Bones (usa/hiphop)
Scumbag
Ages of waiting and now you have it on CD! The cult mixtape from 2013. One for the defining albums of the whole generation. "On 'Scumbag,' Bones raps about wandering a wasteland of numbness and decay. The beats move from slow cloud-rap soundscapes to slow cloud-rap soundscapes with hit hats or auxiliary synth lines. Nothing much changes over the record - the music morphs between glacier and chasm while Bones gently modulates the way he depicts his despondence. And yet, Bones' appeal survives the darkness that surrounds it because he places himself in a position of both personal and sonic power. Connections with romantic possibilities are taken for granted and drugs flow like milk and honey. The beats are intoxicatingly catchy and atmospheric; the hooks that accompany them create a hypnotic system that's hard to break out of. Bones appears to have it all, and even when he asserts that having everything is bullshit, it's such a break from the everyman unfulfillment of familiar life that his music can't help but feel like a vacation. The result is a record that constantly talks of depression, suicide and violence that feels closer to peace than conflict. Question: is it fine to listen to a rap record where overdose suicide pacts are the norm if it helps you feel less like committing your own. It's not exactly a pointless thing to ask. But it's difficult to tell whether SCUMBAG wants us to ask it or just fall in." ~SputnikMusic.