![]() But this reworking (we hate to say remix) was so good that after we sat with it for a while, we decided that we had to make it available. Like many of his best works, he made this one for himself - a headphone listening pleasure before a ten-hour plane ride to Tokyo. Some might say it's sacrilege to revisit an album like Madvillainy, but Madlib's never been one to respect convention. White labels of the vinyl have been kicking around for a while, but we finally decided to get it done right. It’s a good album, but no match for the original, or for the promise of new material.Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix was originally released in CD form in Madvillainy 2: The Box (2008) and released only with the box set. However great Madlib’s new beats, many of which revolve around a lot of horns and still more of the typical glitchy samples Madlib is known for, are, it’s almost impossible for the new songs to compete with the old ones, and that’s the curse of Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix. When listening to a remix of a song where I don’t recognize Doom’s verses, I don’t compare it to the original, and thus can appreciate it more. But in general, the tracks where I don’t recognize the original right away, I prefer to the ones where I do. All Caps’ remix, titled Never Go Pop, brings in a jazzy-piano loop and a subdued drum beat and works very well. The beat is a great one, and has a lot going on, making the fact that Doom has been up-staged completely forgivable. It’s much more peppy and upbeat and, in keeping with the album’s tradition, brings the focus away from Doom’s great rhymes. Figaro remix No Brain is chosen to open the album (after a brief intro), as opposed to the original, which was a mid-album highlight. It’s a great song, with tight rhymes about keeping it real overtop a glitch-y beat, and a surprising to find on the album. ![]() Monkey Suite, a new addition to the album, originally released on the Stones Throw compilation Chrome Children, is left seemingly intact. Doom’s distinct voice becomes an instrument at Madlib’s command, especially on Drainos, where he hazily sings instead of rapping. The beats overpower the vocals instead of complimenting them, making Madlib the star. Madvillainy 2 doesn’t sound like it was created by two people. I would comment on Doom’s stellar lyrics (When he have the mic you don’t go next/Leavin’ pussycats like why hoes need Kotex), but this album doesn’t seem to be about Doom. It’s still a great track, but even when trying to think of it as completely independent from the original (I can hardly do it), it doesn’t stand up. The sparse, jumpy bass and hi hat-heavy beat is a poor substitute for the original’s Daedelus-sampled accordion. Listening to Borrowed Time, it’s impossible for me to shake the original (Accordion) from my head. This isn’t the new Madvillain album that was promised for 08, and might mean that one isn’t going to coming out anytime soon. It’s almost completely new.īut the most disappointing part of the entire album, is that it isn’t a completely new album. He changed the titles too, and added some new songs. Madlib, the producer half of Madvillian stripped the original down to just MF DOOM’s vocals, and then completely restructured it. Should I compare the new tracks to the old ones incessantly throughout the review (a la Pitchfork) or treat them like totally new songs? Both methods are flawed these songs (outside of the vocals) sound little to nothing like the ones on the predecessor, but unfortunately are not totally new. That in itself makes Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix a hard album to review. It’s almost definitely in my top 10, and out of those 10 it’s probably the one of the ones I listen to most. Madvillainy is one of my favorite Hip-Hop albums. Review Summary: Supposedly tired of Madvillain rapper MF DOOM's laziness, producer Madlib remixes the duo's only album with mixed results.
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