4 out of 5

Label: Rhymesayers

Producer: Eyedea

Somewhere between the poetics of ‘First Born’ and the something-to-prove of E&A’s self-titled, Eyedea (under his ‘All of hear heart’ pseudonym) found time to put out a completely self-made solo disc (excepting the guest MC spots from Slug and Carnage) that’s probably what we were expecting after the Blaze battles.  The other E&A discs mentioned have, of course, their required boasting tracks, and ‘Faces’ certainly contains that via the ‘Coaches’ collabo track, as well as a couple further indulgences where Mr. Larsen gets to remind us that he’s young and doesn’t care about anything ’cause he’s a weirdo and loves to rhyme (‘Weird Side,’ ‘My Day at the Brain Factory’), but the disc is also stuffed with so many powerful ideas and a loose-limbed sense of sequencing that it’s a bright and shining reminder of the bummer that Eyedea isn’t around anymore.  The funky wackiness of the Hart persona might’ve been gone by the time ‘By the Throat’ was dropping, but who knows how many other personalities were in there, capable of turning out brittle truths like ‘How Much Do You Pay?’.  The beats and production are surprisingly rich; maybe lacking the scratching / mixing skills Abilities brings to the table, but Larsen undoubtedly had a grasp on how to make his words sound good.  This disc can get a little overlong and does sometimes overreach with its symbolism, but the breadth of styles breached during the runtime and Larsen’s willingness to be okay flipping between attempted silly and attempted smart are all parts of the charm, as well as what keeps it from being a singles disc.  Track bleed into the next, so you want to go through all the little linking moments to make it worth it, especially building to the strong concluding title track, which swirls any wandering attentions back to the fore with its gripping tone and make-it-seem-simple mixture of scratches, electro breakdowns, and linking moments that tipple into ambience…

This was a seemingly simpler time for Larsen, still riding high off of Blaze and more amazed at his thoughts than weighed down by them.  ‘Many Faces’ is an incredibly fun disc as a result, with select moments that highlight and bring to focus those wordy lyrical gems that separated Eyedea from his battle opponents.