‘Split Record Review’: ‘Alt’ | The Daily Campus

Welcome to another week of Split Record Reviews, where two writers give their opinions on an album. In the spirit of Danny Brown’s recent deluxe version of Quaranta from last year, we take a look at an interesting point in his discography, his 2013 album Old. If you can handle his over-the-top and often vulgar rap style, most of his music is consistently celebrated – although not this album. It’s the career equivalent of Tyler, the Creator’s “Cherry Bomb,” an album praised and criticized in equal measure for its moments of genius and missteps, but that’s another week away. So what do Henry and James say about “Old”?

Henry’s review:

This might be one of the stranger records we’ve covered in Split Record Review. There are definitely parts of this record that I didn’t like, but overall I enjoyed listening to “Old.” Given the discourse surrounding this album, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did, but there weren’t many points that made me scratch my head.

I’ve always admired Danny Brown for what he’s done in the rap scene; However, I can’t say I really engaged with his work until “Scaring the Hoes.” This record in particular made me realize how much I had slept on it. I had heard “XXX” and a few other singles, but I never considered myself a Danny Brown fan until last year.

I went into “Alt” with a feeling of nervous excitement, not really knowing what to expect. Overall, I see both sides of the argument. Parts have undoubtedly aged poorly, but other parts show Brown’s development as an artist.

Side A had better songs. In fact, I really enjoyed the record up until side B. The sudden switch to a harder, club-oriented sound was an unexpected change and didn’t really work well. Brown’s lyrics and delivery fit the energetic atmosphere well, but are incredibly cheesy.

“Side A.” [Old]“is an excellent opener with an infectious sample and one of Brown’s best flows on the entire album. “The Return” carried the energy, with a fantastic feature from Freddie Gibbs. The pleasant surprise of the first two titles was somewhat marred by “25 Bucks”. The reverb-soaked club sound almost gave me whiplash. Brown’s flow didn’t interest me as much as the first two tracks, and the purity ring function was fine, but didn’t sound quite right over the beat. If this song wasn’t written in an over-the-top EDM style, it could have really worked.

“Wonderbread” was another highlight. To be honest, I’m a fan of crazy beats like this. The rest of Side A was full of infectious samples and cheeky yet humorous and clever bars from Brown. ScHoolboy Q’s contribution to “Dope Fiend Rental” was a highlight for me, this track got the overly flashy, energetic sound right. If Side B had the same energy, I really wouldn’t have had such a problem with this record.

Side B begins with “Side B [Dope Song]” and was the first sign that the poignancy associated with this record was perhaps a little justified. Overall, Side B had one outdated beat after another, and not even an A$AP Rocky feature could save it. Credit where credit is due, Brown’s wild personality shines through in some tracks, like “Dip.” I understand why many like this record, but I just couldn’t get into it as much as Side A.

The album’s closer features an interesting feature from Charli It was the best ending to the album and a real diamond in the rough.

Overall, “Old” has its strengths, but Side B dragged the whole thing down. The cheesy club beats were far too silly to really enjoy, although there were a few fun bars here and there from Brown and company.

Rating: 2.5/5

James’ review:

For this review I will focus on the second side of this album, but I will highlight areas that deserve praise on the first side. Featuring Freddie Gibbs obviously cooking, the beat of “The Return” combines woodwinds and sitar as well as bloops and bleeps to create a unique track. “Wonderbread” features even more woodwinds and an interesting rhyme scheme from Danny, while “Gremlins” has to be a B-side to his previous album “XXX” (which is a good thing). “Torture” is an introspective film about growing up in Detroit, produced by Oh No, a curator of the “Grand Theft Auto V” soundtrack and brother of Madlib. “Red 2 Go” is a nervous and fitting segue into the fast-paced second side, which is where the problems unfortunately arise.

My biggest criticism of this album is, ironically, that many of its songs sound old. There are tunes from almost 100 years ago that I can handle; Still, there’s something about the dubstep beats behind Danny Brown’s manic voice that’s like oil and water. The problems first appear on Side B of this record, noted in track 11, “Side B (Dope Song).” The first 20 to 30 seconds are promising until the song’s beat kicks in and Danny announces, “31 years old, so I’ve been through all the fraud.” A lackluster chorus that repeats the song’s title, and vocal changes that he in particular doesn’t have to be associated, coupled with its high tone, all signal a steep decline for the second half of the album.