From the opening seconds of "Downward Spiral", Danny and Paul White (his primary producer for the record) inform us that this thing will pull no punches. Using a heavy, thick, psych-rock inspired instrumental with reverbed guitar stabs and seemingly random drum hits, the pair throw us headfirst into the sweaty, claustrophobic drug haven Danny describes. His singular, strangled, squeaking voice is like a bleat from the underworld - when he shouts, "gotta figure it out", it's almost a challenge. In a way, this track is the mission statement: from the pit of darkness and self-loathing driving the lyrics to the downright challenging instrumental, the entire album follows its lead.
"Tell Me What I Don't Know" is an excellent follow-up to this track by playing it a bit straighter - Danny even raps this song in a "normal" voice. It may be the song that most reflects Danny's roots in more ways than one: it's deeply sad, following a dead friend's life in Detroit, and uses a beat including heavy synth lines with breakbeats. There are a few odd, intentional omissions and additions in the beat and lyrics here, making a seemingly straightforward track that much more strange and intriguing. "Rolling Stone" follows suit in that way, with production and a feature by Petite Noir grounding this track in reality. There are wonderful little additions like cowbell or a heavy, organic bass line. It's significantly darker than most songs on the album, making the opening sequence up until this point pretty soul-crushing.
Much has been written or talked about in terms of the next track and well-loved single, "Really Doe". From the absolutely incredible verses from every artist here (Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and Earl Sweatshirt) to the minimal, fantastic production (Black Milk), even to the placement of the verses and the progression of the beat, this song is excellent. It's definitely in contention for single of the year, and it's easily the best posse cut I've heard for a while. And Earl is definitely getting deserved recognition - his verse absolutely brims with bottled violence.
The run following "Really Doe" may be my favorite on the album: "Lost" has a totally wonky, dirty, disgusting sample-based beat and some of Danny's best-written verses. It's funny, intimidating, and his flow is insane: Myke C-Town, a pretty great critic, asserted that no one else can do what Danny does in terms of how he puts his words together over these instrumentals. I agree. His threats are for real, and they all come from his impeccable musical ability. "Ain't It Funny" is fucking fantastic, no way around it. From the blaring horns that just peel your eyes back, to Danny's breathless and bloodthirsty delivery, to the insane effects layered over the entire thing... this track is amazing, taking hip-hop to a place not many people would dare to touch, while Danny dives right in. "Golddust" and "White Lines" take even more liberties - it gets downright overwhelming in the layers of horns and Eastern elements splattered all over the entire thing. "White Lines" features a mind-blowingly weird moment when Danny raps rapid-fire over flute bursts of a sample in almost Busdriver, "Imaginary Places" style. The ad-libs just add to the entire feeling. It's very Warp Records, both these tracks. It's mentioned that this album feels like being on drugs, and these songs are perfect examples of this.
"Pneumonia" is almost a simple song - from the opening, with ominous clanking and bell hits, we're expecting Danny to take his foot off the pedal for a second. Then the verse hits, and his flow returns to something completely unpredictable, but he makes it sound effortless. While the song plays wildly with expectations, it does seem to break the concept for a second, something Danny's addressed. It's a party song for the paranoid and high.
He jumps right back in on "Dance in the Water", a sample-based track that feels like a layer of grime layered on top of you that Danny eventually sets on fire. It's weird. It's really fucking weird. Paul White and Danny turn a dance instruction into a song, painting Danny as the ruler of some disturbing land where he is the dance god. I can't explain this song, but that's nowhere near a bad thing. The chorus is just completely undeniable.
"From the Ground" is something of a breath of air - Kelela's feature is excellent, and the song really does a good job of making you look around at the atmosphere Danny's made so far. "When It Rain", the first single, features Danny's impeccable flow and a singular Detroit drum style but its four-on-the-floor drums really pound at your head, almost to the point where you want to tap out. "Today" follows these tracks up with a relatively easy-to-understand song. It's paranoid and scary, sure, but in terms of listenability its not that oppressive. It's a great track, especially when taking the lyrics into consideration, speaking about Danny's lifestyle and the decisions people make in environments where they seem to have no other choice.
Then there's "Get Hi". Which sounds like being high. I can't listen to it, usually, or I get sort of stuck and have to listen to it over and over. It's amazingly well done, beautiful and thought-provoking, especially when he lists off jazz greats who had horrible drug addictions. It's a strange setup when you listen to the last song, following it. "Hell for It" is restrained but may be Danny's angriest song. He speaks to those who didn't recognize him for the talent he is, vowing to give them hell for it. And unlike most songs of this nature, he deserves the chance to say this.
This album is amazing. There's nothing quite like it, even in the large pool of experimental hip-hop around, Danny has crafted something spectacularly unique. I think it's one for the history books: the time when mainstream hip-hop got a huge slap in the face in the form of the most experimental album to be widely accepted in fucking years.
"Atrocity Exhibition" takes its name from Joy Division and JG Ballard, two uncompromising figures. Add Danny Brown. Links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNogzmuULLM ("Ain't It Funny")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csxSwkl4Gd0 ("Pneumonia")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spfsdpuvUyQ ("Really Doe")
http://tinyurl.com/h5hu9kp (MEGA)
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