Review Summary: An abstract painting of a simple sunset....
It’s been a couple of interesting years for Daveed Diggs, the talking head of Clipping, since
CLPPNG was released in 2014. In addition to some stints on Law and Order: SVU and Netflix’s “The Get Down”, Diggs won both a Grammy and a Tony (for best actor in a leading role) award for his work on the Broadway hit “Hamilton”. Fortunately for him, starring in the biggest Broadway play in years means hordes of new fans eager to find other projects he’s been in. And how surprised they would be to come across Clipping, a harsh, industrial hip-hop project that could rightfully be called an acquired taste. How surprised even still would these fans be at
Splendor and Misery, which is if not anything else, one of the most conceptually unique albums this year. For those who don’t know, the album focuses on the sole survivor of an uprising aboard an interstellar slave cargo ship and its AI system that falls in love with him. As outlandish as the premise may sound,
Splendor and Misery does a fantastic job of touching on some poignant concepts like loneliness and sadness and backs up these notions with some truly inventive musicality.
Clipping’s stringent adherence to the experimental is further reinforced by Diggs’ complete omission of the pronoun “I”. The man plays narrator, the survivor, even the lovestruck AI but never assumes the role himself. Diggs is telling a story in
Splendor and Misery, not playing a part in it, and the narrative is enhanced as a result. While the concept is central throughout
Splendor and Misery, “All Black” is an example of a Clipping song that succeeds regardless of the motif. A brilliant backdrop of wind and electronic raindrops accentuates Diggs’ telling of the survivor’s realization that he’s alone on a cargo ship in the middle of space surrounded by dead bodies. In fact, this dystopian Afrocentric concept gives Clipping excuses to play around with some sounds that are both new and familiar.
Splendor and Misery never sounds foreign to fans of Clipping yet group still finds new way to experiment with their sound. Tons of glitch, bleeps and bloops, hydraulics, and metallic percussion is utilized to give the listener the sense that this music is all coming from the ship and taking place in the survivor’s head as he struggles with his situation. The dedication to the concept of
Splendor and Misery is certainly admirable but is the source of the album’s most glaring problem.
There’s a fine line musicians tow while creating a concept album, the line between telling the story and engaging the listener in the music.
Splendor and Misery focuses far too much on telling the story, relying on Diggs’ lyricism to push the album forward. As mentioned before, conceptually,
Splendor and Misery is damn near brilliant. The music, while sparse as Clipping is known for, reflects the emotions in each song very well. What the music doesn’t do is grab you in a meaningful way. It serves frequently as a mere backdrop for the story which makes
Splendor and Misery feel too often like spoken word poetry rather than a hip-hop album. The plethora of interludes interrupt the short supply of full-length songs on the album and the best songs are the ones that aren’t completely tethered by the narrative and stand on their own merits. “Air Em’ Out” (the only certifiable banger) and “A Better Place” stand out as tracks which marry Diggs’ fire with the exceptional music, with the latter being an imaginative closer as the survivor accepts his fate as eternally alone and journeys into the unknown. Intellectually,
Splendor and Misery is amazing and its sheer inventiveness cannot be denied. Clipping uses a seemingly goofy premise and tells a distressing tale of loss, loneliness, and love. However, the decision to present the album in the manner they did really cripples the visceral enjoyment that could have otherwise been experienced. As a result,
Splendor and Misery is an album most enjoyed with your head, not with your heart.
