First off Spank Rock, has nailed the second best album title of the year. It’s sweary, bleeds punk attitude and nails a point - rather than the usual focus-grouped opaquely resonant crap bands come up with (best album title of 2011, by the way: Mogwai’s Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will – brilliant!).
Secondly Baltimore MC Naem Juwan once again lives up to the hype, not easy to do when Tweet-trending futuroid numpties have been frothing over him non-stop for the five years since his debut album made them cream their jeans. Spank Rock brought a broken computer to the hip hop party in 2006 and pressed the button marked gnarly. The rowdy, abrasive music he created with producer XXXChange provided a blueprint which, drastically watered down and neutered, has bled into the rap-pop mainstream. With his second album he doesn’t break the mould like he did then, but with electro-rave DJ-producer Boys Noize at the controls, his new music bursts satisfyingly with fruity ideas and momentum.
"They hate us 'cos they ain't us and they aint' us 'cos they ain't shit," he sneers on "Turn It Off" over a Jason Nevins-esque throb before breaking into a lush tuneful falsetto chorus. And everything here has that same pop suss. "Turn that weak shit off," he demands at one point and, for once, it's a threat backed by musical example. He hauls in alt-electro-pop songster Santigold in to create the contagious tough funk of "Car Song" and, on "Baby", even cheekily tries to be Prince but, if we're trying to pick favourites, the Warp Records-ish bleep-fest of "DTF DADT" is a good bet. The best of Everything Is Boring sounds like Human Resource's "Dominator" having a ruck with a very wealthy grime producer, funk factor firmly intact. As UK grime MCs start to lose their way in a mire of Euro-pop, this American sets an admirable example. What a wonderfully danceable racket.
Watch the video for "DTF DADT"
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