This album was released on March 27th this year. Moodie Black is an experimental Hip Hop group comprised of rapper-producer K-Death and guitarist Sean Lindahl. I wrote about two extended plays that they dropped last year, but this is my first time covering a full Moodie Black album. I’m really not sure how this is gonna turn out. I have a very complicated relationship with music like this. I always wanna give it a shot because it’s too weird and interesting to be overlooked. There’s usually at least one song on each project that I really like too. My favorite Moodie Black song to this day is Crow, and I doubt that’ll ever change, but anything’s possible I suppose. Stranger things have happened…
1. selfieness
I was surprised by how enjoyable this song was for me as soon as it started. I love the dark guitar notes at the very beginning, and the abrasive synths that eventually pop in almost sound kinda poppy in a way. Maybe “poppy” isn’t the right word, but they sound kind of Electronic. I have no idea what I’m talking about. I’m just trying to say that the instrumental here is a lot catchier than I was expecting.
I’ve seen the mass go past
21 trans dead beating my ass
World in a feast, it’s a massive bitch
To be alive in a time when you’re at the wick
K-Death’s vocals are kinda fuzzed out and muffled, which is usually the case. The lyrics are thankfully on the Bandcamp page though, so I know I’m not misquoting anything. I’m not really great at deciphering this style of abstract lyricism, but I can at least admire the flow, rhymes, and imagery, so I’m not completely lost. I really like how towards the middle of the track K-Death’s delivery gets more heated and aggressive as the production gets more and more distorted.
Not a figment of idea no agenda ranted
I am nothing but a woman what I manifested
More power red hats black power lynching
Tree limbs all lit looking like it’s Christmas
There’s no way in hell I’d be able to understand these lyrics if they weren’t online because they’re almost inaudible at this point. I’m kinda torn on the hook. On one hand I feel like it’s kind of cool, but the production at this point is so cacophonous and abrasive that it’s just a bit painful to listen to. I feel like I’d have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy it, and there are only a few contexts in which I could play it. The overall aesthetic is really cool and intriguing, but it’s not really the type of thing I’d listen to casually. The second verse is really dope. Again, I kinda have no idea what the hell any of it means, but the flow and rhymes are really tight.
Flame dame quited in rainbow shame
Changed now I’m blamed to the breasts arranged
Aimed that I’ll never flick rich in a misfit blitz
Of a glitch rich bliss for the first wish missed
Despite my apprehension towards some of the harsher elements of the song, I definitely enjoyed it. I got used to the harsher elements after a few listens of the album. This shit is dope.
2. feels
The way the previous track transitions into this one is really fucking smooth, and I like the instrumental here even more than that one. I love the slow paced, yet hard hitting percussion. K-Death’s vocal delivery here is surprisingly expressive. Her vocals are usually super toned down, heavy, and kinda deep. They usually just sound really menacing, yet calm. However, that’s not the case here. There’s a lot more range in her voice here than I would’ve expected. I mean, it’s not like I thought she only had that one note in her voice, but I didn’t think she’d ever take it here in her music because it hasn’t happened a lot in the past as far as I can remember. The flow is also kind of unexpected. It sounds a lot more like something JPEGMAFIA would do. I’m not exactly sure what the lyrics are referring to, but they definitely had me hooked.
The world is without my defense, so I’m off it
But bothered when I see you drowning
I feel like I have no space left to stand
I know you wanted a leading man
Can’t believe you could leave that behind
Women like you they do not survive
I kinda wish I knew more about who these lines were about and what inspired them. I don’t wanna invade anyone’s privacy though, so I’ll just take what I’ve been given. I think the lyricism on this track is dope as hell though. I feel like I have a better grasp of what’s being conveyed here than I did with the opening song, even if it still isn’t 100% clear to me.
Touching my veins, going black while you held to my mass
Never wanting a wedding ring
Tangled my feet to your hair when we ran out of air
In the palm trees, my misery
Honestly, I don’t have any real complaints about this track. The production is of course still very abrasive, but I felt like I enjoyed it here more than I did on the first track. I think this one is dope as hell.
3. picket fence
This shit sounds like horror in the form of music, especially when the pitch shifted vocals come in. I just picture an ogre rapping in my head whenever I hear that. Well, not really an ogre. Astaroth in particular pops into my head for whatever reason.
God, I’m such a dork. Anyway, the production is very hard hitting and abrasive, but instead of piercing and cacophonous, it just sounds really… Well… Hard hitting and abrasive lol. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it doesn’t feel difficult to listen to in my opinion. The way it evolves as the song progresses is really fucking awesome too. It gets pretty melodic, and the lighter motifs that eventually come in during the second recital of the hook sound genuinely gorgeous. K-Death’s rapping here is dope as hell too.
Malformed bodies and they’re growing up, world is now divisive like in real life in the cut
The main plains crying at the roots means everything in public in America is shame filled
The air feels slick and won’t wash off rich like the bitter of my elders with the layers off
The stress goes piling from inside rattling the beans in the worn hide means we are ending
The second verse on this song is crazy as well. I love how fucking angry she sounds, and the hostile lyrics are fucking awesome.
If it was up to me I’d smother you, fucking with your air until it feels raw
Playing with my imagery is way odd
This is easily one of the best songs I’ve ever heard from Moodie Black to be honest. I love everything about this track. It just gets better and better as it progresses. The final verse is amazing.
I’ve never held my motherfucking tongue
In fact I swallowed it and came around
I should’ve known like it was before
That it would turn out like Arizona
And I’ve looked enough into my eyes
The worst I’ve done is criticize
I took a couple papers for the noise
When I was naked, but of master poise
I think this shit is amazing. It technically ends very abruptly, but the way it’s sequenced makes it roll into the next track incredibly smoothly. The song is dope af.
4. jesus bound
This is the lead single from Moodie Black‘s upcoming album, Fuzz. In past reviews, I’ve said that I like a lot of Moodie Black songs, but I’ve never loved any of them. That’s not true at all though. Crow is still my favorite song from them. I think that shit is incredible. I listen to that song almost every day, and I’m not even exaggerating. I don’t know what it is about that track, but I think it’s perfect. The latest EP that they dropped last year is my favorite overall project from them, but Crow is the song that always keeps me coming back. Anyway, even though a lot of their music isn’t necessarily the kinda shit I can listen to and enjoy casually, I always give their releases a chance because I think they’re too interesting to not at least try out. There’s always the possibility of me coming away with at least one song that I really fuck with. I’ve always thought K-Death was a dope rapper, even though it’s often difficult to hear what she’s actually saying over Sean Lindahl’s abrasive production. That’s still the case here. Her flow is really nice here though. The way the sample of Kanye West’s Bound 2 is incorporated is really cool too. Shoutout to Dead End Hip Hop for premiering the music video for this song by the way. That’s cool. I wonder why it’s always the artists that Myke really fucks with who get the video premieres. I know they’ve premiered videos from Sadistik in the past as well, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, this is probably gonna be the most polarizing song that I talk about in this post, but I enjoyed it and I think it’s worth checking out. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
5. no mames
This is the second single from the upcoming Moodie Black album, FUZZ, if I’m not mistaken. I actually think I like this one more than the first single. This shit is loud as hell though. I mean, that’s kinda to be expected. It has an additional guitar contribution from someone named Bryan Ostrow, who’s a member of a band called Night of the Living Shred. My favorite part of the track is when Kdeath’s delivery gets more aggressive about halfway through the song. As always, this shit is weird as hell, so it’s not gonna be for everyone. I think I said the same thing about the previous single, but this is most likely gonna be the most polarizing track that I’ve written about this week. It’s probably the most interesting track here just because of how different it is though. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
6. i’m the one to love
no mames is such a loud song, so the transition from that track into this one, which is relatively toned down at the start, makes for a pretty captivating contrast. This is the shortest song on the album, and it’s definitely noticeable. There’s pretty much just one verse here, but it’s very good. The production is still very abrasive, but it’s not as over the top as some of the preceding material. The strange sound that kinda beeps in and out during the first part of the verse sounds really awesome. It almost sounds like some kinda weird, malfunctioning alarm. This track contains one of the most fast paced flows I’ve ever heard from K-Death too. The wild, high pitched vocals at the end of the verse are really dope. It’s like she’s howling out her words, and it sounds really cool. The song is dope.
7. hi-v
I wasn’t sure whether to read the title of this song as “high five” or “H.I.V.” when I first listened to it, but I went with the former. I don’t know what it is, but something about the way all these songs transition into one another is really cool to me. It somehow always sounds abrupt, yet smooth at the same time, which may sound oxymoronic if you don’t listen for yourself. Anyway, the production on this song is fucking glorious. Sean did a fantastic job on this one; this is one of my favorite beats on the whole album. I love how misanthropic K-Death comes off on this track too.
You can find me somewhere in my basement pacing
Tryna keep the weight up off my angry
Hating on a good day, rather keep my smile for the raining
Something ‘bout the clouds keeps me fanging
She refers to “fangs” multiple times times throughout the record. I’m not sure if that’s just a coincidence or if there’s a loose theme that I haven’t fully picked up on yet. Some of the lyricism is also kinda sad in a way.
More power to me, no relationships, no umbilical, no elements
No showers, anniversaries, reveal parties; fuck private parts
Too glorious, I’m happy here, I can be honest, I’ve disappeared
Fresh air is terrifying
I get the sense that she only feels comfortable and feels like she can fully be herself when she’s at home by herself. I’m not sure whether that’s sad or just… relatable. I struggle with social anxiety myself, but I haven’t completely given up on relationships and society in general. Maybe I should though. You can’t really blame anyone who does to be honest. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs on the album. I think the production is awesome, and K-Death killed it. This shit is dope af.
8. my penis, my babyfat
This track has one of the most abrasive instrumentals on the album. The beat is relatively downtempo, but of course still very noisy. The slow paced flow from K-Death is really dope.
Don’t compare yourself, but what the fuck am I about?
Could I rock that dress on red carpets? No doubt
I’ve been playing like it and interviewing my damn self
Since I was little child, wild; will it kill me later?
I feel like I kinda have an idea of what she was trying to say with these lyrics, but I’m not confident enough to share my interpretation. The beat kinda switches up a little over halfway through the song, and it’s fucking glorious. This beat is fucking fire. K-Death kinda switched up her vocal delivery for the verse during this part too, and it sounds really awesome.
I’d rather you pay me for burial, this is no minstrel show
Not to put me on your auction block
Tweeting no timelines I’m not about
Only to break into walls that lead to my house
Her flow here is fantastic as well. Honestly, this is another one of my favorite tracks on the album. The production gave me the coveted involuntary head nod as soon as the track started, and it only got better as the song progressed. This shit is dope af.
9. ceiling fans
Once again, the production here is quite abrasive, but it’s not really difficult to listen to. Rather than a bunch of random unpleasant noises, it all comes together to form a genuinely pleasing instrumental. I guess that could be said about every beat on this album though. Moodie Black songs usually take a few listens for me to stomach, but this one clicked pretty much immediately. A lot of times their music kinda feels like someone stabbed me in the ear with a drill, but this isn’t that hard to get into in my opinion. The repetitive hook is pretty dope, and K-Death killed the first verse.
Dropping names of influence to benefit from incels
Black face in a new space, never holding hands like bad dates
Rob dirt and then penetrate what I’m supposed to be to a small town
Blocks hurt, but I died of age, and my back hurts, but you on now
I’m not really sure what the lyrics in the hook actually mean, but it sounds cool. The second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion.
All men are terrifying, worlds spinning
Ice thinning rhetoric from killer klans in whitehouses, mansplaining
Couldn’t miss it holding onto my skinny wrist and my cheap bracelets
Everyday I’m fuckin sayin’ leave me in the wind I’m swaying
This song has a relatively straightforward structure. There aren’t any unexpected or random elements that come out of nowhere. I don’t really have any issues with it though. I guess the repetitive hook might be kind of annoying to some listeners, but I personally didn’t mind it at all. This shit is dope as hell to me.
10. look me in my face
This is another major highlight on the album for me. The production is relatively toned down, but still very menacing. If it appeared on any other Hip Hop artist’s album, it’d likely be regarded as one of the most abrasive and polarizing tracks. The melodic hook is really dope, and I love K-Death’s kinda slow paced, low-key flow.
Can’t tell the difference between dreaming and flying
The back door is open, the people denying
There’s been a void with some shame
My friends felt like flowers, it’s been too long
How much can I say I’m a god?
The strange autotuned vocals that come in sound surprisingly good. I can’t tell if it’s a sample from another song—kinda like how Bound 2 was incorporated into jesus bound—or if it’s K-Death singing it herself. Or maybe it was Sean Lindahl. I don’t fuckin’ know. Anyway, the second verse has a very minimalistic flow and writing style, but it’s dope. This track just has a really unique sound overall. The majority of the song is relatively tame, but when the autotuned vocals come in the production gets almost painfully loud, and it’s super intense. It’s almost to the point where I’m afraid I’m gonna damage my ears. It never goes too far though. I think the song is dope as hell honestly. The production is awesome, and I love K-Death’s performance over it.
11. am i bad
This beat is really fucking strange, and super loud, but in a cool way. I really like the first verse from K-Death. Again, I think I kind of get what she was rapping about, but I’m not confident enough about my interpretation to share it. I don’t wanna sound dumb.
Can’t get kinky with it, turn my back and y’all is victims
Gotta flex the right things, but I do not defend the system
I was up all on my own when I was speaking to the hawk
Way before my titties were a teddy talk, nigga I
Police nothing, I do not become it
No fake woke or warrior, I think nothing of it
The second verse is pretty dope. I’m kind of indifferent towards the hook, but it serves its purpose well enough. It doesn’t feel right to refer to this as a “low point” on the album, but it’s far from a favorite of mine. The cacophonous production didn’t really bother me much, but it’s just not one of my favorite beats. Nothing stands out as being particularly bad here, but at the same time I wasn’t really blown away by much. I definitely enjoyed it to an extent though. It’s a pretty good song.
12. instant meme, minor purge
I don’t wanna call this my favorite song from the album because it’s the least abrasive track, and probably the most accessible. This shit is fucking amazing though. I fucking love this song. The beat isn’t really very noisy at all until the final few seconds of the track, but the instrumental is still super dark and eerie. I fucking love K-Death’s rapping here too. There are a lot of quotable lines, especially in the first verse.
I am not better than anyone
I know that better than anyone
This couplet is so simplistic, but it cuts so deep.
Why am I pacing in places
When I’m on my own like I’m halfway to cardiac…
Arrest
It makes no sense to be off dirt, it makes no sense to work for any white man
As you can probably tell from the strange way I wrote these lyrics out, the flow is very off-kilter. Well, I don’t really know if that’s a good way to describe it. I think the flow is actually pretty conventional, but the rhyme patterns are very unique. I can’t really explain it, but I think you’ll understand what I mean if you listen to it. Just focus on where each rhyme lands on the beat.
These humans all running from god
Yeezy says better find god
I’d rather eat chicken with a boomer
I’m always here for Kanye slander, and I’m also always here for blasphemy, so these lines were perfect for me. Not to mention that implicit anti-boomer sentiments. The verse is fire. The second verse is pretty awesome too.
I’m mad at myself
But damn it, I’m feelin like a manicure
I can never understand what they’re saying
I’m assuming that they’re like you
Always intimidated, always scared
It’s okay, I’m used to it
I think it’s a perfect song, and easily one of the best tracks I’ve ever heard from Moodie Black. That can be said about most of the songs on this album though. This shit is dope af.
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