Oneirology

May 16, 2024

Reviews > Album Reviews > Oneirology – CunninLynguists

CunninLynguists

Sunday 5th June, 2011 by admin | 0 Comments

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When I listen to music I usually listen to different genres in cycles. For a few months I’ll be on metal, the last year or so I’ve been balls deep in Dubstep,and now it’s time for me to start paying attention to where rap is right now. Let me tell ya, I’m glad I did now because I was recently introduced to the CunninLynguists (great name). This Kentucky based group (formed by members Kno, Natti, & Deacon the Villian) recently came out with what I think might end up being one of my favorite hip-hop albums to date. It’s called Oneirology (pronounced Oh-ny-er-ology), which is the study of dreams and their content.

Throughout the album, Kno (their main producer) keeps what I would call a very ethereal feel which works really well with the night/sleep/dreaming theme they have going. He does this by carefully lacing in soulful singing, classical guitar, gentle humming violins, absolutely serene synth work and a number of other ninja tactics that make this album one fine piece of work. He even has a few short instrumentals worked into it like Phantasmata, which is one of my favorite moments of the album. Since it’s hip-hop it has to have some bangin drums too and it has just that. Kno did a damn good job pickin out the samples but now that I know a little bit more about them, I wouldn’t expect anything less. The drumming is very old school and doesnt travel much farther outside kick, snare, and Hi-hat which gives this otherwise celestial sounding album a Hood edge that sets up these expert lyricists perfectly.

Which brings me to the most important part of the album, the rapping. It’s nothing short of fantastic. It can range from introspective like in Darkness, to truly thuggin like in Hard As They Come, but it’s all done very poetically. Their flow is exactly as it should be, smooth and fluid. One of the singles from the album “Stars Shine Brightest” is a great sample of what you can expect from the rest of the album. Its main idea is one’s ability to rise above everything and to make your own star shine as bright as you can. Something any of the juggalos I know can appreciate. All delivery is emphatic in all the right places and all of the hurt, hope, and the feeling of being completely lost translates straight from my speakers directly into my soul.

The final word is if you are a fan of tracks like Tech’s “The Rain” or Twiztid’s “Renditions of Reality” like I am, you should already have this album. It will not disappoint whatsoever. Hell, even the cover art is captivating. If you’re the kind of person that likes to walk around at night pondering anything from your problems to questions more cosmic, there’s a place in your heart for Oneirology. This is one of those albums that’s so good I’d rather call each song a moment than a track, because you don’t just listen to them, you experience them. If you could relive a moment you would, and that’s why I’ve had Oneirology on repeat for the past few days.

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