By the Time I Get to Phoenix

By the Time I Get to Phoenix is the second album by experimental hip hop group Injury Reserve. It is a huge step forward compared to their debut album. Too bad this is also their last as during the recording one of the band members, Stepa J. Groggs, died. This fact also made the album (lyrically) a monument for their friend. This may give the album additional meaning, but apart from that factor this album is already great. As a critic of Clash called it "post-rap" as the music is stripped from the conventional structure and rhythms. What is left are strange tempos and soundscapes with rap and instrumentation accompanying it. It is mesmerizing and something completely new.

Years ago, I read an interview with Tom Waits where he said that he was listening to a lot of horrorcore because of his son - Necro, and artists like that. I thought wouldn't it be great if Tom Waits brought his sensibility to a hip-hop record, and that never happened. This is basically what I had hoped to hear when I read that quote. It is uncomfortable and bizarre and atonal and it's still got bars, but it's so weird and so off that it's blown my mind. I'm a Danny Brown fan. I discovered Peanut Butter Wolf through that in the Bruiser Brigade stuff, but for some reason this album had passed me by. My only criticism is that I found out about it five years after it came out and therefore lost five years where I could have been listening to it more.

5. Kinda really like it. I did know Outside in advance

Tried to get into this album a few times over the years and always felt like a poser, until now. The slabs of melodic guitar, narrative bars, and abrasive sampling/rhythms all came together in this listen and I got it. Let myself be carried away on the at-once choppy yet silky smooth river of sound to great effect, understandable why this album has continued to garner such acclaim – 5 years on and it feels like it could’ve been released yesterday, today, and 10 years from now. Incredible add, definitely a deserving modern addition to the list.

I love the experimental nature of this album- it goes in all sorts of directions and never stops in one place for long. I can understand why others may not like this though but to me it's interesting and atmospheric matched by the album cover. Tragic background too making this a standout.

A really interesting and unusual album that took a few listens to get my head around. I liked the strange production, atmosphere and unpredictability. I didn’t love it, but it definitely kept me curious and I’m glad I spent a few days with it. Given I’m not a massive modern hip-hop fan, I doubt I’ll come back to it, but I’m glad I gave it a proper chance.

This feels like a key and peele sketch about two morons who accidentally recorded their drug induced ramblings and they think it sounds incredible and then they play it for their third, straight-laced roommate and this is what it actually sounds like

4.5/5

Pretty chilled music. I knew some of his work. Perfect for a small coffee place.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Outside, Superman that, Top picks for you, Knees

I don't know why, but somehow I kinda liked this

Favorite Track: Knees

It's not completely annoying

Interesting and I can see why they use “avant-garde style” as a descriptor in the wikipedia. Not something I actually enjoyed but it was unique and interesting.

I appreciate the swings this album took but it did not work for me. Couldn't really connect with it and it was more annoying than musical. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Not bad for a genre I really don't get into. 3/5

Different. Good? Bad? Not sure. Mostly good. 2.75

I wish this landed with me better than it did. 5/10

Dreamlike but not dreamy; itchy. I think it's not my favorite Glitch thing I've heard, but I had an ok time here.

Maybe I'm not sophisticated enough for this phase of Hip Hop: I mostly did not care for this. From the jump all I was wondering was whether the stream of consciousness, flowless verbal rambling floating over a bed of hiss and glitch was going to settle down into something and mostly it didn't. It is possible this could grow on me with more exposure, particularly if I managed to decode more of it lyrically. As it is I'm not going to trash it but I can't pretend I enjoyed it.

I liked this more when I wasn’t listening properly. Props to them for trying to do something different but it just doesn’t come together for me

An immaculate artistic expression that I respect, but kinda really do not fuck with musically at all. Still hasn't clicked after three listens, might just have to accept it's not my jam. Undeniably one of the greatest album covers of all time though.

Not my jam

By the Time I get to Phoenix is a great Glenn Campbell song and then is also whatever this is