him, as reflected in his latest LP, Atrocity Exhibition.
The music on Atrocity Exhibition acts a soundtrack to Brown’s paranoia- his high-pitched nasal delivery hammers down an abrasive atmosphere that varies jabbing horns with lurking bass and trash can percussion. This jarring instrumentation culminates in a sound that feels like a fusion of 90s gangster rap, experimental jazz, and tribal music.
Album opener, “Downward Spiral,” immediately sets the stage- Brown is battling a vicious drug habit that has him in a constant state of paranoia. The track burns slow, as Brown stumbles around a clanking beat and screeching feedback. “Rolling Stone” is more soulful in its chorus courtesy of Petite Noir’s vocals, but isn’t any more comforting as he sings, “In my mind I feel so alone. Just release me.”
“Really Doe” switches things up as a squad banger that’s more conventional in its rap themes- being hard as ***, bragging about riches and bitches. Its creepy bell melody and boom bap drums make for an extremely hard hitting groove that has Danny Brown and guests going off- Brown hammers down the beat with 16th note syllable gunshots, Earl Sweatshirt bobs and weaves through the verse with his offbeat rhyme scheme, and Kendrick Lamar’s stop-go delivery keeps everyone guessing.
Whereas the first five tracks slowly build an intensity, “Ain’t It Funny” says ‘*** it’ and unleashes all hell. With its stomping four-on-the-floor rhythm and blaring horns, the track plays like a disco song for meth heads. Amidst the chaos, Brown finds a dark humor in how he’s throwing his life away to drugs. On tracks “Today” and “When It Rains” he defends his self-destructive behavior as him “seizing the moment.” A seize the day mentality is great in that it has him consistently hitting the beats hard, but it does him no good when it has him hitting that glass dick even harder.
Between the madness and paranoia are a handful of tracks that let the listener gather their senses. Brown gets lifted with the appropriately titled, “Get Hi,” and slows things down with the meditative R+B track, “From the Ground.” The most fun to be had is on “Dance In The Water,” a get-up-and-shake-your-ass number whose funky bass and tribal rhythm will be hilariously reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country to any Nintendo fanboys (Checkout Candy’s Love Song).
Will it last – the fame, the fortune, the women, the drugs – Will it all last? The question endlessly tortures Danny Brown on Atrocity Exhibition. There isn’t a single track that provides definitive answer the question but closer, “Hell For It,” promises he won’t go down without a fight. But what does that mean when the person he’s fighting is himself? Therapy? Maybe. More Drugs? Probably.
-Andrew Larrea
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Source: http://www.blownspeakers.net/music/danny-brown-atrocity-exhibition
