For all the talk about how iPods and Megaupload have exponentially advanced listener curiosity, post-punk and rap have long coexisted in the collections of anyone who simply likes great music. Still, those two genres have rarely mixed in the time since-- you could point to off-the-grid acts like Dälek, while Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury has as much clangor, negative space, and nihilism as Metal Box, but the influence of post-punk on hip-hop has been mostly relegated to the theoretical realm. At least until now. Memphis rapper Cities Aviv definitely displayed an iconoclastic streak on 2011's Digital Lows, in which serious Three 6 Mafia homage and a straight-up "People Are People" sample found equal footing. On Black Pleasure, he goes all in with one of the first rap albums that sounds it's angling for a deal with Pendu Sounds or Captured Tracks. It's bold and possibly forward thinking. What's less certain is whether he actually made a good record.
He does have the voice for it. While an adept wordsmith, Aviv's vocals have a stiff and shouty cadence. At the outset, it's surprisingly effective. The militant kick drums that power "Forever" are the domain of no-fi coldwave revivalists like the Soft Moon and Black Marble, while Aviv's vocals are initially lost in impenetrable, well-bottom reverb. By the time he emerges to rap clearly intelligible words, you mostly catch the punchline where his insecurities have him "hanging like I'm Ian Curtis." It's something of a "shock tactic," not so much in its allusion to a man's suicide, but one that can be cynically viewed as an easy "in" for indie listeners. But you can't really doubt his commitment, as later on he and his girlfriend are making love to Joy Division and Psychic TV, while porn star Mary Carey and Debbie Harry also get namechecked in succession.
Fortunately, Black Pleasure isn't a half hour of Cities Aviv trying to score cred points; there's plenty of material here that would fit within the confines of the searching and introspective Digital Lows were it not for the severity of the production. Aviv remains a relatable and personable rapper who's mostly falling in or out of love during Black Pleasure, while taking stock of his own situation and those of his peers. The most instantly ear-turning quotables come to the fore on "Simulation", which takes shots at e-rappers ("you thuggin' but you only sendin' shots over Gmail") and pretty much all internet-based interaction ("with 30,000 user names which is the real you?") over distended production from Green Ova Undergrounds associate L.W.H..
"Simulation" is one of the few tracks where the words take precedence, and that's a problem. It isn't about the compatibility of Cities Aviv's influences so much as the actual mix, the way Black Pleasure sounds coming out of speakers and headphones. Nearly every production tactic that makes Black Pleasure so distinct ends up working against the strengths of its creator. The blown-out reverb and aluminum aftertaste won't be too unfamiliar, but while most rock bands using these tricks consider lyrics to be a non-entity or the vocals another sonic layer, Cities Aviv is a talented rapper who conceivably wants his words to be heard. The moaning sample that punctuates every bar of "Escorts" completely dominates the sonic field and the lack of definition on "Remynd" makes the appearance of Maria Minerva a complete non-event. Perhaps it's meant more as a consumptive, textural experience than as a beats and rhymes record, but if that's the case, Black Pleasure forfeits its main selling point; so much of the production relies on the acidic, warping qualities of distortion that without Cities Aviv's instructions on how he wants Black Pleasure to be heard, you could just as easily assume he was catching up with chillwave or cloud-rap.
At the very least, you have to admit there isn't anyone else making music like this right now, but it's debatable whether Cities Aviv is in his own lane here because others consciously chose to avoid it. And while there's no such thing as a "free" mixtape, since time and creativity are limited resources, you could argue that unlike, say, 808s and Heartbreak or even Rebirth, this lacks the stakes of Cities Aviv putting his money where his mouth is. Maybe thats the real issue with Black Pleasure-- it feels more laudable for its ethics and process than the actual product; even if it isn't felt, it can certainly be discussed, and talking points are probably more valuable than actual hits at this point in Cites Aviv's trajectory. But I'm more interested in hearing what Cities Aviv is capable of when he doesn't surround himself in so much figurative and literal noise.
