Vancouver emcee Moka Only is one of the most prolific artists of his generation (he’s released four this year alone). You’d think putting out that much music would mean we were getting stale or mediocre material. However, listening to his collaboration with Swiss producer Chief, everything sounds as crisp and energetic as ever. I don’t know how he keeps it up, but Crickets is the latest in a long line or quality Moka Only projects.

The two first worked together on a few songs back in 2008, and realized that they had a good chemistry. They decided that they should do a full length album together, and in 2010 they finally found the time to start working on it. Chief obviously is a student of early ‘90s New York hip hop, bringing in plenty of jazz piano and trumpet samples and crisp snare hits. He also manages to bring in some more modern European synthesizer sounds, but those are used more subtly, and generally don’t drive the songs. It does help modernize the sound, though. Crickets is an album built on laid back grooves that serve as templates for Moka Only to display his abilities as an emcee. If I was going to pick a comparison point, I’d say it most reminds me most of Mos Def’s first solo album, Black on Both Sides. It walks the line between pop friendly and being just weird enough that it demands a bit more than a cursory listen. Only has a flow that is dense in it’s wordplay, and he switches up his delivery often, sometimes singing phrases for emphasis. It’s not a hook heavy album, but that’s not to say there aren’t a few choruses that help the album stay with you, especially the sweet melancholy of “It’s all us.” What makes this album work more than anything, though, is just how well Chief and Moka Only compliment each other. Crickets is one of the most effortless albums I’ve come across this year. Everything about the album just feels like it’s happening just the way it’s supposed to. It’s a difficult thing to describe, but certain albums feel like old friends the first time you listen to them. Crickets is such an album.

It’s hard to believe that Moka Only and Chief haven’t been working together for years, seeing how easily Crickets comes together. It’s not the weirdest or hardest hitting album of the year, but the complex lyrical work of Moka Only and the crisp and beautiful production of Chief shouldn’t be overlooked. Crickets is some great hip hop.