Idolator

Consider this an open thread for discussion of Relapse, which leaked late yesterday–about two weeks before its release date. For many reasons, I only felt ready to extract Eminem’s sixth album from its .rar file this morning, and I started listening to it about half an hour ago. A few things I have discovered during my first vaguely wary spin:


• It’s long. A 66-minute runtime; six tracks (out of 20) that are longer than five minutes; five skits. This is the sort of album that makes you regret the CD era, and worry about the limitless boundaries of the post-physical-product music world.
• There is a song that’s about Mariah Carey, and it opens with Eminem aping either a Scottish brogue or a rasta accent. I can’t tell the difference, although the song being called “Bagpipes From Baghdad” makes me think he’s affecting the former. (I can’t wait for it to appear in Hot Shots 3.)
• The beats are admittedly pretty hot. I would love to get instrumental versions of the paternal-abuse-detailing “Insane” and the massive “My Mom”–particularly the latter, which uses an absolutely menacing bit of brass to underscore its point that yes, Eminem’s mom may not have been the Parent Of The Year.
• It’s Eminem. Get out the checklist and start ticking these things off: Lots of slightly moldy cultural references; sidemouthed delivery that seems to have been his hermit period’s most lasting effect; “craziness” that veers on the horrorcorish. (And maybe check out Jess’ guide to the genre for something that’s at least entertaining and sorta-related to the matter at hand.)


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