CD Review: Melancholy and the Infinite Shadness

Shad
Decon Records

While Canada is about as well known for its rap as Alabama is for its tolerance, both do exist. I’ve heard good things about Birmingham, but I digress. As one of Canada’s forefront rap artists, Shad’s latest EP, melancholy and the infinite shadness, takes a rather experimental turn from his previous recordings, all the while spearheading a blatant attack at capitalizing letters and traditional grammar.

As a white male in my early 20’s, and this clearly being my area of expertise, there’s no mistaking Shad’s signature 90s-era style; it hasn’t left. What has though, is typical song structure and all that comes with it, which, depending on what you like, can be a welcome change. With only five songs and a running time of around 11 minutes, it starts off incredibly strong with “a milli vanilli” and “out here (cannonball)”, but seems to fade as the EP progresses. It’s not as if it ever gets bad though, just more tame.

With that said, it’s certainly worth a listen. Whether this marks a dramatic turn in Shad’s sound or not is to be seen, but  on a scale of chain restaurants, going from Arby’s to Earl’s, this is a Boston Pizza through and through. If you’re a fan of Arby’s, stop lying to yourself.

Troy Julé
Contributor