Component System with the Auto Reverse
| Component System with the Auto Reverse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 7, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 38:07 | |||
| Label | Auto Reverse Records | |||
| Open Mike Eagle chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Component System with the Auto Reverse | ||||
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Component System with the Auto Reverse (sometimes listed under the title A Tape Called Component System with the Auto Reverse) is the eighth studio album by rapper Open Mike Eagle. It was preceded by four singles: "Burner Account", "Multi-Game Arcade Cabinet", "I'll Fight You" and "Circuit City".[1] The album has been regarded as "easily one of Open Mike Eagle's most enjoyable efforts" and as "feel[ing] like the culmination" to his discography.[2][3]
Background[edit]
Component System with the Auto Reverse was named in reference to the shelf stereo system, a machine that was popular in the late twentieth century for allowing radio listeners to compile and record mixtapes.[4] During his adolescence in the 1990s, Eagle made many such mixtapes out of music he heard on college radio stations in his native Chicago.[2][5] He consequently chose the name and aesthetic of this album as a reference to one such mixtape.[1] The 1990s also inspired the visual direction of the album, which made reference to touchstones of the era such as VHS tapes and the retailer Circuit City.[6]
Eagle has stated that his writing process on Component System with the Auto Reverse was "more about technique" than it had been on previous albums,[7] and that he was deliberately seeking to "break creative thresholds" in a way he had not previously attempted.[6] He describes the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 as having been psychologically challenging, and has stated that "exploring [his] craft" collaboratively with other rappers shaped his approach to he album.[7]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Beats Per Minute | 82/100[9] |
| HipHopDX | 4/5[10] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[4] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Component System with the Auto Reverse received an average score of 83 based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]
Component System was widely described by critics as featuring a looser structure and a more whimsical mood than Eagle's previous albums. Paul Simpson of Allmusic describes Eagle's lyrics as "raw, off the cuff, and unfiltered", while Tim Sentz of Beats Per Minute describes the album as "tender, chaotic, and messy".[2][9] Matthew Ismael Ruiz of Pitchfork noted that the album's aesthetic was "raw but carefully considered".[4] Eagle received particular praise for his ability to pivot between humorous and introspective content on the album. Pitchfork describes Eagle as using "a bittersweet sense of humor to soothe his painful awareness of the world's absurdity", Ryan Dillon of Glide commends Eagle's "switching between cartoonish raps and unshakable directness", and Noah Berlatsky of the Chicago Reader highlights Eagle's "loopy gags that float and bob and tie themselves together into surprisingly thoughtful reveries on aging, mental illness, disappointment, and hope".[4][3][11] Eagle's technical skill on the album was also noted positively: critics described him as writing "tightly packed nerd raps" that were "filled with casually brilliant moments".[4][2] The Glide review remarked that Eagle seemed to be more confident in his rapping skill than on previous releases.[3] In a more mixed review, Ben Brutocao of HipHopDX stated that—although the first half of the album sported "some of the most sure-footed rapping" in Eagle's discography–the project's second half failed to reach the same level.[10]
Sonically, the album was described as featuring "sample-rich production with... nostalgic low-end",[6] as well as "smudgy, lo-fi beats" and "cranky boom-bap".[2][12]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Song With the Secret Name" | Michael W. Eagle II | Child Actor | 2:15 |
| 2. | "TDK Scribbled Intro" | Eagle | Kuest1 | 0:45 |
| 3. | "79th and Stony Island" | Eagle | Quelle Chris | 4:04 |
| 4. | "I'll Fight You" |
| Diamond D | 2:45 |
| 5. | "Circuit City" (with Video Dave and Still Rift) |
| Madlib | 3:06 |
| 6. | "I Retired Then I Changed My Mind" | Eagle | Child Actor | 2:35 |
| 7. | "Burner Account" (with Armand Hammer) | Quelle Chris | 3:25 | |
| 8. | "For DOOM" | Eagle | Illingsworth | 2:04 |
| 9. | "Crenshaw and Homeland" | Eagle | Diamond D | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Multi-Game Arcade Cabinet" (with Video Dave, Still Rift, and R.A.P. Ferreira) |
| Illingsworth | 3:07 |
| 11. | "Credits Interlude" (with Serengeti) |
| Illingsworth | 0:43 |
| 12. | "Peak Lockdown Raps" | Eagle | Child Actor | 3:32 |
| 13. | "Kites" (with Video Dave and Still Rift) |
| Kuest1 | 2:32 |
| 14. | "CD Only Bonus Track" (with Aesop Rock and Diamond D) |
| Diamond D | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 38:07 | |||
References[edit]
- ^ a b Corcoran, Nina (2022-08-09). "Open Mike Eagle Announces Component System With the Auto Reverse, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ a b c d e f Simpson, Paul. "Component System with the Auto Reverse by Open Mike Eagle | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ a b c Dillon, Ryan (2022-10-06). "Open Mike Eagle Pays Homage To Old School Hip Hop Radio On Infectious 'Component System With The Auto Reverse' (ALBUM REVIEW)". Glide. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
- ^ a b c d e Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (2022-10-17). "Open Mike Eagle: Component System with the Auto Reverse". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ Terich, Jeff (2022-10-18). "Open Mike Eagle: A Tape Called Component System with the Auto Reverse". Treble. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
- ^ a b c Garrett, Ural (2022-11-02). "Interview: Open Mike Eagle Discusses Working With Diamond D On New Album and Remembers MF Doom". BET. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ^ a b Ritchie, Matthew (2022-10-26). ""I Think I Need Armor for Dealing With the World": An Interview With Open Mike Eagle". Passion of the Weiss. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ^ a b "Component System with the Auto Reverse by Open Mike Eagle". Metacritic. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ a b Sentz, Tim (2022-10-13). "Album Review: Open Mike Eagle – Component System with the Auto Reverse". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ a b Brutocao, Ben (2022-12-03). "Open Mike Eagle 'Component System with the Auto Reverse' Continues His Streak of Humorous Introspection". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ Berlatsky, Noah (2022-10-05). "Comic art rapper Open Mike Eagle keeps on fighting". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
- ^ Pearce, Sheldon (2022-12-09). "Sheldon Pearce's Top 20 Albums of 2022". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 2023-01-05.