5/25/2023 0 Comments Cannibal ox the cold vein zipIt describes the artery of pain that flows through the city, as well as the desperate hope of its denizens to find a way to transform into something that can rise above it all. The Cold Vein juxtaposes the lows and highs of trying to exist in NYC like few other albums. Theodore “Vast Aire” Arrington II and Shamar “Vordul Megallah” Gardner, accompanied by producer Jaime “El-P” Meline, take listeners on a 70+ minute journey through the desolate streets, deserted alleyways, and smoke-filled hallways of pre-gentrified Harlem and other blighted areas of the Big Apple. Released 20 years ago, Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein paints pictures of a specific time and place, representing a vivid vision of pre-September 11th New York City. Rather, I appreciate when an author or filmmaker can fashion a unique, fleshed-out world between that solely exists between the two covers of a book or the confines of singular film. I’m not referring to endeavors like the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” or the Game of Thrones epic those sprawling undertakings occupy their own category. I’ve always been a big fan of books and films that create their own universes. Happy 20th Anniversary to Cannibal Ox’s debut album The Cold Vein, originally released May 15, 2001.
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