I imagine myself listening to Rory Ferreira’s latest Scallops Hotel project on the underground portions of Chicago’s red line L train. It feels urgent that I hear it correctly. The temperature should be just right, fluorescent bulbs should flicker – but just slightly, the train car should be empty save for a small group of high schoolers laughing in the background and a woman in faded New Balance sneakers on her return commute sitting adjacent to me.

I know this seems particular but this is art, and I’d like to be intentional in the way I consume it. The album, “over the carnage rose a voice prophetic,” was released on Bandcamp around 8 p.m. June 26. It seems to be a nod to the Walt Whitman poem about the Civil War, not surprising considering Ferreira’s proclivity toward metaphysics philosophy and 19th century polymaths.

Similar to his previous work, “over the carnage rose a voice prophetic” is searching for a way to understand what it means to be human. The verbose lyrical style is political and shrewd, but there’s something that makes it feel soft. Maybe it’s the jazz. It gives off that spacey warmth like a hand-stitched quilt on an October Sunday.

It should be clear by now that Ferreira values collaboration. Formerly a member of the California rap collective Hellfyre Club, currently member/founder of the Ruby Yacht “tape label and maker’s guild,” he’s been everywhere, man. He carries that collaborative spirit into this new album, featuring Safari Al, Antipop Consortium and DOOM, to name a few.

The album runs less than 30 minutes, (maybe it’s not an album at all, I can never really tell) so it’s easy to keep hitting replay until all the tracks bleed together. There’s a little bit of Jazz, a little bit of poetry, and little bit of nuance on every track.

Ferreira is just a dude who loves his family, his fellow artists, poetry, philosophy, almond milk and hip hop. I think it’s that simplicity that makes his work so poignant. He’s figuring it out and we’re just lucky that we can listen to him do it.

“Over the Carnage Rose Prophetic a Voice”

Walt Whitman

OVER the carnage rose prophetic a voice,
Be not dishearten’d—Affection shall solve the problems
of Freedom yet;
Those who love each other shall become invincible—
they shall yet make Columbia victorious.

Sons of the Mother of All! you shall yet be victo-
rious!
You shall yet laugh to scorn the attacks of all the re-
mainder of the earth.

No danger shall balk Columbia’s lovers;
If need be, a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves
for one.

One from Massachusetts shall be a Missourian’s com-
rade;
From Maine and from hot Carolina, and another an Ore-
gonese, shall be friends triune,
More precious to each other than all the riches of the
earth.

To Michigan, Florida perfumes shall tenderly come;
Not the perfumes of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted
beyond death.

It shall be customary in the houses and streets to see
manly affection;
The most dauntless and rude shall touch face to face
lightly;
The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers,
The continuance of Equality shall be comrades.

These shall tie you and band you stronger than hoops
of iron;
I, extatic, O partners! O lands! with the love of lovers
tie you.

Were you looking to be held together by the lawyers?
Or by an agreement on a paper? or by arms?
—Nay—nor the world, nor any living thing, will so
cohere.

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