Paul Thompson’s out for a run
The other Rory isn’t an industry plant. The Hellfyre alum, who knows more about Wisconsin geography than you do about your major, is fresh off of Plain Speaking, an LP dropped under his Scallops Hotel moniker. Where last year’s Milo debut a toothpaste suburb was dense and maximalist, Plain Speaking played out like a series of low-stakes, high-concept tours-de-force. (See: the song titles, which include “Gnosis, Black Nationalism, Rice” and “Roc Marciano Riff Suite 1.”) Now, the newly Milwaukee-based latte god is back with contributions to Botany’s Dimming Awe, the Light is Raw.
The first, “Au Revoir,” is a step in a surprisingly formalist direction. Milo has the unique ability to slink in and out of conventional flows and cadences, sometimes floating off entirely into spoken word. Here, his vocals are doubled, his patterns sharp. Then again, there are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern references and “At high noon, we gon’ find your blood type/ That’s how I’d talk if I was a Deadwood character.” When’s the last time you listened to RZA’s solo albums?
