Representing Lansing, Michigan, the emcee formally known as P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. adds another applaudable effort to the list of BLAT! Pack releases. James Gardin follows up his notable 2012 release of A Little Light For You with the five tracks featured on Moleskines and Pocket Squares. By presenting positive messages over dynamic, upbeat production handled by Trebles and Blues, the everyman rapper leaves no filler on this short EP; rather, each and every song offers up some bit of insight to welcoming listeners.
Throughout Moleskines and Pocket Squares, Gardin focuses on themes of the embitterment of things – life, music, attitudes, etc. For example on “Better Days” which holds the spot for the only feature on the album by singer Phourthelove, the Lansing spitter speaks on the quest for hip-hop fame and the trials and tribulations of stardom. Additionally, the production offers up a trolley of chopped vocal samples that give a subtle aloofness to the track that somewhat correlates to the pensive words of Gardin.
This is followed up by the romanticism heard on the pithy and quaint “Dinner for Two.” Here, the drums are minimal as a light-hearted soundscape creates a rose-petals-in-the-bedroom type vibe. What’s best about this track is how it precedes the emotionally stirring “Cry.”
“Cry” finds Gardin shockingly perturbed about thoughts of suicide. An emotive guitar lick echoes along behind the rapper’s deeply distressed rhymes. This switch-up is very abrupt from the songs that precede it and it really causes a sharp turn in the album’s vibe. “Cry” stabs the fabric of Moleskines and acts as the rock bottom of Gardin’s personal tales mentioned on the album.
Bringing things back up a bit, Gardin closes the record by posing an open-letter/narrative on the album’s lead single “Selah.” After finishing off, the album feels a lot like a diary. Each turn of the page is a new trial, a new story, a new moment in life. James Gardin is skilled at being direct with his words, although I find the creative display of his lyricism is not necessarily lacking, but if you’re a fan of wordplay or verbal wit, Moleskines and Pocket Squares is more about its content than its delivery when it comes to lyrics.
As for the production, at times I feel the drums are mixed in a way that distracts from the track as a whole (i.e. kick should be louder here, or cymbals are drowning out the track there). I liken the album (mostly the production) to a sketch of an idea that could be expanded and elaborated on to a point of further exploration. With a bit of tweaking and fine-tuning, the partnership of Trebles and Blues and James Gardin could be something even better than what we have here. Even so, the music on this album can easily be appreciated and enjoyed by old and new fans alike.
6/10
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Tracklisting:
1) NHPJR Intro
2) Better Days (feat. Phourthelove)
3) Dinner For Two
4) I Cry
5) Selah
