Wisconsin based rapper Milo’s latest release takes rap in a unique direction. “So The Flies Don’t Come” is characterized by jazz influences and esoteric lyrics. Instead of standard hip-hop trappings, the raps on the album spring between topics of philosophy, race and even allusions to anime. Disillusionment stemming from Milo’s time in Los Angeles is another prevalent theme.

Milo, a self professed wordsmith, manages to prevent his subject matter from becoming too heavy handed. Lyrics across the album are enigmatic witticisms. An exception is the track “An Encyclopedia”, a poignant and blistering racial commentary. While more blunt than the average track on the album, the song still provides some of Milo’s signature head scratching lyrics.

Milo’s delivery across the album is largely laid back. He gracefully stumbles along the line between spoken word and rap flow. This is best exemplified on “Under the Echo Tree”, in which Milo’s rhymes are dripping with musings on philosopher Martin Heidegger. The vocals and instrumentals coalesce create a viscous sounding track.

Producer Kenny Segal’s beats are sublime. The sounds vary across the record, ranging from ethereal to danceable. The instrumentation is never too busy. It is stripped back enough to let Milo’s vocals cut through, while not sounding too skeletal. The song “Re: Animist” pulses with a foreboding synth backing. This gives the track a very distinct sound, although lyrically the track is not a highlight, it features more traditional lyrical stylings.

“Going No Place (Feat. Euclid)” unfortunately is one of the only songs on the record that goes nowhere. It’s not a total dud but Milo’s relative aggressiveness on the track is tonally awkward. This along with out of place sounding verse by Euclid make the song not fit within the flow found between the songs across the rest of the album.

The most uptempo track is “A Song About a Raygunn (An Ode to Driver)”, which really highlights Milo’s gifts as a rapper. Milo pours out his admiration for rapper Busdriver. The way Busdriver’s rapping is considered is atypical, his humility and modesty are what Milo chooses to glorify.
Milo says,“He raps with the grace of an old man shining his grandson’s shoes.”

“@yomilo” is unique concept piece. Named after his Twitter handle, Milo uses the track as a platform to call out his fans and address questions asked of him on Twitter. The tone edges on pretentiousness, Milo says that his listeners don’t deserve the whole meaning of his lyrics, rather they need to work for it. Milo does hit on a major point, he admits that the abstract nature of his work is his biggest draw.

Milo’s wordplay is some of the smartest in the game, and his work is diverse and emotive. However the record could use a little more meat, there are 10 tracks, some with oddly truncated endings. With a playtime just over 30 minutes, Milo’s sophomore release is begging for a follow-up. In the end, Milo’s second full length release delivers and more can’t come soon enough.