Music Review: "ARCOEE" by Sole

- by Señor Editor, 24 October 2012

Tim Holland AKA Sole has been doing this for a long time. If you were around during the late '90s/early '00s underground hip-hop boom, you know who Sole is. Like him or not, he's been one of the most influential figures on the scene, released a ton of music and has been rapping for two decades. How is it then, that he manages to sound brand new on his latest record?

"A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing" is Sole's first real solo album in seven years. He's been keeping busy with mixtapes, albums with the Skyrider Band and other ventures, but "ARCOEE" seems like the record it's all been leading to. Sole is as militant, philosophical and rebellious as ever, but he's also more streamlined and hard-hitting. It's a very good balance between the message and the music, if that makes any sense.

What's really noticeable from the first track ("Non Workers of The World") is the energy. Sole has been vocal about how the #OCCUPY movement (which he's been deeply involved in in Denver) and the worldwide discussion it sparked inspired him. Seeing things finally changing must have indeed fueled Sole's fire, because he's livelier than ever on this record. Being right there during the protests is also the topic of "Denver Nights" (produced by a relatively new name, Leif Kolt, who's been slowly making a name for himself recently – his name keeps popping up on more and more songs and remixes), one of the highlight tracks and an eerie recollection of the tensions of life in an Occupy camp.

The album is 13 tracks-long and has 11 producers. That seems like a lot for a 45 minute record, but for the most part they manage to achieve a unified sound. The guests include Open Mike Eagle, Green Carpeted Stairs, William Ryan Fritch and Real Magic. The people behind the boards are big names like Alias, Factor, Skyrider and Busdriver, as well as Ecid, Leif Kolt, Real Magic, Ausker, Ryan Hemsworth, Cobraconda's Spencer and Man Mantis, who provides 3 tracks.

At the risk of being dismissed as boring and unadventurous, I'll say that when it comes to Sole, he sounds the best on the more traditional hip-hop beats to me. There are exceptions on here (see "Assad is Dead", a fierce track on a dense, electronic beat by Skyrider), but it always seemed to me like the "simpler" production allowed him more much-needed space for all he has to say. A lot of the die-hard Sole fans may not agree with me, because the sonic experimentations have always been a big part of his music (and often a reason I wasn't feeling some of the past releases), but this preference does influence which tracks I consider to be the highlights of the new album.

“Letter to a Young Rapper”, produced by Ryan Hemsworth, is a semi-serious ode to the hardships a rapper with a cause has to endure. The “chorus” part of the beat sounds like a throwback to DIY late 90s underground hip-hop type of production, which fits in perfectly. This record is full of quotables, but “Letter’s” First demo I recorded was a Gangstarr beat/ Or was it Beastie Boys? Either way, rest in peace... is one of the more memorable ones here, paying homage to two hip-hop legends that recently passed away. Also, “All my enemies are hologram Tupacs” is a pretty great line.

“Young Sole” was the first single from this record, and you can immediately tell why. Produced by Canadian producer extraordinaire, Factor, this song is a banger. The beat’s piano & vocal samples work really well with Sole’s rhymes. There’s something about the combination that makes the whole song sound really inspiring. It’s no doubt one of the best songs on “Ruthless Criticism”. The word “real” gets thrown a lot, but with lines like This is rap, it ain't a movement/ At best it's self improvement./ At worst it's middle-age delusion/ The truth is somewhere between both, we keep it movin' , this joint sounds as real as it gets. Here, listen to it yourself:

I swear I am not just some vocal sample fetishist, but the other track I've been playing the most since I got "A Ruthless Criticism..." is the Ecid-produced "Never Work". Compared to the rest of the album, Holland sounds almost laidback on this, delivering seemingly simple (yet really striking) rhymes like They talk about winning the war/ Like winning is still winning anymore... in a casual way that just sticks with you. The effortless flow somehow makes the message hit even harder, and the singing in the chorus gives this track an upbeat, motivational feel. I’m actually really sorry for you guys who didn’t hear this one yet, but that just means you should buy it when it drops.

This album was financed via Kickstarter and it looks like the backers will be really happy with it. If you’re a Sole fan, then this is one of the best releases in his entire catalogue and you will no doubt get it. If you’re yet to get into his music, this is probably the best time to do so because “A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing” is a real good record.

The album comes out on November the 13th, and you can pre-order it now at soleone.org and get a free EP to go with it. It looks like it's a good time to be a Sole fan.

Tagged: music, Reviews.

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