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📌 #3 Added to playlist:
"Weak In Your Light" by Nation of Language

#NationOfLanguage #StrangeDisciple #WeakInYourLight
October 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM
bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social
Then, also for THE COLD VEIN, it’s @strangedisciple.bsky.social. Take it away, strangedisciple!
Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN is my favorite album in the 2001 tournament, and probably in my top ten all time for hip hop. If you're new to this masterpiece, welcome; I think it will be easy to convince you to give this album a fair shake. Cannibal Ox was a NYC trio: producer and future hip hop royalty El-P with emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega. It's got everything you're looking for: dope beats, fire rhymes, droning synths, samples from what was once your mom's favorite movie; and oh you're looking for Norse mythology? You bet your Asgard it's here too. If you only have time for ONE (1) song: I get it. This album is long, you are busy and patience is thin. I see you. You are doing your best. I recommend you start with the penultimate track on the album, "Pigeon" (track 14). This song demonstrates the essence, the excellence, the powerful simplicity of what Cannibal Ox does on this album: El-P's snare- punctuated Lynchian synth drone is so ragged and jagged at times is sounds as though Vast and Vordul are rhyming perpendicular to the beat; no hooks, just one epic verse from Vast, one of the best instrumental breaks you will hear in this tournament, followed by an even more epic verse from Vordul. A worthy investment of six minutes of your one life. Am I hearing reports you now have the time for a second brilliant song? Lovely news. Well maybe that was the wrong choice of words; I didn't mean love like "love" ya know. If you're telling me you really only have the bandwidth to listen to one more song off this album right now, then I need you to become acquainted with "The F-Word" (track 8). The earliest song I knew that's about the Friendzone. Wikipedia says a 1994 Friends tv episode is the first mass media use of the term friend zone. I didn't watch Friends and the term didn't really become part of the cultural lexicon in my circles until the mid- Naughties, so this 2001 track still strikes me as a very early and astute analysis of a universal dynamic in the world of social coupling. Over smooth synths the cymbal crashes and the repetitive bleeps and bloops grab my lonely soul core, providing a beat to match the energy of the friend zone epiphany- that sudden growing feeling of dread deep in your gut, reverberating up your spine. Ick! Anyway fire beat, fire lyrics, and don't front like you haven't been f-zoned before. But the most beautiful part of this song is the irony. The irony may be that Vast and Vordul are the perfect pair artistically speaking. Vast's vulnerability is in full force in the verses while Vordul comes in with the hook as part loving friend who can empathize and part mature therapist explaining a confusing new situation to a young person; that's a loving complement. Another perfect song. Delivering rap vocals for the new millennium We're from Harlem marching in atomic garments Bombing all the nonsense THE COLD VEIN deserves your attention because it's unlike any other hip hop in this tournament: not gangsta rap; not full of lyrics about winning the game of capitalism; definitely not feel good party rap. It's dark, it's raw, and it's entirely unconcerned with fitting in with the genre conventions of its day. The album opener "Iron Galaxy" sets the mood perfectly. Vast Aire and Vordul Mega describe their vision of New York over a beat composed of El-P's watery bassline juxtaposed with some of the crispest hi hats ever recorded to tape courtesy of a classic Honey Drippers sample. You are being taken on a dark city adventure but it also feels like this urban landscape is set in outer space. It's a solid vibe for an album, and it is consistently maintained The sample's the flesh and the beat's the skeleton Let's talk about El Producto, The Producer, the one and only El-P. Producer, rapper, founder of an iconic record label (Definitive Jux), one half of Run The Jewels, it's no stretch to call this guy hip hop royalty. Futuristic grime is the phrase I've used for decades to describe the sound of THE COLD VEIN. My most recent re-listen validates my belief that El-P's production here sounds just as timeless today as it did 25 years ago. Boom bap drums + decaying signal noise + deranged samples may seem like strange bedfellows but I think it works; I think this cleared the path for future generations of producers. The instrumental version of the album is an extremely enjoyable listen too, I'll provide a link on Bsky. His early production work is in stark contrast to the Timbalands or Puffys that dominated Top 40 hip hop in the y2k era. If you are liking this production, also check out El-P's work around the same time on Company Flow, FUNCRUSHER PLUS (1997) and his solo debut FANTASTIC DAMAGE (2002). Flows often bananas, off the nut crunches Can Ox emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega bring the heat, sustaining inventive abstract imagery and key metaphors throughout the entire album. Not much traditional hip hop braggadocio, just confident demonstrations of their lyrical dexterity. A favorite example of this is how Vast Aire not only once but twice corrects himself mid-verse seamlessly (he does this on "Raspberry Fields" and "Scream Phoenix"). Those little deliberate mistakes that are so subtle you may not catch them on your first few listens, those are the signs not of a run of the mill artist but of a master of the medium. Def Jux don't care about your culture or creed THE COLD VEIN has something for everyone. Are you a fan of dark stuff? It doesn't get much darker than this. Electronic music? El-P has certainly done his homework. Pitched down Jeff Goldblum and Kermit the Frog samples? You are all welcome here. This album is a giant killer. There's two things in life: fact and belief Yeah, and you best to believe, it's a fact I just rolled the leaf Thanks for reading. Thanks for writing your DCs too. I find them one of the best parts of the tournament. I don't often get to read pieces of low stakes writing by strangers about a topic they are passionate about. If you wrote one in the past few tournaments, I have likely read and enjoyed it. You rock. Thank you.
August 25, 2026 at 2:18 PM
bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social
Then, also for THE COLD VEIN, it’s @strangedisciple.bsky.social. Take it away, strangedisciple!
Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN is my favorite album in the 2001 tournament, and probably in my top ten all time for hip hop. If you're new to this masterpiece, welcome; I think it will be easy to convince you to give this album a fair shake. Cannibal Ox was a NYC trio: producer and future hip hop royalty EI-P with emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega. It's got everything you're looking for: dope beats, fire rhymes, droning synths, samples from what was once your mom's favorite movie; and oh you're looking for Norse mythology? You bet your Asgard it's here too. If you only have time for ONE (1) song: I get it. This album is long, you are busy and patience is thin. I see you. You are doing your best. I recommend you start with the penultimate track on the album, "Pigeon" (track 14). This song demonstrates the essence, the excellence, the powerful simplicity of what Cannibal Ox does on this album: El-P's snare- punctuated Lynchian synth drone is so ragged and jagged at times is sounds as though Vast and Vordul are rhyming perpendicular to the beat; no hooks, just one epic verse from Vast, one of the best instrumental breaks you will hear in this tournament, followed by an even more epic verse from Vordul. A worthy investment of six minutes of your one life. Am I hearing reports you now have the time for a second brilliant song? Lovely news. Well maybe that was the wrong choice of words; I didn't mean love like "love" ya know. If you're telling me you really only have the bandwidth to listen to one more song off this album right now, then I need you to become acquainted with "The F-Word" (track 8). The earliest song I knew that's about the Friendzone. Wikipedia says a 1994 Friends tv episode is the first mass media use of the term friend zone. I didn't watch Friends and the term didn't really become part of the cultural lexicon in my circles until the mid- Naughties, so this 2001 track still strikes me as a very early and astute analysis of a universal dynamic in the world of social coupling. Over smooth synths the cymbal crashes and the repetitive bleeps and bloops grab my lonely soul core, providing a beat to match the energy of the friend zone epiphany- that sudden growing feeling of dread deep in your gut, reverberating up your spine. Ick! Anyway fire beat, fire lyrics, and don't front like you haven't been f-zoned before. But the most beautiful part of this song is the irony. The irony may be that Vast and Vordul are the perfect pair artistically speaking. Vast's vulnerability is in full force in the verses while Vordul comes in with the hook as part loving friend who can empathize and part mature therapist explaining a confusing new situation to a young person; that's a loving complement. Another perfect song. Delivering rap vocals for the new millennium We're from Harlem marching in atomic garments Bombing all the nonsense THE COLD VEIN deserves your attention because it's unlike any other hip hop in this tournament: not gangsta rap; not full of lyrics about winning the game of capitalism; definitely not feel good party rap. It's dark, it's raw, and it's entirely unconcerned with fitting in with the genre conventions of its day. The album opener "Iron Galaxy" sets the mood perfectly. Vast Aire and Vordul Mega describe their vision of New York over a beat composed of EI-P's watery bassline juxtaposed with some of the crispest hi hats ever recorded to tape courtesy of a classic Honey Drippers sample. You are being taken on a dark city adventure but it also feels like this urban landscape is set in outer space. It's a solid vibe for an album, and it is consistently maintained. The sample's the flesh and the beat's the skeleton Let's talk about EI Producto, The Producer, the one and only El-P. Producer, rapper, founder of an iconic record label (Definitive Jux), one half of Run The Jewels, it's no stretch to call this guy hip hop royalty. Futuristic grime is the phrase I've used for decades to describe the sound of THE COLD VEIN. My most recent re-listen validates my belief that El-P's production here sounds just as timeless today as it did 25 years ago. Boom bap drums + decaying signal noise + deranged samples may seem like strange bedfellows but I think it works; I think this cleared the path for future generations of producers. The instrumental version of the album is an extremely enjoyable listen too, I'II provide a link on Bsky. His early production work is in stark contrast to the Timbalands or Puffys that dominated Top 40 hip hop in the y2k era. If you are liking this production, also check out El-P's work around the same time on Company Flow, FUNCRUSHER PLUS (1997) and his solo debut FANTASTIC DAMAGE (2002). Flows often bananas, off the nut crunches Can Ox emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega bring the heat, sustaining inventive abstract imagery and key metaphors throughout the entire album. Not much traditional hip hop braggadocio, just confident demonstrations of their lyrical dexterity. A favorite example of this is how Vast Aire not only once but twice corrects himself mid-verse seamlessly (he does this on "Raspberry Fields" and "Scream Phoenix"). Those little deliberate mistakes that are so subtle you may not catch them on your first few listens, those are the signs not of a run of the mill artist but of a master of the medium. Def Jux don't care about vour culture or creed THE COLD VEIN has something for everyone. Are you a fan of dark stuff? It doesn't get much darker than this. Electronic music? El-P has certainly done his homework. Pitched down Jeff Goldblum and Kermit the Frog samples? You are all welcome here. This album is a giant killer. There's two things in life: fact and belief Yeah, and you best to believe, it's a fact I just rolled the leaf Thanks for reading. Thanks for writing your DCs too. I find them one of the best parts of the tournament. I don't often get to read pieces of low stakes writing by strangers about a topic they are passionate about. If you wrote one in the past few tournaments, I have likely read and enjoyed it. You rock. Thank you.
July 31, 2026 at 2:08 PM
bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social
Our second Designated Cheerleader is also for THE COLD VEIN, and comes to us from @strangedisciple.bsky.social. Take it away, strangedisciple!
Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN is my favorite album in the 2001 tournament, and probably in my top ten all time for hip hop. If you're new to this masterpiece, welcome; I think it will be easy to convince you to give this album a fair shake. Cannibal Ox was a NYC trio: producer and future hip hop royalty EI-P with emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega. It's got everything you're looking for: dope beats, fire rhymes, droning synths, samples from what was once your mom's favorite movie; and oh you're looking for Norse mythology? You bet your Asgard it's here too. If you only have time for ONE (1) song: I get it. This album is long, you are busy and patience is thin. I see you. You are doing your best. I recommend you start with the penultimate track on the album, "Pigeon" (track 14). This song demonstrates the essence, the excellence, the powerful simplicity of what Cannibal Ox does on this album: El-P's snarepunctuated Lynchian synth drone is so ragged and jagged at times is sounds as though Vast and Vordul are rhyming perpendicular to the beat; no hooks, just one epic verse from Vast, one of the best instrumental breaks you will hear in this tournament, followed by an even more epic verse from Vordul. A worthy investment of six minutes of your one life. Am I hearing reports you now have the time for a second brilliant song? Lovely news. Well maybe that was the wrong choice of words; I didn't mean love like "love" ya know. If you're telling me you really only have the bandwidth to listen to one more song off this album right now, then I need you to become acquainted with "The F-Word" (track 8). The earliest song I knew that's about the Friendzone. Wikipedia says a 1994 Friends tv episode is the first mass media use of the term friend zone. I didn't watch Friends and the term didn't really become part of the cultural lexicon in my circles until the midNaughties, so this 2001 track still strikes me as a very early and astute analysis of a universal dynamic in the world of social coupling. Over smooth synths the cymbal crashes and the repetitive bleeps and bloops grab my lonely soul core, providing a beat to match the energy of the friend zone epiphany- that sudden growing feeling of dread deep in your gut, reverberating up your spine. Ick! Anyway fire beat, fire lyrics, and don't front like you haven't been f-zoned before. But the most beautiful part of this song is the irony. The irony may be that Vast and Vordul are the perfect pair artistically speaking. Vast's vulnerability is in full force in the verses while Vordul comes in with the hook as part loving friend who can empathize and part mature therapist explaining a confusing new situation to a young person; that's a loving complement. Another perfect song. Delivering rap vocals for the new millennium We're from Harlem marching in atomic garments Bombing all the nonsense THE COLD VEIN deserves your attention because it's unlike any other hip hop in this tournament: not gangsta rap; not full of lyrics about winning the game of capitalism; definitely not feel good party rap. It's dark, it's raw, and it's entirely unconcerned with fitting in with the genre conventions of its day. The album opener "Iron Galaxy" sets the mood perfectly. Vast Aire and Vordul Mega describe their vision of New York over a beat composed of EI-P's watery bassline juxtaposed with some of the crispest hi hats ever recorded to tape courtesy of a classic Honey Drippers sample. You are being taken on a dark city adventure but it also feels like this urban landscape is set in outer space. It's a solid vibe for an album, and it is consistently maintained. The sample's the flesh and the beat's the skeleton Let's talk about I Product, The Producer, the one and only El-P. Producer, rapper, founder of an iconic record label (Definitive Jux), one half of Run The Jewels, it's no stretch to call this guy hip hop royalty. Futuristic grime is the phrase I've used for decades to describe the sound of THE COLD VEIN. My most recent re-listen validates my belief that El-P's production here sounds just as timeless today as it did 25 years ago. Boom bap drums + decaying signal noise + deranged samples may seem like strange bedfellows but I think it works; I think this cleared the path for future generations of producers. The instrumental version of the album is an extremely enjoyable listen too, I'll provide a link on Bsky. His early production work is in stark contrast to the Timbalands or Puffys that dominated Top 40 hip hop in the y2k era. If you are liking this production, also check out El-P's work around the same time on Company Flow, FUNCRUSHER PLUS (1997) and his solo debut FANTASTIC DAMAGE (2002). Flows often bananas, off the nut crunches Can Ox emcees Vast Aire and Vordul Mega bring the heat, sustaining inventive abstract imagery and key metaphors throughout the entire album. Not much traditional hip hop braggadocio, just confident demonstrations of their lyrical dexterity. A favorite example of this is how Vast Aire not only once but twice corrects himself mid-verse seamlessly (he does this on "Raspberry Fields" and "Scream Phoenix"). Those little deliberate mistakes that are so subtle you may not catch them on your first few listens, those are the signs not of a run of the mill artist but of a master of the medium. Def Jux don't care about your culture or creed THE COLD VEIN has something for everyone. Are you a fan of dark stuff? It doesn't get much darker than this. Electronic music? El-P has certainly done his homework. Pitched down Jeff Goldblum and Kermit the Frog samples? You are all welcome here. This album is a giant killer. There's two things in life: fact and belief Yeah, and you best to believe, it's a fact I just rolled the leaf Thanks for reading. Thanks for writing your DCs too. I find them one of the best parts of the tournament. I don't often get to read pieces of low stakes writing by strangers about a topic they are passionate about. If you wrote one in the past few tournaments, I have likely read and enjoyed it. You rock. Thank you.
June 11, 2026 at 2:22 PM
scribble75.bsky.social
#nowspinning #vinyl #NationOfLanguage
#StrangeDisciple

Rought Trades album of the year 2023.
March 16, 2025 at 4:53 PM
michaeldiaz101.bsky.social
Today's musical obsession:

youtu.be/FRv5qd4aP5M?...

#nationoflanguage #weakinyourlight #strangedisciple #goodmusic
Nation of Language — Weak in Your Light [Live @ SiriusXM]
Nation of Language performs "Weak in Your Light" live on SiriusXM. Hear more from SiriusXMU on our app! Click here for your trial subscription: https://siriu...
youtu.be
September 19, 2023 at 3:54 PM