| tracklisting |
| 1. Sintro |
| 2. Street Smarts |
| 3. Freak Show |
| 4. Celph Hatred feat. Celph Titled |
| 5. Diablos feat. Celph Titled |
| 6. Dos Factotum |
| 7. Coochie Coup |
| 8. Postal |
| 9. Mischievous |
| 10. Halfway Stretch (Sinterlude) |
| 11. Best Friends feat. Apathy |
| 12. Revenge feat. Celph Titled |
| 13. Fair Weather Fan |
| 14. The Rest |
| 15. The Ugly Truth |
| 16. Idiot Gear |
| 17. Dust To Dust |
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| Still, there's the man behind the scene, J.J. Brown, whose production skills completely match the buzz of Louis Logic's lyrical stage diving. And if we dare to start at the end for once, we get the introduction to this energetic collaboration. "Get Started" (hidden)
sets the standard for flow and rhyme-building with skillful freestyling - even if it feels like not really belonging to the rest. For this is a concept album. It got cuts galore, references in skits, rhymes, changes in beat and rhymestyle, just whatever we need to fill a whole day, without ever getting
tired of it. And since 'sin-a-matic' took its substance from 'cinematic', we find the romance, comedy, drama and even crime-time; not always easily distinguished though, as emotions intermingle and changes often appear quickly. On "Dos Factotum",
for example, which hops from a frisky guitar loop to jazzy piano and back - and forth, we find ourselves in an almost convenient dejection. It's the inglorious autobiography of "the lush president of the wino section" ("since you find no lessons in this lonely life..."), containing
a lot of unpleasant situations, but still giving enough reason for the protagonists' affection; the self-help group seems no legitimate alternative. |
| Besides this and some other pensive pieces, like "Fair Weather Fan" or "Dust To Dust" maybe, personal stuff is mostly wrapped into humorous anecdotes. Tales of shame and embarrassment told with an immaculate smirk. When, however, the poker face washes
off and bare anger appears, we got Celph Titled's raspy voice throwing about with every reachable device on "Celph Hatred" and "Diablos". This being only the occasional display of unrestrained rage, "Postal" already got the smile again when talking about the
struggles to maintain a 9 to 5 with a life that's happening besides and in between. Ironically enough, words drop timed as precisely as any attendance recorder. |
| "Idiot Gear" holds the balance to "Coochie Coup". Together they're combined to a two-part tale about one man's ego; the lesson learned might be the one of
that famous pride that always came before a fall... Then, to sadden the story, it's not even only your own idiot gear which may play tricks on you, even your "Best Friends" might. Like chilling on the sofa with your girl while you trustin'
idiot is busy trying to get at her from anyplace overseas. To that, "Revenge" will be the only appropriate reaction. And when it gets rough again, Celph Titled seems like just the right partner. Then, after the biggest part has apparently been sorted out, there's just a few things left
to be said and done ("The Rest"). |
| "The Ugly Truth", finally, contains yet another universe. Speaking more on a general issue at first glance, you will soon find out how personal it appears the more you think about it. This is when it gets just a little
inconvenient. However, the link between beat and rhymes remains astonishing; plus it manages to grasp the complexity of internalized stereotypes, their breeding and disguise, in a very accurate way. |
| What we like about Louis Logic is his ability for delivering thoughts in such an eloquent manner that, after the light cover of his casual flow has dispersed, we still stand there tongue-tied, pondering about how soaked every phrase came and how much there is left for us to ponder.
An ability to talk a lot and actually say something. "Sin-a-matic" will take its place in the ever slower growing legacy of thoroughly crafted pieces that feel as if they were made just for you, as individual emotions get transmitted, and music, rhyme and content form an entity. |
| Still, to those who prefer slimness and understatement or anything entertaining with lesser means even, it might appear a little oversaturated. Too many things happening at one time. On the other hand, this is what makes the album highly visual and very live and will hopefully provide
for the recognition it deserves. |
| review: denise |
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23.09.03
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