Claud5 - Dogs Carry Knives Review
After years of incubating beats and simmering synths, Connecticut based lo-fi electronic beat producer and emcee Claud5 releases his debut solo effort, Dogs Carry Knives, and wastes no time in pulling listeners in to his world of mythos and flow.
A brisk, head nodding treat worthy of many spins, Dogs Carry Knives has an encompassing, cohesive skin and theme of dogs, or rather, their ancestors, and exhibits Claud5’ drum-synth abilities in highly evolved form. Despite his producer name, this album has the inescapable atmosphere and feeling of exploration and discovery that you would find aimlessly scouting through the woods in the dead of night.
The start is slow and meditative as Claud5 piano melodies and synths swing like a pendulum, lulling listeners into a dream state, with tracks like “Scouting” and “Wounded”. From the first few tracks, the addictive pull of his swirls of synths disarms and prepares listeners for the heavier half of Dogs Carry Knives, which ventures into more and more syncopated, 808 laced numbers, and other bright and whimsical territory, displayed on tracks such as “Wolf 1061C” and “Fur”.
A track with earlier renditions which I fondly remember makes its way on here in the form of “Eye Contact”, a beautiful hip-hop synth vibing beat that suddenly takes a turn into the dark corners of dubstep-y EDM. It’s the perfect transition into “Bonepick”, a menacing dark trap, witch house beat with haunting vibes and another excellent lead-in towards the gritty scene of “Midnight Feeding”, which thumps with a feral heart while synths pass overhead. Claud5 closes out his debut album with “Super Blood Wolf Moon”, a departure in style but a nonetheless magical sendoff in drum n bass, reminiscent of the 90’s rave scene nostalgia or classic albums like Zomby’s “Where Were You in ‘92?”
Dogs Carry Knives contains a very high quality and tried and true flow that any electronic artist should aspire to creating. It has deep pockets and rich layers in its subdued opening compositions, which slowly grow in intensity and complexity, and play with its own dichotomy of heavy, lo-fi beats and graceful, glistening synths. One scene that comes to mind where I feel this debut would find a comfortable home is in the hazy Los Angeles glitch hop movement, and the lo-fi, electronic, and jazz label Brainfeeder, because Dogs Carry Knives is soaked with experimental rhythms and dark, sensual soul.... It’s an album both beautiful and savage, and it makes Claud5 one of the up and coming electronic artists worth watching.
Dogs Carry Knives - 8.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Scouting, Wolf 1061C, Midnight Feeding