5.8/10
Favorite Track: "Guilty Conscience" Least Favorite Track: "Come Around"
In addition to serving as the title for 070 Shake’s debut studio album, the phrase Modus vivendi is a Latin narration that means "mode of living" or “way of life”. The project feels like nothing short of the GOOD music signee’s expression of such a statement. From cover to cover, touches like the inclusion of no features make this album feel superbly focused on Shake and only Shake, a lost art that I believe should be revitalized in the case of debut albums. The sounds that Shake, legendary producer Mike Dean, and the Stills front man, Dave Hemmelin, choose to use to describe her on this album are atmospheric, spacey, and usually quite beautiful. However, that ethereal vibe doesn’t always hit a homerun. Modus Vivendi often finds itself in a space too atmospheric for its own good. Furthermore, it begins to feel like just that, nothing more than an atmosphere and lacking anything forthright or direct enough to feel like a compelling piece of music. Sonically, the project often leaves a lot to be desired. Nothing is ever really pushed far enough to craft Shake a niche, or spot in the saturated field of what she is attempting to do. Calling Shake a rapper on this project would be pretty lazy. Modus Vivendi more likely lands somewhere between synth-pop, soul, and R&B. Tracks like “Guilty Conscience”, are the best examples of the synth-pop angle. The track is also a huge highlight for me and provides the album with some much needed pop appeal. The soul influence becomes quite obvious on the interlude by The Ebonys; “It’s Forever”, and the most R&B esc cuts are usually the most boring, for instance; the filler esc “Come Around”. Upon first listen the elegance and beauty of the soundscapes cooked up on Modus Vivendi by Mike Dean and Dave Hemmelin might provide a trance strong enough to resemble appeal, but upon further examination you might find that overall the final product leaves a bit more to be desired. 070 Shake is admirably inspired, and certainly has barrels of potential that I hope to one day see filled up. Modus Vivendi is a valiant effort but mostly likely isn't going to be the project to accomplish that.