Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium
| Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium | ||||
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| Studio album by The Underachievers | ||||
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Publication |
August 12, 2014 |
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| Label (s) | Brainfeeder, RPM MSC | |||
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
40:06 |
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Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium is the debut album by the US hip-hop duo The Underachievers . It was released on August 12, 2014 by Flying Lotus on the Brainfeeder label .
Track list
- Luminescence - 2:41
- Chrysalis - 3:10
- Radiance - 3:28
- Caprice - 3:12
- Incandescent - 3:13
- Sonorous - 3:38
- Metropolis - 3:59
- Nebulous - 3:34
- Ethereal - 3:01
- Quiescent - 2:57
- Felicity - 3:45
- Amorphous (feat. Portugal. The Man ) - 3:21
production
Most of the recordings took place in her home studio in her apartment, with Issa mostly choosing the beats and each of the two writing a part for himself, which was then recorded. AK takes over the sound engineering. Your work process can be broken down to "smoke, record and sleep" according to their own statements. They also recorded three tracks in a professional studio in California. The focus during the album production was not on the final sound, but much more on how the words fit together and that the flow fits the album title.
Album concept
Naming
The name of the album refers to what is said to be the most beautiful phrase in the English language, "The Cellar Door". Five years before the album was released, Issa was working on a book with the same title, the file and notes of which could suddenly no longer be found on his laptop. Then he gave up the project.
Cover design
In the middle of the album cover a male person can be observed, from the middle of his forehead (third eye) animal heads rise up on the left and right, which are each reflected. The lion in the upper right or lower left corner stands for Issa, whose zodiac sign is Leo . The leopard in the upper left or lower right corner is the symbol for AK. The cover, which is divided into two parts, shows a certain duality, which represents their balance in life. "We know that we are part of a larger whole - and we want to communicate that".
Subject
Although Issa wishes the album had a stronger theme, as the production progressed they were more concerned with getting the beats together. "When I thought about the album, I always thought about a topic in the beats rather than in the music," said Issa in an interview. In doing so, they mainly focused on dark topics, less psychedelics and a dark overall sound.
reception
| Professional reviews | |
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| Average rating | |
| source | rating |
| Metacritic | 75% |
| More reviews | |
| source | rating |
| Allmusic |
  
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| Exclaim | 8/10 |
| HipHopDX |
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| XXL |
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| Juice |
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Daniel Gerhardt judged the album as follows in the music magazine Juice . "The MCs [...] play large parts of the album with a rush of speed that is more familiar from street rapbattles than from the recording studio." That is why Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium is initially so overwhelming, according to him. "While you are still trying to find your way around the already confusing coordinate system of the underachievers [...], the record first mows you away in a very classic way." He also added that the beats used are particularly "dark and useful" and the both MCs are smart and fast.
Martín Caballero of the Boston Globe describes the album as one that persistently tries to get its message across, which is why the title is ironic . The two rappers are technically brilliant and have mastered double-time rap. The album is worth listening to.
The album debuted at # 86 on the Billboard 200 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Philip Mlynar: The Underachievers - Astro Black in the Juice No. 162, pp. 98-101.
- ↑ Reviews for Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium on metacritic.com (English).
- ^ Daniel Gerhardt: Review of Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium in Juice No. 162, p. 116.
- ↑ Martín Caballero: The Underachievers, 'Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium' on bostonglobe.com (English).
- ↑ Chart data: United States .