The opening track of Danny Brown’s newest album “Atrocity Exhibition” is titled “Downward Spiral” and the name is fitting. Fortunately, the downward spiral is not in reference to the record’s quality, but rather its themes of modern bleakness.
Through the course of three studio albums, Brown has cultivated a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most eccentric rappers. With his signature high-pitched yelping delivery and penchant for vivid, grimy lyrics, Brown has without a doubt become a polarizing artist that people either hate or love.
“Atrocity Exhibition” is a further foray by Brown into the world of bizarre production, setting the tone for a downward spiral into a dream-like soundscape.
From the very first track you can tell this is not the average rap album.Brown introduces dark post-rock sound, obviously taking influence from bands such as Joy Division. This influence can be found even in the records title, the name “Atrocity Exhibition” being a direct reference to a Joy Division song. These sounds can be found hidden and layered throughout several tracks such as “Rolling Stone” and “Golddust.”
Continuing down the track listing, the beats and production just continue to seek out the absurd, basking in the sweet bliss of abnormality. Each track features its own host of memorable quirks that makes it memorable. “Really Doe” holds features from Brown’s fellow rappers Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul. Each deliver a hard verse over an instrumental of surprisingly eerie glockenspiel notes.
The insanity just ramps up from there as you sink further down Brown’s downward spiral, purveying the surreal oddities on full display in the “Atrocity Exhibition.” Album standouts “Ain’t it Funny” and “Golddust” follow back-to-back in relentless fashion. Brown surfs flawlessly over some of the most unique beats to ever grace a hip hop record. Impressively, his delivery is able to match the instrumentals frantic pace with animalistic finesse.
These musical peculiarities remain consistent throughout “Atrocity Exhibition”’s entirety. Brown squabbles on the sharp up and down chords of “White Lines” before resuming his rapid and raw delivery over the clashing metal sounds of “Pneumonia” and the tribal-esque aesthetic of “Dance In The Water.”
Fortunately for the sake of listeners’ heart rates “Atrocity Exhibition” is not without its more low key songs. On “Tell Me What I Don’t Know” and “From The Ground” Danny sheds his high-pitched and frenzied voice, more resembling an average rapper, or at least an actual human. Tracks such as “Get Hi” feel like a splash of cold water to the face, a leisurely come down from the bizarre schizophrenic tone of the majority of the records songs. “Atrocity Exhibition”’s more laid back tracks are no less adventurous than it’s louder ones and manage to stay consistent tonally with the rest of the album.
Brown’s lyrics have always dealt with the uglier side of the hip hop lifestyle. Every rapper these days shares their drug-addled, sex-filled, late night escapades, but Brown might be the only one that makes the lifestyle seem unglamorous in every possible way. Brown delves deep into the hollow darkness of a slew of topics such as addiction, drug dealing, meaningless sex and mental illness. Personal anecdotes give color to “Atrocity Exhibition”’s bleak themes, giving it substance to go along with its style.
Brown is certainly an acquired taste. For some people he just clicks, while others cannot stand him. But whether you enjoy his music or not, anyone who loves music at all should be able to respect what he’s doing: innovating.
In his artistic expression, Brown has crafted an album that is largely dissimilar to the work of his peers as well as those that have come before him. “Atrocity Exhibition” embraces the experimental and boldly ventures where few records dare to go.
