On his ninth studio album Disco!, lo-fi hip hop pioneer MIKE has given listeners another distributed entrance into his paranoia. Over a gloomy soundtrack produced by himself, the New York mc continues to unravel apart his troubled mind with his well-layered pen game that’s just as technically proficient as it is emotionally intuned. With a soundscape that’s so overpowering yet so minimal, MIKE creates the perfect atmosphere to rap about the absolute horror show that he refers to as his life. From missing his teenage years, which in itself, he considered to be relatively boring and undesirable to throwing verbal daggers at himself, MIKE conveys the ultimate themes of self resentment and confliction through his tormented writing. While always remaining dark in substance, the record beats often change the tone between its mysterious and decrepit instrumentals and the contrary side more upscale and uptempo soundscapes. While these tone switches could feel unwarranted and detract from the general pace of the lp, they remain focused on the records ideas due to their unsettlingness, which ultimately creates some of the project’s darkest moments. While MIKE’s negative self-analyzation is certainly dont beautiful, it’s not done in a way where I would put this album above his best work, but nonetheless, Disco is another testament to his greatness.
Rating: 7.7/10
Top 5 Songs:
- Crystal Ball
- Ghoulish
- Evil Eye
- Alarmed
- Endgame
Written By: Mr. Fantastic
