Suffer In Style - Look Daggers


Look Daggers is a group that I am definitely looking forward to hearing more from. Look Daggers consists of 2Mex (of the Visionaries) and Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (of The Mars Volta/De Facto/Free Moral Agents). This CD has probably been slept on, and will not get the credit it deserves. It's one of my favorites from 2008.


Suffer In Style starts off with an Introlude, but it's nothing special, and no real lyrics are in it. After the Intro, the album gets off to a nice start with That Look. The Production fits pretty well with 2Mex's voice and rhyme patterns. Call U Later is the first single off Suffer In Style, and is definitely a great choice. Production is nice, once again, 2Mex has a slightly-rapid flow, and the hook is sang by Mendee Ichikawa, and is altogether a high-point of the album. Before You Say No has a kind of melodic-type beat and rhythm, and is one of the more relaxing tracks. Youth Is Getting Restless comes next, and has more of an aggressive feel. The beat has some pretty odd sound effects, but that's not a bad thing. This track comes together pretty well, and 2Mex does his thing. Valiant is one of the faster-paced tracks on this album, and does a good job at keeping you listening at the half-way point of the album. Know Turning Back is the first, and only, low-point of the album. It's mostly instrumental, and while it's fine, it could have been better with actual lyrics put to it. After the last track, I was hoping for something to make me focus a bit more on the album. Beautiful Freak does a pretty good job at doing just that. It starts out with some pretty melodic female vocals, and then goes to 2Mex with a talk-rap flow. I don't know how he does it, but it sounds awesome on this track. Now onto the longest track on the album, Shades of Orange. The first minute and a half of this track is all instrumental, but it's a solid effort at building up to 2Mex's lyrics. The only problem is the cool-down after his lyrics. There's about three minutes of instrumental left after 2Mex finishes rapping, and sounds like it's the end of the album. You're Not Talking To Me is a softer track, but finds a nice place for itself on the album. The album would not be complete without it. Now, for another favorite of mine. New Wave Spazout is definitely a more off-the-wall track, but the efforts of Ikey and 2Mex both come together to make a brilliant track. One of, if not THE, best tracks on the album. Falcon Gentle is a decent track, but feels a little dull, until about the middle. After "Shades of Orange" Final Toss feels like the second outro track. The only difference is that this one is at the end of the album. Final Toss definitely finishes the album off strongly, and makes you wish there was more to it.