Nashville-based multi-talent
Namir Blade
made his
Mello Music Group
debut with
Aphelion's Traveling Circus
, a self-produced 2020 full-length filled with introspective narratives that drew from science fiction and Afrofuturism, yet felt remarkably down to earth. His next album was produced entirely by the elusive North Carolina beatmaker known as
L'Orange
, and it feels like a slight change of pace for both artists, but one that entirely connects. While
has been known to craft beats from vintage jazz records in the past, here he goes for more of a psychedelic blues sound, somewhere in between
Electric Mud
and
Hendrix
with a sprinkling of
Stax
, and it's both gritty and intoxicating.
Blade
's delivery is more urgent than on his last outing, and his lyrics are more bluntly honest (and sometimes starkly violent, as on the opening title track), but he also mixes fantasy with realism on tracks like the heist scene "Corner Store Scandal," or others where he expresses determination to earn millions and win awards.
's ice-cold yet heavyhearted hooks effortlessly blend with
's swirling, swampy rhythms on early standout "Nihilism," and the smoked-out production on "Murphy's Law" perfectly matches the dread of
's lyrics. His verses on the
Quelle Chris
-featuring "Point to Point" contain some of his knottiest, most abstract wordplay yet, and it's just as deadly as the crime-themed tracks. Near the album's end, he sings about the pain of dealing with a crumbling relationship over lush, weightless guitars on the tender, heartbroken "I Can Change." The closing "Pipe Dream" is more upbeat and optimistic, with
at his most confident and
Solemn Brigham
(
's partner in the duo
Marlowe
) playing a steady support role. ~ Paul Simpson