Review Summary: Bones drops an album that improves on certain qualities that some may say were missing on previous releases.
I've been listening to Bones for a good while now, and I've never quite heard him in the way that I did when I listened to his newest album Garbage. In my opinion, Bones brings a lot to the table in this release. Always being an exceptional artist in my book, it feels as if Bones' current sound has found solidarity in Garbage. With fiery and dark vocal deliveries, in-debt production, and well placed featured artists, Garbage can very well be Bones' best release yet.
As of late, Bones has had the presence of a dark and elusive character. Past releases such as DEADBOY, and Cracker have featured Bones rapping with a cold, low key tone of voice that gives the listener this feeling as if they're hearing a ghost or perhaps dark inner thoughts. With this solid, impression leaving voice comes a steady, medium paced flow that blends in with the production. Though this sound does not sum up the entirety of Bones songs, this is definitely one of the sounds that has become quite a signature for the artist. In reference to the album Garbage, Bones has taken different flows and tones and used them to form an overall new feeling. Garbage has some of Bones' most aggressive sounding vocal deliveries yet. Tracks like the album opener ReturnOfThePimp, or Corduroy feature Bones coming through with a fierce, fast-paced flow to match the intense trap beats. While Bones in ReturnOfThePimp keeps the fast pace throughout, he slows his flow down about midway through Corduroy, making the track less predictable and more interesting. He executes these vocal transitions on several of the tracks on this album whether it be from soft singing to fast pace bars (MyFavoriteColorIsRain), slow to fast rapping (LayMeINTheRiver), or even from singing to screaming (IfYouHadAZuneIHateYou). Bones definitely mixes up his formula on this release giving it a diverse sound.
Production has never really been a problem with Bones' music. He usually has talented producers making his beats and they rarely disappoint. The factor that sets the production in Garbage apart from the rest of his work is the overall depth of the production. For the most part, all the beats on Garbage have their own feel that differentiates them from one another. There are an array of synth and piano keys in the album that give the tracks distinct sounds. The moods of the tunes vary with the song. For example, in the track LinksysBroadbandRouter, soft, dreary synths are droned in the back ground. The bass and drum track that accompany the drone fuse with it to give the track an in-depth sound. There are also tracks that have strings being played for the melody in the beat like YouCanTellAlotAboutAMan. This track also includes vocal samples which make a number of appearances in this release as well. The point to be made about the production is that even though it is constructed from some of the same sounds in Bones' past work, the composition and delivery is different. Just like the vocal transitions that were mentioned before, the synths, piano keys, strings, and vocal samples all interchange in contrast to earlier releases. The beats never completely stay the same in these tracks which make this album sound versatile.
As far as featured artists go, Garbage has quite a few in comparison to Bones’ earlier releases. The guest appearances on this album work to further enrich its already improved sound. Artists Spooky Black, Xavier Wulf, Chris Travis, and Eddy Baker appear on this release and each of their appearances serve a relevant purpose to the tracks. Instead of Bones rapping by himself all the time, he brings in featured artist to spice up the songs a bit more. For example, Spooky Black gives a great performance in the song IYouHadAZuneIHateYou with him singing for most of the track, then handing it over to Bones for the ending hook. Another example is how Xavier Wulf brings the hype in the track Trash with a heated verse that is not at all out of the ordinary for him. As was said before, every feature in this album serves a good purpose and contributes to the albums success. None of them come off as boring or bland which means they give the album a decent amount of life.
Overall, I was impressed with Bones’ performance on Garbage. Like I said before, the vocal deliveries, in-debt production, and well placed featured artists make Garbage a progressive leap for rapper Bones. The album is not perfect with some tracks not shining as much as others but I feel like it is a step in the right direction. I’m hoping that Bones will continue releasing music that changes the face of Hip-Hop.
Rating in terms of Bones’ progression: 4.5/5
Rating in terms of contribution to Hip-Hop 4/5
SESH
