Los Angeles-based noise-rap trio
clipping. have come a remarkably long way since
Jonathan Snipes (formerly of irony-killing duo
Captain Ahab) and
William Hutson (aka noise-drone artist Rale) established it as a remix project in 2009. Since the addition of MC
Daveed Diggs (also of True Neutral Crew, along with
Signor Benedick the Moor and Deathbomb Arc founder Brian Kinsman), the group self-released 2013's well-received mixtape
Midcity before signing with Sub Pop for their full-length debut, 2014's
CLPPNG. Studio wizard
Snipes has since written soundtracks for numerous films,
Hutson completed a Ph.D. in theater and performance studies, and
Diggs achieved fame as an original cast member of the hit musical Hamilton. While
CLPPNG (so titled because its lyrics lacked the most common word in hip-hop, "I") subverted mainstream hip-hop conventions and was equally influenced by
Three 6 Mafia and academic electro-acoustic composition,
Splendor & Misery is exponentially more ambitious. The album is essentially an opera about the only survivor of a slave revolt, who is trapped on a spaceship traveling throughout the universe. The story can be likened to an outer space relative of
Drexciya's underwater mythology, and it draws equally from 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as the brilliant Afrofuturist science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, even going so far as to reference characters from her novels in the songs' lyrics ("Air 'Em Out" mentions the Oankali alien race from the Xenogenesis trilogy, while "Baby Don't Sleep" namechecks the mutants known as Clayarks from the Patternist series). While
CLPPNG and subsequent outtakes EP
Wriggle were more explicitly club-influenced, the sound design on
Splendor & Misery is far more experimental and less rhythmic; at times it sounds like
Diggs' complex, hyper-literate raps are being accompanied by industrial drone artists like :zoviet*france: or
Lustmord. The beats echo the background noises of the spaceship, replicating clanking and whirring noises rather than resembling anything danceable. Only on a few moments do
Snipes and
Hutson interject
Whitehouse-like power electronics and harsh noise. As dystopian as the album seems, there's an undeniable hopefulness present. A handful of tracks feature either gospel-inspired vocals ("True Believer" even quotes the 19th century slave song "I Know When I'm Going Home") or splintered church organ tones. Ultimately, the protagonist ends up celebrating an escape from society and finding freedom in his isolation. Devastating yet optimistic,
Splendor & Misery is a stunning leap forward for
clipping., and one of the most impressive albums of the year. ~ Paul Simpson