Album Review: Visions of Bodies Being Burned - clipping.
Horrorcore, a subgenre of rap music that intends to torment and entertain its listeners, is more popular than ever. Daveed Diggs and company who make up the rap group clipping. have capitalized on this development with their past two albums There Existed an Addiction to Blood and Visions of Bodies Being Burned. These projects quite literally use scary movie sound samples to craft their instrumentals, all while depicting unsettling narratives through Diggs’ genius lyricism. Just as their previous album was last year, clipping.’s Visions of Bodies Being Burned is one of my favorite albums of this year.
“Intro” is a standard tone-setting track from clipping. that checks all the boxes of what the group has to offer. A booming and mysterious beat, urgent cell phone audio rapping from Diggs, and an eardrum-shattering wall of sound that transitions into the second track seamlessly. Immediately, the listener knows that this album isn’t for everyone. Luckily, however, the first half of this album is far more accessible than the back half. “Say the Name” was one of the lead singles for this project and is one of my favorite clipping. songs from their entire discography. The background instrumental evolves and crescendos by its end in a way only described as masterfully. The “Candlesticks in the dark, visions of bodies being burned” sample in the chorus is catchy but very disturbing. “Wytchboard (Interlude)” plays on typical scary movie tropes with two young girls using a ouija board that eventually spells out “He is here", and transitions with spooky knocking into the next track “‘96 Neve Campbell,” which directly references my favorite scary movie Scream multiple times. This album is extremely cohesive.
“Something Underneath” allows Daveed Diggs to demonstrate his excellent fast rapping skills, as a tribal and ritualistic beat escalates being his urgent vocals. When the beat drops off halfway through this track, I feel like I’m listening to something I’m not supposed to be hearing. This is only interrupting by a clipping audio sound which both hurts to hear and can’t be turned down. The following “Make Them Dead” is probably the least accessible track on the album, as it uses a very loud and unsettling instrumental that, I imagine, many would describe as overwhelming. “She Bad” plays on that expression, describing a monstrous entity who tortures her victims instead of simply describing an attractive woman. Again, this is a dark story being told in the catchiest way possible.
“Invocation (Interlude)” is an appropriately-placed breather that maintains the unsettling aesthetic of this project. The next track “Pain Everday” is one of the most technically impressive on the album, as it utilizes a 7/8 beat that maintains the discomfort of the first listen. “Check the Lock” is a story of paranoia and is my favorite non-single on the album. The storytelling here is unparalleled in creativity and skill from Diggs’ stellar writing. “Looking Like Meat” is a very industrial offering that doesn’t go above and beyond in its production, but is still a good listen. I wish this song was rounded out like the others on the album, but at this point, I’m just being picky. “Drove (Interlude)” creepily uses farm animal sounds to transition into the final tracks of the album. “Eaten Alive” puts Diggs in the spotlight until it quite literally bangs pots and pans around to keep the listener on the edge of their seat.
“Body for the Pile” is another challenging listen, which features blasting background instrumentation. Luckily, Diggs comes in to tell more disturbing stories, and the clicking sound in the background builds intense intension. “Enlacing” is another great, and very accessible, track that the casual rap listener should enjoy. It’s eery, continues the project’s aesthetic, and slows things down as the album’s penultimate track. “Secret Piece” is a great, optimistic closer that uses chirping birds to provide relief for the listener. It’s as if the entire album leading up until this point was a nightmare, and now we have woken up to rediscover peace. I’m not sure if Diggs meant it this way, but I interpret this as a commentary on where we are now, how difficult and scary things can seem, but that a calm morning is always coming.
The production, lyricism, and thematics of clipping.’s albums are undeniably impressive and consistent. This project continued to build upon a very compelling aesthetic that suits the Fall so amazingly well. This track barely has any duds on it, and the high points are some of the best moments in music all year. I highly suggest you check out Visions of Bodies Being Burned.
Favorite tracks: “Intro”, “Say The Name”, “'‘96 Neve Campbell”, “Something Underneath”, “She Bad”, “Pain Everyday”, “Check the Lock”, “Eaten Alive”, “Enlacing”, “Secret Piece”
SCORE: Light 9/10