Elijah Bank$y | Coldest Day in February Shines the Amethyst Rock

Family Average: 5/7

Look below and see what the family had to say.

I was having a bit of a crisis listening to this record. There are a lot of things going on that I do enjoy. That being said the bad outweighs the good. On the positive side of things is Elijah’s ability to generate atmosphere. From the very beginning open air monologue has the listener intrigued. It was well placed and thoughtfully sourced. That being said it makes almost everything else that follows it sound worse in comparison. Throughout the album it often leans on a more predictable steril sound. With less engaging production behind an album I have a hard time getting behind it.

The lyrics were another pain point for me. The lyrics were great on a couple of tracks. On the track “Only God Knows” Elijah vents very real frustrations. As a listener their emotions come through clearly, and the message is potent. Then similar to the production other tracks just seem to be lacking the emotion kicked off when the album began. I don’t think I will be revisiting this record for a while, but I would love to mix that opening monologue in an ambient house mix.

3/7 

As someone who knows next to nothing about rap, I do have a definite preference for ‘90s rap for its instrumental experimentation and lyrical quality. On first listen, I found Elijah Bank$y’s work to evoke that golden era. 

I really appreciate the more organic, instrumental and the effortless quality of his delivery. It just flows and feels smooth. And though it clearly draws influence from those that came before, there’s a variation and sense of ingenuity. And though it samples a fair bit — perhaps too much? — its a really nice listen. 

4/7

Shout out James Paris on da album artwork.

This album is stylish, incredibly stylish. When it first came out I didn’t appreciate it as a whole cus I was very into like 3 of the songs, but as a whole it is yes. “Coitus” with Gus Dapperton was one that I played just over and over and showed to everyone. It’s delicious and has everything I need. “Wavcapkilla” bangs, that production with the bass and those outside noises just does it for me. The bass on “Coldest Days” is coooold. “Two Weeks” is a track that I completely overlooked but that piano, yessir. In conclusion, this album is my music taste. 

6/7

I usually like listening to a good rap album and I felt this one was on track to be just that. I loved the energy of the into and I thought it would set the stage for a really great experience. I just never felt like this album got there though. There were some tracks, like "2Weeks" that I enjoyed, there just wasn't enough to keep me interested. I felt the lyrics and composition, were also inconsistent. If you start an album that strong, you need to follow it up with greatness.

3/7