Strong instrumentals and a talented array of guest artists
Open Mike Eagle, also known as Michael W. Eagle II, is an American hip-hop rapper and comedian. He released his first project in 2003 and has gone on to be a part of various groups such as Thirsty Fish and Project Blowed. He released his 8th solo studio album, Component System with the Auto Reverse on October 7th, 2022.
The album starts off with the track “The Song with the Secret Name.” This song is a great introduction to the album as it sets the mood quite well and is masterfully produced. Eagle’s vocals flow very smoothly over the instrumental and the instrumental itself is great. His lyrics are also well-written and thoughtful. It then transitions to the interlude “Tdk Scribbled Intro.”
“79th and Stony Island” is the next track. This track has a similar instrumental to the first track, however, it has a chorus which adds a lot of substance, especially considering it’s the longest one on the record with a runtime of just over 4 minutes. The album goes back to hard-hitting rap verses with the next track, “I’ll Fight You.” This track is one of the most popular on the album, which makes sense as the instrumental has a very catchy rhythm as well as great verses. It also has a hook which adds to its replayability quite a bit.
“Circuit City” features Video Dave and STILL RIFT who both have great verses on the track. All three of them fit the instrumental well and even though the track is 3 minutes long, all three of them manage to have long verses and don’t seem too short to add any value. The instrumentals also manages to switch up quickly enough to retain the listener’s attention and not seem too repetitive. “I Retired Then I Changed My Mind” features verses where Eagle showcases his storytelling ability with introspective lyrics that delve into his past and his regrets. The sample on the track also makes the instrumental a great one. This track is one of the best on the album.
“Burner Account” features Armand Hammer and, as always, he has a great verse on the song. The instrumental on this track is also one of the most diverse and interesting ones on the album. It switches around a lot but manages to stay together to make the song stay together and not seem like a bunch of loosely-connected snippets of different snippets. The back-and-forth verse between the two also was a great addition to the song. “For Doom” goes back to the more introspective lyrics of “I Retired Then I Changed My Mind.” These verses fit Eagle great because of his masterful ability to write them. He manages to make both of the songs different yet have the same theme in both of them. The instrumental is also great for it.
“Crenshaw and Homeland” is another great storytelling track that features Eagle describing how one’s surroundings can severely influence a person. It ends with him talking about perceptions of being from Chicago. “Multi-Game Arcade Cabinet” is a great track featuring RAP FERRERIA, Video Dave, and STILL RIFT. Once again, this track is only 3 minutes with 4 artists, however, it’s crafted such that it doesn’t seem overcrowded. All of them pull through with great verses and match the vibe of the beat and each other very well. After that, there’s another interlude to space out the album.
“Peak Lockdown Raps” has Eagle with a voice changer which surprisingly doesn’t make the track stand out too much and still sounds like it fits in the album. This track also shows-off Eagles’s great storytelling ability. The beat for this song is also great and switches up at intervals enough to not get too boring after a while. “Kites” once again features Video Dave and STILL RIFT. Even though this is the third time they’ve been featured on the record they still have great verses and make for a great listen. The song “CD Only Bonus Track” finishes the album on a great note.
Overall, this album was impressive and was a great addition to Open Mike Eagle’s discography. It mainly featured the same two artists, STILL RIFT and Video Dave, but both of them, and the other artists were great features and amazing additions to the record. Mike Eagle was also absolutely brilliant on this project as his lyrical ability and storytelling were amazing and his songs were masterfully written. The instrumentals were also a highlight of the project with each of them being very diverse and switching up enough for none of them to become boring and tedious. The album is an amazing project from Open Mike Eagle and deserves a lot more attention.
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