''Hello Cruel World'' is the third studio album by

Sole and the Skyrider Band Sole and the Skyrider Band is an alternative hip hop quartet based in Denver, Colorado. The band consists of rapper Tim Holland a.k.a. Sole, producer Bud Berning a.k.a. Skyrider, multi-instrumentalist William Ryan Fritch, and drummer John Wa ...

. It was released on Fake Four Inc. on July 19, 2011. Music videos were created for "Napoleon", "D.I.Y.", "Hello Cruel World", "Bad Captain Swag", and "Immortality".

Critical reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Tom Briehan 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 ...

'' gave the album a 6.1 out of 10, stating that "Sole has largely curbed his frantic, out-of-control, sometimes-arrhythmic rap style, going for a measured and controlled thing instead." David Jeffries of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, writing, "the album's title references Sole's desire to bring the underground angst to the masses, injecting a little ugliness and art into your everyday programming." Thomas Quinlan of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' said, "While it's unlikely ''Hello Cruel World'' will reach far beyond Sole's current fan base, it should continue to impress those who are already fans, offering a slightly different perspective on the unorthodox MC." ''

Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue cir ...

'' included it on the "Denver's Best Music Releases of 2011" list.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

* Tim Holland – vocals, lyrics * Bud Berning – programming, production, arrangement *

William Ryan Fritch William Ryan Fritch (also known under the moniker Vieo Abiungo) is an American musician, composer, and producer, currently residing in Oakland, California. He is a member of Sole and the Skyrider Band and has released several albums under his own na ...

– instrumentation, vocals, arrangement * John Wagner – drum programming, production Additional musicians *

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...

– vocals (1), lyrics (1) *

Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), professionally known as Lil B and as his alter ego The BasedGod, is an American rapper. Lil B has recorded both solo and with Bay Area group The Pack. His solo work spans several genres, ...

– vocals (5), lyrics (5) *

Pictureplane Travis Egedy (born May 1, 1985), better known by his stage name Pictureplane, is an American electronic musician, visual artist and fashion designer based in Brooklyn, New York. He first appeared in the music scene of Denver, Colorado, making a ...

– vocals (5), lyrics (5) *

Ceschi Julio Francisco "Ceschi" Ramos (born July 24, 1981), better known as Ceschi Ramos, or simply as Ceschi (pronounced "chess-key"), is an American hip hop musician based in New Haven, Connecticut. He is a co-founder of Fake Four Inc. He won the Con ...

– vocals (6, 12), lyrics (6, 12) *

Noah23 Noah Raymond Brickley (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Noah23, is a Canadian-American hip hop artist from Guelph, Ontario. He is co-founder of the Plague Language collective and record label, and has been described as "one ...

– vocals (6), lyrics (6) *

Pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

– lyrics (8) *

Sage Francis Paul William "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976) is an American independent underground rapper from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records. Early life and education Francis was born in Miami, Florida ...

– vocals (11), lyrics (11) *

Isaiah Toothtaker Isaiah Toothtaker (born 1981) is an American rapper, designer, and tattoo artist. He is a co-founder of the indie hip hop collective Machina Muerte. Biography Toothtaker is of Mexican and Native American heritage, who grew up in Tucson, Ariz ...

– vocals (12), lyrics (12) *

Mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

– vocals (12), lyrics (12) Technical personnel * Jesse O'Brien – mixing * Tom Capek – mastering * Lando – cover art * Michael Crigler – art direction, design * The Raincoat Man – vinyl layout

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2011 albums Fake Four Inc. albums Sole and the Skyrider Band albums