''Ritualize'' is a collaborative studio album by

Lushlife Raj Haldar (born August 1, 1981), better known by his stage name Lushlife, is an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the co-author of '' P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever''. He is one half ...

and CSLSX. It was released on

Western Vinyl Western Vinyl is an independent record label founded in 1998 and based in Austin, Texas. The imprint was formed by Brian Sampson and Ryan Murphy originally to release their lo-fi indie rock projects as Win Foster and Havergal. Artists *Abram Sh ...

on February 19, 2016.

Production

Philadelphia rapper and record producer

contacted local record production trio CSLSX to see if they wanted to perform live with him. The trio did not do any live shows at that time, but instead sent demos to him. After that, Lushlife and CSLSX started making the album. The album featured guest appearances from

I Break Horses I Break Horses are a Swedish indie rock band made up of Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck. The band took its name from a song of the same name by Bill Callahan. History I Break Horses' debut studio album '' Hearts'' was released on 22 August 2011 ...

Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi music, lo-fi aesthetic and home ...

Deniro Farrar Qushawan Farrar (born June 18, 1987), better known by his stage name Deniro Farrar, is an American rapper from Charlotte, North Carolina. He has collaborated with other artists such as Ryan Hemsworth, Shady Blaze, and Flosstradamus. His voice was ...

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as Soul Position, MHz Lega ...

, Nightlands, Yikes the Zero,

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. Mike made his debut on Outkast's 2000 LP ''Stankonia'', and later appeared on their Grammy-winning single " ...

, and

Marissa Nadler Marissa Nadler (born April 5, 1981) is an American musician and fine artist. Active since 2000, she is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, ''The Path of the Clouds'', in Oc ...

. It took three years to finish the album. The album's cover art was drawn by Eric Petersen.

Critical reception

Mehan Jayasuriya of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' stated that "While there is no shortage of interesting ideas or capable musicians on ''Ritualize'', in the absence of a compelling vision, it doesn't add up to much." Meanwhile, Ken Capobianco of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' commented that "The cerebral MC collaborates with production team CSLSX to take his indie aesthetic to another level, exploring pulsing ambient textures, psychedelic rock, and orchestral music, while never losing sight of classic head-bobbing beats." Tom Breihan of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' wrote, "It's a blurry, shoegaze-addled take on neck-snap East Coast rap, and I've never heard anything quite like it." ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' chose "Body Double" as the "Song of the Day" on October 5, 2015. ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' placed "Hong Kong (Lady of Love)" at number 9 on the "Top 10 Songs of the Week" list on February 5, 2016. Derek Staples described it as "a stroll through the questionably calm interiors of a dystopian metropolis." He added, "Here, Lushlife represents a powerful presence cast against an otherwise desolate environment, but one where surprises lurk within the prevailing darkness." Dan DeLuca of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' included the album on the "Best Music of 2016" list. Maria Sherman of ''

Thrillist Thrillist is an online media website covering food, drink, travel and entertainment. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in New York City, United States. In October 2016, Thrillist merged with internet brands '' The Dodo'', NowThis News ...

'' placed the album at number 13 on the "20 Best Albums of 2016 That Came Out of Philly" list. She called it "a genre-bending and melding collection of eclectic sonic landscapes."

Track listing

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2016 albums Collaborative albums Western Vinyl albums Hip hop albums by American artists