by Dan O

I consider this album a great book of poetry. Reading a great book of poetry is hell of a thing. Like some sort of gadgeteer the poet takes images long dismissed or words we are used to seeing used in a certain way and rebuilds stanzas from the raw parts. A new world is shaped in unique word usage, thoughtful references and surprises, so many surprises. So take all that and then add one key element. All the really transformative poetry books have stakes at play. The artistic tools of the creator are leveraged, grounded by an intense personal force that grounds the journey. As a reader, you know this is not just a fireworks display, we have to go somewhere together.

As haunting and gorgeous as Hand Painted Model Trains is, as well done as the hooks are, as creative as the imagery gets… this is an album that never lets you lose sight of the stakes at hand. That might seem easy but it is quite the opposite. As a creator, the stakes you create squat on your back. Not only do you have to relive your pain while doing the work, you need to carry that pain through an arc. I’ve delivered pieces, felt my tears coming and thought “Great! I’m still connected.” I need to be able to invest what I’m feeling in the crowd. Unsung The Rappers performance as an MC and writer on this (we will talk about his production) is one of the most connected and impressive of 2023.

11 songs, none under two minutes. At thirty-five minutes it feels just right. As curator, Unsung makes great practical use of all the tools at his disposal. Listen to the beginning of Crawl Space where the moans feed into a beat made of more moans that creates a choppy flow Unsung sews together his world a few words at a time. By 2:13 we are on the third iteration of the beat as it crashes into our ears and Unsung spits connected phrases with ferocity. The Box in a Valise starts with a reverberating buzz followed by sleigh bells and drums. As a producer, Unsung does a fantastic job creating these songs to be sonically unique from one another while ensuring they are unified in the funerial synth that defines the album.

The stakes here are death by the way. The Box in a Valise tells you “Smoke in the air like my Daddy’s soul.” This is an album wrapping itself around his absence. On Odysseus Recovers his House the poetry is breathtaking “Death dressed in moonbeams mistakes me for a part of this.” The practical reality is the stakes. Returning clothes to Goodwill, ignoring well wishes because he doesn’t know how to handle them. I won’t quote too many lyrics because that would take something away from your journey. If you haven’t digested this album yet you should go on the journey of getting hit by Unsung being self-critical right after his most evocative thought. The more you listen the more you start tying together these lines into a unified picture. If you’re a lyrics first hip hop listener I promise you’ll know this album like a relative by the end of Divisions of Time.

I’m overwhelmed by how much of himself Unsung dumped into Hand Painted Model Trains. Allegheny Wake is a song with an albums worth of personal exploration. The shortest song is my favorite. Sunset as Wallpaper sticks out for me and always has. As a creator I’m so impressed by Unsung because he takes chances all throughout. Using his own voice for the tenderly sung chorus that opens Sunset as Wallpaper it’s a moment where he proves he’ll do whatever he needs to properly communicate the album. None of these beats are overly complicated but they are full of shifting choices, everything moves towards what is at stake, even when trying to run away. That’s how it really is in mourning. When reading a mournful book of poetry or listening to Hand Painted Model Trains you enter a dark ornate world of fascination and get trapped there. By the time you are allowed to leave part of you can’t wait to get away, get some air. The other part of you can’t ever leave, you are connected to it now.

Stream then purchase Hand Painted Model Trains below:

https://unsungraps.bandcamp.com/album/hand-painted-model-trains