This post was originally made offsite in June 2017.
Background
Like everyone else, I found Clams Casino from his collaborations with Lil B the Based God (and A$AP Rocky), so of course I recognized the “32 Levels” reference. His impact on the cloud rap boom is undeniable, and I came into 32 Levels hoping he’d continue with elements of that sound while also growing from the trend and expanding into different territories like he’s done in his solo work.
(Side note: I noticed as I read Pitchfork’s review of this album that they seem to echo a lot of the same sentiments I noted in the following review, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I completed this review the day before theirs went up and that I did not look at anyone else’s thoughts before recording my own. This was previously posted on Reddit, as were the reviews posted before this one.)
Track by Track Thoughts
The intro “Level 1” starting off with that classic Lil B “yesss” was a nice move. The beat is nice, one of those things that if it got fleshed out into a full song would be interesting, and serves as a nice little introduction.
“Be Somebody” features a pretty standard Rocky verse to start out and, soon after, Lil B comes through with a more traditional verse than some who know him from his more “out there” songs would be accustomed to. I think having the snare cut through more would give the track a bit more knock, but aside from that, the instrumental served as a nice backdrop to the raps while still commanding attention of its own.
“All Nite” is where Clams finds the bounce, providing Vince Staples with a West Coast-inspired beat. Staples has proven he can excel over a variety of tracks, so the quality of his verses isn’t unexpected. The “All nite, all nite, all nite” second half of the hook is uninspired at best, and grating and annoying at worst. The bridge feels unnecessary and not exactly sonically interesting, but it isn’t offensive to the ear. This may just be a side effect of Clams working through his songwriting process, taking into account he’s still under 30 and this is his first full solo project with vocals on a majority of the tracks.
“Witness” is one we heard before the album came out. Lil B rides the beat with an infectiously fun flow and traditionally inane lyrics, every line hitting well without bringing too much energy in a way that could clash with the beat, which manages to be laid back and driving at the same time with the atmospheric, maybe forest-y samples behind a more traditional drum track and a sparse bassline.
“Skull” is an instrumental interlude that, aside from the evil laugh sample, is another track in the classic Clams mold. It’s just long enough that it may have been meant for people to cut, loop, and rap over.
“32 Levels” is notable for the more introspective verses from Lil B (“Keep the rich people rich and the poor violent, keep the rich far away, can’t nobody find ‘em,” “You can change the world with nobody help”) and at this point, you couldn’t be faulted for thinking of this as a mixtape hosted by him; he’s been on four out of the six songs so far. The chipmunked chorus by Joe Newman of Alt-J is a big minus: it just doesn’t fit the track in any way. I don’t know what Clams was thinking to pitch it up like that, but Newman’s normal voice or another singer would have been immensely preferable to what we got.
Just past the halfway point in this album is “Thanks to You,” which could pass for a pop radio reject. There’s not much technically wrong with it, but it’s just not interesting to me in any way. The synth hits, drum track, and distinct lack of a bassline don’t do much to spice up the middling vocal effort from Sam Dew. It could benefit from almost any additions to the instrumental, whether it’s bass or a more prominent synth or more exciting drums, but it just needs something.
Next is “Back to You,” which is another boring one. Kelly Zutrau isn’t bad on this track by any means, but there’s just nothing captivating about her contribution. The intro is pointless, the bassy hit sequence in the introductory verse might have fit better on the last song, the transitions into the chorus as well as the chorus itself aren’t interesting, the weird vocal sample actively detracts from the song. Around now is the time you start to wonder if Clams would benefit from some quality control, or just sticking to working solo or with rappers.
“Into the Fire” at least has a decent backing track, even if the vocals from Mikky Ekko aren’t captivating. The beat doesn’t change up too much throughout the 3:28 runtime, but it doesn’t really get old. Much like the previous two tracks, though, it’s not worth repeated listening.
“A Breath Away” suffers from the same things as the past three tracks: it’s boring. The beat is boring, Kelela’s vocals are boring, there’s just nothing that grabs you at all. Clams Casino seems to be taking any features he can, shoving any beats he can on here, and just filling out 12 tracks to make it an album. This one is especially heinous because it drags out for a full four minutes and 57 seconds.
“Ghost in a Kiss” is a welcome break from the past few songs, even if it isn’t great. The beat is in the more traditional Clams pattern, which is infinitely better than the pop efforts we just heard. What essentially amounts to deep-voiced talking from Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands turns what could have been a good song into a four minute interlude, though. Another one not really worth going back to, even if it’s not sonically bad or anything. The minute-long outro was wholly unnecessary, even more so than the other three minutes, with the addition of some basic piano that doesn’t add anything to the song.
We finally get to the end with the instrumental “Blast,” which also came out before the album itself. Much like the last instrumental on here, “Skull,” and the opener “Level 1,” it would be more interesting with raps on it. It’s more of what you expect from Clams.
Final Thoughts
This album started out with some promise, the first six tracks all being good and interesting. At that halfway mark, though, there’s a pronounced drop in quality. Nothing can kill talent like complacency, and I believe that’s exactly what happened here. Clams set out to make an album and decided to throw on five filler tracks, tracks 7-11, with barely any redeeming qualities rather than put out a seven song EP that would be solid from front to back, or even just not releasing the album until it was full of quality material. As to the first half, I wouldn’t say it exactly shows evolution, but it shows that Clams Casino can consistently come through with a cloudy beat that any rapper who got hold of it would be remiss not to rip. To the second half, it’s a sign that Clams, while a ten-year veteran in the music world, has still got kinks to work out of his process. Whether it’s quality control, a “good enough” attitude, or something else remains to be seen. As a whole, though, the bad tracks bring down the good ones, and I can’t give 32 Levels any more than a 5/10.