Tuesday, June 29, 2010

“Love is Evol, Spell it Backwards, I’ll Show Ya”

"I’m a space bound rocketship and your hearts the moon
And I’m aiming right at you, right at you
250 thousand miles on a clear night in June
And I’m aiming right at you, right at you, right at you"
I’ll admit on the first few listens of the album, I passed over this track dismissively, opting for the flashier tracks with in your face production. After a few listens, it's ended up being one of my favorite tracks off Recovery. Pretty crazy that after one week it's being projected as selling just under 754k...which is a little less than twice what Drake's Thank Me Later sold. 

It isn’t like Marshall to show us his vulnerable side where he openly speaks about needing and missing someone like he does on Space Bound. Now before you think this is some kumbaya track about him being desperate for someone, hold up, because even at his most vulnerable Eminem still lashes out threateningly, protecting himself from hurt….hurt that has been all too real before for him previously, so much that it’s a build in defense mechanism and all too often the subject matter of his music. Now that he's off the drugs, he’s gotten back on the storytelling track and is back to feeling comfortable being lyrically real, giving us a more honest, wide open and transparent view of how he really feels. It's a non-stop double edged sword and I can only imagine just how classic his music may become if he can conquer that rage. Who knows though maybe that lit fuse inside of him is what makes him tick and relate-able to so many people who internalize the anger hit erupts with on tracks like this. 

Shouts out to Jim Jonsin who subtly samples the acoustics on R.E.M.'s song Drive (below) from their 1992 album Automatic for the People:

Unlike a lot of his sampling, this one sneaks under the radar quite a bit and comes off a little more original, which is different, but cool. In other words you wouldn't listen to this and say, "yep that definitely sounds like something he's produced." Smart move to take somewhat of a backseat to a legend, especially on such an emotionally transparent track like this one.

Despite picking the “lonely road”, Em is able to once again (think Eminem Show) coherently portray both sides of his struggle, the good and the bad, the part of him that craves to be whole again, but threatens with consequences the ones who he chooses to let in. It's been a while since we've heard Em scream heartfelt lyrics like on the bridge below:
“And I would have done anything for you,
To show you how much I adored you,
But it’s over now,
It’s too late to say bye, love,
Just promise me you’ll think of me
everytime you look up in the sky and see a star because
I’m a spacebound rocketship..."
The hook on this track is so far from anything you’d expect from Eminem, which is why I liked this track so much. The schizophrenic roller coaster of emotion draws you in, but it has a soft enough vibe to reel in the chaos, giving way to the acoustic backdrop like a pulsing star in space. No doubt in my mind Recovery is and will continue to be regarded as a classic album, but I'll save the reasoning for the album review.

For now just accept this is one man's opinion why Eminem is back atop the Hip Hop game he left 8 years ago...

Eminem feat - Space Bound (prod by Jim Jonsin)
Links taken down by request, go here to purchase at iTunes store

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