There and Back Again

While we're not exactly having sleepovers and braiding each other's hair—Though god knows I keep suggesting it!—Adam WarRock and I talk fairly regularly. Our communiqués generally concern what he's writing and how an individual recording (or broader project) is coming together. Or, y'know, clothes. But the primary topic of discussion often turns to where Adam is and where he's going.

And I mean that literally.

Eugene Ahn is, like Ricky Nelson before him, a travelin' man. Like Lisa Stansfield he has been around the world. (Though I reckon the very important distinction is that finding his baby was not the primary motivation.)

Adam WarRock has spent nearly two years on the road touring, recording, writing, creating, growing. But now he's back home in Memphis, and in true WarRock fashion he has turned that homecoming itself into a creative endeavor!

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Alright, Euge, let's go back in time a few of months. We're standing in the parking lot of the Milestone, and you're telling me about a new project you're working on.

Ahhh, the Milestone. I can smell the bathrooms now. That was the NOFRIENDS tour, right?

Exactly. And you were telling me how this new project is your Mid-South EP. It's your tribute to Memphis, not to mention your exploration of the artist it's helped shape. Hip-hop is very geographic. Always has been, and it only got more so during your formative years of the 1990s. Why wait so long to rep your city?

Mostly, because I wasn't THERE. I grew up in Memphis, and moved back around early 2010 and then proceeded to tour fairly consistently for the next two years. I was just never home. My friends basically stopped knowing when I'd be home and when I'd be gone, so I'd just show up at the bar on Friday and it would be a surprise. I was pretty burnt out after a tour I did in May, and I ended up taking three-plus months off, just hanging out around the city, seeing friends, drinking, having fun. I got a chance to really fall back in love with the city, and know how much of its character became a part of the man I grew up to be. I started working on an EP after August or so, and it was pretty obvious I wanted to show this city some love.

City Beautiful was produced by Rob Viktum, and he brought a lot of bright, beautiful funk and soul to the beats. How did you two hook up?

He's friends with some of The Variants web series guys, and ended up DJing a live art event that I performed at. He kept spinning all this amazing old school and early 90s hip hop, all this indie stuff, and other than the live artists I was the only other music person there. I basically stood next to him and asked him to play random hip hop songs, and he obliged. He's had a pretty rich history with some of the bigger indie houses in the 2000s, but had been done with producing beats for a while. I basically egged him on to make me some beats, and he eventually obliged. The rest is history.

"THX" is your kick-off, and it makes for a really strong start. You name check everyone from Zulu Nation and the Cold Crush Brothers to MC Frontalot, and it almost sounds… cathartic in a way. Are you at peace with your position in contemporary hip-hop? Are you happy being a guy that sort of drifts between indie and nerdcore?

I don't know if it's cathartic, I think I tend to write chronologically when I talk about hip hop. So it just made sense to start the first song off this very "HIP HOP" album with a line about Bambaata, Cold Crush, and all those guys from pre-90's. Talk about Big Daddy Kane getting his slang and hooks stolen. And then kinda compare to how small and insular scenes nowadays have the same problems, though now it's not the Black Spades and Juice Crew, it's Internet message boards and social media and dumb things like that.

The Frontalot line was definitely an intentional shout-out to the fact that everyone seems to think I DON'T want to be nerdcore, or nerdy. I don't know why that is, and I have a healthy amount of respect for people who want to intentionally make nerdcore. I honestly just make music about whatever, without thinking about it. And if it's nerdy, so be it; if it's not, then that's fine with me too. But I love nerdcore. I love Frontalot and the nerdcore genre. People get way too bogged down in that distinction. I'm just happy to be making music, period. I just always want people to know that I know that nerdcore definitely gave me a name in the beginning. Hence the Front line, who most definitely still holds the crown in it. I mean, won't he always? He invented it.

"Rodin" almost hits a G-funk note there, musically...

Huh. I guess you're right, if there was a synth in there. I never thought of it like that.

Yeah, but lyrically you're still very much looking inward and trying to speak this universal truth about living your dreams. The lyric "for everyone who ever swallowed a dream" comes through as uniquely confessional; do you ever wonder what would have happened if you hadn't gotten stuck in a job you hated? To what extent does that experience still power your career?

I'm pretty sure if I was at all content with my job, I would've never gotten here, maybe never started making music again. So it's weird to think that the act of stifling the things you love makes you love them more; and then doing what you love for so long makes you love them less. That's probably a good way to put it. I'm probably over-thinking it. Which is a good way to describe "Rodin."

Each Adam WarRock release has a sort of musical mission statement, and the title track "City Beautiful" is definitely it this time around.

Well you know where that title's from? It's from the fact that Memphis's city beautification commission was the first one formed in the country, back in 1930. It was called, obviously, Memphis City Beautiful. It's a municipal history nerd in-joke.

It seems like a proper love letter to the city that made you. Did you find yourself re-exploring Memphis while you were recording this EP?

Maybe not while recording this EP, other than what happened organically just by having enough time home to have a proper social life. When we made the music video, however, we definitely did explore the holy hell out of the city.

You leaked "Get Smart" as an early single, and I can't say enough about how well you, Beefy, Jesse and Rob gel on that cut, but where did that core allusion come from? The extended reference to Maxwell Smart alongside a critique of lazy, dumbed-down culture was surprising effective.

Ha. It all kinda comes from the original idea me and Rob were going to do for an EP. I was going to name it "Noir," as a sort of shout out to Marvel Noir comics, but mostly because everything Rob was making sounded so…noir-y. When I heard the "Get Smart" beat, it reminded me of some kind of spy movie, and I just started goofing on the hook and that "rappers wanna get buck, I wanna get smart" line came out. Jesse was on it from the get-go, way back when we first were doing the Noir EP, and added that verse. We grabbed Beefy (who ironically got bumped from my Vampire Weekend EP, so I promised him a spot on the next EP) and he added that last verse months later. Those guys really murdered it. I pretty much put my verse down, and then got the hell out of the way.

You've got some solid guest spots on this one, but "CAPS LOCK" seems more like a full-on collaboration with YTCracker. Had you ever worked with Bryce before?

Me and Bryce have talked about doing some stuff, we have a song floating around out there that never materialized into something (hopefully will someday). Bryce is one of those core nerdcore guys that was nice to me from the start, and I always appreciated that about YT. I wanted him on the album for sure, and he sent that verse back in record time.

Okay, I'm still kinda scratching my head about "Oppenheimer."

Hahaha. Okay. Me too, to be completely honest.

How does a post-apocalyptic narrative fit in with the concept of Memphis and the evolution of Adam WarRock? Was it just a good excuse to drop in that sweet Ozymandias line? (Because I am totally alright with that.)

It's weird. I mostly knew I was going to do a track with Schaffer, and every time I start pitching ideas to Schaffer, they always seem to be about Armageddon or dying or something dark and ominous. He has that effect on me, I guess. I fell in love with the name "Oppenheimer," I mean it just LOOKS cool. And I pitched Schaffer and Tribe the idea of doing a song about being scientists that invented the atom bomb. Schaffer came back and asked if he could do it as a scientist who had no remorse, and directed Tribe to be the scientist who felt great regret. I view it as Schaffer being the devil on my shoulder and Tribe being the angel on my shoulder. Which in real life, is kind of accurate.

The EP starts to wind down with "Less Than 3."

Oh god. Here we go.

If "City Beautiful" is a love song to a place, this one is a love song in the traditional parlance. But at the same time it's... more self-aware, I think, than your average romantic fare. You acknowledge the transience of verse—strong feelings might change or fade, but the track itself will always stay the same, frozen in time in your catalog. How hard is it to pen a realistic love song? Isn't the very nature of art form sort of intentionally self-deceptive?

Not so much self-deceptive, but there's definitely an awareness of knowing that you're talking a big game for something that, at least by modern definitions, will most likely not last forever. I mean, isn't it over 50% of marriages end in divorce now? The idea of a one true love is something that we like to talk about, culturally, but none of us really believe it's real, even when you feel something that sort of approximates it, right? You could be totally in love with a girl (or guy) and in the moment think "I want to be with this person forever," but still in the back of your mind thinking "But that most likely won't happen." When you pen a love song, you're basically kinda throwing this thing out there that you know in a week, a month, or however long, it might be all completely untrue and kinda… painful to listen to. But you still gotta sell it as much as you can, or else there's no point in doing it.

Okay, what about that Alex Chilton bit? Are you a serious Big Star fan, or was that a meta-reference to The Replacements song of the same name, or was it simply a skillful namedrop of another of Memphis's native sons?

It's funny, I wasn't a huge Big Star fan until I LEFT Memphis sometime late in college or after it. I was willfully ignorant of anything that wasn't punk, hardcore, and hip hop, so Big Star was not really a concern of mine as a young kid full of piss and vinegar. And I think I found my way to Big Star BECAUSE of The Replacements song, "Alex Chilton," which is basically all about being in love with a song, which I guess has a nice cyclicality to the whole thing.

But really what that line is about: it's a reference to some other b-sides songs that I recorded before, lines written about a particular girl who loves Alex Chilton. Those songs never came out. So I scooped some lines out and put together a nice pastiche to end the track. Really only ONE person in the world will know where all of those are from. I told you it was a self-indulgent track.

Seeing as the work is so personal, it seems rather fitting that you close City Beautiful on a throw-back track to your seminal release. Did you give Rob any direction re: that "Silver Age" remix, or was that all him?

Nope. I basically sent him the a cappellas and said "Do whatever." He sent back the remix, and I asked him to scoop out the third verse spots so me and Tribe could try to do a new verse for fun. It was so boom bappy (I think we said it sounded like Jedi Mind Tricks, but in a good way), we wanted to add something really hip hoppy to it.

So where are we going from here, man? We've only got about three more weeks left in 2012. I reckon that gives you time for 8 or 9 more EPs and a full-length.

God, I don't know Z. I have a handful of ideas for mixtapes and EPs, and I've been working on my next album (tentatively titled Middle of Nowhere) for next spring or fall. But really, I wanted to take a long break from live shows, and mainly just kinda focus on making music for myself again. If that means making music about movies or TV shows, so be it, y'know? But whatever comes next, it'll be what I want to do. Hopefully everyone wants it too.

The Emerald Empire Strikes Back

With another PAX now come and gone, it seems like as good a time as any to take a look back at some releases from a handful of Seattle's finest. Sea-Town really is nerdcore central, giving us first generation standouts Optimus Rhyme, and later cementing itself in the second-gen geeky hip-hop boom thanks to none other than Karl "Ultraklystron" Olson.

Karl's never been one to shy away from lengthy releases – the fact that he's his own producer means he has no shortage of beats – but the deluxe edition of his early-2012 full-length Animatic took this concept to the extreme. While the "basic" version of the release encompasses a healthy 22-song offering for the very low price of free, the expanded Bandcamp release nearly doubles it. At 38 tracks, the full Animatic makes for formidable review fodder, but even after months of procrastinating I still can't bring myself to do a song-by-song breakdown. Instead I will focus on what the album does right and where it falters with specific attention focused on that core offering.

Opening with the short and catchy "Thesis Statement," Animatic gets off to a sing-songy start. The hook isn't Karl strongest, but the breathless verse delivery speaks to an artist who has certainly changed since the early days of Revision and OSL. It plays well into joints like "OH NO GO GO" and "Tap That Deck," which feature his trademark super nerdy lyricism and lush production with the added benefit of some clever Weezy-style hashtag rhyming. But the release stammers a bit at "Con Rave Two Step" – a song that sees him fall into the old trap of lost syllables and a typewriter flow.

"Bromance Dance" fares better thanks to some added flavor provided by Klopfenpop, but the chorus is a little much even for a song that's obviously played for laughs. "Work It Baby," by contrast, brings us back to a more refined take on classic 'Klystron, all fun and bouncy. "These Days" slows it down, but comes through a bit too heavy-handed to be truly somber. "Non-Contact" misses the mark as well due to a flawed flow (though I do give the man credit for that MacBook Air line), and "In the Lab" suffers simply because of the inclusion of a far superior remix in the supplementary material.

"Saturday," hits hard with some very creative production, but the combination of one man call-and-response and crawling delivery keep it from fulfilling its potential. Backed up by Random, the mournful "City" finally breaks back through, as does the haunting, industrial-tinged "Impossible," which stands out as likely the best example of where Ultraklystron is now as a writer, a rapper and a producer.

"Advice Animal" with Beefy again goes for the weird rather than the resonant and sets up nicely for the brilliantly funky "Fujoshi" and Rai throwback "3 Dollar Jeans." The growly aesthetic Karl's been striving for finally hits in "Game on My Back," which works well against the almost experimental "Unexpected" – yet another joint that shows a more lyrically adept Ultraklystron. "Magic Tricks" slips a bit but still manages to satisfy, and "Lifecycle" sets up the end of the album-proper with an oddly infectious anthem of green living.

"Katawa Tribute" is lyrically simplistic but still tons of fun, and "Minor Internet Celebrity" shines with backup from Death*Star. Closer "Broadcast" does a nice job of encapsulating the split nature of the release – it combines refinement and sloppiness in equal measure – and serves as gateway for 16 bonus remixes, that, as I mentioned previously, sometime manage to best their original iterations.

This is all to say that Animatic is not Ultraklystron's best release, and that's a damn shame because it truly could have been. Tracks like "Tap That Deck" (in various incarnations), "City" and "Impossible" reveal a Karl Olson that's truly leveled up his rap game, but any number of other selections play as noticeably less inspired. I'll caution, however, that this certainly shouldn’t give you cause to dismiss the album outright. Cop the free version to experience some exciting new flavor from your otaku rap hero, and, after that's been digested, decide for yourself whether or not all the bonus remixes warrant a purchase.

Personally, I would've preferred a more concise and cohesive final product, but you have to hand it to Ultraklystron for the sheer tenacity of this collection; it keeps going and going long after lesser rapper/producers would've run out of steam. This ensures that even if you don't exactly dig the current track you can be sure you'll unearth a real gem the deeper you explore.

While most can agree that Karl's lyrics linger on anime allegory and personal experience, his hometown homeboys of Death*Star tend to dwell firmly in the realms of gaming, sci-fi and (cleverly raunchy) sex rhymes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Debut full-length The Fandom Menace established them as Seattle scene staples, and their uncanny stage chemistry made them the talk of the town's nerdier heads. A New Dope, perhaps unsurprisingly, plays both these elements for bigger laughs and bolder statements.

From C0splay's amazingly bizarre turn on the intro bit Dope refuses to let up… mostly. "Broken Robots" puts Kirby Krackle's Kyle in the mix with C0s, 3P and Bill Beats amid one of the crew's biggest-sounding songs to date, and "Milk Money" massages a slice of classic rock into a hip-hop banger that blends a pair of admittedly nontraditional voices with some iconic swatches of classic rap.

"Any Girl" is an early standout that cements the guys' reputation for skewed musical meditations on romantic entanglement, but the follow-up skit sort of falls flat – killing the inertia that should've powered it into the rock-solid game rhymes of "Social Apothecary." The hits keep coming with the immediately satisfying "Respiration Inhale," which somewhat channels the spirit of fellow Emerald City denizens Southside, its old school second half "Respiration Exhale" and the absolutely glowing "Fifty Dollar Word, Y'all."

Sadly, a mid-album skit again drains the musical energy. Still, the guys bring it back with "Your Mom" – a song that's just horribly, dreadfully offensive in theme and content, but so ridiculously catchy that it can't help but stand as one of the best sex jams in dorky hip-hop history. "Mashiara" is weirdly uneven and doesn't exactly live up to its predecessor, but let's be honest; how could it?

The "Studio Session" skit is another piece of relative filler, and "Sixteen Tons" doesn't shine quite as brightly as many of the album's other selections. "Robot Dance Party Revolution," on the other hand, plays with the Death*Star recipe in a track that's admirable if not always engaging. "As Is" kicks the hook from "Hard to Handle" into an oddly honest piece of nerdy hip-hop, and the second "Studio Sessions" skit is as bit *ahem* easier to handle.

The "Villain of the Day" sequel with Klopf honestly fares even better than the original on some levels thanks to a really sharp beat from Bill, and "The Devils You Know" again monkeys with the Death*Star aesthetic for an unexpected 11th hour triumph. And the album's intentionally ridiculous bonus track? It's… intentionally ridiculous, but also ultimately an unnecessary throwback that tries to recapture the hilarious profanity of "Your Mom" only to fall short. #dickjoke

All things considered, A New Dope is the Death*Star album we wanted and, let's face it, the one we deserved. The trio still represents what's great about the oddly eclectic hip-hop scene of the Pacific Northwest, blending classic rap elements with a punk rock attitude and an ample dose of distinctly modern nerdery.

Dungeons & Drinking

Over the weekend I made one of my regular trips up to Charlotte, but, surprisingly, this time it wasn't for a hip-hop show at the Milestone. Instead metal was the order of the day at NoDa's Chop Shop, a joint I'd been hearing about for a while and had been meaning to check out anyway.

The Shop is a bit of a rare bird in North Davidson; like most of the local clubs it's nested in the remnants of the neighborhood's old textile area – in this case a repurposed warehouse – but there's an obvious lack of the sort of cookie-cutter gentrification that generally pervades the area. It's run by a co-op of locals, and boasts a distinctly eclectic feel that carries over to the venue's musical presentations. The Chop Shop was home to the closest date of Pittsburgh fantasy metal band Dethlehem's current tour, and, as this is an act I've been raving about for months, I simply had to go.

As I said, it was a very guitar-heavy bill. I missed most of both early openers' sets – GA's thrash-punkers Don’t Pet Hatchet and local doom outfit Stronghold Crusader – but did manage to catch a blistering performance by NIHM, a Buffalo NY-based 3-piece that relocated to Concord over a decade ago. This is a crew whose final number, a cover of the Beastie's "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)," was worth the price of admission alone.

While the honor of closing out the night went to local legends the Poontanglers, Dethlehem upheld their headliner status with true style. Though most PA bands would've felt handicapped deep in the Carolina wilds (not to mention performing with a substitute bass player, the indubitable Hank the Guy), I'm excited to say that our noble band of adventurers really shined and the show was everything I'd hoped for and more.

Hitting all the high points of The Ghorusalem Codex, Vol 2: Of Magick & Tyranny – save, perhaps, its lengthy midpoint "Spelljammer" – the band ably combined swords and sorcery with elements of thrash and death metal to create the most epic concert experience this side of GWAR. With new lead vocalist Brutalitus the BloodBeard leading the charge cuts like "Circle of Deth" managed to turn a meager audience into a singular engine of boot-stomping D&D destruction. Overlord Brom's thunderous double-bass kept perfect pace among the screaming harmonics of axe-men Hildor and Bovice on joints like "Sky Palace of the Dragonriders," and guest keyboardist Allie Oxenblood (who also provided a third layer of vocal harmonies and a dash of fire eating) thickened up the mix nicely.

It was that rare event where the band on-stage and the gathering crowd both seemed to be enjoying themselves to the fullest. Many swords were swung, much alcohol was consumed and, hopefully, many t-shirts and custom dice were purchased.

Dethlehem have returned home for a brief respite before continuing the second leg of their tour in two weeks, but with upcoming stops in Ohio, Wisconsin and Maryland, I imagine many of you still have the opportunity to see them perform. If this brings them within driving distance, I highly recommend that you check 'em out. The sheer strength of their performance and their wonderfully outlandish stage presence is only outmatched by how truly personable the guys are while having drinks and snapping photos with the fans.

Big ups to my boys Seamonkey, Sean, Brad and Sy for kicking it with me at the show, and sincerest of thanks to the whole Dethlehem family for assuring that I and everyone else at the Chop Shop had a night of unabashed metal majesty.

Noggin-noddin'

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to begin wading through my backlog of album reviews. I mean, with the kids out of school I have to do something with all that leftover cross-town commute/lunch-packing/homework-checking energy, right?

Our first stop – or our most recent addition, if we're looking at releases chronologically – is a hotly anticipated follow-up from our neighbor to the north, SJ the Wordburglar. Though his contributions to Backburner's phenomenal Heatwave were certainly notable, we haven't heard much solo Burg since 2010's rarities collection Burgie's Basement. 3rdburglar, however, seems more tonic to his groundbreaking 2006 LP Burglaritis. (And if you don't already own that one, fuck you in the neck!)

Like Burglaritis, 3rdburglar opens with a humorous lead-in. I'm not a big "opening hip-hop sketch" kind of guy, but "Pre-Show Routine" kills it in true Wordburglar style. Further, it kicks us directly into gastronomic banger "Croque Monsieur." Next "So Much Time" slows things down, but it's no rap ballad. Funny and funky, it the perfect bridge to the album's first single, epic More Or Les collab "Rhyme O'Clock."

"Fred Broca" finds Burg flexing his nerd muscles, but what else do you expect from a track with a beat cribbed from Scooby Doo that's literally an extended lyrical homage to an obscure G.I. Joe character? Still, it's an ideal example of Wordburglar at his finest, and manages to stand out even on an album of infectious, groove-heavy material. "Sneaky Neighbours" finds Burg and Timbuktu further mining that same brand of musical weirdness, albeit in a more realistic setting. Then "Sufficiently Suffonsified" sees the always verbose burglar of words further stretching his vocabulary above a backing that drips with Golden Age appeal.

We cross over into the album's latter half with flawless comic shop anthem "Drawings with Words." Even in its closing moments, when he adlibs a bit of "Forward Front Facer," the track remains rock solid, and its easily single-worthy in its own right.

Those who picked up The Garthim-Master's Ghosts of Nostalgia will instantly recognize track 9 as "Dude, Where's My AT-AT at?" It says a lot when this song is the closest thing this album has to a weak point. It sounds a bit out of place among the other more cohesive joints, and it loses a few points for being recycled material. Still, this one was admittedly one of my personal favorite selections from last year, so it's impossible to bash it. That being said, it's also a great transition point to the emotionally stirring "Point of Departure," a break-up track that manages to sound earnest without ever losing that frantic Wordburglar edge. The follow-up, "Steady and Stable (Strange Roads)," then proceeds to bring the party back with tons of top-shelf guest MCs.

"Foofaraw" marks the album's waning movement with a Busta (by way of Tribe) sample and a He-Man reference that, when combined, make this track as extravagant as its title. And again, it manages to be a standout among standouts. "Your Friend's Brother" sort of pales a bit by comparison, but it's strong enough on its own surreal merits.

Closer "Yobosayo (Moonbase)" embellishes the classic composition of a chiptune favorite – Duck Tales' Moon level theme – with spot-on production from Fresh Kils and Burg's own slanted sci-fi storytelling. It likewise makes for an amazingly satisfying end-point to what is easily Wordburglar's greatest single effort to date.

While I have high standards for Hand'Solo releases, 3rdburglar is such a thing of beauty that I actually feel a little embarrassed for my mere handful of minor gripes. I mean, it ain't perfect, but it's so damn close that it feels like I'm simply quibbling.

In short, pick it up. You'll be glad you did.

"If you make a mixtape make sure you got a Burg song on it."

Damn it Feels Good

Kick-ass cover art by @Rusty_Shackles

So it's midday on a Wednesday, and I'm sitting at my desk high on spicy tangerine beef and low on energy when I get the most exciting news I've heard all week. Ever since I met him, ever since I heard him rhyme all live and in person at last summer's Nerdapalooza, I have been a huge fan of Tribe One.

Admittedly I already knew he was dope from his turn on Adam WarRock's debut album, but that was a concept piece and Tribe was mostly playing a part. What I wanted to hear, even if I didn't fully realize it back then, was Tribe One just being Tribe One. This particular revelation didn't come until that fateful July evening.

That night Tribe said—and I honestly didn't know if he was joking or not—that he was working on an EP of raps over Anamanaguchi instrumentals. It was a weird concept, but I was all for it. I just wanted more music. I wanted more Tribe One.  Which brings us to today's release.

Along the way we've all been treated to a couple of wonderful singles and a specialized collection of mostly live material that Tribe used to round out the merch booth on mc chris's Race Wars Tour. Hell, I even had the good fortune to see Tribe perform again alongside Adam, int eighty, The ThoughtCriminals and Illbotz, a crew that I proudly and frequently refer to as my fam. And it was all good.

Fuck that; it was all great.

Tribe One has become one of my favorite MCs, with his casual front-porch flow and his commanding but extremely personable presence, but more importantly he's become one of my favorite storytellers. anamanaGANGSTA // Devil Rhymeosaur is a collection of borrowed beats, sure, but the stories are all his.

From the project intro ("anamanaGANGSTA"), a lo-fi funkadelic mission statement, to the titular closer ("Devil Rhymeosaur"), the best damn intro track to ever grace the end of a disc, it's an amazing ride that, thankfully, I was able to experience in its infancy. "Expand Your Brain," another track I was treated to early in its development, is a chippy club banger and "I Will Make You Believe," which I've just heard for the first time myself, has a sort of maddening urgency that can't help but impress even if it runs a bit short.

The true highlights, however, are introspective WarRock collab "Midlife Crisis" and the monolithic braggadocio of "I'm Kind of a Big Deal," a joint that's been my new favorite song ever since a demo landed in my inbox a couple weeks back. I really can't praise that track ( or Tribe One) enough.

The six song EP is currently freely available via Bandcamp, and you need to download a copy right now.

Seriously.

The Pre-Fab Ten

When Davy Jones passed away last month my first instinct was to let my mom know. He and Peter Noone were her teen pop idols, and I knew his death would be news that she needed to hear. Preferably from someone who wouldn't mock her still admittedly juvenile taste in music.

My second was to make sure Marc with a C knew. The Monkees are a musical influence that this Orlando singer-songwriter still wears plainly on his sleeve, and I similarly surmised that it was passing of which he should be made aware. Preferably from someone who wouldn't mock his juvenile taste in music. #bazinga

Marc, of course, had already heard. He's a cat with an ear to the ground with regard to music news. (That's just one of our many commonalities.)

More importantly, it seems as though Marc with a C was already hard at work on a fitting tribute to a fallen hero. Good Clean Fun: Marc With a C Sings The Monkees! is a 10-song collection of cover songs from throughout the band's career. And, since this is Marc we're talking about, the project tends to linger over deep cuts.

He kicks things off with a pitch-perfect take on "The Porpoise Song," the theme from the film Head. He adds the odd bit of Jonathan Richman jangle to the affair, but it's exactly the type of cover that will strike a chord with classic fans. It's followed up by a thicker, more rocked-up take on "99 Pounds," one of the album's finest moments, as well as title track "Good Clean Fun." Marc excises a bit of the country-western flavor of the original, which is sorely missed, and in doing so he makes it almost too easy for younger fans to mistake this for a Marc with a C original.

"I Wanna Be Free" from The Monkees debut LP is a stripped-down affair that somehow manages to keep the delicate feel of the source material. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," alternately, slows down this cover of a cover… of a cover… for an even more sinister sound. Marc's take on "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" almost comes through as a bit too thin, but the natural percussion and resonance of its acoustic drive manage to transform it into something exquisite.

This plays well off a banjo-free interpretation of "You Told Me," among Marc's strongest two minute showings to date, and an even more southern-fried version of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones's "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" A gentle fade brings us to a very grimy "Writing Wrongs," a song I never cared for in its original form, but I find this one's creepy, experimental grind growing on me.

The closer is a plodding take on "Don't Bring Me Down" that crushes the 60s-pop-by-way-of-80s-soul feel of its Michael Nesmith-free inspiration. Easily the most ambitious track on the album, it admirably forges its own path even if it (like "Writing Wrongs" before it) monkeys—see what I did there?—with the two-and-a-half minute recipe for Monkee music greatness.

The Monkees were a fake band, a meticulously crafted charade designed to target a very specific demographic. They were the epitome of corporate music, designed by producers to generate profit and not art. But The Monkees rebelled. A band that the press—specifically the European press, which is known for being particularly nasty—lambasted as artistically bankrupt fought to not only be allowed to hewn their own craft, but to exercise control over their output.

The patently manufactured group that delighted the American youth audience (and made NBC a shit-ton of money) with their screwball faux-Beatles antics also went on to make the self-aware, feature length acid trip that was Head. The actor-vocalists that signed on to star in a musical sitcom turned on their handlers and began to take at least some semblance of control of their production, instrumentation and musical legacy.

In the contemporary world of reality television and auto-tuned radio hits, The Monkees should stand out as an attractive alternative, as soldiers that defected to the side of angels. But they don't. Their catalog is still viewed by the nostalgic old guard as a musical relic from a by-gone (read: better) era, yet aside from the brief and occasional resurgence contemporary acts fail to find inspiration in The Monkees rebellion. And they similarly neglect the pure pop perfection of the sounds of Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork and Jones often layered atop the lyrical musings of Carole King and Neil Diamond.

Except for Marc with a C. He knows. He sees. He understands. He is, if you'll pardon the cliché, a believer.

It Came from the Past

My pal Jarvis is a big fan of vinyl. (He's a big fan of Pearl Jam too, but that's irrelevant at this juncture so we'll let it slide.) My buddy Marc with a C is doubly-so. They've both said some really compelling things about the medium itself, about the warm, crisp, genuine fidelity of analog audio, and I tend to agree. And yet I seldom buy or even listen to traditional LPs.

For me the record has become a different sort of animal altogether. It's a rare treat—part Thanksgiving turkey, part prize trophy. Something I can enjoy both as an active consumer and an object that provides me with some strange semblance of residual pleasure just by continued proximity. The back wall at my office, for example, is festooned with framed albums and covers along with other keepsakes like my Star Trek phaser and my signed Sci-Fried drum head. I keep them there as just another reminder that music, though I typically hear it via insufficient earbuds played as tinny MP3s through my iPhone, is a thing that has a perfect physical mass.

I delve into this realm of the oft-forgotten format because one of the most interesting hip-hop collaborations of the past year was recently released as a limited edition collectible 12 inch. My Canadian homey The Garthim-Master was nice enough to send me a copy and, as I neglected to write a proper review of Ghosts of Nostalgia when he and German-based producer DJ Extend originally released the full downloadable version back in October, it seemed only fitting to share my thoughts about this newer, leaner iteration.

Totally forgoing the original song lineup for the sake of its own cohesion, the vinyl release kicks off with the Heroes-inspired "Save the World," a deep cut on the original album, before seguing into the funky, haunting cautionary tale of "MMORPG." It then backtracks to the comical groove of "Dude, Where's My AT-AT At?," featuring the incomparable Wordburglar. This one was one of my favorite joints of 2011, and its inclusion alone should likely make this a must-buy for indie record collectors with a fine ear for the stranger side of Canadian hip-hop. Side A concludes with Dune tribute "Fremen Oath," another genuine stand-out.

The lengthy "Rorschach's Journal" kicks off program two with a sharp guitar groove and The Master at his abstract best, and that flows nicely into "Krang," a song about the titular TMNT foil that, while not a favorite on my first listen, has slowly grown on me. "Mynocks & Jawas," another fabulous Star Wars send-up, marks the album's final decent, and The Garthim-Master's rapid fire lyrical meditation on D&D, "Multi-Class" closes things out with a dissonant bang.

Admittedly, there are other songs from the original release I would've loved to've seen included in this iteration. The deeply personal "Action Figures" is one example, as the appropriately epic "The Crystal Shard," but it's hard to disagree with the results. This 8-track redux is certainly leaner than the full version, but it still manages to pack a punch.

When I mentioned the album in my Halloween music round-up I talked about how DJ Extend's thick beats played well off The G-M's story-driven narratives. I may've even touched on how, lyrically, the album walks a line between the autobiographical and impressionistic—and both these things are still genuinely true. But mostly what this new release provides is a bit of tangibility to a notably interesting (and still free, I might add) downloadable release.

It doesn't come in a fancy sleeve, which is kind of a shame given Jacek Grzeskowiak's exquisite cover art, but the marbled blue vinyl fits the album's tone perfectly. Dark and whimsical, Ghosts of Nostalgia is an intoxicating blend of pop culture reverence tempered with personal recollection. And if you enjoyed the project in its original form, $11 is a small price to pay for a literal keepsake of your musical journey.

Sounds in Sequence

It's Cyber Monday, which I think means we're supposed to be using our employers' networks to make online purchases. How exactly that differs from every other Monday I will never know.

But among all the electronic steals and deals available for the ever-hungry consumer, there's one that is, I dare say, unbeatable. Our old friend Ultraklystron has chosen today to release a new mixtape. For free. It's called Storyboard (The Animatic Mixtape), and it's a musical precursor to next year's Animatic album.

I like Karl as an MC, but I adore him as a producer. And though the mixtape is a tricky medium to master, it certainly plays to his strengths. Across its 25 minutes the listener is treated to a selection of songs that one, for the most part, might describe as "classic Karl" in their structure and delivery. Still, nerdcore's foremost anime enthusiast manages to reveal enough new tricks to keep the listener guessing.

It all kicks off with the laid back swagger of celebratory weekend banger "Saturday." Lyrically, it ain't his sharpest offering, but some brilliantly varied production and a dash of humor help to make it more than just a northwestern otaku answer to "Lazy Sunday." This flips nicely into "Lifecycle," a green hip-hop anthem that's among his most ambitious efforts; despite its odd premise, it's a track that really works. "Non-Contact" fares a little worse because of a slightly clumsy hook, but "City" takes things in a dark, contemplative direction that easily recaptures that lost attention.

The transition to "Minor Internet Celebrity" is a bit shaky, but the song itself, which boasts a more urgent delivery than we've heard from Ultraklystron in a while, is an interesting oddity. "Three Dollar Jeans" brings his flow back to a more manageable speed, and its relative calm contrasts nicely with the harshness of the hooky "Bromance Dance."

"Unexpected" begins the mixtape's true standout movement. Its individual components – a storyteller flow with a sing-song chorus cast against an atmospheric electronic backdrop – might seem unremarkable at first, but the skill with which Karl has married them reminds us of his remarkable skills in the studio. "Work It Baby" takes that unique energy in a wholly different direction underscoring that there's more to Ultraklystron than some might remember.

The mix begins its wind-down with "Fujoshi," another piece of new school otaku flow, and closes with the club-style "Magic Tricks." Musically, it proves a sound decision, though I almost would've preferred he sign off with one of his more challenging selections.

As a cohesive work – and lets not pretend that a mixtape doesn't hinge on a peculiar brand of cohesion – Storyboard succeeds on a number of fronts. The production, aside from a single transitional hiccup, is top-notch. Further, it's pacing, which is sometimes an area in which Karl struggles on proper albums, is no less inspired. The musical material itself, the true blood and guts of the mix, runs the gamut from middle-of-the-road Ultraklystron cuts to some of his most interesting tracks to date.

If you're a longtime fan of the second-gen nerdcore standard that perhaps hasn't heard much from him since 2009's Romance Language 2, then Storyboard makes for a nice reacquaintance in anticipation of Animatic. Likewise, if you managed to miss that particular chapter in nerdcore history outright and would like to know what Karl Olson's really all about, it proves a fine introduction to what the rest of us will recognize as a new and improved Ultraklystron.

Land of the Lost

Recently I came to the startling realization that if I respond to an email, the person on the other end will, nearly without fail, write back – further contributing to the catastrophe that is my inbox. What I'm saying is that this shit is a vicious cycle.

The same goes for album reviews. I get a new disc, listen to it and write up my thoughts, and then, goddamnit, another album arrives on my doorstep!

I'm being facetious, of course, as the last thing I want is for people to stop recording and releasing music. I mean, what would I do with my spare time then?

Still, there are always albums that, as good as they are, tend to fall through the cracks. They are projects that, though they become a steady part of my musical diet, I often fail to expound upon in a timely manner. Thus every once in a while I am forced to comb through my playlists and highlight the releases I have neglected to promote with the requisite gusto.

This is one of those times.

What follows is a bit of spring summer early autumn cleaning on my part. It focuses on a trio of albums that managed to hit hard and make distinct impressions on me over the first half of 2011. I just sort of forgot to mention how awesome they are.

My bad.

Robots. Lasers. Awesome.

Nathan Meunier is, among other things, my journalistic homeboy. He is also a bit-popper with a distinctly grimy lean. His Robots. Lasers. Awesome., which I've been sitting on since March, proves as much by kicking off with the dark and aggressive "Doomlaser" before slowing down into the vaguely dub-tinged "Chasing Satellites."

From there the album goes off on a number of odd and interesting tangents, but driving chiptune melodies punctuated by even sharper guitar hooks are the order of the day. Whereas joints like "Iterate" channel The Cure into lo-fi electronica, "Nerd Rock" instead paints itself as a retro game soundtrack with traditional musical accompaniment.

The album slowly builds across 8 tracks to the amazingly evocative closer "Portal of Solitude" – it's rather desperate and somber, and, like the rest of Robots. Lasers. Awesome., manages to communicate real emotion despite a total absence of lyrics.

If you're looking for a solid instrumental soundtrack to your workday, some late-night driving music or if you just wanna explore a new hybrid music act, give Nathan a listen.

Villainz for Hire

Viet Vu reached out to me about Soup or Villainz's Villainz for Hire back in April, and it admittedly took a while to grab me. After a few listens, though, I began to grok the group's dynamic; SoV exists somewhere between the smart-ass swagger of Southside and the self-effacing nerdery of Death*Star. It's a strange position, sure, but one that only they can fill.

Vu's lyrical high-end was the initial turn-off, but once it got its hooks in me I realized a very prevalent blend of aggressive punches and comical follow-ups that even now puts me in mind of Childish Gambino. Remison, his coconspirator, holds shit down on the other end with hints of both West Coast and Deep South styles in a Midwest spit that is always on-point. Individually they've got talent, but together they are a two-headed geek rap juggernaut.

"Game to Play" and "The Code" represent fine examples of the Villainz's own take on gamer rap – a well that they seem all too willing to visit – with the latter boasting ample amounts of soul thanks to in-house hook machine Danyeal McIntosh, who also adds a shot of sultriness to the surf guitar-inspired "Gamer Tag." The VGM thing isn't their only trick, though, as the group takes on everything from relationship woes ("Only Option") to anthemicly braggadocios bangers ("Soup or Crazy)" across the breadth of the release.

The album's become a go-to release for me – especially "D.K.," which, though it makes for a slightly unsatisfying closer, has a chorus that's nothing short of irresistible – so I definitely suggest you give it a spin. Cheap-asses can also cop a half-size EP version of this disc for free from Scrub Club which features, among other tasty cuts, the project's blistering, if unfortunately short, "Intro."

The Lost

More recently Thomas from Hand'Solo Records hooked me up with the latest from long-lived Canadian hip-hop clique toolshed. Originally a loose collective of MCs and DJs, the toolshed of today is a more streamlined affair. Consisting of old friends Chokeules, Psybo and Timbuktu, it's now a hip-hop power trio in the classical sense.

Originally recorded after the release 2006's Relapse, the basis of The Lost is material from the titular lost album with a twist. Tim worked his production magic to incorporate new remixes and collabs in with the classic material, and the final result is a perfectly enjoyable slice of intelligently constructed rap that's also unafraid to appeal to the baser nature of your inner teenage hell-raiser.

Opening strong with "Peppercorns" and "Rock N Rule," the guys dive headfirst into funk-rock hooks and razor-sharp cuts. Guest stars abound on the phenomenal (and aptly named) "Round Table," and Ghettosocks' turn of "Hit 'Em With His Running Shoes" stands out as the kind of cameo that would shame most host artists. Thankfully the toolshed is composed of sterner stuff.

As flexible as they are talented, the 'shed excels at both bringing the proverbial pain to the idle youth – on not one but two different mixes of "Clubsuck" – and keeping the part alive with proper drinking anthems – "Irish Car Bomb Pt. 2" and its late album analog "Irish Tiger Balm Pt. 2." And their feats of instrumental strength and verbal stamina don't stop there.

Clocking in at 16 tracks of hip-hop for heads of all stripes, the album never misses, but that's not to say I don't have my favorites. "Flavor Saviors (remix)" brings in shades of BDP that can't help but satisfy, and the closing salvo of "Dream Team (Bix rmx)" and "Final Round (original version)" stand out as some of the strongest selections to come out of the always impressive Hand'Solo catalog.

Feeling Scientific

When I first heard Weezer's nigh-ridiculously named third self-titled release I was struck by the staggering revelation that, while I had grown up a lot since the 1990s, Rivers Cuomo had not. This isn't to say I didn't dig the album, or even that a writer necessarily needs to ripen emotionally in order to craft enjoyable songs. Where, for example would Trent Reznor be without his angsty and eternally adolescent rancor? But it does drive home a point about the sometimes tenuous place of the mature storyteller in popular music.

On the other hand, even since the earliest days of Optimus Rhyme, lyricist Wheelie Cyberman has had that rare ability to impart a musical narrative – no matter how fantastical – in clear-cut (if not always concrete) terms. With both emotion and restraint. With both whimsy and wisdom. In short, he tells a story like a storyteller, like a true seasoned wordsmith. His songs have heroes and villains, triumphs and fuck-ups, and he as narrator is just as likely to represent one side of that coin as the other. This means that even when a track takes place in some imaginary world populated by groove-hungry robots there still exists a level of honest realism.

The instrumentation of the Optimus lineup did a lot to play to this strength. Beneath the soul-funk rhythms and punk rock attitude there was a strong undercurrent of blues, the backbone of the American musical tradition: an unpretentious music that shares a universal message about life, love and loss with a distinctly timeless gather-'round-and-hear-my-tale aesthetic.

After that project dissolved Wheelie moved on to chip-hop collective Supercommuter, and their debut album still stands out as an amazing example of not only his unique rap style, but also as a kind of logical next step in his previous band's science fiction-y lean. The addition of chiptuner Stenobot (holding down the instrumentals) and his brother Tron Juan (whose ear for production pulled the whole thing together), assured that Supercommuter proved itself an exemplary effort. But that album, by the admission of the band itself, was a bit of a sonic experiment cobbled together from pieces of songs the guys created during hours lost in traffic going to and from their respective day jobs.

Their recent follow-up, Products of Science, builds on the data that our heroic bots collected from this preliminary study. While fans would've certainly been satisfied with more of the same, Supercommuter pushed themselves on all levels, and the release is all the better for it.

Opening with "The Commute Continueth," a clever reference to the original album's starter track, the guys ably employ the sharp and resonant blips of the classic Game Boy, but even from these early moments something is drastically different. Brighter and noticeably more cohesive as it transitions to "DMG We Trust in Thee," there is much more in the way of melody, both vocally and instrumentally, than the band has previously displayed. Amid rapid-fire verses and a gorgeously textured chorus, "DMG" explains the group itself; it smashes the sonic fourth wall somehow without ever losing its darkly futuristic edge.

The warbling, dissonant groove of "It is Splendid" quickly morphs into a genuine hip-hop banger with appropriately spacey singing and a quick drop-off that takes us back to earth for debut single "#1 Kyabajo." Thick and twisting, thanks in part to an enchanting counter-melody and a fierce breakdown, it drops the band's established sci-fi pretense.

This extends into "Wheelie's Lament," a song that sees the MC wrestling with inner insecurities via a very public forum. (And it's also a joint that boasts a truly clever allusion to Kurtis Blow!) Then an unceremonious shift takes us back to the world of Wheelie's space bound alter-ego in "Frozen," a heartbreaking tale of interstellar travel, loneliness and creeping madness.

The tone changes quickly with instrumental "Script Kitties," a four-minute marathon of erratic beats and churning LSDJ loops topped off with eerie samples. It's the perfect prelude to the ultra-violent "Robot Party," a stand-out cut that's only slightly diminished as a known property; it was previous released on the first Nerdcore Now compilation.

"Natural Immunity" pairs Wheelie's motor mouth and Stumblebee's drunken baritone for the first time since the demise of Optimus Rhyme. It's also likely the music world's most upbeat post-plague narrative. "FF45" sounds a bit like a throw-back to the previous album, with an odd layering of vocoded singing and straight-ahead rap that fails to gel early on, but later turns into the project's most vivid story-song. Touching on the recurring motifs of isolation, the marriage of man and machine and the potential horrors of technology, it's complex but easy to love.

"We're Watching You" breaks tradition by relying heavily on acoustic guitar (although the electronic elements are still readily apparent.) Another stand-out, it retells Clarke's Childhood's End in exquisite detail, capturing both hope and misery in sharp detail. From there Products of Science draws to a close with "Victory Song." As upbeat as the name implies, it marks the album's end in true 8-bit style and genuinely channels that rush of "beating the game."

As I've already mentioned, the title of Album of the Year is already hotly contested. It's a crowded playing field stocked with veteran songwriters pulling out all the proverbial stops to wow those of us in the listening public. Still, amid all of these Products of Science stands out among the best of the best.

With a magical blend of innate talent and savvy construction, the album truly mines the breadth of the genius that is Supercommuter. Wheelie remains, as ever, one of my favorite voices from the hip-hop underground, and Stenobot makes a DMG sing like no one else I've heard. Add to this Tron – a guy who always seems to know how to pitch-shift a vocal run or strip down a beat for maximum impact – and you have what is likely the most commanding and unorthodox power trio in the entire spectrum of geeky, techy music. Products of Science not only sees the chrome of these three androids shine the brightest yet, but it also pulls in amazing support staff in the form of pitch-perfect vocalists like Rachel Haden and Jen Wood (the wife of the band's own Tron Juan) for added flair.

Dark, introspective and representing a more refined approach, it's an album that will likely move a lot of copies, but probably not as many as its level of quality genuinely warrants. So pick one up. Shit, pick up two! All the proceeds benefit the Child's Play charity. Which I reckon proves beyond all doubt that these robots, as cold and calculating as they are, still possess real human hearts.

"I remember the moment when / The machines stopped listening."

The Commute Cometh (Again)

Every job has its perks. If you are a medical professional, drug reps regularly ply you with free meals and branded merch. Similarly, I am led to believe that astronauts get all the Tang they want, although I am unsure how this fares in our new post-NASA era.

For music bloggers like me, however, the benefits tend to fall into two categories. One is swag. The other is access to early preview tracks.

While the former can and should be proudly flaunted, the latter must typically be kept under the tightest of wraps. Except when it morphs into its magical secondary form, "the exclusive."

With that in mind I would like to hit my fellow inhabitants of the Nerd World up with some knowledge concerning the latest from Seattle chip-hoppers Supercommuter. I am pleased to report that the sophomore release from Wheelie Cyberman, Stenobot and Tron Juan, dubbed Products of Science, is set to drop next month.

On the most basic levels it picks up where their self-titled debut left off. Much of the album was built from music and lyrics conceived during the band members' daily commutes and the proceeds from its sale will again benefit Child's Play, but this time around the trio has certainly shook shit up.

While it retains the experimental sheen of Supercommuter, Products also seems noticeably more cohesive. The songwriting, which was approached more collectively, offers much more in the way of melody – both vocal and instrumental – and it also serves to expand the band's thematic sphere. Though robots and human/robot relations are certainly a core component, the guys have given Products of Science a more classical sci-fi feel.

This dozen-strong collection of beeps, booms and rhymes also boasts a fine selection of guest vocalists including Rachel Haden (That Dog, The Rentals) and Jen Wood (Tattle Tale, The Postal Service.) And diehard Optimus fans will be particularly delighted by the inclusion of fellow Autobeat Stumblebee on the track "Natural Immunity."

But a full dissection of the latest from these otherworldly androids is another story for another day. Right now I insist that you peep free teaser track "#1 Kyabajo." It's a cautionary tale from a hostess bar (featuring the aforementioned Rachel Haden on the chorus) that eschews much of Wheelie's fantastical storytelling in favor of a more earthbound narrative. Though its beat – which plays like an 8-bit cut from the Blade Runner soundtrack with a digital grindcore breakdown – is very indicative of the album's new feel.

Give it a listen, and keep your auditory sensors open for more news concerning the full release. Or you can quit playing coy and pre-order the physical pressing right now.

The (Super) Power of Love

Kirby Krackle's 2010 release E for Everyone was, hands down, my favorite rock album of the year. Since its release I've reviewed it, played it on my podcasts, interviewed founding members Kyle Stevens and Jim Demonakos, scrutinized both their live band setup and their team of crack studio musicians and pretty much pimped the group out anytime I was given even a moment to discuss the overarching concept of geek rock.

Yeah, you could say I'm kind of a fan.

This, of course, means that I've been anxiously awaiting their follow-up album, with part of me terrified that it wouldn't live up to the band's legacy and the other part just glad to know that more music was on the way. Earlier this month the guys' third studio album Super Powered Love was released, and, Galactus be praised, it was every bit as epic as I'd hoped.

Allow me to elucidate. In exhausting detail.

"Then Again, Maybe Not" lacks some of the urgency of E for Everyone opener "Vault 101," but it’s a solid up-tempo rocker that's a fine introduction to the new album. It describes the unspoken attraction between a superhero and his arch-nemesis. Although, as the title implies, she seems a bit less than interested. This leads us to "Bite of Another," a Black Crowes-style southern vampire stomper. It's new sonic territory for the guys, and Kyle's vocals sound better than ever.

Three tracks in we strike gold with "Booty Do Math," my new favorite Kirby Krackle song, and, truthfully, another addition to my growing list of all-time favorite genre-benders. Though the hook-laden guest verse by my pal Adam WarRock grabs the listener's attention, Kyle Stevens's R. Kelly-inspired counter-melody vocals across the song's latter bars punctuate things perfectly, as does his Bieber-esque pronunciation of the word "shawty."

"Big Heart" tells the story of a superpowerless superhero -- a la Kick-Ass -- amid a solid rock 'n' roll shuffle, while "Hunt 'em All Down" channels a vaguely funk-metal groove into a pitch-perfect tale of (what I at least believe to be) the IDW continuity Transformers. Thereafter, what "In Another Castle" loses for its obvious instrumental and structural similarity to Kirby Krackle's debut album stand-out "Zombie Apocalypse" it more than makes up for in ukulele-soaked gamer goodness.

The latter half of the album kicks off with the Tex-Mex lotto-winnin' daydream of "Nerd Money." It's likely Super Powered Love's weakest selection, but on its own merits it's still a rock-solid joint. It's followed by the album's debut self-titled single, which is just as endearing, engaging and enjoyable as it was when Kyle leaked it to me all those weeks ago.

"Comic Shop" welcomes back E for Everyone guest rapper GMK The Great on an off-kilter parody of 50 Cent's "Candy Shop," which is worth a listen for the humorous censoring alone. (Spoiler: it's Walking Dead-related.) "Rainbow Bridge" likewise keeps things in that comic book vein with a power ballad dedicated to Marvel's Thor. Because Kirby Krackle is nothing if not nerd-topical.

The album begins its wind-down with "Needing a Miracle," which borrows both a shade of its guitar melody and its theme of human/superhuman romance from "Super Powered Love" (albeit with the gender roles reversed this time around.) That track builds big and then dissolves into "Open up Your Window," which plays like a continuation of the same musical love story.

Super Powered Love closes with the glam-punk "I Wanna Live in a World Full of Heroes," a song that, with a couple of obvious exceptions, plays like the album's triumphant mission statement. With the overall project centered firmly on tales from within our favorite fictional worlds, it's a fitting end that again pushes the band in a new musical direction.

While only time will tell how well Super Powered Love stands up against this year's other heavy hitters -- both The BossFights and Supercommuter have proven that Kirby Krackle isn't the only band to up its game in 2011 -- it easily boasts the single greatest track of the summer. I'd recommend the album as an easy buy simply on the strength of "Booty do Math," but with a dozen other top-shelf cuts Super Powered Love is another must-own masterpiece from Seattle's reigning kings of geeky guitar pop.

Buy it now via iTunes or Bandcamp. Then kneel before Zod.

"'Member when your magic made me pregnant? / 'Member when you turned Africa Asian?"

[This piece was cross-posted from the Wired.com GeekDad blog.]