New Music: An Illustrated Mess - One More For Safety

For this Tuesday I wanted to draw a bit more attention to this album right here that completely slipped in under my radar. An Illustrated Mess (Prosodic & Whatever Cecil) is an indigenous hip hop outfit from Flagstaff Arizona, who many of you probably only know from their Fake Four debut Last Night & All of Our Glorious Mishaps, another fantastic Freecember offering. That was certainly the case for me at first. However, wanting to support an unusual perspective in hip hop and just generally having a good feeling about that album, I went back and introduced myself to all of their work (the rest of it can be found at their personal page, right here). I have to say that they hooked me with their interesting songwriting, catchy melodies and deep emotional maturity. It's also worth noting that they have gotten better with every album, culminating in the very good Does It Matter? and continuing to deliver ever since. That release is basically fire from start to finish and would absolutely appeal to any fan of the more melodic indie rap that most of us probably enjoy; Trylemma and I certainly do.

Their sound can best be described as a slightly different take on the dark folk hop sound popularized by artists like Ceschi and David Ramos, Onry Ozzborn, Ersatz Splynter, another guy who doesn't deserve mention, Otem Rellik etc. They make use of somber and sometimes beautiful melodic production, although never is it lukewarm or too sleepy, it still remains fully noddable, with a passionate lyrical style and melodic vocals. All in all it makes for hip hop that never really gets boring, and where the older stuff doesn't always instantly impress, it does give the impression of notable potential not yet fully realized and it is almost always enjoyable.

One More For Safety is their official sophomore album on Flagstaff's Fang Over Fist label, and since I had never heard of that label I was lucky to notice this title among the collections of some dudes I follow. Thanks dudes, you almost definitely don't know who you are. Lol. An Illustrated Mess' official debut on Fake Four had them upping their production values considerably, bringing on some notable guests, and growing exponentially in songwriting ability. A concept album, Last Night dealt with some very heavy issues as the main character succumbs to the various pitfalls all too common to the community they represent (Navajo Nation). Alcoholism, mental illness, targeting by law enforcement. Whatever Cecil and Prosodic now want to move a bit beyond those issues and show what happens afterwards. One More For Safety therefore is an album that provides "the growth and sense of closure that was missing (in Last Night)". "The underlying theme of this album is that of accountability, growth and family". So I have pretty high hopes for this new one, and I actually read something they wrote where they mention they had a hard time getting reviews(?!) for Last Night. In the meantime they've been making some major waves, so guess those reviewers f*cked up, but I thought why not give them whatever small recognition UGF can offer. It certainly can't hurt right, and they more than deserve it.

So unfortunately I don't have much time to dedicate on fully absorbing this album. I have to give it a rough once over and leave it at that. My first impression is this is a solid work. The production is a bit dreamier than it's been in the past, more laid back although it fits the content and actually to me is a sort of sonic equivalent of the bleak desert which might seem boring to the ignorant or inattentive, but possesses a real beauty and hidden depth that rewards those who have what it takes to grasp it. I dunno if Flagstaff is actually even desert anymore, my exposure to the Southwest and what the Navajo people call Dinétah is mostly limited to Breaking Bad, but there it is. So my point is the production isn't quite as immediately accessible as what they've done before, but it's actually more interesting in places for that. I loved the easier songs off of Does It Matter? but I respect that the artists have moved away from that style and have grown beyond that. Not to say this album doesn't still offer some instant hits like the second track "Break It" which has an amazing beat and great introspective lyricism though.

Speaking of the lyricism, this album is still chock full of insights into the lives of indigenous peoples in Arizona, including thoughts on the experience of growing up there and examples of the language, and I love it for that. I value any exposure I can get to communities and perspectives we just don't hear from enough in hip hop or elsewhere. It also never shies away from the personal and the painful, while never really being emo or losing that adult sound that two (I believe, don't know for sure but their pictures look pretty young) fairly young artists have been cultivating for a long time now. You get the impression of old souls who have grown up regrettably quickly, but retain a pride and positivity that's impressive for that. And with a dedication to "our loved one's who don't allow us to be defined by the dark", I feel like maybe that's spot on.

We have some Fake Four artists showing up here and there, with the peerless E-Turn, and the guy I keep on waiting to hear more from Heirmax representing the Southwest as well. We've got Soultru also, another Freecember alumn as well as Reason the Citizen and Def-I, two names I recognize but don't know much about. And as with their other albums we have labelmate Tre Orona (don't know how to type the accent over the "e" but it should be there).

Like I said, all I've been able to do so far is quickly sample through the tracks. I do feel like this is the type of album that requires more than that (and will reward you for it), and I almost feel like I shouldn't be posting about it until I've been able to give it that. However, I want to make sure I do my part in promoting it, just please make sure you understand that there is so much more here I haven't had a chance to touch on yet.

Get One More For Safety on Fang Over Fist's Bandcamp right over here!

And here's a dope music video for "Sunsets" off Last Night for those of you who want a quick look into what these guys are all about. Great song.