Up & Adam

A month ago I hadn't even heard the name Adam WarRock. Yet today I sit here typing a lengthy missive concerning a release that has become, at least on my end, hotly anticipated.

When Eugene Ahn first introduced himself (and his comic book alter ego) to me a few weeks back, I had already put a moratorium on album reviews to focus on a backlog of freelance work and a special project of my own. Still, I agreed to review his just released concept album The War for Infinity. Mostly because I could not, in good conscience, say no to a man capable of rapping about classic Marvel crossovers and the importance of personal artistry with equal conviction.

Speaking of the former, it's important to note that The War for Infinity is roughly rooted in the happenings of early 90s limited series The Infinity Gauntlet. Of course in this version the role of hero Adam Warlock is filled by Ahn and the part of cosmic despot Thanos (rechristened Demonos) is played by guest MC Tribe One.

Oh, and they settle their differences via rap battle… though I imagine that point should be fairly obvious.

The War for Infinity kicks off with "I Am Him," a strong intro that weaves the preternatural mythos of Marvel's Warlock with the swagger of our own WarRock. This leads us straight into "Absolute Truth," another fantastic cut with a near-perfect beat compliments of Ruckus Roboticus, the cat that helms the album's overall production. Adam also holds up his end of the track ably throughout the verses, although the chorus lacks a certain flair.

"Absolute Truth" trails nicely into "Bad Mother (Villainy)" a darker and more densely layered joint that sounds both fierce and cerebral. Adam uses this track as an opportunity to loosen the pretense of the core narrative and weigh in a bit concerning the media fascination with the ongoing American culture wars. "Interlude - He Watches" follows suit and serves as an odd atmospheric bridge to "The View from Eternity," which injects a bit of soul into the proceedings. Adam's slowed-down flow seems a bit labored at times, but the storytelling is absolutely engaging and the production fantastic.

At more than 5 minutes in length, "Battle (Introductions)" has great potential to get repetitive and boring, but it never does. WarRock comes through with his best offering thus far, and the interplay between Adam and his foil (Atlanta's Tribe One under the guise of antagonist Demonos) makes this an early standout.

"Crooked Deal" is another triumph of production that combines ambient keys and dynamic vocal effects to craft a borderline horrorcore jam that outlines a Faustian deal within this comic book reality. Follow-up "Interlude - The Gauntlet" is a fine tongue-in-cheek lead-in to "Special Bulletin," which actually breaks some new hip-hop ground by cleverly folding comic-style exposition into its proper lyric structure – it's another stunning selection.

"Heroes Requiem" is almost pure comic book fan service, but it works well within the confines of the album. My only knock is that lyrically it sometimes seems to forget the rule of showing not telling. Still, it's a forgivable trespass as it serves as the central hub of the tale that is The War for Infinity.

We revisit to the arena with "Battle (Reprise)," a track that sees another return to form by combining comic fanboyism within the classic battle rap motif. Musically it boasts a hint of minimalist house and the vaguest shades of spaghetti western. It's easily one of the project's best.

Thereafter, "Interlude – Limbo" takes us into "Laxidazia," yet another instantly engaging selection from an album packed with enjoyable content. It incorporates the concept of Adam's metamorphosis/recuperation in cleanly-metered verse atop a fantastically smooth beat. Still, as fine a track as it is, it's outshined by "Up & Adam." This one's stylistically 180 degrees from "Laxidazia," and it somehow manages to sound funky, frenetic and undeniably beautiful all at the same time.

The album begins its final act with skill and swagger in equal measure as our hero returns to the mat in "Battle (Finale)." Even better than the two previous rounds, it sets the stage for the project's musical and thematic wind-down. This delicately fades to "Lady Death Never Wanted Me as a Lover," a surprisingly poignant number that, at nearly 6 minutes in length, almost overstays its welcome. Still, it tries some 11th hour musical experimentation that actually works, and that's something to be applauded. The final full minute of the song demonstrates a nice use of the false ending that leads us to Adam WarRock's veritable mission statement: "The Silver Age."

He and Tribe One wrap up the album-proper by reflecting both on the tale that is The War for Infinity and their own unique position within rap canon. It's a musical meditation on old school comics, new school hip-hop and a sharp study of pop culture that is the album's true high-water mark. It's the perfect place to end our story. And yet it doesn't.

Bonus track "Ira Glass" departs the album arc in favor of celebrating the spirit of creativity and the role that personal experience plays in shaping art. It's a fine selection that offers a clever nod to the titular PRI mainstay, but it could conceivably be accused of diluting an otherwise solid concept album. Still, it's an admitted bonus track, so my suggestion is to enjoy it as an additional, unrelated nugget of highbrow hip-hop.

The War for Infinity (specifically) and Adam WarRock (in general) represent a perfect storm, an ideal marriage of real nerd culture and real hip-hop. And though this isn't quite as rare as one may be lead to believe by the album's written introduction  (no disrespect intended to Chris Roberson) that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

I've got my handful of requisite gripes, sure – the vocals are occasionally a bit muddy for my taste and the finer points of the plot itself may be lost on those unfamiliar with the source material – but I have no choice but to suggest you dive into the sometimes murky waters of WarRock's brilliantly fictitious wartime autobiography. It's an amazing ride, and, further, an album that certainly warrants all the buzz it will unquestionably generate.

Much like his namesake, Adam WarRock possesses an uncanny ability to shape worlds with his might. Luckily for us he also demonstrates a comparable level of heroic integrity in the face of the sinister forces that are the piss-poor lyricism and insincere club cuts of contemporary radio rap.

"It stings like a cigarette."

Sun Down on the Sorry Day

Arguably the biggest event on the horizon for this October is the AMC premiere of The Walking Dead. Like many of you, I've been hooked on the original comic book version of this property for years, so I'm anxious to see how it translates to television.

And obviously I'm not the only one.

Daniel M. Kanemoto (of Ex Mortis Films) even went so far as to cobble together his own unofficial mock-up of the show's opening credits by skillfully manipulating original series art by Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore, and layering it atop the haunting melody of eels' "Fresh Blood."

It is fairly fucking epic, so I thought I'd take a moment to share.

Oh, and extra credit to those who can spot the unholy remains of our own MC Frontalot.

THE WALKING DEAD "Opening Titles" from Daniel Kanemoto on Vimeo.

Nerd News in Brief

Today is October 1st, or as I like to call it The First Day of Halloween. In addition to my regularly scheduled nerdy musings, I will no doubt be favoring you with tons of ghoulish distractions over the coming weeks.

I mean, it's what I do!

But for now, dear friends, please enjoy this non-Halloween-themed edition of Nerd News in Brief.

• Pretty and Witty and Bright: Though I am probably not their target audience, I have to kick off this month's NNIB recap by giving a nod to the crew over at Pretty Gamer. It's a site with a firm focus on all things she-nerd related. From game reviews to no-food-in-the-house cooking tips to dating advice, these ladies have you covered. They even recorded their own drunkcast, which pretty much assures their hardcore status.
• The Wooden Anniversary: Five years ago our friends Harry and the Potters helped launch the Harry Potter Alliance with an Amnesty International charity show in their native Massachusetts. To commemorate this anniversary (not to mention the rousing success of the HPA), the guys are doing it again. Catch the Potters, The Whomping Willows, Lauren Fairweather and Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills this Sunday, October 10th at The Center for Arts at the Armory. Be there.
• For the Shorties: On the subject of worthy charities, I'd also like to remind you that October 16th is the date of the 3rd annual Extra Life video game marathon. My good friend Jonny Nero (of Epic Default fame) is taking part to raise money for his local Children's Miracle Network hospital, and the brother needs sponsors. A simple $1.00/hour sponsorship goes a long way, so peep Jonny's personal Extra Life page and please consider donating.
• To the Nines: Nerd rapper extraordinaire Conyeezy is presently working on 9 different albums! In anticipation of this marathon of future releases, 'Yeez just dropped a free 9-track mixtape called Appetizers. It contains one track representative of each larger work, and I suggest you cop it immediately.
• Blowing in the Wind: Also on the new release front, Rappy McRapperson and EPP's MC Wreckshin have just released their impressively titled The 2nd Best Mixtape Ever. Ten songs deep and boasting just a bit more than a half-hour of playtime, 2BME covers all the hip-hop bases – from double rainbows to blowin' dudes. Experience the weirdness.
• They're Undeniable: Are you tired of "California Gurls" parodies? Understandable, but please take a look at one final selection. It's my boy Insane Ian's most recent FuMP – a fun freebie entitled "CosPlaying FanGurls."
• Take a Knee: Recently, nerdcore king and famed hacker YTCracker dropped his iPhone from the 27th floor of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. The phone survived the fall, once and for all demonstrating the true power of science.
• My Closing Argument: Thanks go out to Church for pointing me toward this CNN piece on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock that features some great quotes from Brendon Small. Not the least of which is the astute observation that all musicians are nerds.
• Across the Pond: For those who missed it last week, the BBC profiled MC Frontalot, Scrub Club's MadHatter, Nursehella and Adam WarRock. An accompanying nerdcore-centered edition of the Outriders podcast was also released.
• Say it Bold: Star Trek is often the go-to property when nerds discuss the important progressive sociological underpinnings of science fiction. However, in an interesting (and hilarious) piece at Autostraddle, writer Boylio enumerates the ways in which Trek has failed to stand up for the LGBT community.
• Bubblegum Tate: This edition of Geek vs. Nerd is brought to you by the (voice) cast of Futurama. In early September, the guys sat down with CNN Entertainment's Geek Out to discuss, among other things, cool nerds and the gerds of our future.
• Local Color: The San Francisco Bay Guardian also chimes in on the subject of geeks, nerds and what lies beneath – even going so far as to mine the wisdom of resident "super nerd" Doctor Popular.
• LOL Money: As our esteemed Nerd Chieftain of Fiscal Responsible, Church was happy to hip us to this epistle concerning financial nerds. He also uncovered Merle Hazard, "the first and only country singer to write about mortgage-backed securities, derivatives, and physics." Thank him kindly. 
• Labored Day: And in what I promise is this edition's final rumination concerning nerd identity, author Ethan Gilsdorf recently dropped some knowledge at Psychology Today concerning both Dragon*Con and PAX. And apparently he was really excited to give away a copy of his book!
• Indivisible: Thanks to MaryBeth (AKA: Nagini), I am now completely enamored by the new song/video from Grace "Snidget" Kendall. It's entitled "Soren Lorenson (My Invisible Friend)," and it is a special kind of all-ages awesome!
• Lost Like Locke: And I'd be remiss if I didn't also point y'all toward the latest street-level sermon from the White Shinobi himself T.y.T. Check out the new video single "Life is What You Make of It (2010)" featuring Togo.
• Code Monkey: In other YouTubery, my brother DataVortex turned me onto this coder-centric take on "Alors on Danse" called "And So You Code."
• Hangin' with Your Atari: And though I can't imagine you haven't seen it yet, the new Inverse Phase joint "F___ed 6502 (8-bit Cee Lo - F**k You parody)" is total fucking brilliance.
• Dance. Kill. Laugh. Kill.: Closing us out today is a special treat from AlienBoBZ. September saw the debut gig of Seattle's Supercommuter, and Jarod was there to record the show for posterity! You can cop the live audio from Archive.org and check out full video on the AlienBoBZ YouTube channel. Make sure to give Jarod some love for all the hard work.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 96: Drunk and Awe

I do my best to keep each edition of Radio Free Hipster relatively concise. It's a busy, distinctly modern world out there, and I don't feel comfortable demanding a lot of your time.

The exception to this, of course, is during Drunken Podcasting Month. It's the one time a year when I don't mind letting the show run long. And run long it does.

This year's drunkcast clocks in at nearly 2 hours. During that time Matt, Church and I play a lot of music and talk a lot of shit. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it.

Only, y'know, with less vomiting. 

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 96: Drunk and Awe [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 95.9 MB Running Time: 1:44:47 Subscribe to RFH 

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Spellah and Beefy are like vodka and tonic, or in my case cream soda and root beer schnapps. 

Track 1: Adam WarRock – "Millie Got a Pull List"
I was lucky enough to score a review copy of Adam's The War for Infinity. I'll be sharing my impressions soon. 

1st drunken interlude: Wherein I welcome Matt to the show, we admit to being lazy and I mispronounce the words "kick" and "WarRock."
Matt and I started drinking pretty early on the night we recorded this, so by the time we started actually doing the show we were both pretty far along. It's also worth noting that the more I drink, the worse my accent becomes. I was making vowel sounds not even present in the English language by the time we finally signed off. 

Track 2: Beefy – "One of These Nights"
I now consider this to be the definitive Tanner4105 beat. 

Track 3: Marc with a C – "Laura, I Need Medicine"
I love that Marc rhymes scrotum with "wrote 'em." 

Track 4: Keith Moon & Ringo Starr dialog / Inverse Phase – "Say it ain't sixty-FO"
This Moon/Starr clip is another one that I've had sitting around for ages. 

Track 5: Hidari – "Seishun Marina"
I always enjoy Hidari, but when I drink I'm more likely to try and sing along. 

Track 6: Random – "Drop the Load (Mustin Mix)"
Mustin has a great "making of" vid of this track available via YouTube. 

2nd drunken interlude: Wherein, Matt and I talk about our Nerdapalooza adventures, bullshit about what we're drinking and everyone says "awwwww."
Even now I am weighing my PAX Prime 2011 travel options. For serious. 

Track 7: Southside – "Radar"
Though I failed to state this clearly during the recording session, Southside is my go-to band for drunken listening. 

Track 8: Marc Gunn – "Beer, Beer, Beer"
Marc kicks off a mini-set of explicitly booze-related offerings. 

Track 9: Mary Prankster – "Tits & Whiskey"
Matt says that this one was a bit of a local hit. I can only imagine what a radio edit of it would sound like. 

Track 10: Illbotz – "The Pub That Had No Gin"
Illbotz are the only rap group I know that includes an Irish drinking song on their debut album. Well, I mean, them and House of Pain. 

Track 11: ComputeHer – "Dark Pub"
From Computeher's latest Modemoiselle. 

Track 12: boot error clik – "Punch, UP"
If all goes according to plans, I'll be offering an exclusive boot error clik album for free download later this year! 

3rd drunken interlude: Wherein Church joins us for the drunken revelry, I make my requisite John Waters joke and we encourage people to donate to the Parsec Awards.
You can view Matt talking up nerdcore here, and here's more info on BitGen. 

Track 13: Emergency Pizza Party – "Shine Avenue (TH3HT Dubstep Remix)"
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE! 

Track 14: Epic-1 – "Drug of Choice (feat. STD, 1080IP, and ytcracker)"
Schaffer's "I wear a monkey like a backpack, damnit!" is easily one of the best nerdcore hip-hop/drug rock opening lines of all time. 

Track 15: mc chris – "Han Solo"
mc has been doing a lot of these pop song parodies of late. I most definitely approve. 

Track 16: Mighty Mike – "Fuck Henrietta (Cee Lo Green vs. The Fratellis)"
Traditionally, I favor the Drunken Podcasting Month play list with a "Gay Bar" mash-up. This year, however, I decided to switch shit up. 

Track 17: Laura Simpson – "Let's Get It On, Doctor"
I gotta give it up for Laura's The Ood Cast Album. It is filktastic. Consequently, it also Trocks. 

Final drunken interlude: Wherein we get our shine on, Church realizes I that Han and "hon" are homophones in the Deep South and we discuss Tom Baker's fuckability.
The boys seem to believe that RFH needs more filk. What's your take on it? 

Track 18: Shael Riley – "Margaritaville" / outtakes
I talk a lot about hanging out with Shael at Nerdapalooza in-show, so it's only fitting that he closes out the episode.

With Drunken Podcasting Month taken care of, I now look forward to October's Halloween Crap-tacular. As always, it'll boast two seasonally-themed episodes loaded with songs about monsters, cheesy horror movie dialog and candy corn. But mostly candy corn.

After that we'll hit episodes 99 and 100 in November. I anticipate the former will be a theme-free show, and the latter will be a listener-fueled retrospective. Please consider sending me voicemails or classic requests to make sure it doesn't suck!

The Return of the Swami

Gather 'round, kids, because Uncle Zed is gonna tell you a story. It probably won't seem relevant at first, but bear with me.

I grew up in a poor neighborhood, and by "poor" I mean blue collar and wholly unglamorous. Those of us who still had dads around noted early on that there was a definite pattern to their vocations. Most were mechanics or truckers or welders – they did dirty work, and that was reflected in our surroundings.

It was a neighborhood positively littered with scrapped cars, discarded tires and, most importantly to this tale, rusty, bone dry 55 gallon drums. I don't remember who the first kid was to decide to climb inside such a drum and roll it down the severe and muddy hill that separated the trailer parks, but it quickly became our preferred pastime.

The problem with kids, however, is that they are easily bored, and at some point this game became too simple on its own. At that time some industrious ragamuffin took it upon himself to add another wrinkle. You see, every once in a while, as you were building up speed and banging around inside that great metal cylinder, some asshole would toss a little surprise into the rolling drum. Sometimes it was a half-empty Coke can. Other times it was a rock. Hell, one poor fucker ended up making the trip down with a claw hammer riding shotgun. I think you get the idea.

I share with you this oddly protracted story from my white trash youth because I recently felt that same sense of exhilaration, adventure and dread for the first time in twenty-some-odd years. Thankfully, it wasn't because I was riding a rock-filled tetanus trap down a steep incline!

Instead I was listening to Lo Fi Muey Thai by DC rapper/producer Navi. He's a cat that I always make it a point to keep up with. Firstly, he's an old friend – we go all the way back to the early days of the online nerdcore community (when he was known as Myf). But most importantly it's because his work always manages to make me feel… well, cultured. I'm used to music that appeals to intelligence or humor, but his shit always feels wild, exotic and adventurous.

I've heard a lot of stuff from Navi – from OverClocked ReMixes to the heavily aggro nerdcore from his Metamystiks days – and I've always come away from his work feeling as though I'd experienced something just outside the bounds of accepted hip-hop. Fusing jazz, funk, punk, electro and the irregularly recurring motif of the distinctly Asian melody, Navi always manages to insulate his rhymes within this densely packed musical bubble.

On the subject of his rhymes, I must note that over the years I've come to think of him as less a rapper in the traditional sense and more a very distinct poet, albeit one with a distinctly urban feel. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his new release. Navi calls it a mixtape, but Lo Fi Muey Thai is as much an album as any other I've been asked to review in recent memory.

As he spits about everything from mad chefs ("Cookin' with Fire") to complicated women ("Bad Juju," "Bass Girl") to weed ("Lemme Know"), he sounds like equal parts Kurt Vonnegut, ee cummings, Method Man and Kool Keith.

Confused? You should be. From the eerie street grime of "Fess Up, Shooter" to the chippy DnB of "Right Back Up," Lo Fi Muey Thai is an almost overwhelming musical experience. Twenty tracks deep, it tackles brand new joints, Navi classics (yet another mix of "Snakecharmers") and it even tosses in some bootlegged beats (most obviously in his own take on Cee Lo's "Fuck You") for that proper mixtape aesthetic.

All kudos aside, this isn't an album for everybody. Some heads will surely complain that Navi's flow is too rooted in free verse and that his overall delivery is breathless and wheezy. Meanwhile, those who only dig distinctly nerdcore jams will likely be disappointed by a lack of easily relatable material. To the former I'd explain that Navi's wordy, gaspy flow is part of the package – it serves to heighten the very vivid, undeniably relentless attack that Lo Fi Muey Thai truly is. And to the latter I simply say buck the fuck up and try something different. While Navi may dig a little deeper these days than the arcade game beats of old, he still roots his storytelling heavily in the outsider's perspective. In short, he'll always be one of us.

Since I've already rattled on for nearly 800 words here, let me just conclude by saying please give Lo Fi Muey Thai a try. It's a free download, and I guarantee that it will provide you a listening experience like no other. Surely not all the songs will satisfy you, but the exhilarating, challenging, almost disorienting nature of this aural assault will certainly keep you in rapt anticipation.

Come along on Navi's wild ride, a journey that'll take you from the back alleys of the nation's capital to the littered streets of South Asia. It will boggle your mind, disorient your earholes and otherwise assail your senses. And you'll be all the better for it.

"Lemme beat 'til the cough drops / Lemme cough 'til the beat drops."

Kickstart My (Steam-Driven) Heart

MadHatter was a steel drivin' man.

Seems like everyone has a Kickstarter project going on these days – Shael Riley, Random and, most recently, Scrub Club's main man MadHatter.Hatter is looking to kick shit up a notch for his next solo album (the first since his widely lauded 2007 release 8Bit Bullshit), but he needs your help to make his dream a reality... or in this case an alternate reality! #badpun

The proposed concept album The John Henry Complex will blend the ever-popular steampunk aesthetic with hip-hop storytelling. It's a re-imagined tale of John Henry, the steel drivin' man of American folklore, as he fights against the crooked mechanical and entertainment industries as a true hero of the common folk.

MadHatter elaborates saying:

Set in a broken-down, surrogate America during 1894, the music is composed only using instruments available during this time period such as timpani, snare drums, violins, cellos, pipe organs, etc. with accents of industrial clangs, electricity, booms, rivets being struck by hammers, steam hisses, marching, and more. All of the themes deal with the industrial revolution of man versus machine, hard work, racism and slavery, mad science, new world communication, people's basic rights, corrupt governments, and evil corporations.

Featuring seven completely original songs as well as two timeline-perfect covers (Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Louis Jordan's "Beans and Cornbread"), this album is executively composed by Pelicaine!einhander, one of the most unique producers in underground Hip Hop from Texas. It also features record scratching (or phonograph manipulation, if you will) by Dale Chase, a quick-rising Nerdcore star and amazing beatsmith from New York.

There will be a few major collaborations with fellow nerdy emcees as well as appropriately untranslated verses from a few international artists on the track "World's Faire."

Also, you should know that this release will be completely radio-friendly to appeal to a wider audience and be playable anytime, anywhere.

Concerning the presentation of this unique project, the goal of the Kickstarter fundraiser is to garner enough cash to press 12" vinyl in period-appropriate packaging "including jackets with custom etching-styled illustrations" by Scrub Club's in-house designer Mr. Spooky.

Of course it wouldn't be a Kickstarter project without contributor perks, and on this end the Scrubs really pull out all the stops. Rewards run the gamut from the typical digital album download and a copy of the physical release to extravagancies like a special guest verse on your own track (from MadHatter or Dale Chase) and a custom-made beat (compliments of Dale or Pelicaine!einhander).

Anyone interested in high-concept nerdcore or steampunk culture should definitely peep the full details. This sounds like a genuinely original album concept, and I truly hope it meets its funding goal. If you feel so lead, please do what you can to help fight the (stodgy, distinctly Victorian) power!

Welcoming Our Robot Overlords

I don't trust that smile!

Earlier this month I wrote a fairly lengthy post about the perceived importance – or lack thereof, depending on your individual slant – of netlabels. You never saw it, of course, because after re-reading this epistle it became apparent that I had added absolutely nothing to the debate.

My final conclusion, that a netlabel can provide valuable assets and collaborative input yet doesn't ensure artistic success, seemed… well, pretty goddamn obvious. So I scrapped the piece.

I can't imagine any fan reading this will mistake Pause or Scrub Club for Universal or Sony Music. Nor does any artist looking to leverage the kind of grassroots networking inherent in a netlabel confuse that subtle camaraderie for his "big break." In short, I think we all understand what netlabels are: a tool for digital musicians that, if employed properly, can provide minor artistic support and help with much-needed promotion.

I mention this because I recently received a press release from a brand new netlabel on the scene. This one, head by former MisterB and current B-Type Mr. Steve Brunton, operates under the unassuming name of Giggling Robot Records. Peep the presser below to see what they're all about:

Around two years ago now, I discussed the possibility of starting a record label with a friend of mine. We mused that in an age of rampant piracy, fatigue with the music industry, and a huge amount of quality acts releasing music for free that was on par, quality wise, with the mainstream, record labels were finding their roles in the musical society being marginalized.

However, one thing we agreed upon was that the vast majority of music fans have investigated the acts on a label, having heard and loved one.

Publicity is a valuable and difficult thing. We began coming up with a manifesto based around the concept of shared success. With tools like youtube, facebook, and twitter, matched with traditional means such as Album Notes and Word of Mouth, there is no reason that publicity for one act, or the label itself, cannot bleed through to the rest of the family.

As a record label, the most precious commodity we have are our artists. People have already made comment with regards to the sheer amount of acts we have signed in such a short amount of time. The reasoning behind this is powered by our focus on shared publicity. However, this was not an open call. Each act has been pondered, discussed, and even argued about by members of our team.

The label requires each member to be self sufficient when it comes to the music they make. While other labels are able to offer mixing and mastering, this is not something Giggling Robot Records can provide, due to the size of our roster, and monetary constraints. However, to turn a negative into a plus, this means that each and every artist that releases music under the Giggling Robot Records banner will have complete control over their music. The only control we retain is the option to refuse to release music that we do not feel reaches the artists potential. (Indeed, one of our first moves as a label was to create a strict and passionate Quality Control team.)

More information about GRR can be found on our currently under construction website, www.gigglingrobotrecords.com, as well as links to our acts, such as Whoremoans, DJ Roborob, JHSounds, MC Gigahertz, and Magitek.

The Giggling Robot Records team live, breath, and NEED this music. We hope to become a welcome community servant that will produce music to the highest quality, and do our part to help our associated acts reach their full potential.

Regards,

Steve B-Type Brunton

www.gigglingrobotrecords.com

And there you have it. Giggling Robot is a place that a number of established nerd music acts already call home, and we can only assume that it will prove to be a conduit for new talent as well.What it may lack in production resources it hopes to make up for with regard to individual artistic freedom.That's certainly a risky gambit, but an admirable move none the less.

Like most netlabels, it started with nothing more than an idea and a dream, and I, for one, can't wait to see what they bring to the table. Best of luck, lads – Now wow us, you magnificent metal bastards! :)

Funny is as Funny Does

The human brain is spectacularly adept at recognizing patterns. In fact, this innate human trait – the ability to construct silver strings of connection between otherwise disparate objects – is the very cornerstone of the Radio Free Hipster podcast.

When I hear a song my first instinct is to relate it to another, and to cross-reference that in my internal catalog. I then further build this rapidly-growing list by relating more tracks or artists with similar styles, tempos or thematic content. It's more than a little crazy, sure, but it's what I do.

Therefore I was anything but surprised when a pair of albums to recently fall into my possession became inextricably linked. What was a little unexpected was that the element that bound these two was little more than a firm focus on humor.

Insane Ian & the MusicIANs – The Last Arcade

Insane Ian isn't exactly the most well known act in the Funny Music community, but he's quickly become a personal favorite. Like a lot of his fellow Dementia musicians, Ian often constructs elaborate parody tracks (a la Weird Al), and it's a penchant that's served him well.

The Last Arcade, his latest full-length, relies on the hook-heavy nature of tracks lampooning everyone from The Beatles (opener "House") to the Black Eyed Peas ("Autotune") to catch the attention of the listener, but it's often his unique originals that prove most satisfying. Sure "Use Some Money" (a Kings of Leon take-off) and Barenaked Ladies-inspired "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" are perfect sarcastic-pop nuggets, but "Marry'd Life," Ian's own hilariously soulful meditation on modern coupling, shows an even higher level of artistry.

Still, both the parodies and the originals manage to happily co-exist on The Last Arcade. Old favorites like "DiG DuG" sound completely at home in close proximity to joints like "Our Love Song" – a selection that is, perhaps, the most brutally honest romantic ballad of all time.

But that's certainly not to say the album doesn't have issues. A few of the more punk rock numbers (specifically "Talk to Mr. Ed" and "24") overdo the stylistic trait of muddying up the mix, and a measure of the album's core tracks, those focused on the titular topic of games and gaming, fail to completely gel. "Achievement Unlocked" is an early selection that, while humorous, suffers because of a sloppy verse structure, and Super Smash Bros ode "MvL" reminds us that Ian's a better vocalist than rapper.

Speaking of Insane Ian's vocal stylings, The Last Arcade sees him pull off a solid performance throughout with some really nice harmonies scattered here and there. Though his timbre isn't always pitch-perfect his voice is warm, unique and instantly recognizable. More importantly, anything that Ian may lack in his singing is more than made up for by his writing, and even the tracks that flounder and flop (like "Superstitious") manage to work in abundant quotable lines.

The same can be said for the albums instrumental backing. From simple beats to sharp guitar work, Ian and his studio team do a great job of bringing these tunes to life. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the My Chemical Romance-inspired title track, which stands out as one of Ian's most ambitious efforts as well as one of his best.

All things considered, The Last Arcade is a competently performed and incredibly well written album. While not all the songs are total earworms, the vast majority should appeal to anyone with a healthy sense of humor and a love for smartass pop-rock.

Even if the FuMP scene isn't normally your thing, I urge you to at least give Insane Ian a try. He's obviously a cat who takes his music seriously, but isn't above being wonderfully weird for its own sake. It's hard for me not to support an artist like that.

Illbotz – Ringtones for Rotary Phones

While the aforementioned Insane Ian disc is brand-spanking new, Illbotz's Ringtones for Rotary Phones actually dropped way the hell back in 2007.And yet the album holds up well. Casting themselves firmly in the comedy rap vein, it kicks off with a legitimately amusing skit in which Stevie D receives a fax from Nas informing him that hip-hop is dead. The Illbotz solution? Buy a bread machine.

Yeah, it’s that kind of album.

From there the guys take us on a musical journey from distinctly old school hip-hop to contemporarily-colored radio rap – with brief detours into styles as contrasting as guitar pop, white-boy funk and pub rock. It succeeds in this odd musical experiment by relying on two unifying elements: well-metered verses and a wholly off-kilter sense of humor, both of which are firmly intertwined throughout some great songs and totally enjoyable interludes.

In the first musical track alone ("Clap Your Hands and Stuff"), rappers Stevie D and Big Perm manage to channel Sugarhill Gang, Glenn Quagmire and Zoolander into a proper comedy rap explosion. This continues through classically slanted hip-hop jams like "Gyeah" and "Doo Doo Def," both of which skew heavily toward the Biz Markie school of absurdist rhyming.

Hitting all the customary themes of the truly refined artist such as fucking ("The Opposite of Abstinence," "Naughty Party") and drinking ("Me and You and a PBR," "The Pub That Had No Gin"), Ringtones for Rotary Phones is genuinely fierce throughout its first half. Although, admittedly, throwing in an unexpected curve like "Here Comes the Predator," a Replacements parody about a certain 1987 sci-fi action flick, is an easy way to woo me as a reviewer.

Sadly, the album falters a bit around the half-way mark. "Transform" suffers from weak production and an inelegant beat, "Unclean Jellybean" seems far too repetitive, "Gettin' Cocaine for Papa Smurf" fails to live up to its epic title and "My Favorite Things" (a rap parody of the Sound of Music classic) is a far better idea on paper than on wax. Luckily the crew manages to right shit in the waning moments.

Their acoustic-backed tribute to the late Ol' Dirty Bastard is positively inspired, and the album's closing couplet remind us that Illbotz have more to offer than their distinctive humor. No sooner does the "Ghostface Got Fish" skit present Perm's outspoken opinion concerning backpack rap than Stevie seemingly defends the same underground aesthetic (over the Pet Shop Boys "Domino Dancing," if you can fuckin' believe it!)

Already I've begun to see Illbotz much in the same way I see Seattle duo Metaforce or art-rock-rappers Zombies! Organize!! – as a group that I probably enjoy far more than the rest of you. And that's okay. All I can do here is offer my own opinion, and in that opinion Ringtones for Rotary Phones is humorous rap at its finest. I can forgive a few bum tracks when paired with some top-shelf material, and anyone who's still willing and able to keep hip-hop loose, funny and patently disrespectful in the modern context of holier-than-though MCs is aces in my book.

Oh, and as a bonus, Ringtones for Rotary Phones also contains a hidden cover of The Outfield's "Your Love."

Yeah, it’s that kind of album.