Admiral Crumple

Toronto, ON indie rapper/producer Admiral Crumple describes his music as "dark, hardcore and clever," and his self-produced beats are definitely dark and his lyrics hardcore. But the clever part? The songs are actually a positive mix of subjects addressing issues of drugs, hard work, good living and love. Dark Sentences is his 13th album and he's come a long way during his decade-plus of doing this. The sound quality is on point, but his flow is still a little rough around the edges and won't be to everyone's taste. The best element is the production, which is a combo nation of simple, slamming drums, soaring strings and plenty of piano. Sure, he could use more variety in his drum patterns, but they work for him. And previous guest MCs Pumpkinhead, Cage and Kool Keith have sounded good on them, which leads me to wonder what a production compilation from Crumple might sound like. This time, his big name guest is Jus Allah (of Jedi Mind Tricks), on "City Life," and Crumple holds his own with the veteran hardcore rapper. Dark Sentences is a good album, Crumple's best to date, but to reach the next stage the self-sufficient rapper/producer/everything-elser needs to farm out some of his tasks to professionals. A random photo in a hallway holding a bottle of juice is a Facebook profile pic, not an album cover, and his few attempts at DJing would be tighter with an actual DJ. The evolution of Admiral Crumple continues.