Epiphanies
& Punchlines
By
Ill Sykes and
SheikhyGround
Epiphanies and Punchlines is the latest offering from the
duo of Ill Sykes and SheikhyGround. Released back in July, it continues on from
their 2022 The Road Less Travelled EP.
Now, I don’t want to say too much myself before I get into
the album So, I’m going to let Ill Sykes give you a little insight into the
theme of the album; “This album acts as a conduit for emotions and
experiences relating to the struggles that come with being human. As a double
edged sword, the album also chronicles the trials of the archetypal suffering
artist trying to find his way in a world that they feel wasn’t built for them,
compelled to express yet burdened by the sensitivity that fuels their art”.
With those thoughts in your head, join me as I take you on a
walk through of Epiphanies & Punchlines…
It all begins with the title track of the album Epiphanies
& Punchlines which serves as the into for the album too. Here the beat
is chill and softened into the background as the mix of soft strings and guitar
takes the fore front giving this one a very relaxed feel. As you listen, you
get the feeling this is setting the scene for what’s to come with a narrative
that is poised in the middle of something. Beginning with this spoken word
element that has a reflective edge to it, then comes this sung chorus part
reaches the present moment before a sharper edge appears to look towards the
future and first tentative steps on a path that has finally been found. The
sounds of rain, piano notes and cuts
from DJ JtL, bring us into It Never Rains (It Only Pours), backed by
more head nod beat and emotive strings. Everyone’s journeys are beset with ups
and downs along the way and here we take a look into those times where things
get too much for us, and those moments of depression threaten to drag us into a
place where we struggle to even see the brighter days. There are any number od
reasons why we might find ourselves in this place, Beit the struggles of
everyday life and losing those we love, or weight felt by an upcoming artist
finding their way, to have that authentic edge that will carry them forward.
Synth vibes and a melodic beat seems to take you back to the Synthpop of the
80’s on Running Away. There is no escaping the fact that facing life of
the spotlights of the stage brings it own hurdles, and as we push ourselves in
any one moment it can test our resolve and mental health, and this track has
that feel that sometimes things can get on top of us and push us to the point
of turning away from what is in front of us. We get caught up in the four walls
of our mind, a place where everything is too much and we just get by but, it is
a thin line between staying and leaving…
Metropolis Armada has more LoFi feel with a chilled
beat and multi-layered sound with guitar and synth elements alongside soft
etheric vocal samples; all coming together to create a dream like sound scape. Here
there seems to be a natural progression from the struggles that have been to an
internal, almost spiritual, voice that directs you not to give up but, to
understand that the stars are only a dream away. Those stars are the light in
the night, a glimpse that there is a brighter place and the more you dream of
them, the more you bring that light toward you. Piano and guitars merge with a
laid-back beat and a splash of cuts (once again from DJ JtL), bringing a
reflective edge on The Observer. Here we find the narrative shifting to
one of the observer, watching the life of others as they pass him by. Finding
out that fact that society is a diverse place where HI’s and Low’s exist at a
dizzying pace and sometimes you have to just take your time and look at things
differently, focus on individual things rather than trying to examine the
entire scene that plays out before you. Looking at things individually allows
you to see the entire spectrum rather than the blurred vision that you usually
see. Guitar notes take the centre stage on Games With No Names, keeping
the reflective edge to the sound. Things from our past do shape who we are and,
at times, how we approach and deal with what is in front of us in the present.
The challenges we faced as children may have seen us disappearing into our own
worlds as a place to escape how we were treated by others; that does not mean
that we will not do similar things as adults. But, as adults our escapes could
be music, a place where we can create what we want or where we can find a place
where we know we are not alone and others have experienced the same, giving us
and escape and hope…
Shapeshifters hits with a sound that has a
soundtrack, orchestral vibe to it. This one deals with the struggles of mental
health. Here there is that struggle between yourself, those inner voices that
are constantly at odds to each other, making you doubt yourself when you were
on the verge of something positive. This is one of those emotive and very
personal tracks that really hits hard, especially for those who have their own
internal struggle, constantly second guessing all you do and how others might
view you and the things you do. This is a struggle so many of us know only too
well and makes this such a hard hitting sound. Gatekeeping Infinity, is
an intense spoken word track that openly examines addiction , reflection and a
desire to move forward into a more positive future. There is a depth to this,
that continues on from the previous track, hitting you with an even more
personal and matter-of-fact expression. The intensity of the words evokes a
pure emotional response that you won’t deny but allow to touch you and bring
forth what it will. The emotive words are backed by an equally deep sound that
I can only describe as sounding like how your deepest thoughts may sound as you
sit with them, thinking over all that has been and might be; a masterful piece
of production work for sure that reflects that it is only you between here and
infinity. Strings take the forefront over a solid head nod beat on Live
Forever, evoking more emotive feelings within. This is one of those tracks
where all the cards are laid on the table and gives you an open-hearted look at
the desire that lays within, a desire to be the best you can be, striving to
push yourself on your life’s path in a way that will see you, your work, and
your memory live on. So many of us take it that what we do will one day be lost
to the sands of time and never really think anymore about it but, what if you
did? What if you were able to create something, anything, that would give you
that chance, would you not put your all into it, a passion for all that you do,
something that would shine through in everything that do. Would you describe
that passion and that desire the same way…
It has been an emotive trip thus far and as we come to the
penultimate track of the album, Deliverance, a multi-layered LoFi sound
carries us along, switching things about, giving more focus to the vocals.
There are times where we all cast our eyes to the skies, speaking to whatever
our idea of a god is, opening our hearts on where we are and what can we do to
go on! This is exactly that, something feels like opening up, from the pit of
despair, and delivering heart-felt words that say, this is who I am, I am now
in this place where I have been through so much but, now I know who I truly am
and now that I have found me, this is who I am going to be from now on, I
accept all that makes me this person, and now it is time to walk forward with
strength and love in my heart. The album ends with The Mountain, where
the sound switches once more to one that has a more prog rock edge to the
sound, putting you in mind of the likes of Floyd and others being mixed in.
This one is also the longest track of the album featuring additional vocals
from Dannielle Moles, Imogen Taper and Robin Taper. There is nothing better
than ending something on a positive note, and here we are given the spectacle
of what it is to overcome the biggest obstacles on our paths. There is the
sense that what we have here is an overview of the entire journey, the mountain
is that final hurdle to overcome but, it can also be representative of where we
have been as well as where we are going, showing all the struggles we have
faced, the times we have faltered, and the times we thought we would never make
it. But now we have those special voices around us that speak to us, encourage
us, giving us renewed hope and the strength to carry on, and so we climb higher
knowing that the summit not that far away…
Sometimes it is so hard to sum up an album when it has given
you so much to talk about as you have listened. However, I have recently been
graced with reviewing music that has a very deep and personal edge to it, and
Epiphanies and Punchlines is one of those too. The deeply personal and emotive
nature of the album is the kind of sound that we all so greatly need to hear
right now. This I sone of those albums that makes you think deeply of your own
struggles and where you are, right now in this moment. It also gives you hope
for a far brighter future if you open up and accept who you truly are. Do that
and there is nothing to hold you back. Once you are at peace with your shadow
self you can accept your true self, and this was the overwhelming aspect of this
album that spoke to me and will hopefully speak to you as well.
Ill Sykes and SheikhyGround have crafted a true masterpiece
where the emotive nature of the lyrics is matched by the production one hundred
percent. Ill Sykes shows an evolving side to his vocal delivery using spoken
word, rap, and sung lyrics to broaden his range and deliver everything this
album sets out to do. He still has that intricate wordplay but, here he shows
that mixing up his flows and styles has taken a huge step forward.
SheikhyGround uses every ounce of his production skills to draw on a range of
musical styles to craft a sound that perfectly reflects the emotive nature of
every one of the words being spoken and what they are saying.
This album explores themes that do not fail to touch you
deeply. There is suffering and grief but also talk of the resilient nature of
the human spirit as well as the strength to aspire to be all you can be and
more. These are themes that each one of us can associate with, allowing us to
draw on our own experiences, and in doing so we realise that we also have the
capabilities to have the same aspirations and resolve to be all we can be.
For me, what this album does so well is to take Hip Hop to
another level, one where you can draw on more emotive sounds to take the idea
of conscious story telling and mix it with deeply personal lived experiences,
and in doing so allow the listener to look within themselves at the same time
as taking on-board the journey of another.
If you have not heard this one yet, then I whole-heartedly
invite you to do so and see where it takes you.
Remember to support independent music. This release is available to stream and buy physical copies too. There is nothing like Holding a copy in your hand...
My humble thanks to Ill Sykes for giving me the chance to
bring this one too you.
I’ll see you next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Check out Ill Sykes LinkTree for all the links to stream or get physical copies:
Check out SheikhyGround LinkTree for all his links:
https://linktr.ee/sheikhyground
VIDEOS
Running Away
