Producer and rapper El-P is readying his new star-studded album, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. Check out two previews of it before it hits shelves next year.
MP3: El-P - Smithereen (Stop Cryin’)
MP3: El-P - Everything Must Go
El-P’s new album features contributions from everyone from Aesop Rock and Mr. Lif to Cat Power and Trent Reznor, but I can’t imagine how he’ll use it to further something that’s already of high quality. Guest rapping helps, but “Smithereen” demonstrates that El-P is at his best when there aren’t any bells or whistles (aside from the “dramatic intro machine” which quite possibly is poking fun at MF Doom’s elaborate minute-long-plus introductions). But El-P on his own is all about passion and speed, both of which he’s got in spades.
