Jeremiah Jae and L’Orange’s noir-inspired opus, “The Night Took Us In Like Family”
Consider it the alchemy of Madvillain and “The Maltese Falcon”: a five-part fable of tangled crimes, narrow escapes, and raining lead. Beats bend sinister with imagery aiming for the temples. Jae invokes dark clouds, crowns of thorns and LSD eyes. Bars written in dirt. Samples are disembodied and ethereal. It’s like a grand jury indictment doubling as a Greek chorus.
The picture unfolds wide frame. Guest stars include New York poison dart-thrower, Homeboy Sandman and Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab. The chapters flesh out the story. The funeral is closed casket. The memories aren’t easily disposed.
“L’Orange builds a gilded stage from a clutter of film, soul, and synth samples, refurbishing the worn 9th Wonder / early-Kanye warped soul template” -Pitchfork