And without the collective spirit of Bone Thugs infusing it via Pretty Flacko, 'Wassup' doesn ' t fall apart-if anything, it becomes easier to admire all of the track's moving parts and the subtle touches that make it such a memorable beat. 'Illest Alive' suffers not one iota if you remove Main Attrakionz from its blender-job of a Bjork classic.

Sans A$AP Rocky, 'Palace' still absolutely works.

It almost reaches the five-minute mark but feels like it could stretch out for hours.Ī defining trait of Clams ' production has always been its ability to stand on its own when the rappers were removed from the equation. Kelela's dry ice vocals are allowed to seep into the cracks of the track, which is given the room to luxuriate in sparse but warm surroundings. 'A Breath Away', the album's crowning achievement, is lone flower blooming in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. He also has a snack for structure that maximizes impact. Clams understands when to pull back and give his collaborator space and when to lean in and add a splash of color. Herring ('Ghost in a Kiss') feel natural, even if there's only so far a producer can take Mikky Ekko.

It's here where bizarre-on-paper collaborators like Mikky Ekko ('Into the Fire') and Future Islands frontman Samuel T. A bait-and-switch the album is not: its second half, although more uneven than its first, is the more interesting of the two. To Clams' credit, the shift isn't as abrupt as it sounds. Structured as two halves-split right down the middle are distinct rap and pop/R&B sections- 32 Levels eases listeners in with the familiar before moving into less charted territory. It's this in-service-of-the-song approach that has made Clams a winning collaborator.

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