MIKE, the face of abstract music in hip-hop and a huge figurehead in the underground, just released his brand-new collab album, Pinball II, with well respected producer Tony Seltzer, on Wednesday. Last year the duo released the first album in the Pinball series, it was quite experimental for MIKE; however it walked so that its new sequel could run.
The typical MIKE song is very introspective. He often covers themes of anguish and grief with soft, abstract production that is usually self produced. However with Pinball II he takes a massive turn in a completely different direction. On track one, “Sin City,” this is especially apparent, with a trap and plugg inspired, in your face sound. Even the theming is new for MIKE, as he does boast somewhat saying, “Look like a fox around my neck, but it’s your faux fur.” It’s a great track, likely the best off the album and really ranks high in his catalog as a whole.
“Dolemite,” featuring Lunchbox, the second track, is one of the weaker moments from Pinball II, however its ending really showcases one of the project’s greatest strengths as well as Tony’s strengths as a producer; the coherency from track to track. The ending of “Dolemite” has an impressive transition into the following song, playing the start of the intro for the next song. This flow runs prevalent across all of Pinball II.
The song “Dolemite” transitions into is titled “#71,” and plays very well into what Pinball II is really all about: being light-hearted yet very energetic. It’s quickly followed up with the 6th track, “Money & Power”. The two are quite similar in energy, however, due to Tony Seltzer’s dynamic production, they still feel like very different songs with their own identities.
In the song “Belt,” the seventh track, there is a return to a slower, more abstract sound. It starts with a slowed intro of the hook that was played in the end of the previous track, “Move in stealth, moved by the belt, yeah.” There’s a very unique ringing sound sampled from a Stevie Wonder song and it’sP combined with some almost ethereal sounding instrumentals layered on top, that play throughout the song.
MIKE’s music, all throughout his career, has quite clearly been heavily inspired by the legendary artist Earl Sweatshirt, who has served as somewhat of a mentor to him. Over the years, the two of them have had a large number of collaborations and features together on different tracks in each of their catalogs and in Pinball II, the track “Jumanji”, adds to that collection. It’s a standout, featuring one of the more laid-back Tony Seltzer beats that fits Earl’s monotone cadence exceptionally well.
Pinball II isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but its projects like these that are turning points in an artist’s career. MIKE’s willingness to experiment and change up his formula in new projects plays a huge role in why he is considered to be one of the most promising artists on the rise.
