The good news about El’s discography is that mixtapes aside, there’s really not a dud to be found. Still, placing The Cold Vein this low might seem contentious to listeners who remember the context of the album’s release. Lauded on arrival, Cold Vein, alongside Aesop Rock’s Labor Days LP, gave Def Jux an identity and a reputation for artistic seriousness while the label was still young. In the overarching view of El-P albums, however, it seems distanced from the rest of his work. Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, the two emcees of Cannibal Ox, both spit frequently nostalgic and confessional verses (“You were a still born baby/ Mother didn’t want you but you were still born,” Aire raps on “Iron Galaxy”), whereas El’s other work is uninterested in confessing or repenting anything. Still, El takes ownership of the record, producing every track, and taking prominent spit-takes on two songs. He even begins “Ridiculoid” by saying “You know this was supposed to be my album, right?” The beats remain unmistakably his, with lo-fi drum samples snapping at high volume over whining synthesizer washes. The title fits the content, which always sounds just a little muffled, as if coated in a thin, brittle layer of snow. Later in his discography, El held back less, and burned brighter, with hotter beats.