To call Mike Eagle a rapper isn't exactly accurate. Yeah, he is, but not in the most conventional way. Just as much as he raps, he sings. To be truthful, he isn't in any way a well trained singer, or even one who has a propensity to stay on key for an entire verse. What he lacks in trade skill he makes up for and more by having a great personality and endearing voice. Sure, he tends to sing flat from time to time, but his efforts never fall flat in the slightest. Some people probably think they are too good for Mike's singing, but if you enjoy having fun in the slightest, it is something you can look past. Following up one of my favorite albums of the year in Dark Comedy, Mike Eagle now has a standard to uphold, and given his recent career trends, I doubt I'll be disappointed. I understand that these reviews are a little more fun when I'm shitting on an album that I don't like, but I find it a little more important to give a great artist credit, than to unnecessarily eviscerate Sorry 4 The Wait 2. Sorry, I believe in the survival of music.
1. Dark Comedy Late Show
The sequel to one of my favorite Mike Eagle songs may very well exceed the original. I don't want to flat out say that this one is better, but on this particular today I like it more. It contains the same chord progression and sampled vocals as the original song, with added drums to give it more of a hip-hop vibe. This song is performed more as if it is a real TV program. There is the occasional laugh track when Mike says something funny, which adds to the charm of the song, but the really great parts about this song are the never ending topical references. All sorts of pop culture trends are brought up almost sarcastically, and real issues are addressed, also in a satirical, funny way. The string of future Super Bowl match ups are all very funny, and address actual world controversies, all while sounding extremely good. This song embodies just about everything I love about Mike Eagle and then some. At the end of the track we are treated to a monologue courtesy of Mike stating very black and white things about politics in a very funny way. If you couldn't tell I really fucking like this song.
2. Split Pants in Detroit (Or Hyrule)
As pointed out in the first line of this song, the beat to this song sounds like the background music for a Zelda town (I assume this is also the reason the title includes "Hyrule") in the most weirdly awesome way possible. This song is very fun, and contains all the classic aspects of a good Mike Eagle song, but is over in about a minute, so there really isn't too much to say about it. I really wish he would go back and add a few verses to this track, because I think it could turn out pretty awesome, but as it stands this is a fun little, good track.
3. Raps For When It's Just You And The Abyss
Instrumentally there isn't too much going on during this track. What stands out about this song, much like many other Mike Eagle performances are the lyrics. This song could have easily been placed in the middle of Dark Comedy and not felt a bit out of place. There are zany pop culture references that range from The Grand Budapest Hotel, to ISIS, and even though it'd be a stretch to call him popular, the Neil Young reference is typical Mike Eagle. The hook is sampled from a song by a band called Broken Social Scene, and it goes nicely with the rest of the song. There are also some funny one liners throughout this song that make it a standard Mike Eagle song, and I love every second of it.
4. Trickeration (ft. MC Paul Barman, & Milo)
While Mike brings his usual charm and insight on his verse, the story of this track are the features from "nerdcore" rappers Milo and Paul Barman. I heard this term used to describe them, and it is by fare the most accurate terminology when describing the artists. Going back to Mike, he had a few fun lines that spotlighted consumerism and materialism as well as race. This kind of satyr and humor is what is to be expected of Mike, so I won't get into his verse too much. Second we have Barman, who sounds far more like a spoken word poet than a rapper. He has some clever wordplay, but ultimately sounds awkward on the mic. Lastly, we have Hellfyre Club's own Milo. I find his verse wildly entertaining, mostly in the fact that he is a complete nerd. Not in the negative 1980s sense of the word, but the ironic 2010s version. He references Zelda, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Mythology, and then finishes it off with an MF DOOM reference. There is so much going on here that it's better to just sit back, listen, and enjoy.
5. Stay Still Awake ( Up Before Ayybody)
Now, here's something that will relate to today's youth. A short, detailed narrative of Mike Eagle walking around the remnants of a party the morning after. This song is mostly sung in classic OME fashion, and is very sonically pleasing. He remembers bits and pieces of the party, but of course not all of it, given his inebriated state. The highlight of this song for me is the "plead a fifth" line in which Mike uses two meanings of plead the fifth... just listen to it. While the song is very short, it doesn't need to be any longer.
6. Ziggy Starfish (Anti-Anxiety Raps)
The final song on this EP is louder, and more traditionally hip-hop than most of the project, in a very positive way. This is one of the few songs that Mike decided just to rap over the verses. His flow is much more up tempo, and the beat uses a lot more snare, and hip-hop influence than a large portion of this project. This song is awesome, and serves as a great way to end a great EP. Nothing much else to say.
Rating: 4/5
There isn't much more to say that I haven't already said, so I apologize if I come off as redundant. This project is short, and fantastic. Mike decided to strike while the iron was hot, and capitalize off the popularity of his last project, and make a fantastic EP to keep his name fresh. Mike has a wide reaching sound that I can't imagine a person not enjoying. His fan base is limited, but anyone who has heard a Mike Eagle song loves him, it's a fact. This short collection of very good songs is exactly what a fan like myself needed to entertain me until his next full length project. Do yourself a favor and download this shit immediately.