Vast Aire

After a flurry of opportunity snatching collaborations and mix-tape releases in recent years, Cannibal Ox torchbearer Vast Aire returns to self with his official sophomore release, Dueces Wild. Aire’s off the cuff, left-field wordplay gets a musical boost from the record’s overall ominous tone, as with the pumped up beat and suspense flick piano and keys of "Graveyard Shift,” the eerie, muted synths of Oh No’s "Lunchroom Rap” and the blippy outer space effects of Pete Rock’s "Mecca and the Ox.” Employing Vast Aire’s genre defining lyrical flow is often a tricky balancing act between crafting clever word twists and sloughing off little more than a lethargic, over-hyped freestyle. While the Brooklyn MC generally musters a strong effort, like in the idiot box-dissecting "T.V. Land,” there are a few noticeable examples of pretty lazy lyricism (check "Take Two”) that detract slightly from what is an otherwise strong outing from their innovative wordsmith.