The instrumentation on Primitive Tomorrow is helmed primarily by Rob the Viking with additional production by Level 13, Nemesis, B3 The Shark, Ali Armz, Stoghs and Cee The Architect. It blends trap elements with the psychedelic synths and the hard drums we know from Swollen Members.
Primitive Tomorrow opens with the title track. The song begins with vocal scratches by DJ TMB. It's an obvious song sample with Eminem's Lose Yourself. It's weird to think I haven't heard too many people sample Eminems voice so the bold approach of cutting up one of his biggest songs is commendable. The lyrics are great too as Adlib convey confidence towards his alliance with Battle Axe and gratitude towards his label and fans. It's a good intro but, my favourite songs are a little further into the record.
The second song "Up" was the first single released ahead of the record. There's a great "gym playlist" quality to this one. Adlib drops mostly punchlines across the three verses and goes back and forth with some great crowd chants in the hook. The song has one of the better instrumentals with abundant guitar riffs, sparse 808 claps, and high pitched strings plucking away. There's a lot of moving parts to this beat and it just goes in.
Track three "Peaking In Babylon" is one of those songs where the attempts at being psychedelic kinda flop for me. I didn't care for the vocal treatments across the whole song. I like the drums and cymbals but I didn't care for them cutting in and out all the time. The lyrics have the same problem always getting quiet just to explode again. It's not one I replay a lot.
"Rebel Hippies (Light It Up)" is the fourth joint on here and a big hit for me. Great intro with the Bob Marley interview. I also loved background vocals throughout on the hook. Rebel Hippies is a title Adlib plugs a lot so I expected the meaning of that would be fleshed out on here and its one of the better payoffs on the album. There a great sense of taste to this song when compared with other weed anthems. While a lot of stoner anthems come off super gimmicky to me this one is proud without being silly and I think that's rare. Great shout outs to some of the cannabis community icons too.
The energy continues on track five with our first rap guest on the record. "Sign Language" featuring Demrick. There's a good blend of trap and boom bap elements on this beat. The snares are accompanied with hand claps and hi-hats. I quite like the blend. Adlib delivers one of his more intricate rhymes schemes while Demrick adds to it with some good bars.
"Tim Leary" I liked right away. There's some great slaps and the hats give the song some added funk. Tabs writes one of the albums best hooks. Adlib brings a complex flow and bravado that pays off well. I like a lot of the lines on here too like "Mosh pit like a muh' fuckin' trampoline/Rebel Hippies on that peace, love, anarchy." I like the distortion and the synths at the end it's spacey and it helps show some of Rob the Vikings touches on the album.
"Smoke Break" Is exactly what it looks like. I like the double bass (if I'm hearing the instrument right) and the sampled interview or whatever it is playing throughout. There's no real lyrics or nothing and the interlude clocks in at under thirty seconds but, for full front to back listens it's a cool to bust up some nugs or pack a bowl to.
We go back to music with track eight "All I've Ever Had" has a good message. He takes shots at low-balling promoters while reiterating his priorities of work ethic and originality. Rob brings some great psychedelic sounds and I like the snares and the twittering hi-hats. Not super lyrical or multi-syllabic but, there's great song writing on this one.
"Work" featuring Ren Thomas is another good one. It runs a little short (under three minutes) but the beat is one of the best on the record. The beat is pretty fast but, I like Adlibs slower flow on here its a good contrast for Ren when he comes in on the second verse. There's good chemistry and Ren murders this hook.
The album continues it's strong finish with track ten "Sensi Starr" The only song with instrumentation by only Rob The Viking (aside from the interlude afterwards). I like the drum pattern on here it sounds like some Too Short beat with like crazy synths all throughout. The song has the same sort of vocal treatments as he had on "Peaking In Babylon" but, it only shows up on the hook. There's a really great build and drop to this one as well.
"Touch Of Grey" is more of an interlude than a song but again, it's a good break to roll something to. The song doesn't have a drum loop it just has some sporadic vocals from Adlib.
"P.E.A.C.E." is the final track featuring a chorus from Jessica Lamb. It's different from the rest of the album in that there's more of a piano riff on here. This song is one of the better concept records next to "Rebel Hippies" or the title track. It's a good reflection of the first song with Adlib recounting his philosophy and gratitude.
At the end of it Primitive Tomorrow boasts Adlibs clearest vision yet. His chemistry with Rob The Viking is pushed further into psychedelic directions from Teenagerz From Mars. The ample production team the two recruit on the way (Ali Amrz, Level 13, Nemesis, B3 The Shark, Stogh and Cee The Architect) blend modern lo-fi with boom bap in a very tasteful way. It pulls from current and past trends and never once feels forced.
Pros: Clear direction and themes. The focus on clarity and punchlines instead of cramming syllables makes Adlibs style fresh. Choice features, outstanding production from Rob The Viking and company.
Cons: Some songs are a little too short for my liking. The interludes and skits are fun for front to back listens but, the casual listener will skip past them. I mostly do to.
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