Ceschi - Broken Bone Ballads (2015)
BAND/ARTIST: Ceschi
- Title: Broken Bone Ballads
- Year Of Release: 2015
- Label: Fake Four Inc
- Genre: Soul, Hip-hop, Rock, Experimental
- Quality: FLAC (tracks)
- Total Time: 37:35 mins
- Total Size: 236 MB
- WebSite: Album Preview
Connecticut native Ceschi Ramos (real name Julian Ramos) has been making a splash on the indie rap scene for a while now, having released several solid records and EPs, as well as co-founding the backpacker haven label, Fake Four Inc. His latest release, Broken Bone Ballads, was written as an exploration of a difficult time in the artist's life, specifically when Ceschi was facing a potential 18-month prison sentence over some strange circumstances surrounding a Christmas present stuffed with 100 pounds of pot. The sort of uncertainty, emotional turmoil, and financial ruin that such a situation can present to a person can be devastating. However, all that negativity did have one unexpected side effect: one hell of a great album.
Broken Bone Ballads presents an almost perfected version of Ceschi's signature sound, alternating between breathless rap that doubles as a vocabulary lesson and punk-folk songs that feel simultaneously familiar and fresh. While it never ventures too far out of the boundaries, it pushes and bends the edges, leaving listeners with a record that is both accessible and unique. Lyricism is clearly Ceschi's greatest asset, as he marathons through emotional (but never sentimental) verse after verse, always keeping the rhymes tight and dropping metaphors without clichés, still finding time to name-drop Kerouac in the process (as an opener to “Forever 33,” a rapid-fire piece that builds on itself and then abruptly ends before you have a chance to digest its verbose poetry). Unfortunately, some of the guest spots can't quite match the quality of the main feature, dropping lesser rhymes by comparison, with the notable exception of Sage Francis' astounding and scene-stealing verse on “Barely Alive.”
The production, handled by Factor Chandelier, is a perfect fit for the sound that Ceschi has developed. A variety of synths, distorted guitar samples, and pounding drums collide with gentle acoustics to form a musicality that settles somewhere between lucid and damaged. Factor is clearly in touch with Ceschi's state, and with their talents combined, a beautiful and painful balance is struck, even if the production's themes may overlap just one too many times. It's just as raw and almost as confident as the rapper's contributions, and it's hard to imagine that any other producer could have handled it better.
This record is just about everything that it could be: voracious, fast, deliberate, morose, uplifting, creative, unstoppable. It's bogged down by a few spotty guest appearances and some minor issues with overlapping musical portions, but these complaints are easily forgotten after blaring “This Won't Last Forever” for the 30th time because it just won't get out of your head. Ceschi has taken an awful situation and used it to spark the creation of what just may be his best release yet. If you're not a fan yet, Broken Bone Ballads will convince you otherwise. After just one listen, you'll be wondering why it took you this long.
Track listing:
01. Ceschi - Choke Parade (3:11)
02. Ceschi - Say Something (3:15)
03. Ceschi - Forever 33 (1:15)
04. Ceschi - This Won't Last Forever (4:02)
05. Ceschi - Bite Through Stone (3:04)
06. Ceschi - Beauty For Bosses (2:01)
07. Ceschi - Beyond The End (4:34)
08. Ceschi - Elm City Ballad (1:11)
09. Ceschi - Kurzweil feat. David Ramos, iCON the Mic King & Shoshin (4:30)
10. Ceschi - Rowing In Circles (2:46)
11. Ceschi - One Hundred Dragonflies (3:19)
12. Ceschi - Barely Alive feat. Sage Francis (4:28)
Broken Bone Ballads presents an almost perfected version of Ceschi's signature sound, alternating between breathless rap that doubles as a vocabulary lesson and punk-folk songs that feel simultaneously familiar and fresh. While it never ventures too far out of the boundaries, it pushes and bends the edges, leaving listeners with a record that is both accessible and unique. Lyricism is clearly Ceschi's greatest asset, as he marathons through emotional (but never sentimental) verse after verse, always keeping the rhymes tight and dropping metaphors without clichés, still finding time to name-drop Kerouac in the process (as an opener to “Forever 33,” a rapid-fire piece that builds on itself and then abruptly ends before you have a chance to digest its verbose poetry). Unfortunately, some of the guest spots can't quite match the quality of the main feature, dropping lesser rhymes by comparison, with the notable exception of Sage Francis' astounding and scene-stealing verse on “Barely Alive.”
The production, handled by Factor Chandelier, is a perfect fit for the sound that Ceschi has developed. A variety of synths, distorted guitar samples, and pounding drums collide with gentle acoustics to form a musicality that settles somewhere between lucid and damaged. Factor is clearly in touch with Ceschi's state, and with their talents combined, a beautiful and painful balance is struck, even if the production's themes may overlap just one too many times. It's just as raw and almost as confident as the rapper's contributions, and it's hard to imagine that any other producer could have handled it better.
This record is just about everything that it could be: voracious, fast, deliberate, morose, uplifting, creative, unstoppable. It's bogged down by a few spotty guest appearances and some minor issues with overlapping musical portions, but these complaints are easily forgotten after blaring “This Won't Last Forever” for the 30th time because it just won't get out of your head. Ceschi has taken an awful situation and used it to spark the creation of what just may be his best release yet. If you're not a fan yet, Broken Bone Ballads will convince you otherwise. After just one listen, you'll be wondering why it took you this long.
Track listing:
01. Ceschi - Choke Parade (3:11)
02. Ceschi - Say Something (3:15)
03. Ceschi - Forever 33 (1:15)
04. Ceschi - This Won't Last Forever (4:02)
05. Ceschi - Bite Through Stone (3:04)
06. Ceschi - Beauty For Bosses (2:01)
07. Ceschi - Beyond The End (4:34)
08. Ceschi - Elm City Ballad (1:11)
09. Ceschi - Kurzweil feat. David Ramos, iCON the Mic King & Shoshin (4:30)
10. Ceschi - Rowing In Circles (2:46)
11. Ceschi - One Hundred Dragonflies (3:19)
12. Ceschi - Barely Alive feat. Sage Francis (4:28)
Soul | Hip-Hop | Rock | FLAC / APE
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