This album was released on February 7th this year. I’ve listened to every project Signor Benedick the Moor has released since 2013. The only projects I’ve actually liked are their debut album, El Negro, and the Maiden Voyage Sweet EP. The CYBER.pnk // MNFST.dstnii compilation they dropped last year was definitely the worst album of 2018 in my opinion. Their music has gone in a really weird direction ever since they dropped El Negro. That project was already pretty weird, but some of their later stuff just seems weird for the sake of being different. It’s not really enjoyable for me at all. I’m hoping I’ll feel differently about this project because I really want to like them. I’m not gonna get my hopes up too high for this project. I’m sure I’ll like at least a handful of tracks though. I’m pretty sure every song is self produced. I might be wrong about that though.

1. Hidden Temple (Ntuition)

The production on this track is actually really awesome. Damn. Okay, this is already better than anything SB has released since 2013. The production is fantastic, and the way they’re rapping actually sounds really fuckin’ good. I feel like SB has finally found a good way to mix the more Hip Hop oriented style of El Negro with the poppier sound of records like Toybox. The way they burped after the first verse made me laugh. I’m actually surprised by how rare that is in music. You never really hear artists incorporate burps into their songs. The sung hook sounds really good. I’m kind of shocked by how much I’m enjoying this. This is such a drastic improvement over the last record. I mean, this is only the first song, but the opening track usually sets the tone for the rest of the record. This is phenomenal. The production is awesome, and SB’s vocals sound great. The music itself is still pretty weird, but it seems accessible at the same time. It’s nowhere near as challenging as some of SB’s other stuff. I love this track. This shit is dope af.

2. Thru the Portal

This is a really awesome beat. I don’t know if I should judge this as a full song. It’s less than a minute long. I love it though. The production is great. I don’t have any issues with this track at all. I think it’s dope af.

3. Feelns 4

Wow. This record is off to an amazing start. I’m so happy. I did not expect this at all. The beat on this track is amazing… Man, if people don’t start talking about SB the Moor as a great producer after hearing this, I’ll be shocked. So far, a lot of the music on this project sounds surprisingly accessible and current. I feel like there are “Mumble Rap” influences on this track. Not that SB is mumbling; it just has a similar vibe to some of that stuff. The production has that bounce that a lot of current rappers have in their music. Signor Benedick reminds me of a less moody Kid Cudi. I feel like Kid Cudi would really like this. I love the production, and SB sounds good singing over it too. This is definitely a weird song, but not in an off-putting way. I don’t have any issues with this track. It’s dope to me.

4. Lilith Moon (Pleasure) featuring Cindy Bluray

Woah. The production on this track is so fucking cool. It sounds kind of tribal. I’m actually surprised that I don’t mind SB’s vocals on the hook of this song at all. It sounds pretty goddamn weird. I feel like something like this would normally rub me the wrong way, but I don’t mind it. I mean, this is definitely my least favorite track on the album so far, but I’m still enjoying it. It sounds like this has more of a Rock influence than any of the other tracks. If the production wasn’t so good I might not like this track. Cindy Bluray’s contribution to this track is in French. It sounds okay. Hmm… Actually, I don’t know if I like this… I don’t see myself coming back to it. The more I listen to it the less I like it. I wouldn’t call this bad, but it’s not really that good to me. The production is really cool, but other than that nothing about it stands out in a positive way in my opinion. It’s an okay track.

5. PAIN (SUN GOD)

This is easily the most Rock influenced song on the album so far. The beat is really dark & heavy. It sounds really good. I’m not crazy about SB’s vocals on the hook, but it’s not that bad. Their flow on the verse is really nice. It’s not amazing lyrically, but it’s kinda cool. I don’t really have much to say about this track. I’m not in love with the hook, but it’s not too bad. I really like the production a lot, and the verse was pretty solid too. I like this track. It’s dope.

6. UL 2 SPIRIT REALM featuring Magdalena

Once again, the production is absolutely stellar. SB’s rapping with autotune on the first verse. That’s just another example of the influence from mainstream Hip Hop trends. There’s only one verse on this song, and it’s not really that impressive lyrically. It sounds fine though. I feel like the autotuned singing on this track will probably rub a lot of listeners the wrong way. I didn’t really mind it at all though. I’m not sure what Magdalena’s contribution to this song was. At one point it sounded like there was a little kid trying to say something, but it was quickly drowned out by SB’s autotuned wailing. I feel pretty much the same way about this track as I felt about the previous one. It’s definitely not one of my favorite songs on the album, but I enjoyed it to some extent. This is a cool track.

7. losthope

Oh wooow. SB sampled the intro to the first Kingdom Hearts game on this song. Lmao. That’s awesome. This is so cool. I’m really shocked more people haven’t sampled Kingdom Hearts before. The production is fantastic. SB doesn’t really rap on this track. I’m not crazy about the singing on this song, but it’s not really bad. It doesn’t ruin the song for me. The beat is really what makes me enjoy this track. SB’s vocal contributions didn’t really do anything for me. Overall I think this is a pretty good track. I like it more than the previous one. It’s dope to me.

8. ???

The production on this track is really nice. SB’s vocals on this sound really sweet. This is a really short track. It’s under a minute and 20 seconds long. It feels more like an interlude than a full song. I like it a lot though. I’m not really sure what SB’s singing about. It sounds to me like the lyrics are about a relationship that didn’t really work out, but I’m not completely sure if that’s right. I guess it doesn’t really matter. I enjoyed this song a lot. It’s dope.

9. omg

Again, the production on this track is absolutely stellar. I actually like the way SB sounds singing over it too. I can’t really make out a lot of the lyrics, so I don’t have any idea what the song’s actually about. It sounds good to me though. I feel like this would be a really great song to smoke weed to. This song feels like it has a really loose structure. I’m not really sure where the hook ends and the verse begins. It might just be one long verse to be honest. Hmm… I can’t decide how I feel about this song. At first I thought it was one of my favorite tracks on the album, but by the time the song was over I felt the opposite way. SB is singing the whole time, and their vocals don’t really sound that great. They aren’t particularly bad though. Overall I like this track. It’s definitely not the best song on the project, but I enjoyed it. This is dope to me.

10. nihilist t.party (stravinsky flip)

Huh. Did SB sample Igor Stravinsky for this track? That’s interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard any of Stravinsky’s music. Wooah… This is one of the weirdest beats on the album so far, but it’s really cool. SB’s rapping on this track with a really aggressive delivery. It’s kind of hard to make out a lot of the lyrics, so I don’t really know what they’re rapping about. This is a really bizarre sounding song. I like it a lot though. It’s one of the shortest songs on the album. It’s not one of my favorite tracks, but I think it’s really dope. I fuck with this.

11. elephant

The production on this track is pretty cool. It’s not as amazing as most of the other beats, but I still like it a lot. I’m not crazy about SB’s vocals on the hook. Hmm… You know… I don’t really think I like this song. It’s not bad, but it just doesn’t really stand out that much to me. I wasn’t really impressed by the first verse, and I don’t care for the hook. The production’s kinda cool, but other than that this song didn’t do anything for me. I wouldn’t call this bad, but I don’t think it’s good either. It’s an okay song I guess.

12. feels right :O

I really love the guitar driven production on this track. SB’s vocals on the first verse sound pretty good too. I don’t think this would be considered Hip Hop. This is more like Alternative music. I like it a lot though. Honestly, I think this is one of the best songs on the album so far. The hook is pretty catchy, and the production is superb. I don’t really have any issues with this song honestly. I think this is dope af.

13. thru the portal!!!

Woow. Lmao. This motherfucker sampled the… Umm… Hmm… I actually can’t remember where that jingle comes from. It’s either a ringtone or the sound of a computer booting up. Anyway, just like the first Thru the Portal song, this is another instrumental track featuring sounds from a bunch of phones. It’s really great. It’s a lot longer than the first one. I don’t think it’s as entertaining as that one, but it’s still really good. This is dope.

14. b afraid

This song has another fantastic beat. I actually really like SB’s vocals on this track. I feel like some listeners will be turned off by how poppy this track sounds, but I like it. The hook and production are the best aspects of this song. SB’s vocals on the actual verses aren’t that great honestly. Overall I enjoyed this song a lot though. Just like with all the other tracks, SB is doing a lot more singing than actual rapping. The singing isn’t really that great, but I enjoyed it. I don’t really have any issues with this song. I think it’s dope.

15. goddamn i love you honey featuring lonemoon<3

This is the longest track on the album. The previous song transitions into this one pretty well. Ehhh… I really love the production on this track, but I’m not feelin’ SB’s vocals on the hook. The first verse was decent I guess. Huh. The hook is actually kinda starting to grow on me. The second verse was cool. I think that was performed by lonemoon<3. I’m not completely sure though. If that was lonemoon<3, then they both have really similar voices. You know what? I actually like this song. I really didn’t like the hook at first, but it grew on me pretty quickly. This is dope to me. I fuck with this.

16. woah! (Mýa flip) featuring Mister

The beat on this track is pretty cool. I’m not really sure how I feel about this hook though. It’s not that good to me. The first verse is cool I guess. SB’s flow was pretty cool. I think that was SB. The second verse was fine. I think this track features some of the best rapping on the project. The song itself just isn’t that enjoyable to me though. I didn’t really care for the final verse from Mister. He sounded really amateurish to me. I won’t be listening to this song again. I think it’s decent though. The production was cool, and I liked the first two verses. I just didn’t care for the final verse or the hook. It’s an okay song overall.

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This album is actually pretty good. I think a lot of people will have mixed feelings about it, but I enjoyed it a lot. In fact, I actually think this is SB the Moor’s best work. This might actually be the best produced album I’ve heard all year. I was really shocked by how good the beats are. My favorite song from Signor Benedick the Moor is still h8 everyone from El Negro, but I think this project is slightly more consistent. Like I said earlier in this review, I think SB found a good way to mix all the styles they’ve dabbled in on past releases. There’s probably more singing on this project than actual rapping. SB the Moor isn’t really that great of a singer. It’s kind of like Kid Cudi’s music. Kid Cudi isn’t a good vocalist objectively, but the emotion & passion in his delivery make it enjoyable. It’s the same thing with SB the Moor. This project didn’t really impress me lyrically. I mainly enjoyed it sonically. None of the lyrics stood out for being particularly bad though. So yeah, overall I think this is a good project. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Hidden Temple (Ntuition)
Least Favorite Song: Lilith Moon (Pleasure)

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