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The WireAug 19, 2016An engrossing collection. [Aug 2016, p.63]
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UncutAug 5, 2016His debut LP impresses, in large part thanks to smart deployment of guests. [Sep 2016, p.70]
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Aug 5, 201632 Levels is a line in the sand, rather than a high watermark, for Clams Casino and the genre as a whole; a fertile growth outward, rather than a zeitgeist-recapturing album.
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Q MagazineJul 26, 2016[An] absorbing, multi-layered debut. [Sep 2016, p.112]
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Jul 25, 2016There’s nothing on this release to suggest that Clams Casino has ascended to the next level. In its own right, it’s further evidence of Clams’ special talents but for those who have followed his career closely, it’s hard not to think about what could have been.
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Jul 20, 2016On this album he shows a consolidation of his previous work all while holding down his title as one of music’s most original producers.
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Jul 20, 2016It can be strikingly narrow, to impressive ends--not many producers would be able to wring so much emotion from stoned, spacey, minor-key arrangements year after year. ... But in other ways, the results can be mixed.
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Jul 19, 201632 Levels sees Clams Casino step up a level and make a hugely positive and lasting impression.
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Jul 19, 2016The genre-spanning approach dilutes what could have been a memorable project, leaving 32 Levels with a storage of untapped potential and only a few beacons shining their fullest light.
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Jul 18, 2016Versatility, it turns out, may not be Clams’ strong suit, though that’s hardly a problem; as the first half of 32 Levels demonstrates, there’s still plenty of room left for Clams Casino to grow into his own sound.
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Jul 18, 2016What's most disheartening about 32 Levels is how it floats by anonymously for 37 wishy-washy minutes, which is especially hard to take from a producer whose tracks used to command your attention.
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Jul 18, 201632 Levels begins and ends strongly but sags in the middle like an old sofa.
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Jul 15, 2016It’s in the back half of 32 Levels, where Volpe drops rap entirely to pair off with singers, that he pushes himself in less familiar directions—to outcomes both revelatory and slightly banal.
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Jul 15, 2016Apart from when Future Islands' Sam Herring comes out from behind a tree with an old wizard's rumble on "Ghost In a Kiss," most of the remaining lyrical contributions to 32 Levels, even from Vince Staples and A$AP Rocky, range from decent to deleterious.
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Jul 15, 2016It reinforces his talents with hints at how his influence might spread next.
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Jul 15, 2016The result is an adventurous but inconsistent affair that suggests Clams Casino has plenty of ideas — and perhaps his masterpiece--still in him.
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Jul 14, 2016Call it based, cloud rap, or crumble core, but whatever the subgenre, Clams Casino's vanguard style now comes in a near-perfect package dubbed 32 Levels.
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Jul 14, 2016This is a frequently dazzling piece of work from one of hip-hop’s most ambitious and imaginative stylists.
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Jul 14, 2016More a showcase of his production wares than an album, this collection still suggests Clams might produce a pearl yet.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 14 out of 21
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Mixed: 7 out of 21
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Negative: 0 out of 21
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Aug 22, 2016